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Turkey Backs Peace Force for Iraq

Turkey's parliament authorizes the deployment of up to 10,000 Turkish peacekeepers to neighboring Iraq to work alongside U.S. forces. The vote came as a surprise in light of strong public opposition in Turkey to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Iraq's governing council says it opposes the presence of any foreign troops from neighboring countries on Iraqi soil. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

Copyright 2003 NPR

Ivan Watson
Ivan Watson is currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. Following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he has served as one of NPR's foreign "firemen," shuttling to and from hotspots around the Middle East and Central Asia.
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