Pressure corrupts democratic values; Turkey's rejection of US ground forces

Turkey's parliament approved allowing renovations by the US of army bases and ports, the Washington Post reported yesterday. However, the parliament did not approve US ground forces into Turkey as the US has been requesting. The US renovations are estimated to bring in $200 to $300 million dollars in revenues.

The Washington Post said "The 308-to-193 vote today demonstrated strong discipline by the ruling Justice and Development Party, which controls almost two-thirds of parliament. Many of its members reportedly opposed the measure but were persuaded to approve it at the urging of the party leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan."

The Washington Post added: "In a sign of how politically sensitive the issue is, however, the session was closed to the public and all records of the debate and vote were ordered sealed for 10 years. That sparked desk-banging and cries of outrage from opposition members -- images that were captured on television before coverage was suspended. "You are afraid of the people!" a legislator yelled.

Opinion surveys show that more than 80 percent of the public opposes a war against Iraq, the report said.