Turkey set to sign delayed loan deal

[ze_dscherman]

DUBAI, Sept 22 (Reuters) - A deal to provide about $8.5 billion in U.S. loans to Turkey, under negotiation since March, will finally be signed on Monday, U.S. and Turkish officials say.

The loan signing carries a significance beyond its economic impact, since it marks a step in patching up relations between NATO military allies that were frayed by the U.S.-led war against Iraq.

SNIP

A condition of the U.S. loan disbursements, which could begin relatively quickly even if the IMF must first complete a pending review of Turkey's compliance with the fund programme, was that Turkey must cooperate with the United States on policies towards Iraq.

Cooperation should prove easier now, with the war past and attention focused on efforts to rebuild Iraq, a project all the NATO allies share with far more goodwill than was the case in the runup to the attack that ousted the regime of Saddam Hussein.

http://news.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3483426

[MaineDem]

1. Well, gee, Kennedy was right!

A condition of the U.S. loan disbursements, which could begin relatively quickly even if the IMF must first complete a pending review of Turkey's compliance with the fund programme, was that Turkey must cooperate with the United States on policies towards Iraq.


Sounds like bribery to me!!!

[aneerkoinos]

3. Hmmm...

At Cancun Turkey was one of the G23 countries. What, no immediate revenge? Is ol' US of A getting soft?

[Sagan]

2. The Turks were smart to hold out...

Looks like they got a bigger bribe now than they would have in March, given that the misAdministration is over a barrel.

Those crafty Turks!

[lindashaw]

4. hehe, "incentivization" in progress!