Ankara, Sept 21: Turkey's decision on whether to send troops to Iraq will not depend on a UN resolution allowing for an International Peacekeeping Force in the war-ravaged country, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said today. He stressed, however, that Ankara would welcome any such move by the UN Security Council, which many here hope will help soften Iraqi opposition to a possible Turkish deployment in their country.

"Turkey attaches great importance to this, but does not tie everything to a UN condition," Gul told reporters before flying to New York for the annual gatherings of the UN General Assembly. Ankara will finally decide whether to contribute troops in response to a US request for help to pacify its increasingly turbulent neighbor once parliament returns from summer recess on October 1, Gul said.

He was upbeat when asked about the vocal opposition to a Turkish deployment in Baghdad, particularly by Iraq's now influential Kurdish community. "Any patriot will naturally wish that foreign troops leave one's country as soon as possible. But if (more) foreign troops are to be deployed, the Iraqi people have favored Turkish soldiers from the very beginning," he said.

Gul was to meet with his US and British counterparts, Colin Powell and Jack Straw, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss the issue. Bureau Report