Turkey reportedly outlines NATO missile system position

Turkish President Abdullah Gul has sent a letter to the leaders of NATO countries outlining Ankara’s position on deploying elements of the Alliance’s proposed anti-missile defence shield on Turkish territory, sources from the presidential administration were quoted as saying on Saturday (November 13th). They refused to reveal details of the letter, however. On Friday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Seoul that Ankara is “sensitive” about deployment of shield elements on its territory. Local media have reported that Ankara has set three conditions: it must be a NATO, rather than a US missile defence system; it should be deployed in all NATO members, and Turkey should not be turned into the Alliance’s frontline state, as was the case during the Cold War. Earlier this month, Gul said Turkey would not host a system that targets neighbouring Iran. Ankara is expected to announce its final decision at the NATO summit in Lisbon later this week.