Turkey has not taken a single kuruş from the USA, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül stated responding to allegations from main opposition leader Deniz Baykal, who claimed the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government made a deal with the U.S. to assure it that Turkey will not make a cross-border operation into northern Iraq. "The United States gave money to countries negatively influenced by the first gulf War as compensation. However, Turkey was not paid such money. There are no secret documents about such a deal, either," A. Gül underlined, Bugün newspaper reports.

Earlier the Turkish Foreign Ministry had spread a special statement in connection with the financial agreement signed between Turkey and the United States in September 22, 2003. The Turkish MFA confirmed the fact that there exists an agreement with the USA on assigning to Ankara $1 billion to refuse from invading Northern Iraq. The statement underlines that the United States has assigned $8.5 billion as a privileged loan aimed at supporting economic reforms, as well as $1 billion as compensation for the damage from the war in Iraq. "According to the agreement, the $1-billion compensation would be paid to Ankara part by part. The document particularly underlines that in case of a military operation by Turkey in Northern Iraq the United States will refuse from giving the remaining part of compensation. But after signing the agreement Turkey willingly refused from economic aid thus stopping the effect of the corresponding article of the document. From this viewpoint this agreement does not mean that Turkey has taken any commitments in front of the USA. At that time the Treasury of the country declared about refusing from the $1-billion compensation," says the statement of the Turkish Foreign Ministry.