The US State Department voiced regret this evening that Turkey will not send troops to Iraq and said a Turkish deployment - fiercely opposed by some Iraqis - might not have enhanced stability in the country.
"Obviously, we would have preferred if this (had) all worked out very nicely to everybody's satisfaction but let's remember that the goal is stability in Iraq," State Department spokesman Mr Richard Boucher said.
"There is recognition, I think, on all our parts - on the United States' side, Turkish as well as the Iraqis - that maybe this deployment at this time would not add to that goal in the way that we had hoped it would," he added.
Reversing an earlier decision, Turkey said it would not deploy troops to help the United States secure postwar Iraq after encountering strong opposition from the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council.
Not sending troops to Iraq eases pressure on Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government, which went against public opinion to allow the deployment under pressure from Washington and Ankara's powerful military establishment.
Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the matter with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on Thursday and he stressed the US government's thanks to Turkey for its offer to send troops who might have eased the pressure on US forces fighting persistent guerrilla resistance in Iraq.
"We thank the people and government and parliament for their offer to contribute," Boucher said. "For the moment this deployment of troops is not going forward."