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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- President Barack Obama's administration isinclined to sell armed drones to Turkey but has to convinceCongress first, Turkey's president told reporters after a meetingwith the U.S. leader. Washington, which is providing technical and intelligence to Ankarain its fight against autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels, deployed fourPredator drones from Iraq to Turkey last year. NATO-ally Turkey isnow trying to acquire armed drones - the kind the U.S. has used totarget militants in places like Yemen and the border region betweenAfghanistan and Pakistan. But analysts say some Congress members may oppose the sale of armedPredator drones to Turkey due to its tense relations with Israel, aclose U.S. ally. A botched Turkish military airstrike in Decemberaimed at the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party that killed 34civilians is also likely to further complicate any sale. "The administration's position (toward the sale) is favorable,"Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency quoted President Abdullah Gul astelling Turkish reporters after a meeting with Obama on thesidelines of a NATO summit in Chicago late Monday. "They are tryingto convince Congress." "President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and their aides aretrying their best," he added. The Turkish president said he told Obama during their discussionsthat the armed drones are not as lethal as F-16 fighter jets, whichTurkey already has in its fleet, or the F-35 fighter jet whosedevelopment Turkey is involved in. "This must be explained to Congress," Gul said. "They must not actbegrudgingly toward an important allied country. They have to trustit." Gul would not say how many armed drones Turkey has requested fromthe United States. Last week, the Wall Street Journal said the attack, which struck agroup of smugglers and resulted in one of the highest single-daydeath tolls in the long-standing conflict between Turkey and therebels, was based on intelligence provided by a U.S. Predatordrone. U.S. officials reportedly told the newspaper that the Turkishmilitary carried out the attack before more information on the menwas obtained, raising questions about how Turkey uses intelligenceprovided by the Predators. Turkish officials have dismissed the report, saying the firstimages of the group were captured by the Turkish military. The Kurdistan Workers' Party, which took up arms in 1984, islabeled a terrorist organization by Washington. 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . I am an expert from hotel-door-locks.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Electric Locks For Doors , Intelligent Door Locks, Intelligent Door Locks,and more.
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