Turkey: The Rocky Road to Northern Iraq

I S T A N B U L, Turkey, Feb. 6 -- Turkey's Prime Minister, Abdullah Gul, says his country won't fight in anyU.S.-led war in Iraq, but the NATO member is in the process of gradually opening its bases to U.S. forces.

Turkey's Cabinet ministers gave their consent Wednesday for U.S. troops to upgrade Turkish military bases in preparation for a U.S.-led war in Iraq, but a second parliamentary decision on whether to allow U.S. combat troops to enter the country isn't expected to come until Feb. 18.

Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul has been facing intense U.S. pressure to allow U.S. troops to open a possible northern front against Iraq.

Earlier this week, Vice President Dick Cheney asked Gul that Turkey move quickly on the decision.

The U.S. is looking to base tens of thousands of soldiers in Turkey. If war with Iraq broke out, the troops would open up a northern front and divide Iraq's army between U.S. forces in Turkey and the Persian Gulf.

Gul told ABCNEWS' Diane Sawyer that Turkey is trying to decide just how many U.S. troops they would allow in Turkey.

"Talks, as I said, are going on and I'm sure both sides will be satisfied at the end," Gul said.

The Rocky Door to Northern Iraq

Turkey's cooperation is key in a possible U.S. war with Iraq and diplomats have said that if the U.S. is not allowed to use Turkish bases, its war plans could be disrupted. The U.S. is looking to spend up to several hundred million dollars to expand Turkish bases for use in an Iraq war.

U.S. and Turkish generals agree that a two-front war would be quicker, but retired Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold said the trail from Turkey to Iraq won't be an easy physical task.

"Any movement into Northern Iraq from Turkey has to cross through roughly 100 miles of very mountainous terrain in which logistics and general movement is very restricted and difficult," Newbold told ABCNEWS' Good Morning America during the show's special broadcast from Turkey today.

An invading American force would need to make their way through the winding mountain roads of the Zagros mountains. Vehicles would be able to travel only at very low speeds — 15-30 miles per hour — through the rough terrain.