Weapons program considered that would change balance of power

Posted: August 02, 2010 10:23 pm Eastern

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdog(an is considering whether to develop nuclear weapons in an effort to maintain parity with other countries in the region.

Among neighbors who have such weapons are Russia, Israel, Pakistan and, probably soon, Iran.

Turkish nuclear research has been under way for years, according to sources who say the only reason Turkey hasn't pursued nukes before now is out of concern it would jeopardize good relations with the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Those relations, however, have begun to wane over the past few years, especially following the European Union's repeated rejection of Turkey's membership campaign.

That, in turn, has prompted Turkey to begin looking eastward in a policy shift.

Turkey opposed U.S. action in Iraq, has been against NATO's eastward expansion into the Caucasus and Central Asia and recently opposed the imposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran.

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