Turkey denies signing deal to allow U.S. to use bases

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Turkish officials Monday denied a report that it had struck a deal with the U.S. to allow its air bases to be used for the fight against the Islamic State.

While talks are still ongoing, Turkey has insisted on broadening the scope of the coalition to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power, and wants to enforce a no-fly zone over parts of northern Syria to create a safe haven for moderate Syrian rebels to be armed and trained.

"Right now, we agree with the U.S. on some issues related to the train-and-equip project," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Anadolu Agency, Turkey's official press agency.

"There is no decision made on Incirlik or on any other matter," he said.

Use of Incirlik, an air base in Adana, about 100 miles north of the Syrian border, is a key goal of the U.S. negotiators. U.S. officials had said Sunday that a deal had been reached to open the air bases to U.S. and coalition forces, as well as to allow the training of Syrian rebels on Turkish soil.

However, on Monday, a U.S. State Department official told the New York Times that the deal was essentially enlace, but had not been finalized.

"They have agreed to some base usage, but the details of how it will be executed are still being worked out," the official said.

Turkey, which is a member of NATO, already allows the use of its air bases to fly surveillance drones.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his government's insistence on tying efforts to defeat the Islamic State with its goal of ousting Assad.

"We will fight against Isis with the same conviction as before, but we have certain conditions," Erdoğan said at Istanbul University.

"One: there needs to be a no-fly zone. Two: there needs to be a buffer zone [inside Syria]. Three: we have to train [opposition fighters]. Four: the Syrian regime has to be targeted," he said. "You cannot solve this situation in Kobani alone. There are many Kobanis in Syria. If there is Kobani today, there is Aleppo, Hasakah and Mosul tomorrow."