Turkey in Dilemma Over NATO Shield

By MARC CHAMPION | OCTOBER 27, 2010 

ISTANBUL—Turkey's top security body is set to discuss Wednesday whether to back a U.S.-led plan to build a missile-defense shield against rogue states—a moment that could force Ankara to choose between its longstanding westward orientation and its recent courtship of Iran.

The National Security Council, which consists of top military commanders and political leaders, is expected to debate the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's proposal for a defense shield largely built and funded by the U.S. A senior Turkish diplomat said Ankara will have to decide its position before next month's summit of the 28-nation alliance in Lisbon, Portugal, where Turkey and other NATO members are due to decide whether to go ahead with the plan.

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Turkey's Trade Deficit Widens

By JOE PARKINSON | OCTOBER 27, 2010

ISTANBUL—Turkey's trade deficit widened almost 70% on the year in September to $6.7 billion, data showed Wednesday, marking the fastest expansion since April and stoking concerns that the emerging market's structural imbalance could pose a longer-term threat to growth.

According to figures released Wednesday by the official statistics agency Turkstat, September's $25 billion of imports rose five times as fast as exports, underscoring the powerful impact of domestic demand in an economy that's expected to expand 6.8% this year, after tying China for the fastest growth in the Group of 20 in the second quarter, at 10.3%.

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