Vice President Dick Cheney has told Turkish leaders that the United States does not plan to take military action against Iraq "in the near future." 

That word comes from Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit after talks with Mr. Cheney in Ankara Tuesday. Turkey has been expressing concern over possible U.S. attacks against neighboring Iraq over Baghdad's refusal to allow United Nations weapons inspectors to return. 

The U.S. government has been making frequent warnings about the danger of Iraq acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Mr. Cheney's meetings with Turkish leaders were expected to focus on the Iraq situation and whether American forces could use Turkish bases during a U.S. campaign against Iraq. 

The vice president said earlier in Israel that no decision has been made on military action -- and that he would not speculate about prospective, future operations. 

Turkey is the final scheduled stop on Mr. Cheney's tour of 11 nations in the Middle East. Before he arrived in Ankara, Turkish police detained more than 50 people at a demonstration protesting the visit. 

Mr. Cheney heard opposition to attacking Iraq from all nine Arab states on his tour. However, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel would back any American decision when it comes to any future phase of the war on terror. 

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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