Talking For Turkey

"Turkey, which agreed on April 2 to let the U.S. transport supplies through its territory to coalition forces in Iraq, used its large team of American lobbyists to get its message of long-term friendship and strategic importance across to members of Congress," O'Dwyer's PR Daily reports. "The lobbyists were sent into action after some members of Congress, who were upset over Turkey's refusal to let U.S. troops go through its country to get to the war with Iraq, had been making noises about cutting $1 billion in aid to Turkey that is included in the Bush administration's war supplemental funding request." According to O'Dwyer's, The Livingston Group, which gets $1.8 million a year from Turkey, "was helpful in getting Turkish officials into meetings with U.S. lawmakers, keeping track of what the country's opponents might be doing legislatively and helping Turkey navigate the American political scene."