Draft on US ships to Turkey drops off agenda

WASHINGTON - Anatolia News Agency

This photo taken from a US Navy website shows USS Tach, one of the two guided missile ships that were suggested to be granted to Turkey.

The draft law that would authorize President Barack Obama to grant two guided missile ships to Turkey has dropped off the agenda, with the U.S. Senate did not vote on time on the draft amid a busy yearend due to the “fiscal cliff” talks.

The draft law had been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 30, 2012, but it needed the approval of the Senate to come into force. However, the Senate closed the 112th legislative session without the draft being included on its agenda.

The move would give Obama the right to grant the provision of guided missile-firing naval vessels to Turkey, along with a number of other countries including Thailand and Mexico. Turkey is thus in danger of losing the possibility of receiving the USS Halyburton (FFG–40) and the USS Thach (FFG–43) ships, along with the other countries in the bill.

The U.S. Congress left several draft laws off its agenda, while they spent the last days of the new year trying to reach a deal to move the American economy away from the “fiscal cliff.”