The visits of General Bantz Craddock, commander of US forces in Europe; General David Petraeus, head of US forces in Iraq, and General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, came only two weeks after a key meeting in Washington between US President George W. Bush and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on November 5th.
Posete komandanta američkih snaga u Evropi generala Banca Kredoka, komandanta američkih snaga u Iraku generala Dejvida Petreusa i zamenika komandanta Združenog generalštaba američke vojske generala Džejmsa Kartrajta usledile su samo dve nedelje nakon ključnog sastanka američkog predsednika Džordža V. Buša i turskog premijera Redžepa Tajipa Erdogana 5. novembra.