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Some
'prominent' friends of the Iraqi Kurdish leaders
have become more vocal on the 'great benefits' to
Turkey if a Kurdish state is carved out of Iraq,
while information is pouring in that 'Kurdistan
Airlines' will soon start flights to Turkey. The AKP
government must spell out what's really going on
Some "prominent" Turkish friends of the Iraqi
Kurdish leaders have started a campaign to explain
the "great benefits" Turkey would gain if a Kurdish
state were to be carved out of Iraq, while at the
same time information is pouring in that "Kurdistan
Airlines" could soon start flights between Arbil and
Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport. The ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) government must
disclose to the Turkish public what's really
happening and in exchange for what.
According to one claim, the AKP government has made
a deal with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of
Massoud Barzani for the Nov. 20 start of flights
between Arbil and Istanbul for "humanitarian
purposes." While the AKP government has preferred to
remain silent on the issue, reports from northern
Iraq indicate stepped-up activity at the Arbil
airport, enhanced by some Turkish contractors, and
that sophisticated equipment is being installed in
the flight tower.
"Kurdistan Airlines" has reportedly leased two
aircraft with which it will start flights to and
from Turkey.
Despite the official silence in Ankara, Kurdish
sources have been claiming that the AKP government
has even agreed that "Kurdistan Airlines" can put
its name on the planes on condition that a "Kurdish
flag" or any such emblem does not appear anywhere on
the aircraft.
A demand that the crew of "Kurdistan Airlines" be
allowed to wear "traditional national costume" in
"national colors" was reportedly rejected by the AKP
government, which had previously agreed that the
passports or entry and exit documents of people
traveling to and from Arbil could be stamped by the
"Government of Kurdistan." Nowadays, entry and exit
visas of the "Government of Kurdistan" are not
attached to passports but instead are stamped on
empty sheets of paper that are collected upon
exiting the Iraqi side of the Habur border gate.
The Greek Cypriot and Greek media, on the other
hand, have been in a panic that in exchange for
Turkey's "approval silence" as regards the creation
of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq, Washington
would recognize northern Cyprus. Though the Greek
and Greek Cypriot claims could be considered a
product of their own paranoia, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
must face the nation and announce what's really
happening in northern Iraq and what this "Kurdistan
Airlines" business is all about.
If these rampant claims are incorrect, then why the
official silence?
By the way, the "prominent Turkish friends" of the
Kurdish leaders who have started preaching to Turkey
the benefits of the establishment of a Kurdish state
-- and who are most probably paid in contracts for
their "great services" -- are at the same time
people close to the AKP leadership.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com
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