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Turkey - Gen. Ralston, an undiplomatic
conflict of interest
1.11.2006
By Kevin McKiernan |
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November
1, 2006
Most people would agree that it's bad ethics for
government officials to invest in companies that
they regulate. But what about a US special envoy to
a Middle East trouble spot who happens to be a
director of an arms company selling weapons to one
of the parties in the conflict?
That's the case of retired Air Force General Joseph
Ralston, who was appointed by the Bush
administration in August to help US ally Turkey
counter the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK , the
Kurdish rebels who are seeking autonomy from Turkey
and have bases in northern Iraq. Ralston, a former
NATO supreme allied commander, has been negotiating
with Turkish generals and Iraqi leaders since his
appointment to develop measures to eliminate the
bases.
The problem is that General Ralston is on the board
of Lockheed Martin, the world's largest arms maker,
which just last month finalized a $2.9 billion sale
for advanced F-16 fighters that may well be used in
the Kurdish region (the State Department
acknowledges that F-16 s were involved in human
rights abuses in Turkey in the 1990s). This gives
the ex-general the appearance of holding a financial
interest in his shuttle diplomacy. |
U.S Retired Gen. Joseph Ralston |
The administration hopes the Ralston appointment
will boost US-Turkish ties, which soured on the eve
of the Iraq war after Turkey refused to allow
American troops to deploy from Turkish soil. But the
issue of PKK guerrillas, who have been battling the
US-equipped Turkish army for 22 years, is
complicated, and efforts to impose a military
solution without causing more regional instability
may backfire.
The Kurdish uprising in the 1990s in Turkey
accounted for approximately 37,000 deaths, most of
them ethnic Kurds. Whatever happens next will be
closely watched by the restive population of 25
million stateless Kurds who spill across the borders
of Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and Syria.
Both the United States and the European Union regard
the PKK as terrorists, but the group finds support
among Turkey's long-abused Kurds. At the same time,
Kurds who hoped the Turkish government would grant
educational and broadcasting rights were
disappointed in 2004 when the PKK ended its
unilateral, five-year cease-fire and went back to
war.
Now Turkey and the Kurds appear to be on a new
collision course, and Lockheed Martin, General
Ralston's company, may play a pivotal role. Last
spring, Turkey moved 200,000 troops to its southern
border, and its generals have been pressing
Washington for a green light to enter Iraq to attack
the rebel sanctuaries. Iraq's government opposes the
threatened incursion, arguing it would only add to
existing chaos in the country.
Iraqi Kurdish leaders fear local Kurds would join
Turkish Kurds to fight the Turkish army -- the
largest NATO power (after the United States) -- and
the result would be a Kurdish bloodbath. Privately,
Iraqi Kurdish leaders complain that the issue of PKK
bases is only a pretext. They claim that Ankara's
real target is Kirkuk, the multiethnic, oil- rich
city that Iraqi Kurds vow to incorporate into their
semi-autonomous zone by 2007.
Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, who is a Kurd,
recently played a key role in behind-the-scenes
negotiations to disarm the guerrillas. The result
was a cease-fire announcement on Oct. 1 by the
rebels, who also declared they might hand over
weapons to US forces in Iraq in exchange for Turkish
concessions that include human rights reforms and
amnesty for rebels. In a speech in Istanbul last
month Ralston opposed amnesty and dismissed the
cease-fire, declaring he would never "negotiate with
terrorists."
General Ralston is on the board of the American
Turkish Council, the powerful Capitol Hill lobby,
and he is vice chairman of the Cohen Group, a
corporation founded by former Secretary of Defense
William Cohen, with close ties to the Turkish
military. Unfortunately, Ralston carries too much
baggage to be special envoy, and he should step down
before he alienates the Kurds of Iraq, the best --
and perhaps only -- friend the US government has in
the country.
With the looming threat of civil or even wider war
in the region, the United States needs a skilled,
disinterested negotiator to resolve the PKK issue,
while finding a peaceful solution to legitimate
Kurdish grievances.
Our new man in Ankara will be seen as an arms
merchant in diplomat's clothing. He should be
replaced.
boston com
The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously
rejected due to its alleged political implications
by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize
the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan".
Others estimate as many as 40 million Kurds live in
Big Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia),
which covers an area as big as France, about half of
all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in
Turkey.
The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan but
unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag is
banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it is
a criminal offence"
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey) wikipedia
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