|
U.S. to Turkey: Iraq Is Not Lebanon
21.7.2006
|
|
|
|
PRAGUE, July 21 ,
-- Turkey has said it was taking steps this week to
prepare for a cross-border incursion into Kurdistan
(northern Iraq) to hunt down Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK) fighters holed up in the Qandil Mountain
range. The announcement came following a series of
PKK attacks on Turkish troops in recent days that
left more than a dozen soldiers dead.
The Turkish General Staff was asked to plan and
prepare for a possible cross-border operation
following antiterrorism board and ministerial
council meetings earlier this week. Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on July 19 that
preparations are under way, telling reporters in
Ankara: "Authorized institutions and security forces
are proceeding with their work. Whatever step needs
to be taken will be taken according to the study."
Change In U.S. Stance?
Turkey has tried on several occasions in recent
months to pressure the U.S. and Iraqi governments to
take action against the PKK. The latest attempt
appears to be based on an assumption that the U.S.
position regarding cross-border operations has
changed.
A "strategic vision" document signed by U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Turkish
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul in Washington on July
5 stressed the United States' continued commitment
to eradicating the PKK, which it considers a
terrorist organization.
"We will work very actively with Turkey and also
with the new Iraqi government to deal with this
problem because, as I have said before and as I said
when I was in Turkey, no one wants the PKK to be
able to operate, to carry out terrorist attacks
against Turkey anywhere, but most especially from
Kurdistan (northern Iraq)," Rice told reporters
after their meeting. However, it appears Rice meant
diplomatically, not militarily.
The United States maintains that any Turkish
military operation could destabilize Iraqi
Kurdistan. U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson
told Turkey's NTV television on July 17 that the
United States would oppose any unilateral action on
Turkey's part.
'Iraq Is Not Lebanon'
Wilson denied that the U.S. position reflected a
double standard because of its support for Israel's
attack on Hizballah positions in southern Lebanon,
saying that Israel's circumstances were different.
"Turkey has an ally in Iraq. Israel does not have
such an opportunity. Besides, [the] PKK is not only
in the north of Iraq, it is in Europe and in Turkey.
Entering the north of Iraq will not resolve the
problem," Anatolia quoted Wilson as telling the news
channel. The ambassador's remarks were widely
criticized in the Turkish press.
The U.S. Embassy clarified Wilson's remarks in a
July 19 statement posted to its website, saying the
ambassador's remarks had been misinterpreted in the
Turkish media. "Of course, Turkey, like every
country, has a right and an obligation to defend
itself and its people. For over 50 years, we have
stood together as members of an alliance dedicated
to collective defense and security.... Working
together with the United States and the government
of Iraq can be an essential part of advancing
Turkish security.
"We look forward to continued close cooperation with
Turkey and with the government of Prime Minister
Erdogan as our countries address together the threat
posed by the PKK and the other security challenges
we face," the statement read.
Turkey Looks For Support
Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ali Tuygan
summoned the U.S. and Iraqi ambassadors to a July 17
meeting in Ankara and told them to take action
against the PKK or else Turkey would.
Turkish Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said the
parties involved must understand Turkey's resolve in
destroying the PKK, which it considers a terrorist
group, and that Turkey "will take the appropriate
steps decisively and with firmness" to carry out
that goal. "We expect support, sincerity, and
cooperation from all governments which acknowledged
that [the] PKK is a terrorist organization," he
noted, referring to the United States and Iraq,
Anatolia news agency reported on July 17.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has
been trying to drum up European support for a
Turkish incursion. He raised the issue with U.K.
Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett in London on July
18. Gul told reporters following the meeting that he
called for international support against the PKK.
Gul later contended in an interview with the
"Financial Times" published on July 20 that the PKK
has armed itself with remote-controlled explosives
and weapons obtained in Iraq, including from the
Iraqi army. "We cannot tolerate this. Definitely we
will use all our rights under international law," he
said.
Regarding past statements by Iraqi officials that
any Turkish military operation would potentially
destabilize Iraqi Kurdistan, Gul said: "Of course,
we understand the Iraqi government's position, but
if they are not able to control their land, they
should not hesitate to cooperate with us. If they
cannot stop it, we will have to take action."
Gul also told the "Financial Times" that hesitation
over letting Turkey join the EU, coupled with U.S.
policies in the Middle East, are triggering an
anti-Western backlash in Turkey.
Turkey Least Of Iraq's Concerns
Iraqi officials have said little publicly about the
threatened incursion. Given the problems faced by
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's administration in
Baghdad, the timing could not be worse. Security
continues to deteriorate, and reports this week by
the UN and Iraqi Migration and Displacement Ministry
indicate that some 6,000 nationals have been killed
in the past two months, and an equal number wounded,
while some 32,000 have been displaced in the past
three weeks. The ministry estimates that 162,000
Iraqis have been internally displaced over the past
five months.
The escalation in regional tensions brought on by
the Israeli attacks on Hizballah in Lebanon have
further occupied Baghdad, as it considers the
ramifications of a broader regional conflict should
Israel take action against Hizballah sponsors Iran
and Syria.
Kurdish leader and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani
issued a strong warning to Turkey on July 13, saying
that previous agreements signed between Saddam
Hussein and the Turkish government regarding
permission for Turkey to carry out cross-border
operations were no longer valid.
Referring to Turkey and Iran, which have been
carrying out operations against Kurdish fighters
along the Iraqi border for several weeks, Talabani
said: "The central government in [Baghdad has]
conveyed its uneasiness on the issue to the two
countries via their embassies. The government has
warned the two countries." U.S. officials have also
cautioned against any Turkish-Iranian incursion into
Iraq, according to Turkish media reports.
Meanwhile, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan
Barzani told reporters on July 19 that the PKK was
an internal Turkish issue and the Kurdistan
government had not given safe-haven to the PKK. For
Barzani, any instability in his region's relations
with Turkey would cost both sides economically.
And this may be the only area where Turkey has
leverage. If it succeeds in convincing Iraq's
Kurdish leaders that the region will suffer
financially, there may be some Kurdish movement on
the issue.
rferl org
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey) wikipedia
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 