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Kurdistan-Iraq: PKK, Turkomans Divide
Turkey And Kurds
28.9.2006 |
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Prague, September
27, -- Despite a visit by a Turkish parliamentary
delegation to Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region this
week, Turkish and Iraqi officials remain strongly
divided over how to deal with the issue of Turkish
Kurdish rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
and the state of affairs between Kurds and Iraqi
Turkomans living in Kirkuk.
Mutual distrust continues to drive relations between
the Turkish government and the Kurdish regional
government, prompting media speculation that armed
conflict is just around the corner. This distrust
can be seen in the array of comments -- ranging from
outright threats to statements of support -- coming
from Turkish officials, which points to possible
confusion over how to deal with the Iraq issue.
Iraqi President and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
head Jalal Talabani addressed the status of PKK
militants hiding out in northern Iraq's mountainous
border area during a recent interview for the
October 2 issue of "Newsweek" magazine. "We
convinced the PKK to stop fighting and within days
it will officially announce a cease-fire. This will
help Iraq open a new chapter in relations with
Turkey," he said. "We are urging the Turkish Kurds
to be moderate, to wage their struggle through
democratic means."
Turkey Sees Double Standard
Continued pressure by Iraqi Kurdish officials for a
peaceful solution to the PKK-Turkey conflict has
largely been brushed off by Turkish officials who
see an armed solution as the only way to end the
conflict.
Iraqi and U.S. officials, they claim, follow a
double standard when it comes to dealing with
terrorism. "Turkey has no tolerance for applying
double standards in the fight against terrorism,"
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told the UN
General Assembly in a September 22 speech.
Meanwhile, some Turkish officials last week
expressed optimism over the position of the Iraqi
government after Baghdad said it had closed all PKK
offices in the country and banned the group from
carrying out any activities.
"We welcomed the measures taken by the Iraqi
government against PKK activities in Iraq.... We
believe that the Iraqi government will take the
necessary steps as soon as possible about
recognition of the PKK as a terrorist organization,
and closure of political parties associated with the
PKK. If these measures are put into practice
throughout Iraq, we will be able to further develop
our cooperation," Turkish parliament speaker Bulent
Arinc said in a letter to his Iraqi counterpart,
Mahmud al-Mashhadani, Anatolia news agency reported
on September 23.
Speaking at the Foreign Police Association in New
York on September 25, Gul said that Turkey would be
prepared to act unilaterally against the PKK should
its allies, Iraq and the United States, refuse to
take action. Gul added that Turkish attempts to
pressure Iraq into driving the PKK from its
territory and force a "permanent solution" have not
succeeded.
"The PKK has been nourished in opponent countries
for years. However, it lives in friendly nations,
which is risky. From now on we expect genuine
decisiveness," Zaman Online quoted Gul on September
26 as saying.
Gul added that U.S. President George W. Bush has
committed to fighting the PKK. "I believe that there
is a brand new opportunity regarding this matter. We
will achieve success," he said.
Iraq Protests Interference
Iraqi President Talabani, also making the rounds in
the United States, warned against interference by
Iraq's neighbors in its internal affairs. Citing
Turkey as one of the agitators, Talabani told U.S.
National Public Radio in an interview broadcast on
September 26 that should the interference continue,
Iraq would take steps to respond in kind by
supporting opposition groups in neighboring states.
The comment was widely reported in the Turkish
press, leading to a backlash among policymakers and
officials in Turkey. Justice and Development Party
Deputy General Chairman Dengir Mir Firat told
reporters on September 26: "Turkey will wage [war]
as it has waged it until now. Whether [the PKK] will
declare a cease-fire or lay down its arms, that is
an issue that concerns them. Talabani's remarks on
this issue are also his own concern. We will
continue to fight."
Mehmet Dulger, the chairman of the parliament's
Foreign Affairs Committee, also dismissed talks of a
PKK cease-fire, telling reporters, "We do not sit
and negotiate." Regarding Talabani's remarks about
Turkey's interference in Iraqi affairs, Dulger
claimed in essence that Iraq could do nothing to
retaliate against Turkish interference.
Turks Support Turkomans
Meanwhile, a Turkish parliamentary delegation toured
the northern Iraqi cities of Irbil, Tuz Khurmatu,
Tal Afar, Kirkuk, and Mosul this week, holding a
series of meetings with Iraqi Kurdish and Turkoman
leaders, as well as U.S. and U.K. consulate
personnel.
Justice and Development Party deputy Turhan Comez
told reporters before leaving Ankara on September 25
that the delegation was on an "unofficial" visit to
send the message that Turkey is ready to assist in a
peaceful resolution to the Kirkuk conflict. Iraqi
Kurds and Turkomans, who are ethnic Turks, are
engaged in a bitter battle over oil-rich Kirkuk.
Turkey has consistently supported the Turkoman
population of Kirkuk, and Turkoman claims to the
city.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan also
appeared eager to calm tensions. In a written
statement issued on September 26, Tan called
Turkey's Iraq policy "transparent," adding that
Turkey supports the political unity and territorial
integrity of Iraq and will work to offer
"constructive contributions to Iraq's security and
stability."
...And Anger Kurds
Meanwhile, Kurdish regional
Minister for Peshmerga Affairs Sheikh Ja'far Sheikh
Mustafa told "Yekgirtu" that the region's peshmerga
forces had no intention of attacking PKK
strongholds. "There is no such plan. We are not
against any Kurdistani or non-Kurdistani force. We
believe in dialogue.... We have to follow diplomatic
routes to reach agreements," the weekly reported on
September 26.
Kurdish press reports echoed the distrust felt by
some Iraqi Kurdish officials, and widely reported
that the delegation was in Iraq to help set up a
coordination group for Iraqi Turkomans in the
Turkish parliament.
"If the delegation aims to provide its government
with guidelines on the conditions in Kirkuk, the
referendum issue [on Kirkuk, slated to be held in
2007], and Article 140 [of the Iraqi Constitution
regarding the status of Kirkuk], we would consider
it interference and will never accept such moves,"
Kurdistan Democratic Party International Relations
Director Saffin Dizay said, the "Hawler Post"
reported on September 27.
While it remains unlikely that Turkey will follow up
on its threat of armed conflict, the standoff
between Turkish and Iraqi officials does not bode
well for regional security. Turkey is likely to
continue its intermittent bombing of Iraqi Kurdish
areas where it claims PKK militants are based, while
trying to agitate the Kurdish region's government
with its support of Iraqi Turkomans, particularly in
Kirkuk.
Meanwhile, there is little possibility that Baghdad
can promise any more progress on the issue, as long
as the regional government continues to promote a
peaceful resolution of the issue over military
action against the PKK.
rferl org
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