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Ankara cannot face the reality of
Kurdistan Regional Government
31.1.2007
By Ilnur Cevik
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January 31, 2007
Turkey is faced with a serious dilemma of what to do
with the Iraqi Kurds. It has been clear for a very
long time that Turkish leaders do not accept the
existence of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG),
which is a part of the Iraqi federal system.
The Iraqi Kurds have set up their own administration
in the provinces of Duhok, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah
since 1991 and have legalized this with the new
Iraqi constitution. They have their own government
and regional parliament which is running the region.
Besides this, the Iraqi Kurdish leaders have taken a
very active and effective part in the Iraqi
political process, gaining high posts in Baghdad
from the presidency to top Cabinet duties. But they
are not only effective in politics. They have now
sent their soldiers to Baghdad as part of a new
force to end the violence.
The Kurds are now an undeniable reality of Iraq.
However, it seems Turkish leaders simply do not want
to acknowledge this, and thus we are facing a very
complicated situation.
The fact that we cannot address the rebel Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) problem and the Kirkuk issue
properly is because of our insistence of not dealing
directly with the Iraqi Kurdish leadership.
We tried to do this through Baghdad, and it didn't
work. We tried to do it with the Americans, and it
is clear we didn't get too far.
But now we observe that the lack of dialogue is also
affecting our economic relations with the Iraqi
Kurds.
Turkey has a trade relationship with Iraq at the
tune of around $3 billion, and at least 40 percent
is with Kurdistan region (northern Iraq). Turkish
contractors are also undertaking work of about $1
billion in the Kurdish regions.
While this is a fact, Turkey says it refuses to
officially deal with the Iraqi Kurds…
State Minister Kursat Tuzmen, who is in charge of
foreign trade, seems to be misled by some people
that he is being forced by the Baghdad government to
deal exclusively with the Kurds for the purchase of
the fuel of Iraq… This is really absurd.
Baghdad has told Tuzmen that the Kurds will be
allowed to buy their own fuel for the northern
provinces, while the state company SOMO purchases
the fuel for the rest of Iraq. This is done for
practical reasons simply because the Kurds say the
fuel purchased by SOMO does not reach them on time
and not in sufficient quantities.
This is where Turkey has to start seeing the
reality. You will either deal with the Iraqi Kurds
and sell fuel to them, or you will push them to seek
alternative supplies from Syria and Iran or some
other sources…
The Baghdad government has given the Kurds money and
said, "You secure your own fuel with your funds."
This is the reality, and it is meaningless to try to
turn it into an issue for domestic consumption. Mr.
Tuzmen should realize this.
Or else we will start thinking that those who were
allegedly benefiting from the fuel trade with SOMO
are fearing that they will be sidelined and are
trying to obstruct direct fuel trade with the Iraqi
Kurds…
thenewanatolian com
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