|
Turkish threat lays open Baghdad-Kurd
divide
18.10.2007
|
|
|
|
October
18, 2007
BAGHDAD,-- Mixed Iraqi reactions to the
threat of an incursion by Turkey have revealed the
conflicting agendas of the central government in
Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdistan administration
in the north.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed to Ankara that
he would bring an end to the presence in Kurdistan
region 'northern Iraq' of rebels from the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK), who he has labelled
"terrorists" several times in recent days.
Ahead of Turkey's parliamentary vote Wednesday which
authorised military action, Maliki assured Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan he was "absolutely
determined to end the activities and the presence"
of the PKK on Iraqi soil.
In one of a flurry of conciliatory statements on
Tuesday he called for "urgent negotiations" between
Baghdad and Ankara and announced he was sending a
high-level delegation to ensure peace was kept with
his Turkish neighbours.
Compare this with the reaction of Iraqi Kurd leaders
who have warned against making any concessions in
the face of Ankara's threats.
"The Iraqi government is taking a position of giving
in to Turkey," senior Kurdish politician Mahmud
Othman said.
"Iraqi-Turkish dialogue without Kurdish
representation will not reach a successful
conclusion because the issue is about this region,"
he added.
For all Maliki's talk of action, the situation on
the ground means his options are limited: the Iraqi
army is not deployed on the Turkish border, nor even
in the region, which is controlled by Iraqi
Kurdistan fighters (Kurdistan National Guards) or
peshmergas.
Since it was placed under the protection of the
United States in 1991, after the Gulf War, the
province of Kurdistan has distanced itself more and
more from Iraq's central government. In the new
Iraqi Constitution, it is referred to as Kurdistan
region.
Kurdistan region has all the trappings of an
independent state -- its own constitution, its own
parliament, its own flag, its own army, its own
border, its own border patrol, its own national
anthem, its own education system, its own
International airports, even its own stamp inked
into the passports of visitors.
After the fall of Saddam in 2003 and the passage of
a constitution guaranteeing its autonomy in 2005, it
has followed its own course of economic, social and
political development.
And during the last years of violence, it has been
largely spared the sectarian strife and economic
upheaval that has wrecked most of the rest of the
country.
Kurds, who count for 20 percent of the 26 million
Iraqis, hold central roles in the new Iraqi
institutions: the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is
a Kurd, and the Iraqi parliament has 53 Kurdish MPs
-- out of 275 -- who support the majority
government.
At the same time, Kurdistan has acquired its own
parliament, including a government and a president:
Massoud Barzani, whose family have been at the heart
of the Kurdish struggle for independence from
Baghdad for generations.
www.ekurd.net
Turkey has accused Barzani's forces of tolerating
the PKK and even providing it with weapons.
"PKK members are present in
the Kurdistan region but the regional government is
preventing them from carrying out any attacks
against Turkish targets," Othman said.
"The Kurdistan government has proposed to the
Turkish side that it issue an amnesty to PKK
fighters and allow them to return to Turkey to
engage in political activity, but the Turkish side
refuses this proposal," he said.
The speaker of the Kurdish parliament, Adnan
al-Mufti, went even further in his defiance of the
Turkish sabre-rattling, saying they were not really
after the rebels but wanted to eliminate the idea of
an autonomous Kurdistan.
"This assault is targeting the region of Kurdistan
as a whole and not just the PKK," he said.
After the Turkish vote, Iraqi government spokesman
Ali al-Dabbagh issued a reminder, presumably aimed
at the Kurds, saying that it was a matter of
national security and all statements should go
through them.
"The Iraqi central government is the one that will
deal with this threat and all the other concerned
parties should understand the central government in
running this crisis and they should not make
separate statements," he said.
For Baghdad, the need to control the actions of the
PKK is not the only aspect where relations are
delicate between the central government and the
regional authorities.
Control of the oil-rich northern Kurdish city of
Kirkuk is a high-stakes issue. The city is
ethnically diverse and the Kurdish authorities have
organised a programme of voluntary relocations for
the Arab population. Turkey is also the defender of
the city's Turkmens.
The exploitation of northern Iraq's plentiful oil
resources has also provoked tensions with the
central administration.
Baghdad has rapped the knuckles of Kurdish leaders
for authorising a series of deals with foreign
companies without consultation.
AFP
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 