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Iraq threatens to cut off oil to Turkey if
sanctions approved
26.10.2007
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October
26, 2007
DAMASCUS, Syria,-- The speaker of Iraq's
parliament warned Turkey on Thursday that his
government would cut off the flow of oil from
northern Iraq if Ankara followed through on its
threat to level economic sanctions against the
country.
Mahmoud al-Mashhadani's comments came a day after
Turkey's top leadership agreed to recommend the
government take economic measures to force
cooperation by Iraqis against Turkey's Kurdish PKK
rebels who have been staging cross-border attacks
against Turkish troops.
"Northern Iraq cannot be pressured," al-Mashhadani
told reporters in the Syrian capital of Damascus.
"Iraq is a rich country, and if there are economic
pressures, we will cut off the Ceyhan pipeline," he
said, referring to two oil pipelines that run from
northern Iraq to Turkey's Ceyhan oil terminal on the
Mediterranean Sea.
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Mahmoud al-Mashhadani The speaker of Iraq's
parliament |
Turkey has threatened to stage an incursion into
Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq' if Iraqi Kurds and
U.S.-led coalition forces do not crack down on
Kurdish rebels based there, particularly following a
rebel ambush Sunday that killed 12 Turkish soldiers
near the border.
The decision to pursue economic measures was made
with the hope of avoiding such an operation, which
could have destabilizing effects on the entire
region.
The self-ruling Kurdish administration in Iraq's
Kurdistan region is relying heavily on Turkish
investment for mainly construction works, including
building of roads, hospitals and infrastructure.
Ankara is also selling electricity to northern Iraq,
and most food sold in markets come from Turkey.
Al-Mashhadani, who is on a five-day visit to Syria,
said Syria is considering mediating between Turkey
and Iraq in an effort to end the crisis.
"There is a plan for mediation,and it will be
announced at the right time if the conditions are
met," he said following talks with Syrian President
Bashar Assad and his deputy, Farouk al-Sharaa.
Al-Mashhadani did not elaborate but said Assad
expressed readiness to assume a positive role in
solving the problem.
The Syrian president, on a trip to Turkey last week,
said Ankara has a legitimate right to stage a
cross-border offensive against Turkey's Kurdish PKK
rebels based in Kurdistan 'Iraq' but added that
U.S.-led coalition forces were chiefly responsible
for dealing with the guerrilla problem.
Al-Mashhadani said Iraq was "ready to do everything
that would safeguard Turkish national security." He
also expressed hope that Turkey would not pursue a
military incursion, saying "a political peaceful
solution is the best."
The Iraqi official said his talks in Damascus also
covered the issue of the more than 1.5 million Iraqi
refugees in Syria.
"Hosting such numbers needs a stand from the Iraqi
government," al-Mashhadani said.
Meanwhile, two new health centers were inaugurated
Thursday in separate Damascus suburbs to cope with
the increasing number of Iraqi refugees, according
to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
One of the centers was opened in al-Sayda Zeinab in
southern Damascus while the second was in the
western neighborhood of Qudssayah, the group said in
a written statement.
The clinics were financed by the French government,
UNHCR, the French Red Cross as well as the Syrian
Red Crescent, it said.
AP
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