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Turkish truckers plead against sanctions
on Iraqi Kurdistan
6.11.2007 |
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November
6, 2007
IBRAHIM KHALIL, Turkey-Iraqi Kurdistan border
crossing, -- Turkish truck drivers, resting up after
a long drive to ferry vast quantities of goods to
Kurdistan 'northern Iraq', begged Ankara on Monday
not to impose economic sanctions, saying it would
hurt them more than the Kurds.
"This could be the last time I travel to Iraq's
Kurdish region," said trucker Mustafa Oglo sadly, as
he waited for his cargo of wood to be offloaded on
the Iraqi Kurdistan side of the Ibrahim al-Khalil
crossing with Turkey.
"I have been working this road for more than 10
years," said the 48-year-old Oglo.
"There are hundreds of Turkish companies who want us
to convey their products to Iraq," he added. "We
make good money out of our work but I don't know
what would happen to us if Turkey decided to close
the border."
Last month, Ankara announced it would levy sanctions
on Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq' because the
regional administration had failed to crack down on
Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels who
have been fighting for self-rule in mainly Kurdish
southeastern of Turkey since 1984.
The sanctions could include restricting trade to
Iraqi Kurdistan and cutting off electricity supplies
to the north of the country, local media said.
"Trade movement must continue between the two
countries," said another trucker, 33-year-old Murad
Ibrahim, sipping tea before making the 200 kilometre
(125 mile) return journey from northern Iraq's
autonomous Kurdistan region.
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Drivers wait in front of their trucks carrying goods
destined for Iraqi Kurdistan at the Habur (Ibrahim
Khalil) border crossing, southeast Turkey,
Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007
Habur (Ibrahim Khalil) border crossing, Turkey-Iraqi
Kurdistan |
"It is crazy that Turkey sacrifices all these
commercial ventures due to the exaggerated PKK
crisis," added Ibrahim, who had brought across goods
destined for the Iraqi trade ministry. www.ekurd.net
"Turkey has got to think of us thousands of drivers.
What will happen to us if they close this border
crossing?" he asked, pointing to dozens of Turkish
drivers in trucks loaded with iron, steel, wood,
cement, cars, foodstuffs, medical goods and tools.
"We convey everything you could imagine, from
mineral water to cars," said another driver, Toran
Ali.
"This border crossing is an important one because it
is the safest. Even the Baghdad government prefers
this one because trucks pass from one side to the
other without coming under attack or being robbed,"
added the 37-year-old Ali.
A customs official told AFP that while cross-border
traffic at Ibrahim al-Khalil had dropped
significantly since the late 1990s, when up to 3,500
trucks would cross each day, it was still a busy
frontier post.
"Around 700 trucks enter Iraq each day carrying
different kinds of goods," said the official,
speaking on condition of anonymity.
Iraq is a lucrative market for Turkey and one of the
few countries with which Ankara has a trade surplus.
Turkish exports to Iraq totalled 1.7 billion dollars
(1.2 billion euros) in the first eight months of
this year and 2.5 billion dollars during 2006,
according to official figures.
In the town of Zakho in Iraqi Kurdistan, nine
kilometres (five miles) from the Tukish border,
shops are crammed with Turkish products including
foodstuffs, confectionery, clothes, perfumes,
cosmetics, electrical appliances and household
goods.
Turkish companies such as Beko, Vestel and Arcelic
are better known among Iraqi Kurds than other
international brands.
Hotels too are filled each night with Turkish truck
drivers and many restaurants and fuel stations have
put up signs in Turkish.
The Kurdish administration's director general for
trade, Aziz Ibrahim, said 300 Turkish companies were
engaged in business with Kurdistan region ' northern
Iraq'.
"They are building roads and bridges," he said.
"If Turkey imposed economic sanctions on the region,
that would mean imposing sanctions against Iraq,
because goods that come through the border are not
meant only for Kurdistan but for the whole of Iraq."
Iraqi Kurdish politician says, Turkey is using
Turkey's Kurdish separatist PKK rebel group as an
excuse to invade Kurdistan region 'Iraq' to prevent
the establishment of Kurdistan state in the Kurdish
autonomous region in 'northern Iraq', Turkey fears
this could fan separatism among its own large
Kurdish population in southeast Turkey. www.ekurd.net
Since 1991, the Kurds of Iraq achieved self-rule in
part of the country. Today's teenagers are the first
generation to grow up under Kurdish rule. 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.
AFP
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