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Kurds rule out U.S. support in case of
Turkish incursion into Kurdistan
7.6.2007
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June
7, 2007
Erbil, Kurdistan region (Iraq), -- --
Political analysts and observers have disagreed on
the U.S. stance if Turkish troops make incursions
into Iraq's Kurdistan region to chase members of the
Kurdistan Labor Party.
In an exclusive statement to the VOI, Adnan Mufti,
the head of the National Council of Iraq's
Kurdistan, said "The United States is a friend of
both the Kurdistan and Turkish people. It seeks to
establish peace in the region and solve all problems
peacefully. I do not think that U.S. policy
contradicts the interests of the Kurdistan people."
Ruling out the possibility that the United States
will allow Turkey to make incursions into the
Kurdistan region, Mufti stated "It is in U.S.
interests that Turkish interference does not
negatively affect the already complex Iraqi issue." |
Adnan Mufti, the head of the National Council of
Iraq's Kurdistan |
Arguing that Turkish
military interference will complicate the Iraqi
situation and exacerbate Iraq's internal problems,
Mufti described the deployment of Turkish troops
along the Turkish-Iraqi borders as "unjustifiable,"
noting that any form of interference in the region's
affairs "will influence the already tense
Turkish-Iraqi relations."
Turkish troops are currently massing along the
Turkish-Iraqi borders at a time when Turkish
generals are pushing for a military operation in
Iraq's Kurdistan region to eliminate the Kurdistan
Labor Party, one of the strongest opponents of the
Turkish government.
News broke that Turkish troops had entered the
region, but this was denied by Col. Hussein Tamr,
the head of the Iraqi forces assigned to protect the
Iraqi borders in Duhok, on Wednesday.
Commenting on an Iraqi-Turkish agreement signed
under the former Iraqi regime, which allowed both
countries entry to each other's land to chase
insurgents, al-Mufti said "The agreement made
between the former Iraqi regime and the Turkish
government is now null and void.
The Iraqi government is responsible for defending
Iraq's sovereignty," revealing that contacts are
underway between the Iraqi government and Turkey to
prevent any interference.
Highlighting the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG)
willingness to engage in dialogue with Turkey, Mufti
said, "We have expressed our concerns about
maintaining good relations with Turkey based on a
good-neighbor policy and common interests."
Sirbest Bamerni, a Kurdish political analyst, said
that U.S. support for a Turkish incursion into
Kurdistan was unlikely. "If the United States
supports Turkey in its invasion of Iraq's Kurdistan
region under the pretext of chasing members from the
Kurdistan Labor Party, it will open the door to more
regional interference in Iraq's affairs," he
explained.
VOI
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