Posted on 01/17/2004 1:09:36 PM PST by Pikamax
Turkish firms snatch lucrative deals in Kurdish north
Arbil, Iraq Press, January 17, 2004 – Turkish investors are flocking to the Kurdish north although moves by Iraqi Kurds to bolster their autonomy have unnerved politicians in Ankara.
“Business is something and politics something else,” said Delshad Razkar, the Kurdish businessman who works as a liaison officer for several Turkish companies in the region.
Iraqi Kurds won their autonomy in 1991 when they began administering most of their region away from the authority of ousted leader Saddam Hussein.
Politically, the main two Kurdish factions running the three Kurdish provinces of Sulaimaniya, Arbil and Dahouk are trying to put their differences behind and unify their disparate administrations.
While Ankara is apparently unhappy with the bold steps the Kurds have taken towards self-rule, it is turning a blind eye on Turkish firms doing business with the Kurds.
Razkar said Turkish companies were now involved in scores of reconstruction projects ranging from airports to hospitals and highways.
Shops in Arbil brim with Turkish goods and Turkish businessmen and tourists are the main customers of first-class hotels in the city.
The Kurdish region is booming and more lucrative deals await Turkish investors.
Hard cash is pouring into the region from Kurdish expatriates.
The region is expected to have a fair share of Iraqi budget allocations.
The Kurds want at least 13 percent of Iraqi oil revenues and funds the United States and other countries have set aside for Iraqi reconstruction – about $35 billion – be allocated for their region.
Having a special budget is on top of priorities in their current negotiations with the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority and the Interim Governing Council.
The Turks have begun work on two civilian airports, one in Arbil and the other in Sulaimaniya.
They will soon begin the reconstruction of a five-star hotel in Arbil, which will be the largest in northern Iraq.
Peshmergas are from Kurdish groups in northern Iraq which are allied with Washington.
I believe it's true that Ankara is wary of the PKK/KADEK not the two major gruops of Kurds working to create a better life.
Our forces agreed on an "action plan" including military measures to help Ankara eliminate the up to 5000 PKK rebels that are hiding in northern Iraq. The PKK has been branded a "terrorist" organization by both Ankara and Washington.
Jalal Talabani, the senior Kurdish leader who chairs the US-backed interim Iraqi Governing Council, pledged today that the PKK would not be allowed to use Iraqi soil to threaten Turkey.
"We want non-Iraqi militia forces in Iraq lay down their arms or return to their countries... We will not allow any force to use Iraqi territory against neighbouring countries," Talabani told Turkey's Milliyet daily in an interview.
see http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7833496%255E1702,00.html
Looks like Iraqpress is being advised by our own mainstream media. They left out some important details.
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