Posted on 07/28/2005 10:51:04 AM PDT by areafiftyone
LONDON; Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan warned on Thursday he could take action against Kurdish guerrillas in Iraq if U.S. forces did not stop the rebels infiltrating across the border into Turkey.
"At the moment, frankly speaking, we do not see the efforts by the U.S. that we expect to see. We have expressed our views to that effect to the Americans," Erdogan said in an interview with Britain's Times newspaper.
"There is a time limit. There is a limit to our tolerance," said Erdogan.
He said Turkey was within its rights under international law to defend itself from attack and drew a comparison with U.S. action against Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
"That mandate is provided for in international law," he said.
"If a country, if a people, if a nation are under threat, that country can do what is necessary under international law ... we would exercise that right in the same way as any other country could, would and did exercise that right."
Turkey has blamed the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) for a rash of violence in the southeast of the country and says the guerrillas use bases in northern Iraq as a launchpad for attacks.
Despite a lull in violence after the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999, fighting has increased sharply since the group called off a unilateral ceasefire last year.
The PKK has waged an armed campaign for an independent Kurdish homeland in southeast Turkey since 1984, and more than 30,000 people have been killed in the fighting.
Turkey has vowed never to negotiate with the PKK and together with the United States and the European Union brands the group as a "terrorist organization."
Ankara fears Kurds might establish an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq and that this in turn could ignite separatism among Kurds in southeastern Turkey.
U.S. forces in Iraq are heavily committed against a Sunni Arab insurgency in central areas.
The Iraqi government, which has Kurds in senior posts, says Turkey must stay out of Iraq.
Then I guess he won't mind when we start leveling Syria. ;)
Turkey, the b@stards that shafted us on the invasion of Iraq, and now telling us what we should do?? I think not.
Then I guess he won't mind when we start leveling Syria. ;)
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Excellent perspective! Will Turkey NOW allow us bases in Turkey if we want to put Syria out of its misery?? They shafted us once, not again.
The Kurds in Iraqi-occupied Kurdistan are helping the Kurds in Turkish-occupied Kurdistand and Irani-occupied Kurdistan and the Turks don't like it. I can not believe that there are not some pacts out there guaranteeing the Kurds a free and recognized homeland.
yeah, they screwed us at the last moment and the Kurds were our staunch allies. I think we shoudl return the favor.
I'll never trust Turkey again, never mind building bases in Turkey.
/sarcasm
Yep, they can go eat sh*t and die!
Sorta reminds me of the story about the little red hen that couldn't get anyone to help plant the corn - but everybody wanted to help eat the cornbread.
Metal Storm scenario unfolding?
Turkish bestseller about events spiralling out of control.
Pound sand.
DITTO THAT!!!
And we're still sending billions to Turkey in aid, WTF?
Blame the great statesman collin powell. The kurds aren't our allies, they just happened to be fighting sadaam and the old "enemy of my enemy is my friend" applies. They'll turn on the U.S. in a heartbeat if we try to shutdown their terror camps.
No they wouldn't mind, Syria has financed the PKK for years.
Bugger the Turks! The Kurds have been a reliable ally while Turkey has not.
If I recall, the Turks are supporting independence for the stolen Serbian province of Kosovo. I think we should support an independent Kurdistan. We'll only take a small piece of Turkey.
Great idea, we can start by shutting down Incirlik AB, then all the listening and radar posts stretching from Diyarbakir in the south to the Black Sea in the north. The we can remove all our nuclear weapons and boot Turkey out of NATO. And for this we get the undying support and admiration of a bunch of uneducated goat hurders with Syrian ties. Good plan.....
1998....
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