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.
You've been doing that since the first gulf war anyway. Send all the ammo and guns you like.Just don't start crying when those same weapons are used against your troops in Iraq the second you decide not to support them. No state can support a terrorist organization indefinitely.
Unlike you FRiend, I lived in Turkey for years. Unlike you, I know many, many Turks. Unlike you, I worked with the U.S. military in Turkey. Unlike you, I worked with the Turkish military, in Diyarbakir, as they eradicated the PKK (financed by syria) scum that would slither from the mountains in Spring time to kill Turkish civilians. Unlike you, I happen to know that you don't want to screw with the Turks on matters of national pride and independence, which collin powell and his arrogant state department could not begin to understand. Unlike you, I know that the U.S. assured the Turks they would contain PKK after the invasion of Iraq, and thereby gained almost unlimited accesses to Incirlik and Turkish airspace, as well as areas for U.S. special forces deployment.
Whose side are you on, "friend"?
"Unlike you, I happen to know that you don't want to screw with the Turks on matters of national pride and independent..."
This is where I stop you, "buddy", Who the heck do you think you are? Certainly not an American.
My orders had "at the convenience of the the United States Government" printed all over them.
Oh sure will help, after all you guys were there for us during the invasion.
Oh wait, that's right, YOU TOTALLY WEREN'T!
Why not? I've lived for years in Egypt, Israel, Greece, Turkey, Taiwan, had lots of side trips to Saudi and bizarre places in middle Africa. Because you and I disagree I'm not American?
Americans and our short memories.......sheesh. Glad to see you're still posting. Regards.
The Turks are not allies, they are of the same ilk of France, Germany, Canada, Mexico and Spain ie Turkey's cooperation with America now is totally contingent on what they have to gain from the US. And they will turn their backs on us at the drop of a hat. Your posts confirm this.
Poland, England, Australia, Italy and a few others are staunch allies of the US. They stand with the US.
I could care less about your personal experiences, they obviously are clouding your judgment. If anything, they reinforce my opinion of Turkey.
Yours is one of the most ignorant posts I have seen in a while. Either that or you believe that sadistic treatment of non Muslims and non Turks is permissible. It certainly is for the pathological denial process that Muslim Turks live with.
Turkey is responsible for the first genocides of the 20th century but Turks have been butchering people ever since they ravaged their way through from Asia.
Fortunately, the US and Europe is beginning to realize that support of the Turk parastate does not hold any promise.
Yours is one of the most ignorant posts I have seen in a while. Either that or you believe that sadistic treatment of non Muslims and non Turks is permissible. It certainly is for the pathological denial process that Muslim Turks live with.
Turkey is responsible for the first genocides of the 20th century but Turks have been butchering people ever since they ravaged their way through from Asia.
Fortunately, the US and Europe is beginning to realize that support of the Turk parastate does not hold any promise
LOL! Support the kurds and syria if you like, sober up and read some history, google is your friend nimrod.
Since you don't know anything about the region except that you like shish ke bab and baklava and are easily deceived by Turkish hypocrisy - your efforts now should concentrate on speaking to a member of the Armenian, Greek or Assyrian ethnicites. They'll certainly be able to stir things up in that mush brain of yours.
I happen to like Greeks, like you. I spent 3 years at Hellinicon A.F.B. before the Greeks told the U.S. to take a hike. Sorry about Cypress, don't screw with the Turks.
It's not about liking or disliking Greece and Greeks. The people do not need to be liked (As the EEU has found out) in order to have positive self esteem I assure you.
It's about what Muslim Turks have done to their neighbors in the past hundreds of years. It's about the horrors they continue to perpetrate against Christians.
Note: The Greek Socialists certainly made a mess of things during their heydey but the US role in Cyprus certainly understandably provoked Greeks to vote left. Like many thirdworld socialists they got much of their backing from the US (Papandreou the PM was for years an academic in the US) - Politically turning to the arab world was expedient then given the location of Greece and given the monster next door.
Finally, there are still plenty of US logistical installations including Souda Bay....probably more than even you know about. Unlike The Muslim Turks, Greece's allegiance is to freedom and democracy not to Islam.
We have several bases in Turkey and Turkey was a staunch ally throughout the cold war. If Turkey takes action in northern Iraq, which they will if the U.S. sits on it's hands, there is no one to blame but ourselves
Don't kid yourself. Turkey sat on it's hands all thur Iraqi Freedom. The idea that Turkey would be willing to "take action" is absurd. If Turkey has a beef about the Kurds, let them take it up with the Iraqi Govt. As for the bases in Turkey, you mean the ones they refused to let us use during Iraqi Liberation?
I have a story, it's true and I hope it's not wasted. Both Turkey and Greece are NATO countries. The deployment called for F-16's from Greece and Turkey to combat an enemy originating from the mid-east (;). The Turks had to deploy to a Greek island. There was much contention, the Turkish officers selected their best English speakers, surprisingly, many Turks could also speak Greek. Each Turk, officers and enlisted alike, were screened to find the best for the exercise. The Turks were worried, and had classes, about offending their Greek hosts, the history of Greek/Turkish relations, and how to properly maintain themselves as military representatives of their country.
The day of the deployment came, the Turkish aircraft specialists loaded onto C-130's, 20 jets left Turkey...... The Turks and the Greek specialists met, the 20 jets from Turkey arrived, 26 jets from Greece arrived....all rivalries disappeared. The exercise called for a 10-turn-10-turn-15 aircraft, upon arrival. That means that ten F-16's had to be combat ready, with ordnance loaded and in the air, now!!!!When the ten aircraft that had just flown the excersise touched down, ten more F-16's launched, fulled preped and loaded. Then the crap that separates men from boys, 15 F-16's, multi-cultural, off the ramp, no time for maintenance, hang the weapons and FLY. That was day one. By day five the Turks and Greeks weren't worried about Cypress, they were worried about keeping the jets in the air. Each night, when they could get the down time, the Turks poured Raki for their hosts, the Greeks had Ouzo flowing by the gallon. Every mourning the jets flew, through cooperation and team work. When the Turks arrived home, a young Turkish Sgt., who spoke 4 languages said, "We had a great time.....all this hate Greece stuff is made up by politicians........
Hey goofball, PKK are TERROISTS supported by SYRIA, you getting this? TERRORISTS blowing up everyone but Americans is OK by you? Up your exhaust nimrod.
Apparently your idealistic kumbaya world of Turkey has fooled you - especially through the imbibing of their raki.
Here are just several of the recent myriad offenses perpetrated by the Parastate called Turkey:
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch has recently spoken bitterly of the way that Turkish authorities have handled the Patriarchate's institutions and property, and the fact that the Turkish State had refused to re-open the School of Theology on Halki, which has now been closed for 34 years.
September will see the 50th anniversary of Turkeys destruction of the last remaining 110,000 Greek Orthodox Christian community of Istanbul and the call for compensation for the victims of Turkeys crimes will again fall on deaf ears.
Muslim Turkey continues to allow harassment of Christians by police; restrictions on free expression; discrimination in education involving teachers, books and curriculum; restrictions on religious freedom; limitations on the right to control charitable institutions; and the denial of ethnic identity.
Muslim Turkey has a long way to go spiritually, psychologically financially and morally before raki and ouzo heals the rift.
The NATO games you were involved in can never substitute for the genocide and pogroms perpetrated by Muslim Turkey against its Christian inhabitants.
One more thing: it's Cyprus not Cypress. Which reminds me
- the Muslim Turks need to say what happened to the 1587 missing Greek Cypriots.
http://www.missing-cy.org/home.html
I tried........enjoy your cartoon caricature of the world.
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