US Tries To Halt Turkey Attack

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 10-14-2007 | Peter Beaumont

[blam]

US tries to halt Turkey attack

Diplomats fly to Ankara to stop military move against Iraqi Kurds after 'genocide' resolution

Peter Beaumont, foreign affairs editor
Sunday October 14, 2007
The Observer (UK)

Senior US officials were engaged last night in last-ditch efforts to persuade Turkey not to launch a major military incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan to target armed separatists. A team was diverted from a mission to Russia to make an unscheduled stop in Ankara yesterday. Against the background of the escalating diplomatic row between Turkey and the US over a congressional resolution that branded as 'genocide' massacres of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915, US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, revealed she had personally urged Turkey to refrain from any major military operation in northern Iraq. The row between the two Nato allies comes against the dangerous background of a threat by the Turkish parliament to approve this week a 'hot pursuit' of the Kurdish separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK, across the border into northern Iraq.

The threat of military action came after last Sunday's killing by the PKK of 13 Turkish soldiers in an ambush in Sirnak province, close to the Iraqi border. 'I urged restraint,' said Rice, on a visit to Moscow, acknowledging 'a difficult time' between the two countries as she described her telephone conversations with Turkey's President Abdullah Gul, its Prime Minister and foreign minister.

'It's a difficult time for the relationship,' Rice said. 'We just thought it was a very good idea for two senior officials to go and talk to the Turks and have reassurance to the Turks that we really value this relationship.' Rice said that in her conversation with the Turks 'they were dismayed' by the congressional resolution. 'The Turkish government, I think,

[Eyes Unclouded]

The only friend we don’t have to buy off in that region is Israel.

[Tamar1973]

Sometimes these headlines write the laugh track themselves! LOL!

[Lijahsbubbe]

it wasn’t until Pelosi pulled this resolution out of her ‘bag of tricks’

How was this resolution allowed to get any legs at all during such a sensitive time in the region? Crazy.

[vetsvette]

“US Tries To Halt Turkey Attack”

Losing our, arguably, most valuable ally in the War On Terror is a small price to pay for the opportunity for Nancy Pelosi to kiss the ass of a few of her constituents.

Get you priorities together!

[vetsvette]

“US Tries To Halt Turkey Attack”

Losing our, arguably, most valuable ally in the War On Terror is a small price to pay for the opportunity for Nancy Pelosi to kiss the ass of a few of her constituents.

Get your priorities together!

[processing please hold]

I agree. They're our only friend in that neck of the woods.

[JohnBovenmyer]

It's not all the Turk's fault. The PKK are a small group, not part of the pro-US coalition running Kurdistan. They've done a lot of terrorism in Turkey. The Kurd majority should see that they've got it good with our support in Iraq and see the potential for gains for Kurds in Turkey - either through immigration to Iraq, or by proof they can be good neighbors when treated well causing Turkey to be kinder to its minority Kurds. They shouldn't want to take on Turkey and Iraqi Shia and Sunnis at once, not to mention Iran. It is in their interest to sit on the PKK for the time being. I hope we are stressing this. They should prefer solving this themselves over annoying us or being attacked by Turkey.

[Mogollon]

Polosi is an idiot I agree, but the genocide of the Armenian Christians by the Turkish isamofascists did occur. Polosi could have at least waited until we kick her out of office in 2008 though.

[Mogollon]

Polosi is an idiot I agree, but the genocide of the Armenian Christians by the Turkish isamofascists did occur. Polosi could have at least waited until we kick her out of office in 2008 though.

[Westlander]

[camerakid400]

Nancy’s resolution will certaintly NOT help the situation.

[airborne]

The threat of military action came after last Sunday's killing by the PKK of 13 Turkish soldiers in an ambush in Sirnak province, close to the Iraqi border.

I wonder - what would we do if we were in their place?

[txroadkill]

Here, read this post :

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1910290/posts

Then you'll understand why this is a problem for us. The Left is using this to betray the US and our Military.

[2111USMC]

I have no problem with Turkey fighting the PKK.

However, when it spills over into northern Iraq, which is currently under our protection in trying to get a stable government set up,then it is a major frigging problem.

Northern Iraq is about the most stable part of the country right now. Turkey is about to start a new war front within Iraq’s northern border. They have stated that exact intention.

When the Turks start lobbing artillery shells into northern Iraqi towns and killing innocent civilians, are we just going to stand by?

[txroadkill]

Here, read this post :

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1910290/posts

Then you'll understand why this is a problem for us. The Left is using this to betray the US and our Service men.

[avital2]

i agree it’s not all the Turk’s fault - but i do think the Turks might be planning on using the cover of the possibility of this resolution to continue their long,ongoing war against a free Kurdistan, even as a separate part of Iraq. i am not in symathy with how they have treated Kurds and taken their land.

[oyez]

The Democrats keep harping on what a bad foreign policy President Bush has held. I guess they want to show how horrible their idea of foreign policy really is.

I can hardly wait for Madam Clinton and Madam Pilosi to be in charge of our lives.

[bray]

And we all thought that Blank Look on her face was due to the Lifts. She gives sucks up to Syria and Slaps one of our most strategic Allies. Any Questions??

Pray for W and Our Troops

[monkeycard]

Obviously the dimms will stop at absolutely nothing in order to ensure defeat for the USA in this present conflict.

[Thinkin' Gal]

(You know the caption.)