Myers says US wants Turkey in Iraq

Turksih Daily News ^ | 8/30/2003 | N/A

[a_Turk]

ANKARA - Richard Myers, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the United States wanted to work with Turkey in Iraq, but Turkey will make its own decision on sending peacekeepers to Iraq.

Myers, as well as the Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, attended a reception late Thursday in Washington, hosted by the Turkish Armed Forces' attache.

Turkey is one of the countries that Washington has requested to send troops to Iraq to help stabilization of the war-torn country.

Government officials have signaled that a decision was unlikely to come in September and said Parliament could convene in October to discuss the request.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has recently said Turkey may contribute to the stabilization mission of the United States and Britain with up to 10,000 troops.

Asked whether the United States wanted to work with the Turkish forces in Iraq, Myers came up with a short but strong "yes."

But it will be up to the Turkish authorities to decide, he added.

Turkish Parliament refused in March to allow deployment of some 62,000 U.S. troops on Turkish soil to create a northern front on Iraq, a move that stunned Washington and dealt a strong blow to decades-long alliance between Turkey and the United States, leading some U.S. officials to question the path Turkey has taken in its foreign policy.

Asked to comment on the future of Turkish-U.S. relations, Myers noted that a strategic partnership existed for a long time in ties between Turkey and the United States and added that he was very optimistic on the bright future of ties.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said in his brief remarks that Turkey and the United States shared the same will that Iraq should become successful at the end.

Wolfowitz and Myers stayed at the reception for more than an hour. The U.S. military and the administration were not represented in traditional celebrations held to mark Turkish Day in New York earlier this year, a move which many has interpreted as a sign of deterioration in ties over the Iraq crisis.

Clashes last week between Kurds and Turkmens, an Iraqi community with whom Turkey shares close ethnic ties, in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk last week sparked protests in Turkey.

Richard Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State, described the clashes as the biggest problem in the north and said work was needed to resolve the problem.

[a_Turk]

August 30 81 years ago was the day of the last battle of the Turkish War of Independence to rid the Tuskish heartland of invading armies..

[a_Turk]

ping

[a_Turk]

Maybe in time for Thanksgiving?

:^D

[Shermy]

Come on in!

[AGreatPer]

We need some gravey here.

Being a normal American, I never understood why a country would be called a Turkey.

[Shermy]

Being a normal American, I never understood why a country would be called a Turkey.

Better than Greece.

[a_Turk]

>> Being a normal American

Sad but true..

The bird gets it's name from the country. Just like Turkish coffee was imported from Yemen and resold to Europe, the bird was imported from India by the Turks and then resold to the Europeans who then called it Turkey fowl.

Now, you're no longer a normal American :))

[xzins]

My understanding was that Turkey would like to reclaim lost territories in Northern Iraq, particularly the oil city, Kirkuk(?).

I also understand it's a Kurdish area and the Kurds don't want the Turks and the Turks are afraid of the headache that region would cause and the uprising it might create among their own Kurds.

Is that correct?

[Destro]

You mean to rid Turkey of Christians---

The anniversary date for the genocide of the Christians and the burning of Smyrna.

[a_Turk]

Incorrect. Turkey is not interested in changing any borders. Iraq's territorial integrity must be preserved.

[thoughtomator]

Turkey long ago forfeited its right to have an administrative say in the redevelopment of Iraq. The US did something that benefitted the entire world, but Turkey could not bring itself to see beyond its own nose.

I would like to see some positive cooperation from Turkey before I would acquiesce to serving its interests in Iraq.

[a_Turk]

No that's not what I mean. It's the anniversary of the defeat of the invading armies.

The celebrations were attended by American and other dignitaries as usual.

Sucks to be you..

[a_Turk]

>> The US did something that benefitted the entire world

That remains to be seen. I hope you're right.

>> I would like to see some positive cooperation from Turkey before I would acquiesce to serving its interests in Iraq.

Maybe it would be better to acquiesce to serving Iran's interests in Iraq once you have a democrat running your affairs and the US leaves the region prematurely (as usual?)..

[xzins]

Prior to the war, there was a lot of speculation about Turkey desiring to reclaim those oilfields. Are you saying that that speculation was wrong?

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Maybe this will help.

To wit, Abdullah Gul served as prime minister until his party's leader (Erdogan) became eligible to be prime minister. Yasar Yakis was Gul's foreign minister. Yakis stated that if Turkey had a legal claim to Iraqi oil fields AND they could prove it before the world, yes they would claim the oil. Turkish scholars responded that the question had been looked at and there is no legal claims to the oil. Turkey is owed a few million dollars dating back to an agreement decades ago, however. http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2003/0107turkey.htm

The Kurd question in further complicated by the fact that there are Kurd factions including PUK and KDP who battled one another in the 1990s. Turkey's biggest concern is the Marxist Kurdistan Workers party (PKK/KADEK). PKK attacks on the Republic of Turkey in the 1980s and 1990s cost an estimated 30,000 lives of Turkish citizens. Turkey defeated the PKK but many of them found refuge in a northern Iraq zone created by the allies after Gulf War I. The zone was for Kurd refugees but PKK also fled there. I believe THAT is what Turkey is most worried about.

I hope no one minds my comments here.

[xzins]

I don't mind them at all. They sound like very good history. Thanks.

[winner3000]

As a rule I am very weary of neighbours sending troops to help stabilize their neighbour after a war. Exhibit A: Syria went into Lebanon to help the Lebanese army defeat the PLO. Syria is still in Lebanon as an occupying force. This should not have been a shock as Syria never considered Lebanon an independent country. Similarly, Turkey has had ambitions in Iraq before the war. It would be foolish to let them in now.

[a_Turk]

Prior to the war quite a bit of intrigue happened. We all, that's you and I, ended up being mere tools. Some insist on remaining that way.

[xzins]

See #15 and from A-Turk (who is turkish), #8.

[a_Turk]

Syria was being run by a terror promoting donkey thief. It's ridiculous to try and draw parallels between Syria and Turkey.