Myers says US wants Turkey in Iraq

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

[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.