Turkey Diplomatically Warns Iraq and Threatens of Military Penetration in the North [of Iraq]

Al Iraq Al Youm via Al Mendhar ^ | 2005 Aug 18

[Wiz]

Turkey is preparing for sending a diplomatic memorandum to Iraq, where it sees a crucial threat against the unity of Turkish lands. In the memorandum, turkey is reminding Iraq of its pledges and responsibilities, which are represented in overcoming and preventing terrorist sneaking from the north to Turkish lands, in a step that prepares for the possibility of the penetration of Turkish army in the north of Iraq.

According to Turkey's Watan Newspaper, Ankara decided to register the first diplomatic memorandum to the new Iraqi government in the UN records, to be a witness that turkey has reminded Iraq of its responsibilities towards turkey as a neighbor.

[advance_copy]

Someone needs to get hold of the Turks and tell 'em to chill out.

[LibLieSlayer]

If the Turks make a move into the North, they will lose most of their army to air attacks. We will not tolerate it. This is probably just chest thumping.

LLS

[gr8eman]

They made their bed now they can lay in it.
I was supposed to go through Turkey into N. Iraq and had to cancel when they chickened out. What will they do? Go to the UN? I bet the new Iraq Army at its present strength can kick their A$$e$ anyway!!

[trubluolyguy]

Someone needs to remind Turkey what we eat for Thanksgiving. And that we are the caretakers of Iraq. Do NOT ATTEMPT to grow a set right now.

[Lejes Rimul]

You think we'd go to war with a NATO ally over the Kurds? Unlikely, to put it mildly. Not to mention that the PKK and Ansar-al-Sunnah are both Kurdish terrorist organizations based in northern Iraq.

Besides, the Turks have the support of almost every other state in the area on this one. Only the Israelis want a free Kurdish state, and they're part of the reason we're in this mess in the first place.

[CondorFlight]

Turkey betrayed us during the Iraq war, and helped their old enemy Saddam.

OK. You can fool me once, but not twice.
If Turkey wants to go Islamic, then you can be there are lots of Kurds, Armenians, Greeks, and others, who want out from under the
Turkish yoke. Eastern Turkey can become many things other than Turkish.

[jb6]

Anyone remember all those incidents with the Turkish SF troops who were being apprehanded crossing the border, trying to stur up trouble back in 2003 and 2004? Turkey doesn't want an autonomous Kurdish zone anywhere, let alone on their border, might give those "bums" in Turkey the wrong ideas....oh and all that oil wealth on Iraqi Kurdish lands wouldn't hurt the Turkish economy none.

The Turks screwed us during the war and I guess they're out to screw us again.

[jb6]

Well if they do cut through the Kurds, they'll be cutting through our forces too, not to mention this will really sell well in the world media. /sarcasm

[hermgem]

Turkey needs a vent valve to let steam off over their non acceptance into the E.U.
Turkey got a promise from Joschka Fischer, the German Secretary of State to find acceptance into the E.U. only if Turkey does not allow landing of U.S. troops in Turkey to enter Iraq prior to the war.
Our fleet sat and waited offshore Turkey and eventually sailed off.
Turkey nowadays finds multiple breaches and even outright rejection of such E.U. promises and of course is frustrated.
Is there explosive action brewing to remind Europeans at their home base what happens when quid pro quo agreements are broken?

[jb6]

Besides, the Turks have the support of almost every other state in the area on this one.

I highly doubt that. I highly doubt that Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria or Greece would support the Turks. Least we forget that the Turks butchered 58,000 Kurds, this on top of their record since the turn of the last centuary of 1 million Armenians, 500,000 Assyrians, 2 million Iotolan Greeks and 100,000 Cypriot Greeks. No one in the ME, N.Africa or the Balkan/Central Europe loves, or even likes the Turks.

[jb6]

Eastern Turkey was never turkish. Hell their name for Constintinople is Instanbul, which is a combination of Greek words Inst an bul (if I remember this correctly) meaning the Big City.

[ZULU]

Once again, the stinking image of the Turk injects itself on the world Stage. Once more the butchers of Armenia bark.

Thanks to Turkish recalcitrance and their failure to permit us a third line of attack into Iraq, we were unable to wipe out some of Saddam's elements in the north of that Country.

Like Iraq, Turkey should have been dismembered after WW1.

The fact that the hands of the Turk still profane Hagia Sophia is a standing insult to all Christians.

[Diplomat]

Wouldn't Turkey be the one opening a front against us and not the other way around? The question seems backward.

Does anyone know the yearly foreign aid amount we provide to Turkey? I suspect we're talking 100s of millions per year. The loss of this money would have to weigh heavily in any decision they would make.

[redgolum]

Why open up a front against a U.S. ally in the Middle East?

Good question, ask the Turks.

[Crush T Velour]

You think we'd go to war with a NATO ally over the Kurds?

If we can't get Turkey to honor Iraqi soverienty, you can forget about Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Nope, if Turkey is stupid enough to carry through on this they will *have* to be put down.

They've been a dependable ally like Egypt has been. They are also the home of some of the most radical Islamists, like Egypt.

The PKK is a terrorist org like the IRA was: "terrorists with a point". The Kurds *are* oppressed and discriminated against by the Turkish government (as are Christians but that's another issue). The US is trying to disentangle the Turks and the PKK. Turkey invading Northern Iraq would destroy all of that.

Ergo, Turkey won't invade.