When Turks meet Kurds.
Posted on 03/30/2003 7:06:34 PM PST by HowBoutThemCowboys
Turkey issues warning to US over Iraq
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned the United States the country would make up its own mind on whether to send troops into northern Iraq as Kurdish groups controlling the breakaway region advanced on the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
Defying international criticism, Turkey has announced contingency plans for strengthening its military presence in northern Iraq, fearing local Kurds may declare an independent state and set an example for their restless cousins in Turkey's south-eastern corner.
But it has so far failed to convince Washington, which has repeatedly called on Ankara to stay out of northern Iraq, fearing that a massive deployment of Turkish troops would complicate its own military campaign against Baghdad.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Kurds have threatened to fight the Turkish army amid worries Ankara will seek to curb the autonomy they gained at the end of the 1991 Gulf War when the region was taken out of Baghdad's control.
In an address to Parliament, Mr Erdogan said Ankara was willing to listen to its key ally as long as its security interests were not undermined but hinted that Turkey would act on its own if it perceived a threat.
"It is natural for Turkey to respond positively to demands from its allies, as long as its sensitivities are protected," Mr Erdogan said
"We do not want to doubt that our sensitivities would be taken into consideration by our allies, but no one should doubt that we will do what is necessary as an independent and sovereign state if a situation which hurts our sensitivities emerges," he said.
He underlined Turkey did not intend to invade Iraqi territory.
His warning came as Turkish diplomats and US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, just back from meeting Iraqi Kurdish leaders, resumed talks to gap differences over Ankara's plans for northern Iraq.
The talks have taken on renewed urgency as Iraqi Kurds, with the help of US forces, edged closer to Kirkuk, which Ankara has repeatedly warned them to stay out of.
Iraqi troops were forced to abandon their frontlines and retreat towards Kirkuk for the second time in recent days and fighters from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) advanced at least seven kilometres towards the town, an AFP correspondent said.
Militiamen from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) consolidated their positions within 16 kilometers of Kirkuk after government forces retreated.
Iraqi Kurds have said they want Kirkuk for their "capital", but under US pressure have pledged not to declare independence.
On Friday local time, Turkey's National Security Council appealed to the United States to take into account Ankara's security concerns in northern Iraq, adding Turkey stood ready to send its own troops into the region.
Earlier in the week, the head of Turkey's influential army, General Hilmi Ozkok, announced the army would send troops into northern Iraq in coordination with US forces if a small Turkish force already there was unable to deal with security threats.
Turkey, the only Muslim member of NATO, has maintained a military presence in northern Iraq since 1997 to hunt down Turkish Kurdish rebels hiding in the region.
Turkey says extra troops might be needed to deal with a wave of refugees or to stop Turkish Kurdish rebels crossing into its territory.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s819688.htm
So, how much does it cost for "sensitivity protection"?
"We do not want to doubt that our sensitivities would be taken into consideration by our allies, but no one should doubt that we will do what is necessary as an independent and sovereign state if a situation which hurts our sensitivities emerges," he said.
Now, how many coalition or Kurdish forces are within Turkey? Has anyone threatened Turkey?
The fact is that they are most likely not going to like the outcome of the war in Iraq, with the establishment of a possible Kurdish state as their neighbor.
Do the Turks have any legal/historical claim to the Northern Iraqi land?
I mean, they're Turks!
Jerry Jones should be run out of Dallas.
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