War is in the air in Ankara ?
Turkish press gives an odd image to its own country that seems to be shared between stamping traders front of EU door, and straight militaries, with boots and helmets, ready to run on Kirkuk as a tiny Drang nach Osten. Thus, Cumhuriyet, Milliyet, and Sabah had all talked about a strategical meeting, last October 14th, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, chief of General Staff General Hilmi Ozkok, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, concerning a plan for Kirkuk, with the sending - in fact invasion- to Iraqi Kurdistan, of 20 000 soldiers, for seizing the city and preventing any "kurdification" there, and this after Masud Barzani and Jalal Talabani's firm statements.
Of course we can imagine the "Lebanese mess" that could result. For it is sure that other Iraqis would be quite unhappy. After all, Turkish claiming about Northern-Iraq are not recent, but began in 1920, even before the creation of Iraq. And it is quite certain that other Arabs in the region, who dislike Turks for historical reasons (massacres at the end of the Ottoman empire) and contemporary conflicts (their americano-israelian alliance) could accept the invasion with a large smile. It is sure too that Kurds, from everywhere, won't let them do it without fighting. Murat Karayilan, the representative KONGRA GEL in Europe has stated : "If Turkey invades Kirkuk, we'll bring war in Turkish cities". A thing that could make think a lot, after the terrorist attacks in Istanbul. For the PKK had never been trained and organised for urban actions but there are a lot ot movements in the islamist world to support it, I mean that if Turks want to change Istanbul in a new Bagdad or Mosul, they have only to follow that bright plan.
Moreover, as they would act without an American agreement, and as they would face very deadly operations in a great city like Kirkuk, Turks would probably have some difficulties to respect the laws of wars, and lost any chance to enter in EU. But, as writes Sabah : "There are national goals and causes that are more important than the EU.... For Kirkuk is in fact not the heart of Kurdistan, but rather that of Turkey’s Iraq policy." I profit here to salute the courageous using of the word "Kurdistan" in Sabah and so its recognition of the Kurdish political entity. In Turkey some people were putting in jail for less than that.
But OK, all that is probably a squibb, as says another Turkish official Ilker Bashbug, who explained that a such plan has never existed, that Turkey would accept federalism and the demographical estimations of 1976-1978 on Kirkuk, even if it is not still ready to "swallow" a Kurdish government in the vilayet. Ilker Bashbug does not understand what's bitten Turkish newspapers to invent such stuff...
Of course we can imagine the "Lebanese mess" that could result. For it is sure that other Iraqis would be quite unhappy. After all, Turkish claiming about Northern-Iraq are not recent, but began in 1920, even before the creation of Iraq. And it is quite certain that other Arabs in the region, who dislike Turks for historical reasons (massacres at the end of the Ottoman empire) and contemporary conflicts (their americano-israelian alliance) could accept the invasion with a large smile. It is sure too that Kurds, from everywhere, won't let them do it without fighting. Murat Karayilan, the representative KONGRA GEL in Europe has stated : "If Turkey invades Kirkuk, we'll bring war in Turkish cities". A thing that could make think a lot, after the terrorist attacks in Istanbul. For the PKK had never been trained and organised for urban actions but there are a lot ot movements in the islamist world to support it, I mean that if Turks want to change Istanbul in a new Bagdad or Mosul, they have only to follow that bright plan.
Moreover, as they would act without an American agreement, and as they would face very deadly operations in a great city like Kirkuk, Turks would probably have some difficulties to respect the laws of wars, and lost any chance to enter in EU. But, as writes Sabah : "There are national goals and causes that are more important than the EU.... For Kirkuk is in fact not the heart of Kurdistan, but rather that of Turkey’s Iraq policy." I profit here to salute the courageous using of the word "Kurdistan" in Sabah and so its recognition of the Kurdish political entity. In Turkey some people were putting in jail for less than that.
But OK, all that is probably a squibb, as says another Turkish official Ilker Bashbug, who explained that a such plan has never existed, that Turkey would accept federalism and the demographical estimations of 1976-1978 on Kirkuk, even if it is not still ready to "swallow" a Kurdish government in the vilayet. Ilker Bashbug does not understand what's bitten Turkish newspapers to invent such stuff...
posted by Sandrine Alexie @ | Permalink 
