Will the US have to choose between Turkey and the Kurds?

The Eurasian Politician - March 2003

Will the U.S. Have to Choose Between Turkey or the Kurds?

Kathleen Ridolfo, RFE/RL Iraq Report, 27.2.2003
[Notes in brackets by The Eurasian Politician editors.]

While Turkey has proven to put a snag in just about everyone’s planning efforts for a U.S.-led war with Iraq in recent weeks, the U.S. faces a greater challenge: comply with Turkish demands to occupy northern Iraq in the event of war with Iraq, or continue its support of Kurdish sovereignty in the area. Now, after more than a week of stalling on a decision to put the parliament to a vote over allowing U.S. troops on Turkish soil to begin preparations for a possible war with Iraq, it appears that the Turkish parliament will finally vote on the agreement, but not before securing a significant aid package from the U.S. [However, the Turkish parliament decided not to accept U.S. troops on Turkish soil. We can speculate, whether this was due to the Turkish economic and security interests that the U.S. was not prepared to guarantee, or due to the pressure from Brussels, Paris, and Berlin.]

Meanwhile, Turkey plans to occupy northern Iraq in the event of war, under the pretense of quelling any Kurdish attempts to unilaterally separate from Iraq and form an independent state, even as Kurds vociferously deny such a plan. Turkey fears that an independent Kurdish state would spark unrest among the 12 million Kurds living on Turkish soil. It also claims it has a duty to protect the minority rights of the Turkomans living in northern Iraq. The Turkomans are related ethnically to the Turks. [In fact, they are Iraqi Turks.] Part of the proposal being sent to the parliament this week calls for an unspecified number of Turkish troops to be sent to Iraq. Turkish officials estimate the number of troops to equal or exceed the U.S. deployment, "The Washington Post" reported on 26 February.

As Iraqi opposition members gathered in northern Iraq last week, Kurdish leaders were quick to comment on Turkish intentions to intervene in northern Iraq. Hoshyar Zebari, foreign relations head for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) told a news conference on 23 February that Kurds will oppose any Turkish military intervention, adding, "Any intervention under whatever pretext will lead to clashes," AP reported. Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) spokesman Latif Rashid told reporters "All the Iraqi parties were dismayed" by the Turkish plan, AP reported.

Kurdish officials have also expressed apprehension about the continued presence of the Peace Monitoring Force, which is a Turkish-led contingent that has been enforcing a cease-fire agreement between the PUK and KDP in Kurdistan for the last five years, "The New York Times" reported on 23 February. Apparently, the Kurds fear that the peacekeepers might act as guides or provide logistical support for Turkish soldiers entering Kurdistan. Moreover, some Kurdish leaders argue that the peacekeeping force, which is largely composed of Turkomans, also serves as a training ground for Turkoman forces, who may be planning to make land grabs in Mosul and Kirkuk, "The New York Times" reported.

[It must be remarked here, that Turkey’s main geopolitical interest would lie in the oil-rich districts of Mosul and Kirkuk, which are not part of the Kurd-majority area, although Kirkuk used to be part of Kurdistan. Iraqi Turks a.k.a. Turkomans are represented in these areas, but there is a slight Kurdish majority in Kirkuk and a significant Kurdish minority in Mosul area. When the British colonial power annexed Mosul and Kirkuk to the newly constructed state of Iraq, the purpose was to cut off these significant oil resources from Turkey. Now part of Turkey’s problem of course lies in the fear that these resources would end up in the hands of a new hostile force.]

Jawdar Najar, a senior representative from The Turkoman National Association told a press conference in Irbil last week that the Turkomans are not in favor of Turkish intervention, Reuters reported on 22 February. "We don't think circumstances are conducive to intervention, as the Turkoman people have no fears living here, and have enjoyed democracy since 1991," he said, adding, "We the Turkoman people are not in need of asking an army from a neighboring country (for help)…this would be baseless."

But the Iraqi Turkmen Front representative to Washington, Orhan Ketene, told the Assembly of Turkish-American Associations in Washington on 25 February that Turkish troops were needed to prevent Shi'ite Kurdish civilians from occupying Mosul and Kirkuk following a war. "If Turkey does not enter there, the situation functions against Turkey, and a Kurdish state is founded. Then Turkey loses southeastern Anatolia in 15 years," Anatolia news agency quoted Ketene as saying. He added that Turkomans constitute a "factor of balance" between Kurds and Arabs, Anatolia reported.

Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) parliament held an extraordinary session on 25 February to vote on a declaration stating that the region would close its doors to all foreigners who want to send troops to northern Iraq, NTV online reported ( http://www.ntv.com.tr). The parliament also urged all political parties, groups, and organizations to take a clear stance against foreign interference, Kurdistan Satellite TV reported the same day.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Yusuf Buluc responded to the KRG vote by stating on 25 February, "Nobody should feel doubt about Turkey's principles regarding protection of Iraq's territorial integrity and national unity and basing its future on those principles," Anatolia news agency reported. Buluc further warned, "Nobody should try to create a provocative atmosphere and gain a prior position by showing inappropriate reactions to the open policy of Turkey," adding that "people" should be careful about their words and actions in the coming days. Finally, "RFE/RL Iraq Report" readers will recall the Turkish campaign to look into Turkish historical claims to Mosul and Kirkuk, which began in early January (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 13 January 2003).

* * *

main