Bambaboo
08-11-2008, 08:26 AM
8/11/08
Turkey Should Talk to the Kurds
American officials dealing with Iraqi issues must be extremely frustrated these days.I am sure they must be quite annoyed that the Iraqi parliament went to summer recess last week without reaching an agreement on the provincial elections law. I can imagine that some among them must be furious about Turkey’s role in this outcome.
After easing the tension between Washington and Ankara following the meeting between Bush and Erdoğan, Turkish - American relations started to show signs of strain again. Not only developments in Iraq, but the Iranian issue as well is a potential source of contention between the two countries.
Iraq Conundrum
Let’s start from Iraq. Let's start from Iraq. Washington would like to see progress on three issues before the presidential elections in November. The agreement on the US forces' status, (sofa) which will allow US forces to stay in Iraq beyond the end of this year, when a UN mandate expires, adoption of the hydrocarbon law and holding provincial elections. . Washington is having a hard time to finalize sofa. There is no progress on the hydrocarbon law and finally local polls are probably delayed to 2009 as the parliament shut for a summer break without an agreement on the elections law.
The passage of Iraq's provincial elections law would have paved the way of the general elections seen as a key test of Iraq's democracy and which Washington hopes will spur reconciliation between rival political groups.
But the divisions over how to hold the vote in Kirkuk ruined US plans.
Actually an initial version of the election law, which would have given Arabs and Turkmen a fixed quota of seats on Kirkuk's provincial council, was passed by parliament last month. But Kurdish deputies boycotted the session and the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, vetoed it. The fact that Turkmens were able to gather support from not only Sunni Arabs but also from Shiite Arabs must have annoyed the Kurds since it comes as a bad news not only to their claims to Kirkuk, but also to their holy alliance with the Shi'ites . "I will cooperate with the Kurds on everything except on Kirkuk," a Shi’ite representative told a Turkish official, an anecdote demonstrative of the fact that the Kurdish – Shi’ite alliance has its limits.
But not only the Arabs' sensitivity for the oil rich city of Kirkuk, but Turkey's efforts as well seem to have contributed to the deal stroked between Turkmen and Arabs.
In the past, the Turkish side would have called on the Americans to step in, in favor of the Turkmen on any arrangement pertaining to their rights. Ironically this time around it was Washington which took up the phone and called the Turkish side to work for a compromise that would not alienate the Kurds. Most probably the answer it got was to exert pressure on the Kurds for a more flexible attitude…
o doubt, Turkey's recent efforts to forge high level contacts with all fractions in Iraq are behind Turkey's increasing weight in the country. An influential Kurdish politician, Mahmoud Othman’s recent criticism of Turkey maneuvering to create an anti – Kurdish Iraqi parliament testifies to this fact.
Cooperation with Iran on Kirkuk
However let's not forget the Iranian element. Iran is also wary of Kurds’ claims to Kirkuk, according to Turkish sources. It would not come to me as a surprise if Turkey and Iran had indirect contacts during the whole debates on the provincial elections law.
This brings us to the second point of contention in Turkish - US ties. Iranian President Ahmedinejad's visit will be no doubt met with criticism by Washington. I am pretty sure that Washington knows that Turkey is giving the right message to Iran as far as its nuclear program is concerned. What really irritates Washington is the psychological aspect of the visit. It comes at a time when US is trying to build a coalition of the willing to impose additional sanctions on Iran on sectors including energy. Statements announcing increased cooperation between Turkey and Iran during Ahmedinejad's visit will obviously not help US efforts to isolate Tehran.
Some in the US administration has an eye for an eye, teeth for a teeth approach. So let's hope that the administration will not start dragging its feet in its cooperation to weaken the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party's presence in North Iraq.
But you can't run foreign policy based on hopes. Instead of relying on US, Turkey should engage with the Iraqi Kurds on the issue of PKK. And for that, it should end its policy of not talking to Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Massoud Barzani. Dialogue with Barzani, will also contribute to efforts to find a consensus on Kirkuk. Forging an anti - Kurdish alliance will not solve the issue. Turkish administration should not forget that a fair and permanent solution requires Kurdish consent too.
http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://pukmedia.com/english/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26i d%3D5797%26Itemid%3D1&usg=ALkJrhh3Cp3abQ0yzHh_bIhtloYfFPpMdA
Bambaboo
Turkey Should Talk to the Kurds
American officials dealing with Iraqi issues must be extremely frustrated these days.I am sure they must be quite annoyed that the Iraqi parliament went to summer recess last week without reaching an agreement on the provincial elections law. I can imagine that some among them must be furious about Turkey’s role in this outcome.
After easing the tension between Washington and Ankara following the meeting between Bush and Erdoğan, Turkish - American relations started to show signs of strain again. Not only developments in Iraq, but the Iranian issue as well is a potential source of contention between the two countries.
Iraq Conundrum
Let’s start from Iraq. Let's start from Iraq. Washington would like to see progress on three issues before the presidential elections in November. The agreement on the US forces' status, (sofa) which will allow US forces to stay in Iraq beyond the end of this year, when a UN mandate expires, adoption of the hydrocarbon law and holding provincial elections. . Washington is having a hard time to finalize sofa. There is no progress on the hydrocarbon law and finally local polls are probably delayed to 2009 as the parliament shut for a summer break without an agreement on the elections law.
The passage of Iraq's provincial elections law would have paved the way of the general elections seen as a key test of Iraq's democracy and which Washington hopes will spur reconciliation between rival political groups.
But the divisions over how to hold the vote in Kirkuk ruined US plans.
Actually an initial version of the election law, which would have given Arabs and Turkmen a fixed quota of seats on Kirkuk's provincial council, was passed by parliament last month. But Kurdish deputies boycotted the session and the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, vetoed it. The fact that Turkmens were able to gather support from not only Sunni Arabs but also from Shiite Arabs must have annoyed the Kurds since it comes as a bad news not only to their claims to Kirkuk, but also to their holy alliance with the Shi'ites . "I will cooperate with the Kurds on everything except on Kirkuk," a Shi’ite representative told a Turkish official, an anecdote demonstrative of the fact that the Kurdish – Shi’ite alliance has its limits.
But not only the Arabs' sensitivity for the oil rich city of Kirkuk, but Turkey's efforts as well seem to have contributed to the deal stroked between Turkmen and Arabs.
In the past, the Turkish side would have called on the Americans to step in, in favor of the Turkmen on any arrangement pertaining to their rights. Ironically this time around it was Washington which took up the phone and called the Turkish side to work for a compromise that would not alienate the Kurds. Most probably the answer it got was to exert pressure on the Kurds for a more flexible attitude…
o doubt, Turkey's recent efforts to forge high level contacts with all fractions in Iraq are behind Turkey's increasing weight in the country. An influential Kurdish politician, Mahmoud Othman’s recent criticism of Turkey maneuvering to create an anti – Kurdish Iraqi parliament testifies to this fact.
Cooperation with Iran on Kirkuk
However let's not forget the Iranian element. Iran is also wary of Kurds’ claims to Kirkuk, according to Turkish sources. It would not come to me as a surprise if Turkey and Iran had indirect contacts during the whole debates on the provincial elections law.
This brings us to the second point of contention in Turkish - US ties. Iranian President Ahmedinejad's visit will be no doubt met with criticism by Washington. I am pretty sure that Washington knows that Turkey is giving the right message to Iran as far as its nuclear program is concerned. What really irritates Washington is the psychological aspect of the visit. It comes at a time when US is trying to build a coalition of the willing to impose additional sanctions on Iran on sectors including energy. Statements announcing increased cooperation between Turkey and Iran during Ahmedinejad's visit will obviously not help US efforts to isolate Tehran.
Some in the US administration has an eye for an eye, teeth for a teeth approach. So let's hope that the administration will not start dragging its feet in its cooperation to weaken the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party's presence in North Iraq.
But you can't run foreign policy based on hopes. Instead of relying on US, Turkey should engage with the Iraqi Kurds on the issue of PKK. And for that, it should end its policy of not talking to Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Massoud Barzani. Dialogue with Barzani, will also contribute to efforts to find a consensus on Kirkuk. Forging an anti - Kurdish alliance will not solve the issue. Turkish administration should not forget that a fair and permanent solution requires Kurdish consent too.
http://64.233.179.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http://pukmedia.com/english/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26i d%3D5797%26Itemid%3D1&usg=ALkJrhh3Cp3abQ0yzHh_bIhtloYfFPpMdA
Bambaboo