SUPPORT TURKEY TO WIN IN IRAQ
by by Scott Sullivan

The Conservative Voice, NC
Feb 14 2007

Republicans should ignore the White House happy talk that it is
winning the war on terrorism. Instead, the US is losing Turkey as an
ally and is surrendering Iraq to Iran.

US-Turkish relations will reach the point of no return with the vote
on the Armenian genocide resolution, now scheduled in April. This
resolution is favored to pass. With this vote the Congress will deeply
alienate Turkey, a key NATO ally in the war on terrorism.

Meanwhile, the White House is further alienating Turkey by favoring
Iran and the Kurds in Iraq, especially the Kurds by awarding them
control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. US decisions on Armenian
genocide and Kirkuk will humiliate Turkey. The Turkish government will
retaliate against the Kurds, a response that could easily derail US
plans for Iraq and the US war on terrorism in general.

To begin with Iraq, Turkey sees US policy in Iraq as hostile and
directed and in favor of Iran and the Kurds. Turkey looks behind the
White House rhetoric against Iran and notes that the US and Iran
are now quietly cooperating in support of Prime Minister Maliki’s
government. Turkey anticipates that this US-Iranian cooperation
will deepen as pressure builds in Congress, thanks to the Democrats,
for an early withdrawal of US troops.

To be specific, the US needs to find a partner so that it can hand
over power as it withdraws from Iraq. From Turkey’s perspective,
the new US partner in Iraq will be Iran, not Turkey.

Even more alarming from Turkey’s perspective is the fear that
Kurdistan also benefits from US policy. In fact, the new state of
Kurdistan, under US military protection, is already emerging on Iraq’s
territory. Turkey is concerned that this new Kurdistan will encourage
rebellion by Turkey’s own Kurds and the PKK. A PKK insurgency in
Turkey claimed 30,000 lives in the mid-1990’s.

Turkey is now fearful that their worst fears about US policy are
justified as the US and Iraq prepare to turn over the oil-rich city
of Kirkuk to Kurdistan via a referendum scheduled for December of
this year (Kirkuk is located just outside Kurdistan’s territory and
is claimed by Kurdistan). Kurdistan’s acquisition of Kirkuk would
be an enormous humiliation for Turkey, as has been made clear by
repeated statements from the Turkish government, largely ignored by
the Bush Administration.

Turkey’s concerns over Kirkuk will be magnified by Turkey’s defeat
at the hands of congressional democrats on the Armenian genocide
resolution. It now appears a sure bet that congress will pass an
Armenian genocide resolution before Kirkuk passes into Kurdistan’s
control.

In sum, Turkey faces a crisis due to the Kirkuk referendum and the
congressional vote on the Armenian genocide resolution. So far,
the White House has given no sign that it can help with Congress on
the genocide resolution and refuses to postpone Kirkuk’s referendum
in December.

Turkey can do little or nothing about the Armenian genocide
resolution. Indeed, Speaker Pelosi, Senator Biden and Senator Reid all
conspicuously snubbed Turkish Foreign Minister Gul when he requested
meetings last week to discuss the resolution.

Turkey can, however, do something about the Kirkuk referendum.

Indeed, Turkey’s defeat on the genocide resolution greatly increases
the pressure on Turkey’s government to block the referendum, as it
has vowed to do. Turkey has both the military capability and the
influence in Kirkuk’s political affairs to block the referendum.

In short, Turkey’s actions on Kirkuk will derail President Bush’s
plan for Iraq and his war on terrorism, where Iraq is the centerpiece,
as Bush has often stated. Bush’s policy in Iraq of handing over power,
while withdrawing forces, to Iran and Kurdistan will go by the wayside,
a victim of Democratic Party activism against Turkey and Turkey’s
retaliation against Kurdistan. For those who had doubts about the
Bush plan for Iraq all along, these developments will come as welcome
relief. Iran and Kurdistan will be the big losers.

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress