Turkish general calls for military assault in Iraq
By Michael Kuser in Istanbul and Guy Dinmore in Washington

FT
April 13 2007 03:00

Turkey’s top general called yesterday for military intervention in
northern Iraq in comments that will increase regional tensions –
already high after a series of verbal exchanges between Turkish and
Kurdish leaders.

General Yasar Buyukanit, Turkey’s chief of staff, said he believed
that Turkish troops had to move across the border to combat rebels
from the Kurdish Workers party (PKK).

Ankara accuses the Kurdish regional government of northern Iraq of
harbouring the rebels – an allegation the regional government denies.

"From the military point of view, a [military] operation in northern
Iraq must be made," said Gen Buyukanit. He added, however, that he had
not yet submitted a request to parliament and that "no political
decision has been made yet".

The US has been anxious to avoid such an operation, which it believes
would further destabilise Iraq and the region. But Gen Buyukanit’s
comments seemed designed to increase the pressure on both Turkey’s
political leadership – ahead of a presidential election next month –
and Washington to allow such a move.

The Bush administration has repeatedly told Ankara that such a move
would not be productive. While Washington believes that some of the
rhetoric from the Turkish military is tied up with internal politics
in advance of the presidential election, US officials also assess
there is a chance that Turkey will move into northern Iraq – but not
imminently.

The European Union, whose influence over Ankara has been reduced by
the troubles over Turkey’s EU membership negotiations, has also made
clear that it does not want a Turkish incursion into northern Iraq.

But tensions have recently mounted, partly because of the PKK’s
continued operations in Turkey and partly because of the debate in
Iraq over the division of power between the country’s regional
governments.

Gen Buyukanit’s statement followed a threat by Massoud Barzani, leader
of the Kurdish autonomous region, to "interfere" in Turkey’s
south-east if Turkey "interfered" in his Kurdish area. The Turkish
armed forces also sent a note of protest to the national government in
Baghdad this week, requesting action against the Kurdish rebels.

The US is pressing Mr Barzani to deal with the threat posed by the
PKK. A US official in Washington told the Financial Times yesterday
that recent comments by Mr Barzani were "dangerous, provocative and
unhelpful".

Turkish officials complain that their main concern – the establishment
of an independent Kurdish state – is coming closer day by day, despite
US public commitment to preserve the territorial integrity of Iraq.

Gen Buyukanit made veiled references to the US as the party that had
let the Kurds in northern Iraq become "spoiled" to such an extent that
their leader could threaten Turkey.

When asked by a local reporter about Mr Barzani and Turkey’s alliance
with the US, the general said: "He [Mr Barzani] is at a very low level
and I look to the one who enables him to speak so, who enables the
division of Iraq, which is the greatest threat to the region."