US ASSAULT ON TURKEY
By Scott Sullivan

Assyrian International News Agency
April 19 2007

The US is on the brink of losing Turkey as a strategic partner. Three
highly controversial issues are in play. First, the Armenian genocide
resolution is now before Congress and is expected to pass. Second,
thanks to the passivity of US forces in Iraq, the PKK is secure in
guerrilla encampments in northern Iraq. The PKK is now carrying its
fight into Turkey from these camps, while the US ignores pleas from
Turkey to push the PKK out of northern Iraq. Third, with US approval,
the Kurds are pressuring Iraq’s government to advance a Kirkuk status
referendum, now scheduled for November 15, that would bring Kirkuk
and its vast oil wealth under Kurdish and PKK control.

Turkey’s loss on even one of these issues would have serious negative
consequences for Turkey’s military and civilian leadership. Turkey
could lose on all three. The anti-Turkey sentiment in Congress is
strong, Bill Clinton has just come out in support of the PKK, and Paul
Wolfowitz and the neo-cons have abandoned Turkey. In this regard, not
a single op-ed favorable to Turkey has been posted by the neo-cons,
who are now pro-Kurdish.

What about the Bush administration? Sadly, the most that the Bush
administration will for Turkey is attempt to convince the congressional
leadership to sideline the Armenian genocide resolution before it
comes to a vote in the House and the Senate. Even this might be
beyond the Bush administration’s reach given the Bush-Pelosi warfare
on foreign affairs.

In addition, the Bush Administration could approve one or two Turkish
raids on the PKK camps in northern Iraq. However, as a price for
this policy, the US may insist that Iraq’s proposal go forward for
the 15 November referendum that would transfer Kirkuk to the Kurdish
Regional Government.

Unfortunately for Turkey, under such a limited US policy, the PKK
will survive the Turkish raids and expand dramatically once the
Kirkuk referendum is approved. Turkey would be foolish to believe
that Kurdish leader Barzani would hold back the PKK once the Kirkuk
referendum is approved.

Moreover, the US is creating severe problems for Turkey in Iraq beyond
the Kirkuk referendum. The current US military policy is to stabilize
Baghdad first. This policy has the effect of projecting Iraq’s crisis
northward to Mosul, where Al-Qaeda and other Sunni extremists can
find softer targets.I

In short, the Bush administration is now demanding that Turkey face
enormous risks by accepting PKK camps in northern Iraq, accepting the
transfer of Kirkuk to Kurdish control, and accepting a US policy in
Iraq that is driving Sunni terrorism to Mosul and northern Iraq.

What is worse, the US has permitted Iran to align with the Kurds and
virtually dominate the Baghdad government. Iran is the big winner
from US intervention in Iraq, while Turkey will be the big loser.

Again, the US is on the brink of losing Turkey as a strategic
partner. In compensation, the US will pick up the fascist Kurdish
leader Barzani, the PKK, and Iran. Perhaps President Bush and Bill
Clinton can explain how US interests are advanced by this US assault
on Turkey.