TURKEY TAKES STEP TOWARD IRAQ OPERATION
By Selcan Hacaoglu
The Associated Press
Oct 15 2007
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – The Turkish government will seek parliamentary
approval for a military operation against Kurdish rebels in northern
Iraq, a government spokesman said Monday, taking action on one of
two major issues straining relations with Washington.
The spokesman, Cemil Cicek, said he hoped Parliament would vote on
the motion this week – passage is considered likely – but indicated
that the government would still prefer a solution to the conflict
that does not involve a cross-border offensive.
"Our hope is that there will be no need to use this motion,"
Cicek said.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government twice acquired similar
authorizations from the Parliament in 2003, but did not act on them.
Cicek insisted the only target was the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party,
known as the PKK.
"We have always respected the sovereignty of Iraq, which is a
friendly and brotherly country to us," Cicek said. "But the reality
that everyone knows is that this terrorist organization, which has
bases in the north of Iraq, is attacking the territorial integrity
of Turkey and its citizens."
The statement appeared to be aimed at reassuring Iraq’s central
government as well as Iraqi Kurds, who run their own administration
in northern Iraq.
Fighting along the border with Iraq was reported over the weekend,
where Turkey’s military said it "responded heavily" to attacks from
northern Iraq by Kurdish fighters on Friday. Iraqi Kurds reported
that Turkish artillery hit their territory.
Senior rebel commander Duran Kalkan said the Turkish military would
suffer a serious blow if it launches a cross-border offensive, saying
it would "be bogged down in a quagmire," the pro-Kurdish Firat news
agency reported Monday.
Oil prices rose Monday, partly reflecting concerns over a conflict
that could open up a new front in the Iraq war. Light, sweet crude for
November delivery hit a new high of $85.19 a barrel before retreating
in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, midafternoon
in Europe.
Cabinet ministers also were expected to debate retaliatory measures
if the U.S. Congress passes a resolution that labels the World War
I-era killings of Armenians as genocide.
A U.S. House panel approved the resolution last week, infuriating
Turkish leaders who said ties with their NATO ally would suffer.
At issue in the resolution is the killing of up to 1.5 million
Armenians by Ottoman Turks. Many international historians contend the
World War I-era deaths amounted to genocide, but Turkey says the mass
killings and deportations were not systematic and that many Turkish
Muslims died in the chaos of war.
Turkish anger over the genocide resolution has led to commentary that
Turkey would be less likely to take into account U.S. opposition
to a unilateral Turkish action in Iraq, which could destabilize a
relatively peaceful part of the country.
Turkey’s top general warned over the weekend that military ties
between Turkey and the United States could be seriously damaged if
the genocide resolution is approved in the U.S. Congress.
Turkey, a major cargo hub for U.S. forces in Iraq, has recalled its
ambassador to Washington for consultations and warned that there
might be a cut in logistical support to the United States.
About 70 percent of U.S. air cargo headed for Iraq goes through
Turkey, as does about one-third of the fuel used by the U.S. military
there. U.S. bases also get water and other supplies carried in by
Turkish truckers who cross into Iraq’s northern Kurdish region.
In 1975, Washington imposed an arms embargo that lasted three years
against Ankara following its invasion of Cyprus, using U.S. weapons.
Turkey, a Cold War ally of the United States, responded by limiting
U.S. military and intelligence activities on its soil.
Turkey has urged the United States and Iraq to crack down on PKK rebels
who have been fighting for autonomy in southeast Turkey since 1984.