RUSSIAN MP: TURKEY CAN FREEZE ITS POLITICAL CONTACTS WITH THE USA

Regnum, Russia
Oct 18 2007

The intention of the Republic of Turkey to conduct a counter-terror
operation in the territory of Iraq stirs anxiety, First Deputy Chair
of the Russian State Duma Committee for Foreign Affairs Leonid Slutsky
told in an interview to a REGNUM correspondent today.

According to Slutsky, the political and military leadership in Ankara
is to derive from the understanding that a military operation in
northern Iraq "is more destabilizing the tense enough situation in
the region."

Turkey is playing an important role in southern Europe and, as
Slutsky believes, if Turkey resorts to exacerbating the conflict,
it will face a dilemma: it can either stop opposing the US military
operation in Iraq or freeze all political contacts with America.

Moreover, as Slutsky reminded, the relations of Turkey with the United
States were harmed by the decision of the US Congress Foreign Affairs
Committee to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

According to Slutsky, starting from March 2003, when Iraq was subjected
to massive strikes by the US and UK Armed Forces and their allies,
the situation in Iraq and around it has been developing under the worst
scenario. Slutsky notes that ideas have been heard recently to divide
Iraq into three parts, probably, the MP believes, it is the final
goal of the operation in Iraq. "There are no convincing proofs that
Iraq was producing, storing or, moreover, using prohibited weapons,"
Slutsky emphasized.

On October 17, the Turkish parliament voted for allotting to the
government the powers for starting a military operation in northern
Iraq for a year.