STILL ON THE EDGE

Al-Ahram Weekly, Egypt
Nov 2 2007

Diplomacy appears to be faltering as the Turkish-Kurd crisis continues
to broil, reports Nermeen Al-Mufti from Baghdad

Just as the Iraq-Turkey talks in Ankara failed to defuse the current
crisis, Iran expressed sympathy with the Turkish position. Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is said to have phoned both President
Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and urged them to
close the camps of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) and hand over
its leaders to Turkey, according to the local Iraqi press.

The phone calls took place while Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan
was in Tehran for talks with his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr
Mottaki. On his way to Tehran, Babacan stopped over in Baghdad for
talks. Aydin Aksu, a key member of the Iraqi Turkomen Front, told
Al-Ahram Weekly that during his talks in Baghdad, Babacan said that his
country was committed to the safety and integrity of Iraqi territory.

Masoud Barzani, president of the Regional Government of Kurdistan,
called on the Turkish government to settle the crisis through
negotiations. "The federal government should consult with us about
any negotiations with Ankara," Barzani said in an apparent reference
to the failure of Iraqi diplomacy. Still, Ankara threatened to attack
PKK facilities in northern Iraq.

A Kurdish official speaking on condition of anonymity said that
one of the stumbling blocks facing the Iraqi-Turkish talks held in
Ankara last Friday was the Turkish refusal to allow the peshmerga
(Kurdish militia loyal to the northern government) to take charge of
border security. The Iraqi delegation to Ankara included two Kurdish
officials, but they were both excluded form the talks.

Barzani said Ankara refused to receive a Kurdish delegation that was
due in Turkey Monday. One of the reasons, reportedly, is that Barzani
and other Kurdish leaders, men who once travelled on Turkish diplomatic
passports, wouldn’t call the PKK a terror group. News reports in Ankara
indicate that Turkey suspects Kurdish officials of aiding and abetting
PKK fighters. Ankara is particularly incensed by the refusal of Kurdish
officials to hand over PKK leaders. The Kurds are also refusing to
coordinate with Turkey in any military operation against the PKK.

The Turkish government is actually thinking of imposing economic
sanctions on northern Iraq, according to the Turkish newspaper Sabah.

Turkey can reduce electricity supplies to Iraqi Kurdistan, tighten
border crossings, and obstruct Barzani’s business deals in Turkey.

According to the paper, the Khabur border crossing, through which
2,500 trucks pass everyday, might be subjected to "administrative
measures". Should Turkey send its trucks through Syria instead of
northern Iraq, the Kurdish administration would lose the $100 fee it
imposes on each truck.

Barzani and his aides operate about 118 companies in Turkey, all of
which may fall under punitive measures from Turkish authorities.

Turkey sells electricity the Kurds at 4-6 cents a kilowatt, a much
lower rate than what Turkish companies have to pay.

Kurdish officials maintain that PKK facilities have all been closed
in keeping with the Iraqi constitution that doesn’t allow terrorist
groups to operate in Iraq. However, a Kirkuk-based Turkomen network,
Turkmeneli TV, last week showed pictures of PKK flags on office
buildings close to the US and British consulates. The network
also aired footage of another building allegedly housing PKK radio
stations. Transmission towers were clearly visible atop the building.

The PKK is said to be operating these facilities in the name of the
Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party (KDSP).

Ruzgar Ali, chairman of the Kirkuk Governorate Council, said that the
KDSP is a recognised Iraqi party and has taken part in Iraqi general
elections, denying any knowledge of the PKK radio station. "This crisis
cannot be resolved through military action. The only way forward is
through negotiated settlement," he added.

The Iraqis are divided over Turkish threats. Some want Turkey to teach
the Kurds a lesson, while others take sides with the Kurds in the
hope of bringing them back into the national fold. Iraqi Parliament
Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani told reporters that US forces should
protect Iraqi borders against any incursion by Turkey.

America is after Iraq’s oil and wealth and must therefore defend the
country, he said.

Turkomen writer Aziz Samanci said that the PKK wants to provoke
a Turkish incursion in order to drag the peshmerga into the
confrontation. The PKK is hoping to push the crisis to the point
where the US would have to take sides with Iraq against Iran.

Interestingly, the recent attacks happened soon after a US Congress
decision on Armenian massacres alienated the Turks. The PKK may
also be trying to drive a wedge between Turkey’s ruling Justice and
Development Party and the Kurdish Democratic Society Party, which
has representatives in the Turkish parliament.

US Secretary Condoleezza Rice is expected in Turkey 2 November for
a conference of Iraq’s neighbouring states. Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due in Washington 5 November for talks with
President George Bush. The Kurdish crisis is likely to top the agenda
of talks on both occasions.

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