Boston Globe, MA
Oct 13 2007
Kurdish rebels say they’re ready to fight if Turkey attacks
By Ferit Demir, Reuters | October 13, 2007
TUNCELI, Turkey – Kurdish separatist rebels said yesterday that they
were crossing back into Turkey and were ready to target politicians
and police if the Turkish government attacks the rebels in the
mountains of northern Iraq.
As regional tensions rose, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan cautioned
that relations between Ankara and Washington were in danger over a
proposed US congressional resolution branding massacres of Armenians
by Ottoman Turks in 1915 as genocide.
Washington has spoken out against the possibility of a major Turkish
military incursion to crush Kurdish rebels seeking a homeland in
eastern Turkey. US officials fear such an action could destabilize a
relatively peaceful area of Iraq.
Turkey has about 60,000 troops on the border, but US officials said
yesterday they had seen no evidence of an attack.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Turkey has
not decided whether to conduct a cross-border offensive into Iraq,
but said it would not be deterred by the effect of the action on
relations with the United States.
"We don’t need anyone’s advice on northern Iraq and the operation to
be carried out there," Erdogan told a cheering crowd in Istanbul,
after saying that the United States "came tens of thousands of
kilometers and attacked Iraq without asking anyone’s permission."
Ankara recalled its ambassador from the United States for
consultations after a US House vote on the genocide issue, which was
strongly condemned in predominantly Muslim but secular Turkey.
The nonbinding Armenian resolution was approved by the House Foreign
Affairs Committee on Wednesday and now goes to the floor of the
House, where Democrat leaders say there will be a vote next month.
Referring to the diplomatic strain over the Armenian resolution,
Erdogan, using a Turkish idiom usually employed to describe
relations, said: "Where the rope is worn thin, may it break off."
"All prospects look bad . . . and relations with the United States
have already gone down the drain," said Semih Idiz, a veteran Turkish
commentator.
"If Turkey sets its mind on something, whether wrong or right it will
do it. The invasion of Cyprus in 1974 is a good example," he said,
referring to a Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus that drew US
condemnation and sanctions.
A statement by the Kurdistan Workers Party could increase domestic
pressure on Ankara to launch a big offensive that Washington fears
could have ramifications in the region.
The United States relies heavily on Turkish bases to supply its war
effort in Iraq.
Erdogan said his government was ready for any world criticism if
Turkey launched an attack against some 3,000 Kurdistan Workers Party
rebels who use north Iraq as a base to attack Turkish targets.
Ankara blames the separatists for the deaths of more than 30,000
people since the group launched its armed struggle for an ethnic
homeland in southeast Turkey in 1984.
Some analysts say an offensive became more likely after the House
panel’s vote on the resolution. Relations with Washington have until
now been a strong restraining force on Turkey.
Turkey denies that genocide was committed but said many died in
interethnic fighting. It remains a sensitive issue, but many Turks
are starting to discuss such past taboos more openly.
After a sharp escalation of attacks by Kurdish militants on Turkish
troops, Erdogan’s government, which faces pressure from the public
and the army to act, has decided to seek approval from Parliament
next week for a major operation.