BUSH TO STEP UP TURKISH MILITARY LINKS
By Daniel Dombey in Washington
FT
November 6 2007 01:25
President George W. Bush on Monday moved to step up military
co-operation with Turkey, in an attempt to dissuade Ankara from
launching a large-scale incursion into northern Iraq to hunt down
Kurdish rebels.
But it was unclear whether Mr Bush’s offer to deepen
intelligence-sharing and establish a military liaison system would be
enough to reduce domestic political pressure on Recep Tayyip Erdogan –
the Turkish prime minister, on a visit to the US – to take decisive
military action against PKK Kurdish separatists in Iraq.
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Oct-26Turkish public opinion has been outraged by a series of attacks
by the PKK, but the US has warned against a large-scale deployment
of Turkish ground forces into northern Iraq, which it fears could
destabilise the most stable part of the country.
Washington officials have hailed the PKK’s decision over the weekend
to release eight kidnapped Turkish soldiers as a signal that practical
co-operation between the Iraqi and Turkish governments is a concrete
and preferable alternative to military action.
But they are acutely aware that Mr Erdogan also wants more practical
aid from the US. "I made it very clear to the prime minister we want
to work in a close way to deal with this problem … Step one is to
make sure that our intelligence-sharing is good," said Mr Bush at an
appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Erdogan.
"Good, sound intelligence delivered on a real-time basis, using modern
technology, will make it much easier to deal effectively with people
who are using murder as a weapon to achieve political objectives."
He added: "The prime minister and I have set up a tripartite
arrangement, for his number two man in the military to stay in
touch with our number two man and General [David] Petraeus" – the
commander of US forces in Iraq. Mr Bush also said that the two sides
had discussed financing for the PKK, which Turkey wants to disrupt.
Speaking shortly after leaving the White House, Mr Erdogan described
himself as "happy" with the results of the meeting, but refused to
disclose details of the discussion.
"Turkey does not receive the international support she deserves in
fighting against the Iraq-based PKK terrorism," he added, but singled
out European countries, rather than the US, for criticism. "No one
should expect us to render our national interests victim to irrational
calculations of power in the region," he said.
Mr Erdogan also pronounced himself "cautiously optimistic" over the
controversy concerning the US House of Representatives’ attempt to
describe the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire as
"genocide". The legislation was put on hold after Turkey protested
against it.
"This draft has the potential to deeply damage our strategic
co-operation," he said.
"It is important to ensure it is not discussed on the floor of
Congress."