U.S. Tells Turks It Won't Fight Kurds

[LiviaOlivia]

The New York Times
January 12, 2005
U.S. Tells Turks It Won't Fight Kurds
By SUSAN SACHS

ISTANBUL, Jan. 11 - The commander of American forces in the Middle East told the Turkish government on Tuesday that he could not spare any troops to meet its request for an assault on Kurdish guerrillas who have been using northern Iraq as a base for attacks on Turkish forces.

Gen. John P. Abizaid, head of the Army's Central Command, said during a visit in Ankara that the United States considered the main Kurdish separatist group, the P.K.K., a terrorist organization. But, he added, "we also understand - all of us understand - that our troops have a lot of work to do there along with the Iraqi security forces, and we agree that, over time, we must deal with the P.K.K."

The general's statement, little different from the assurances given by other American officials over the last year, was unlikely to ease either government or public hostility in Turkey toward American policy in Iraq.

Turkey has complained for months that the United States has done little in Iraq to discourage Turkey's Kurdish separatists, to stop the eviction of the Turkmen population from the disputed city of Kirkuk, or to prevent frequent kidnappings and killings of Turkish workers and truck drivers in Iraq.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/12/international/europe/12turkey.html

[NYC]

1. Turkey was against the war.

The U.S. coaxed them into it. Now:

"The general's statement, little different from the assurances given by other American officials over the last year, was unlikely to ease either government or public hostility in Turkey toward American policy in Iraq."

[Gloria]

2. Here's the AFP version, via the Daily Star, Lebanon...

From the new World Media Watch....


3//The Daily Star, Lebanon Wednesday, January 12, 2005

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=11745



IRAQ, TURKEY, U.S. DISCUSS TACKLING KURDISH REBELS

Sibel Utku Bila, Agence France Presse



ANKARA: Iraqi and U.S. officials Tuesday discussed with their Turkish counterparts measures to tackle Turkish Kurd militants hiding in northern Iraq, including intelligence cooperation, but failed to pledge any immediate military action.



Turkey has often expressed frustration over U.S. reluctance to employ military means against rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which both Ankara and Washington consider a terrorist group, since October 2003 when the two sides agreed on an action plan against the PKK, including military measures.



About 5,000 armed militants of the PKK, held responsible by Ankara for a 15-year civil conflict that claimed more than 30,000 lives in southeast Turkey, are believed to have found refuge in the mountains of neighboring northern Iraq since 1999 when the group declared a unilateral truce. Some of them have reportedly infiltrated Turkey recently to engage in renewed violence, after the PKK, now also known as KONGRA-GEL, called off the cease-fire on June 1. "We agreed on intelligence-sharing mechanisms ... on all kind of activities including the funding of terrorist groups," Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid al-Bayati told reporters after the three-way talks in the Turkish capital.



"We discussed military measures but ... we are now at a stage of trying to secure the (Iraqi) election which is going to take place soon," he said. "Then we will have future meetings, but eventually, yes, we will take military actions."



Bayati said the priority at the moment was "to have bilateral meetings between our two governments to exchange information ... and to agree on measures in the future." He said any future action against the PKK would include the United States. A top U.S. general, in Ankara for separate talks with Turkish officials, said that US troops in Iraq are already swamped with unremitting violence in other parts of the conflict-torn country.



(MORE)

[LynnTheDem]

3. Sorta like how the US bitches about Syria & Iran not doing enuf

The irony is superb. Now if only hundreds of thousands weren't dying.

[MADem]

4. Yeah, the Turks want to fight them themselves

...said cynically, mind you. The Turks do not have the greatest human rights record with regard to their own Kurdish population. To be frank, it is disgraceful. In fact, for the longest time, they refused to acknowledge that they existed, would jail them for speaking Kurdish, would punish them for naming their child with a Kurdish name....but now, they are suddenly all upset over the ethnic Turkmeni who were sucking off the Saddam teat for so many years, after Saddam pushed the Kurds out of Kirkuk so he could work the oil assets there, with his good Sunni Turkmen pals to mind the store for him. Puh-leeeeeze!

The Turks see what is coming. Civil war in Iraq, the only crew with their shit together is the Kurds, and the Kurds in Turkey and Iran will finally have a real place where they can go, get help, get organized, get busy. And give the PKK a little room and they could be some serious troublemakers--as it is, even in a deeply oppressive environment, they could teach the Iraqi insurgents a thing or two. They are some tough mofos.

The Turks are looking at having to sacrifice their southeastern quadrandt, which is chock full of Kurds. The Iranians will have to give up the sector butting up against the Zagros to the northwest, if the same crap happens in Iran.

The Kurds have been at this for CENTURIES. They will keep at it until they get their damn country back. Can't blame them, really.

[bemildred]

5. Syria has a stake in this too. nt

[happyslug]

6. Map of Kurds in the Middle East

Notice most Kurds (and most of Kurdistan) is in Turkey, over 2/3rd of Kurdistan is in Turkey.

More on the Kurds:
http://www.mideastweb.org/mkurdi.htm

http://www.akakurdistan.com/kurds/stories/index.html

[happyslug]

7. Map of ethnic Groups in Iraq: