Turkey warns Kurdish parties in north Iraq
Iraq-Turkey, Politics, 10/5/2002

Turkish prime minister Polent Acawit has stressed that his country will interfere with all its weight, and take all necessary measures at any attempt to be made by the Kurdish groups to convert the current Kurdish parliament which includes a Kurdish majority into a state parliament.

In a press statement he made on Thursday, Acawit said that since the separation of Northern Iraq area from Baghdad's government, a structure of a state has been created gradually and the foundation stone for an independent Kurdish state in the region was laid. A state which has become a fact, but still under the Turkish control. He indicated that Ankara strongly rejects converting this "structure" to a Kurdish state and his country's commitment to the sovereignty of the Iraqi territories and political unity.

For its part, the Turkish daily Millet quoted the Turkish foreign minister Shukri Sina Ghouril as saying that Turkey will define its position in light of the meetings of the Kurdish parliament which were due on Yesterday, and that a statement is issued with the meaning or a concept of declaring an independent state in the region, then the Turkish reaction will be great and force might be used. He indicated that the USA and leaders of the Kurdish groups are fully aware of Turkey's sensitivity to this effect.

Worthy mentioning that the Kurdish parliament was due to have held its first meeting on Friday since six years.

Well-informed sources said that Jalal al-Talibani, the leader of the Kurdistani National Federation Party, and Masoud al-Barazani, the leader of the Kurdistani Democratic Party, decided to have their two parties alternatively leading the parliament. They issued a decision during their meeting on Thursday to form four committees at the highest levels with the aim of solving pending issues between the two sides during a period of time not to exceed three months.

The sources added that Ankara does not view positively the issue of the parliament in north Iraq, and considers it as a step towards forming an independent Kurdish state.

Political observers also said that this agreement has annoyed Ankara because it had ignored the Turkmans, the second largest ethnic community in the area.

Meantime, the Turkish daily Joumhoreyat said that Ankara has called on al-Talibani and al-Barazani to work for not releasing a decision by the Kurdish parliament during its meeting on Friday that is in contradiction with the Turkish interests, noting that the Turkish foreign ministry also conveyed to the leaders of the Kurdish groups that Turkey strongly rejects any special act pertinent to a federal system that ignores the Turkmans and threatens the unity of the Iraqi territories.

The paper indicated that the two Kurdish sides agreed to the Turkish demands and contacts have been continued on the issue of raising the rate of Turkmans representation in the parliament from 5% to 15%. The paper added that Turkey has started to give flexible signals on the issue of the "federation" in Iraq, and was able to impose most of its conditions before the first meeting of the region's parliament, at a time when political developments have been accelerated in northern Iraq as a result of the American military threats against Iraq.

Previous Stories:
  Turkey criticize US policy on Iraq   (9/30/2002)
  Al-Turkman against partition of Iraq   (9/30/2002)
  Sabah: An increased Turkish military presence in northern Iraq   (9/26/2002)

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