Receiving Monday the principal medias of his country, Turkish the Prime
Minister Abdullah Gul made it clear that Ankara could take an active part in the war
against Iraq if a majority in this direction emerged at the Parliament. This reversal was
essential to the States-Uniens to deploy a terrestrial offensive against Baghdad.
However, during previous months, Ankara had tried monnayer its participation military at
Washington in exchange of its entry in the European Union and of the recognition of its
occupation of Cyprus. But these efforts had failed. Consequently, the political turn of
Turkey lets think that Ankara obtained another compensation : control, even the
annexation, of Iraqi Kurdistan. It is this prospect which mobilizes Kendal Nezan in the
Barber. (Kendal Nezan is a president of the Kurdish Institute of Paris).Today, the
Iraqi Kurds fear more one attack of Turkey against them that an attack of the army of
Saddam Hussein. Admittedly, the AKP is less anti-Kurdish than were to it its nationalist
predecessors, but the Turkish army holds truth capacity in the country and makes fun many
orientations of the civil government. It already started to gather its troops at the Iraqi
border. At the time of the visit of Paul Wolfowitz in Ankara, the soldiers did not
hesitate to declare that a « invasion temporaire » of Iraqi Kurdistan by their
troops was possible.
Such an attack would destroy all the achievements of the young Kurdish democracy and
does not base itself on any justification so much is not very credible, in spite of the
pro! pagande of the medias Turkish. Indeed, the Kurdish persons in charge do not want
independence, but a federal mode in Iraq. Turkey does not have any mandate, nor right of
glance, on the Kurds of the close countries. The « droits historiques » of
Turkey on Mossoul were already distinct in 1925 by the SDN in favour of Iraq.
On the other hand, a Turkish intervention in Iraq could involve a terrible aggravation
of the situation in all the area by pushing Iran and Iraq with attacking against and by
involving the Arab countries and NATO to be implied in the conflict.
It is urgent that the leaders of the European Union are of all their weight to prevent
Ankara from acting. The UE must require of Turkey to recognize with the Kurds the same
rights as those which the Turks want to obtain for the Cypriot turcophones, to respect the
international borders and to decrease its military expenditure has!
end to restore the civil capacity.
Kendal Nezan |
