.Turks: Not Seeking Fight With Iraq Kurds
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) - Turkey said Thursday that it isn't seeking a confrontation with Iraqi Kurds by threatening a cross-border offensive in northern Iraq, saying any attack would target only the bases of Turkish Kurd guerrillas.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was expected to arrive in Ankara, the capital, on Friday as part of an intense campaign to prevent Turkey from sending troops into northern Iraq. The U.S. believes such an operation could trigger a wider conflict with another U.S. ally, the Iraqi Kurds.
Many Turks are furious over what they believe is Washington's failure to pressure Iraq into cracking down on the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which seeks more rights and autonomy for Turkish Kurds. Street protesters have urged the government to send troops across the border even if it means deepening the rift with the U.S., their Cold War-era ally.
On Wednesday, about 100 people gathered at a park in Ankara to protest Rice's visit, some throwing darts at a photograph of her. They held English-language placards that read: "Terrorist Rice, take your bloody hands from Turkey" and "Go home Rice."
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said if the army crosses the border, it will try to avoid confronting the self-governing Kurdish leadership of northern Iraq. Turkish leaders suspect, however, that the Kurdish administration is assisting the PKK, or at least tolerating its presence at a network of mountain camps.
"Any cross-border attack would be aimed at hitting terrorist bases, and would not be an invasion," said Babacan, who has toured the Middle East to seek support from Arab leaders for Turkey's stance.
"We have doubts about the sincerity of the administration in northern Iraq in the struggle against the terrorist organization," he said. "We want to see solid steps."
The invasion reference recalled the U.S.-led attack on Iraq in 2003, a source of tension between Washington and Turkey, which refused to allow U.S. troops to cross its territory into Iraq. Turkey has also been troubled by the increasingly emboldened Iraqi Kurds following Saddam Hussein's ouster, fearing their success will incite separatism in its own Kurd minority.
Iraqi Kurds have warned Turkey against a cross-border offensive, saying they will defend their territory against any incursion and suggesting Turkey's real goal is to disrupt their virtual mini-state.
Turkey is wary of getting bogged down in a conflict that could be militarily inconclusive and politically damaging for a country seeking to burnish its international image by joining the European Union.
Washington has pressed Turkey for restraint while urging Iraqi Kurds to crack down on PKK bases where guerrillas rest, train and resupply before infiltrating Turkey again to conduct attacks. The U.S. says it is now sharing intelligence with Turkey to thwart the PKK threat.
"We, of course, would not want Turkey to launch its own military operations across the border because obviously there are troubles enough in Iraq," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said Thursday in Vienna, Austria. "But it is absolutely imperative that steps be taken to prevent such PKK attacks in the future."
Rice told reporters aboard her plane en route to Turkey that the U.S. will work jointly with Turkey and Iraq to combat the Kurdish guerrillas.
"We have a common enemy and we are going to act as if we have a common enemy, which means that we are going to work with our Turkish allies and the Iraqis" to have an effective way of dealing with the PKK, Rice said.
She didn't detail what steps might be taken.
After meetings in Ankara, Rice will travel to Istanbul for a conference on Iraq that is likely to be overshadowed by talk about the crisis on the Iraqi-Turkish border. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is expected to attend. Another delegate, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, arrived Thursday night in Ankara.
On Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to meet with President Bush in Washington. The Turkish military has indicated it will wait for Erdogan's return before launching any operation in Iraq.
Turkey already has taken some economic measures against the PKK and those who support it, Babacan said without elaborating. He said Turkey was also considering the suspension of flights to northern Iraq, a move likely designed to press the Iraqi Kurd government to move against the PKK.
Erdogan, however, said that no sanctions were in place and that there would be an announcement if any were implemented. The government did not explain the conflicting statements.
Iraq's Kurdish region relies heavily on Turkish food imports, construction works and electricity, but Turkish sanctions could antagonize the regional government there rather than make it compliant. Turkey has said it wants to make sure any economic measures do not inflict suffering on the innocent on both sides of the border.
MyWay
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was expected to arrive in Ankara, the capital, on Friday as part of an intense campaign to prevent Turkey from sending troops into northern Iraq. The U.S. believes such an operation could trigger a wider conflict with another U.S. ally, the Iraqi Kurds.
Many Turks are furious over what they believe is Washington's failure to pressure Iraq into cracking down on the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which seeks more rights and autonomy for Turkish Kurds. Street protesters have urged the government to send troops across the border even if it means deepening the rift with the U.S., their Cold War-era ally.
On Wednesday, about 100 people gathered at a park in Ankara to protest Rice's visit, some throwing darts at a photograph of her. They held English-language placards that read: "Terrorist Rice, take your bloody hands from Turkey" and "Go home Rice."
Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said if the army crosses the border, it will try to avoid confronting the self-governing Kurdish leadership of northern Iraq. Turkish leaders suspect, however, that the Kurdish administration is assisting the PKK, or at least tolerating its presence at a network of mountain camps.
"Any cross-border attack would be aimed at hitting terrorist bases, and would not be an invasion," said Babacan, who has toured the Middle East to seek support from Arab leaders for Turkey's stance.
"We have doubts about the sincerity of the administration in northern Iraq in the struggle against the terrorist organization," he said. "We want to see solid steps."
The invasion reference recalled the U.S.-led attack on Iraq in 2003, a source of tension between Washington and Turkey, which refused to allow U.S. troops to cross its territory into Iraq. Turkey has also been troubled by the increasingly emboldened Iraqi Kurds following Saddam Hussein's ouster, fearing their success will incite separatism in its own Kurd minority.
Iraqi Kurds have warned Turkey against a cross-border offensive, saying they will defend their territory against any incursion and suggesting Turkey's real goal is to disrupt their virtual mini-state.
Turkey is wary of getting bogged down in a conflict that could be militarily inconclusive and politically damaging for a country seeking to burnish its international image by joining the European Union.
Washington has pressed Turkey for restraint while urging Iraqi Kurds to crack down on PKK bases where guerrillas rest, train and resupply before infiltrating Turkey again to conduct attacks. The U.S. says it is now sharing intelligence with Turkey to thwart the PKK threat.
"We, of course, would not want Turkey to launch its own military operations across the border because obviously there are troubles enough in Iraq," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said Thursday in Vienna, Austria. "But it is absolutely imperative that steps be taken to prevent such PKK attacks in the future."
Rice told reporters aboard her plane en route to Turkey that the U.S. will work jointly with Turkey and Iraq to combat the Kurdish guerrillas.
"We have a common enemy and we are going to act as if we have a common enemy, which means that we are going to work with our Turkish allies and the Iraqis" to have an effective way of dealing with the PKK, Rice said.
She didn't detail what steps might be taken.
After meetings in Ankara, Rice will travel to Istanbul for a conference on Iraq that is likely to be overshadowed by talk about the crisis on the Iraqi-Turkish border. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is expected to attend. Another delegate, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, arrived Thursday night in Ankara.
On Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to meet with President Bush in Washington. The Turkish military has indicated it will wait for Erdogan's return before launching any operation in Iraq.
Turkey already has taken some economic measures against the PKK and those who support it, Babacan said without elaborating. He said Turkey was also considering the suspension of flights to northern Iraq, a move likely designed to press the Iraqi Kurd government to move against the PKK.
Erdogan, however, said that no sanctions were in place and that there would be an announcement if any were implemented. The government did not explain the conflicting statements.
Iraq's Kurdish region relies heavily on Turkish food imports, construction works and electricity, but Turkish sanctions could antagonize the regional government there rather than make it compliant. Turkey has said it wants to make sure any economic measures do not inflict suffering on the innocent on both sides of the border.
MyWay
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