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| Turkey warns US on Iraqi Kurds, claims right of intervention against threats
ANKARA, Nov 8 (AFP) - Turkey on Saturday warned the United States against favouring Kurds in Iraq, a day after it dropped plans to send troops to its war-torn neighbour in the face of stiff opposition from the Iraqi leadership. The government had won parliamentary approval to dispatch troops to Iraq in response to a US request, but the plan was derailed when Washington failed to persuade the Iraqi Governing Council, and especially Iraqi Kurds, to agree the deployment. BizVantage – Like a personalized newsletter for business, investment or technology. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul denied Saturday that Ankara had reversed its plans because of the Iraqi Kurds, who have a stormy relationship with Ankara and have previously threatened to fight Turkish soldiers if they came. But, he said, the government had the "clear impression" that the United States acted in favour of the Kurds in most matters, and warned that this was the wrong path to take. "We hope this does not lead to potential dangers in Iraq in the future," Gul told the NTV news channel. "The Kurds are a reality of Iraq, but there are also several other ethnic groups... if one wants to preserve Iraq's integrity within Iraq's structure, one should avoid moves that could upset the balance in Iraq," he added. Turkey fears that Iraq's Kurds could use their post-war political benefits to advance towards independence in the future, a prospect it says could rekindle separatist violence among Kurds across the border in southeastern Turkey. Ankara was hoping that military involvement in Iraq would give it a say in the future of the country and thwart possible moves by Kurds towards independence. It also believed it would spur the United States to crack down on rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers party (PKK, now known as KADEK) who are hiding in northern Iraq. Even though the Turkish press strongly applauded the government's decision, some newspapers described the decision as a defeat for the United States and Turkey, but a victory for the Iraqi Kurds. "The United States has given into the Peshmarga", Iraqi Kurdish fighters, the Aksam daily said, echoing Gul's concerns. "The Peshmarga's wish has come true," read the front page of the popular Vatan daily. A column bluntly called on the government not to deceive itself and to acknowledge its defeat. "Let us not lie to ourselves: The Kurds and Arabs in Iraq did not want Turkey and the United States failed to break their resistance," the column by Zulfu Livaneli said. "The government is trying to put on an air of a victory, rather than making a genuine self-criticism. My question is: If the government is on the winning side in this matter, are the Iraqi Kurds on the losing side? In the end, who had the last word?" it said. Some newspapers, meanwhile, argued that Ankara's security interests would not be harmed by the decision not to deploy soldiers. Turkey has taken "the right decision after following the wrong path," said an editorial in the liberal Milliyet daily "What will happen now? Will Iraq be divided, will there be a Kurdish state in the north of the country and will (Turkish) Kurdish rebels move freely in the region? No, not at this stage or in the near future." In a bid to calm concerns over possible security threats, Gul told NTV that the United States had reaffirmed its determination to eliminate the PKK threat, but insisted that that Ankara reserved the right of intervention in case of a "threat or attack" coming out of its neighbour's territory. "We have only one wish and that is for the Iraqi people to control its territory and borders, not to let infiltrations through its borders and not to let terrorists use its soil as a base," the minister said. "If there is a threat or attack against Turkey, we will have no reservations and do whatever is necessary," he added. han/tm Iraq-Turkey-troops
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