Turkey ignored the opinion of the "strategic partner and ally"

Practically in North Iraq there is the State of Kurdistan and the Iraqi Kurds have a big influence on the Turkish Kurds. And this is a very serious factor for Turkey.

In spite of all the calls of George Bush, the Turkish army started a wide-ranging military operation against the Kurdish militants in the Northern border with Iraq. The army almost carries military operation in the "triangle" of the provinces of Shirnak, Khakyarri, and Siirt. On October 17 the Turkish Parliament voted for granting the government the power of holding military operations in the Northern Iraq with a one-year-deadline. The truth is though, that the Prime Minister Recep Erdoghan said, that the decision of the Parliament doesn't mean that the operations will at once be started, however a recurrent war with the Kurds has been unleashed.

October 18, 2007

PanARMENIAN.Net - Nothing unexpected had happened. Turkey acted out of its interests, not taking into consideration the calls of the "strategic partner and ally". The last call was made by George Bush. During the unanticipated press-conference the American President explained that it is of no interest to Turkey to send extra troops to the northern part of Iraq. But at this very moment the Turkish deputies voted in favor of the resolution allowing attacks on the Kurdish separatists of Kurdistan Workers Party.

Kurds, as it is known, live in Syria and Iran, and it is not by chance that Turkey has decided to support Syria in its fight with the Kurdish militants. During his visit to Ankara the Syrian President Bashar Asad announced that Turkey has the legal right to attack "certain groups". Then he also said that this is the problem to be solved by the Americans. Indeed, the times his father Hafez al-Assad guaranteed shelter for the separatists are long gone. Iran is not interested in Kurds' strengthening either. Practically in North Iraq there is the state of Kurdistan and the Iraqi Kurds have a big influence on the Turkish Kurds. And this is a very serious factor for Turkey.

Military analysts believe that the Turks will strike a triple blow: air raids, operations of landing parties, expansion of the safe haven (20-30 km) towards the Iraqi border. Large-scale mopping-up on the principle called "find and destroy" will be held among all the units. In this area bases are established, where militants and future kamikazes are being trained. However, the Kurdistan Workers Party doesn't wait without actions. The leadership of the Party has cut down the number of "columns" and sent them out to different areas, getting ready for "make a hell" in Turkish towns. However, the observers think that the attack cannot be decisive. Winter is not far and more problems arise, the Kurds are very decisive. Several days ago the Turks asked the Iraqis to allow them to pursue the Kurdistan Workers Party beyond their borders. Baghdad turned down their request. Ankara began the offensive with the hope that Washington will find a way to solve the problem.

Meanwhile Baghdad is seriously concerned with the situation. The Iraqi Kurds make the important part of the New Iraq and the current President Jalal Talabani is Kurdish as well. The truth is though, that Talabani during his visit to Paris made an ambiguous statement turning to the Kurdistan Workers Party; "Stop the attacks, otherwise we will demand you to leave our territory", and this is impracticable, because in the Iraqi Kurdistan the Party feels very much home.

This story has been lasting for more than 30 years with changeable success. Kurds are pursued by the Turkish army, Saddam Hussein tried to annihilate them. They understood and still understand quite well that nothing will ever stop the Kurds to establish the independent Kurdistan. However another truth is that the Turkish soldiers settled down on the Iraqi territory in the end of the 1990's already, long before the coalition offensive against Saddam's regime had started. According to the Pentagon Press-Secretary Jeff Morrell, the presence of the Turkish soldiers in the North of Iraq shouldn't give rise to worries.

It should be reminded that Turkey threatened the USA with the military operations in the North of Iraq, so that Resolution 106 about the Armenian Genocide wouldn't be approved. However, as we can see, there is nothing in common between the fight against Kurdistan Workers Party and Resolution 106, the dates of the voting haven't been mentioned yet, but the troops have already started their fight against Kurdish militants. The day before the U.S. President George Bush called the congressmen to adopt the Resolution on the Armenian Genocide, for "the Congress shouldn't give any adjectives to historical events in the Ottoman Turkey. The Congress has many other, more important things than kindling hostility between the USA and its democratic allies in the Islamic world, particularly those allies who always support our troops," announced George Bush. True though, according to Professor Ruben Safrastyan the real allies of the USA in the region are Kurds.