BY SAMI KOHEN
MILLIYET- Columnist Sami Kohen comments on possible reasons behind the Sulaimaniyah incident and the path ahead for Turkey and the US. A summary of his column is as follows:
The US’ actions in the Sulaimaniyah incident were clearly mistaken. Nothing can justify them and the Turkish public won’t easily forget this. However, the ‘regret’ expressed in yesterday’s joint declaration and by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld won’t be enough to heal Turkey’s hurt and anger. The reasons behind the operation against Turkish special forces troops in Sulaimaniyah are not yet known. The joint statement released in Ankara mentioned the ‘Turkish personnel’s reported activities.’ Before this, certain US officials had also brought up Turkish special forces’ alleged ‘illegal activities in northern Iraq’ in a confusing way. Americans also say that Turkish troops had ties with northern Iraq’s Turkmen. Consequently, the true nature of the situation which led to the Sulaimaniyah incident is unknown.
According to the joint statement, Turkey and the US have reached an agreement to share information as well as for establishing cooperation and coordination. Does this mean that new ‘red lines’ will be determined on Ankara’s support for the Turkmen and that new strategies will be established in coordination with the US? Actually both Ankara’s northern Iraq policy and how it’s implemented suffer from a lack of clarity. Now Ankara must establish strategies that keep pace with the new realities of the region.
Iraq and particularly northern Iraq have become a guiding element in Turkish-US relations. Ankara and Washington should work to get a good handle on their policies on Iraq. Speaking at a meeting hosted by the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) yesterday, Martin Indyk, director of US think tank the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy, stated that as Turkey and the US share a great many common interests, it would be a mistake for them to spoil their ties over Iraq and that therefore, strategic cooperation should be established between Turkey and the US on Iraq, and particularly northern Iraq. However, the US has a tendency to implement its decisions on Iraq arrogantly and unilaterally. On this issue, Indyk said, ‘It’s true that the Bush administration is conducting itself arrogantly and unilaterally. Therefore we’re hurting our allies such as Turkey. The US should act more modestly and should cooperate more.’ Indyk said that the US could change its stance in this direction, adding, ‘The problems we’re facing in Iraq are showing Washington that it should work with key allies like Turkey, and this will cause a shift in its stance’.