Iraqi Turkmen Front: Instability In Iraq To Affect Whole Regional Countries

ANKARA - Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) warned on Friday that instability and splitting up of Iraq would not only affect Iraq, but also all the regional countries.
ITC Turkey Representation made a written statement following the incidents that occurred in Kirkuk on Wednesday and said such kind of incidents damaged Iraq's integrity at a time when peace and order were needed the most in Iraq.
The statement said, ''Turkmens and Arabs staged a march on December 31, 2003 in Kirkuk aiming to protest the initiatives to form a federative state in northern part of Iraq including Mosul, Kirkuk and Diyala cities which are densely Turkmen populated.''
The statement said some groups, which could not learn democracy culture, could not digest a democratic demonstration held for Iraq's integrity, and preferred to enter the new year in blood.
It said those armed attacks are continuation of 1959 massacre, and plundering in 1991 and April 10, 2003, stressing that, ''it is a fact that those developments are at the same time are indications of formations which cause concern for Iraq's future.''
The statement said Turkmens and Arabs in Kirkuk said, ''Kirkuk is neither a Turkish nor an Arab city, but that Kirkuk is an Iraqi city although Turkmens and Arabs constituted majority in the city.'' It said, ''however, the opposing groups clearly revealed their intentions with the attitudes they exhibited. It is a fact that those groups neither favor a democratic Iraq nor a formation based on the equality of ethnical structures.''
The statement said, ''it should not be forgotten that instability and splitting up of Iraq would not only affect Iraq itself but the whole regional countries. Attitude of U.S. officials in the region, who had earlier promised to grant equal rights to all the groups in the region and bring democracy to Iraq, disrupts order and stability.''
The statement said Turkmens did not want any more bloodshed in Iraq and did not want privileges to be given to a specific group, underlining that they wanted a democratic administration including all humanitarian rights and freedoms.
(AY-AÖ) 02.01.2004