Turkey And Iraq

BY TURGUT TAHRANLI
RADIKAL- It seems that discussion caused by Kurdish leader Massud Barzani's remarks last weekend was linked with other issues concerning Turkey's policy on Iraq and extended. The essence of this discussion was about intervening in a domestic affair. Legally, rules and the international application about this issue aren't ambiguous. Therefore, there must be no problem about announcing concerns about this issue through a diplomatic language which wouldn't obstruct communications between the two sides. However, as we have been seeing from the last weekend to today, the only problem isn't the intervention in domestic affairs. In addition, the presence of terrorist PKK in northern Iraq or its using this region as a logistic support is the other parallel issue of discussion. As is known, this isn't a new development. This problem has been known since the 1980's. However, it should be understood that these two issues of discussion should be kept separate carefully and then a stance should be assumed. Let me be clearer. If Turkey's concerns about the change of demographic structure in Kirkuk and remarks made by Barzani are to be evaluated in terms of intervening in domestic affairs in terms of two sides, it seems a requirement not to ignore the international standards which cause or prevent such a definition. However, the fact that northern Iraq is being used in a way that would cause Turkey to be concerned doesn't indicate a situation necessarily overlapping with the former issue. And maybe it can be appropriate for causing a more serious problem, because the prohibition of using force and threatening to use force is a legal and binding rule which covers all the international legal actors. In the light of these developments, among the first reactions of Turkey against Barzani's remarks was its request of support from the US secretary of state. Now the US is the occupying force in Iraq. In parallel to this, it can be said that it has an authority on this country. However, Turkey, which is its neighboring state, recognized Iraq as an independent and sovereign state and always mentioned its policy about it. Now, how can it show openly that it expects help from the US in a diplomatic stance which is fully outside this essence? This is unacceptable not only in terms of international law, but also concerning the Turkish-Iraqi relations.
Foreign Ministry stated during its press conference this week that this desperate situation was completely changed and a note was sent to Iraqi authorities to inform them on these concerns. Maybe it can be thought that efforts were made to repair this mistaken initiative. Now, as far as it can be seen, two basic problems which are different from each other, started to be discussed and this situation causes complication about what sort of a policy will be effective about these issues. For example, it's equally meaningless to defend such `alternatives' as military intervention about concerns over a demographic change and to ignore the fact that the border security can't be ensured effectively. In terms of relations between the states, just like relations between the people, the meaning of determining why the two states need each other cannot be explained only with the fact that the power is determining. This gains more power in relations between the two countries, because even if you want, you can't leave your neighbor with whom you live next to each other. Instead of this, planning to ignore it cannot be considered a solution. Thus, the value of making efforts for living together not by standing back to back, but by looking at each other should be seen by the two sides.