BY SEMIH IDIZ
MILLIYET- With Ankara so focused on its relations with Brussels, the government seems to have forgotten about Iraq and the latest developments in the war-torn country. Various Western sources have recently confirmed that Kurdish groups are still pursuing an oppressive policy against ethnic Turkmen groups and the Arab population.
However, Turkey currently seems to have no choice besides being nothing but an onlooker to these developments. Things are getting complicated in not only northern but also southern Iraq, because Shiite groups are also pursuing a separatist policy. According to the New York Times, Shiite leaders are demanding that the new Iraq constitution, which is expected to be passed by Aug. 15, to grant Shiite groups with autonomy, particularly in oil-rich regions. “We want to destroy the central administration which links the entire country to Baghdad,” Bakr Al-Yasin, a prominent Iraqi Shiite leader, told the Times. Kurdish groups will of course embrace this idea. Al-Yasin stated that they are demanding an independent parliament, autonomous ministries and a defense force of their own, like Kurdish groups in the north. Shiites see Kurds as an example, as the latter has already managed to fulfill its wishes.
In related news, certain Shiite leaders have reportedly started an initiative for a referendum addressing the issue of “autonomous Shiites.” This referendum is expected to be parallel to the one this October on the new Iraqi constitution.
As the chaos is growing in Iraq, Washington has finally understood how Turkey was correct in its warnings about separatist movements. However, it may be too late for the region...
Ankara initially opposed the idea of federal Iraq, but then had to accede to the idea. Under the current circumstances, we might even be forced to accept a confederation in Iraq or maybe something even worse...