MILLIYET- Columnist Tuncay Ozkan writes on the situation in nothern Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:
I am dead certain that someone wants to keep Turkey in a state of continual political and economic instability. The US has come to understand that it cannot conduct an operation in northern Iraq so long as Turkey is determined and the political stance of the government doesn’t change. Operations against our economic instability will be launched in order to have elections held this coming November. I do not think State Minister Responsible for the Economy Kemal Dervis will resist such a notion. Therefore, Prime Minister Ecevit has to produce a formula to solve the problems of the prime ministry. The US search for a leader among the Kurdish groups to rule the country in the post-Saddam era is essentially saying to both Arabs and Kurds that the economic resources of the region, including Kirkuk are theirs. ‘We will solve the problem without taking the Turkomans into consideration.’ However, this situation is unacceptable for Turkey. It is clear what the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) reaction will be to such a fait accompli. There is no Turkish politician or officer who could endure such a situation. If the administration is left into the hands of the Shiites in Iraq, the whole gulf region will be composed of Shiite states. What does the US plan to do in such a case? There is a strong lobby in the US which would like an Iraq operation to begin in October. If President Bush cannot do this, even the Republicans will not support him as a candidate in the next elections. In other words, around October Turkey will be faced with a crisis in Iraq. If we are not prepared for such a development, if we do not show both care and boldness, if we fail to produce a solution to or take the regional initiative in hand, we will be faced with difficulties. In these circumstances a great responsibility falls on Prime Minister Ecevit’s shoulders. He has to come to a decision with his coalition partners in governing the country. If this decision is late in coming, and Turkey faces another illness syndrome, my concern is that historic mistakes may result.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION