CUMHURIYET- Columnist Mustafa Balbay comments on the recent meetings held between the US administration and Iraqi opposition groups. A summary of his column is as follows:
The Iraq situation became even more complicated after the US administration met with Iraqi opposition leaders last week in Washington. Here’s how the picture looks: Washington is determined to launch a military operation in Iraq. Yet, no one knows the US plans for the aftermath of an attack. Turkey is holding its current position. The US is our ally and a possible strike will surely affect Turkey, whether it gets involved in it or not. Thus, Turkey has an eye on the region and has plans ready to intervene if it becomes necessary. In the meetings held in Washington, the Iraqi National Congress (INC), the Iraqi National Accord, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI), the Iraqi Kurdish Democratic Party (IKDP) and the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) and Constitutional Monarchy Movement all gathered together. Each of these six groups is aiming to assume sole control over all of Iraq. If this proves unworkable, they will come to accept forming separate states in the regions where they hold the most sway. So, Kurds in the north, Shiite Arabs in the south and Sunni Arabs around Baghdad will create their own states. After such a division, a fierce struggle will ensue between them and thousands of people will die in a series of wars in the region. The US is definitely aware of this drift and its consequences in Iraq, and it is even encouraging it. However, quite contrarily, the US keeps saying that it respects Iraq’s territorial integrity. The scenario spelled out above could get even worse, because there are substantial differences in terms of religion, ethnicity and culture which may lead to further division in the region. What will happen under such circumstance? There will emerge numerous tiny oil-rich states, whose oil flows through multinational corporations to the West, whose weapons then flow to these tiny states in turn. Moreover, firstly, a strong Arab state like Iraq, which threatens Israel, a country with remarkable influence on the US in every aspect, will be destroyed. Secondly, the US will get rid of a country which occasionally supports the Palestinians. And thirdly, after Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia will at last come onto the US’ agenda. What about Turkey?
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION