STAR- Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli writes on the latest developments in northern Iraq. A summary of her column is as follows:
No matter what US officials say, there is clear evidence that a Kurdish formation is gradually being institutionalized in northern Iraq. First, schools and universities, and then TV stations, the Kurdish National Bank and a customs administration ... Finally a supreme formation which will govern all these institutions, in other words, an assembly ...
In northern Iraq, the Kurdish Parliament will re-open today after a lengthy hiatus. Furthermore, this Parliament is to gather not only to make decisions on day-to-day life in the region, but also to determine the future status of northern Iraq.
In line with a recent agreement signed between the two main leaders of northern Iraq, Jalal Talabani, leader of the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK), and Massoud Barzani, leader of the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP), the first issue to be discussed at the Kurdish Parliament is Iraq’s future political structure. The Kurdish people are to vote on the constitution prepared by these two leaders, a document proposing the establishment of a federation in the post-Saddam period. The draft constitution suggests establishing an Arab federal state in the south, and a Kurdish federal state in the north. In other words, this document is the first step towards the establishment of a Kurdish state, an idea which positively terrifies Turkey.
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz also made significant pronouncements on the issue during his recent visit to Turkey. “If Iraq is divided, Turkey will also a face serious threat to its territorial integrity,” said Aziz. He clearly meant that an independent Kurdish state formed in northern Iraq would likely make future territorial demands on Turkey. Ankara is well aware of this threat, one which Aziz clearly expressed. However, in the hurly-burly atmosphere of the elections, one unfortunately searches in vain for politicians to deal with this problem. The only figures to address the issue are soldiers and bureaucrats. As a matter of fact, a recent visit of Turkish commanders to military facilities in Diyarbakir, a southeastern Anatolian province, was no coincidence. This visit was very important because of its flawless timing. In addition, let’s not forget Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit’s statement warning the relevant parties that if they crossed the line, Turkey would do whatever was necessary to stop them.
There is also another matter that Turkey can trust to be a sensitive issue: the divergences of opinion among senior Bush administration officials on the Iraqi opposition groups. There are serious splits between the US Defense and State Departments. The fiercest debates revolve around the role to be played by the Iraqi National Congress, which was created in 1992 as an umbrella organization representing the major Iraqi opposition groups. Washington is for some reason or another unable to reach an agreement on this issue, which is why the Bush administration has as yet failed to take any concrete steps to establish an ‘interim Iraqi government’ similar to the Afghan administration.
However, both Ankara’s preoccupation with early elections and Washington’s hesitations are working in the Iraqi Kurdish groups’ favor. There is no doubt that the Kurdish Parliament will very soon be one of the top issues on the Turkish political scene, no matter how busy our politicians are.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION