MILLIYET- Columnist Fikret Bila writes on the latest developments in northern Iraq. A summary of his column is as follows:
Ankara is seriously concerned about the Kirkuk issue. As we all know, Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani and Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) leader Jalal Talabani recently issued a draft constitution. This document envisions a flag, Parliament and presidency for an ‘Iraqi Kurdistan’ as a largely autonomous part of a federal Iraq, coupled with a claim to the oil-rich Iraqi city of Kirkuk as a capital. These plans set off alarm bells in Turkey, where the idea of a Kurdish state is unacceptable.
Appearing on CNN Turk over the weekend, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit gave his views on the issue, expressing his clear concern about the latest developments. Ecevit stated that Ankara had already conveyed to Washington its concerns on the Kirkuk issue, which is in fact an ethnic Turkmen region, reiterating that Ankara is extremely sensitive about the Turkmen groups’ future.
Diplomatic sources in Ankara are arguing that should Kirkuk become the capital of a Kurdish state per Talabani and Barzani’s plans, then the region would be plunged into a larger war which would shatter all the balances prevailing among Iraq and its neighbors. These sources are insistently warning US officials about all the possible negative consequences of such a development, recalling that in 1991 the US blocked Talabani from occupying Kirkuk during the Gulf War. Ankara is urging the Bush administration to once again keep these groups from seizing Kirkuk, taking into consideration all the catastrophic scenarios surrounding such an incident.
Prime Minister Ecevit’s recent statement arguing that Turkey was being dragged towards war sent shockwaves through domestic political circles. Everybody is trying to figure out what’s really happening in Iraq right now. Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman Abdullah Gul recently requested that Ecevit brief top Turkish politicians on the latest developments there. ‘Ecevit has made significant remarks on the Iraq issue,’ said Gul. ‘This is a national problem. Turkey has to clarify its stance on the issue and try to alter the current course of events. That’s why the prime minister must immediately brief us on the recent developments. If need be, a leaders’ summit must be held to discuss the issue and determine what should be done.’
Ahead of the early elections, the Iraq issue has leapt to the top of Turkey’s political agenda. All eyes have turned to northern Iraq, Kirkuk and the Bush administration.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION