STAR- Columnist Murat Celik comments on the views of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) concerning the Iraq issue. A summary of his column is as follows:
‘Ahead of early elections on Nov. 3, the political parties have begun to address the Iraq issue in their elections campaigns in order to attract more votes. Although there is no need for undue concern about the current situation, the political parties tend to distort the facts and treat the issue as Turkey’s most important problem. However, Turkey needs to act calmly without making too much of the problem.’ Many commanders within the Turkish military forces share these views. These commanders, who fought against separatist terrorist groups for years, are quite cautious when evaluating the recent developments in northern Iraq, as they have never forgotten their experiences.
The views of the Turkish military forces can be summarized as follows:
In the heated elections atmosphere, the political parties are trying to use the Iraq issue as a tool to boost their votes. 2. Recent developments in the region should be considered a culmination of a gradual process which has been unfolding for years. In fact, there is nothing new and nothing to be surprised of. 3. The needs of the people residing in northern Iraq shouldn’t be ignored. If we neglect their problems, the tension between Turkey and these groups could well increase. 4. Turkey will never accept the establishment of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq. There are many measures that can be taken in order to head off such efforts. Both the Bush administration and Iraq’s two opposition leaders, Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) leader Massoud Barzani and Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) leader Jalal Talabani, are well aware of this fact. 5. The US has yet to clarify its plans as to what it will do after Saddam Hussein is ousted. However, the Bush administration has so far stressed that the US doesn’t support the idea of an independent Kurdish state. All in all, there is nothing to be overly worried about. There is nothing which poses a threat to Turkey’s territorial integrity. Turkey is closely following the developments and ready to take action if needed. Now is the time to act in a calm and cautious manner.
Although these views aren’t the official views of the Turkish armed forces, I’m sure that these remarks will be discussed in detail during the next National Security Council (MGK) meeting.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION