MILLIYET- Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the divergent aims of the US and Turkey in the Iraq crisis. A summary of his column is as follows:
We can clearly see a conflict of goals between the US and Turkey. Every military operation has an aim. Considering the Iraq crisis from the standpoints of Turkey and the US, we see that the areas of disagreement are much larger than the areas of overlap in the aims of the two countries.
The US has problems with Iraq’s power, and Turkey has problems with the opposition in Iraq. The US is trying to overthrow the Iraqi regime by cozying up to the Iraqi opposition. However, Turkey is trying to block the opposition in Iraq from coming to power. The US’ target is Saddam Hussein, whereas Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IKDP) head Massoud Barzani is Turkey’s target. While Washington is trying to control Baghdad, Turkey is trying to control northern Iraq. The US is aligning itself with northern Iraq and the Kurdish groups there, but Turkey is against them. Turkey doesn’t support the Saddam administration either, but its main quarrel isn’t with him.
Under such circumstances, a conflict of goals has emerged between the US and Turkey, and this is sowing deep doubts for the future. The recent problems of cooperation between Ankara and Washington spring from this conflict. Can this conflict be overcome? Can an alignment of aims be ensured between the two countries through a memorandum of understanding? And even if it’s set down on paper, what about in practice?
It’s very difficult to answer these questions in the affirmative. The conflict and the dangers inherent in it were key in Ankara’s again presenting to Parliament the proposal on cooperating with the US. When Ankara didn’t make a move in the timeframe expected by the US, Washington put the Kurdish card on the table in order to pressure Turkey. The US declared to the world that Turkey wouldn’t be able to enter northern Iraq and that if it did, the US would move to oppose it. The US also warned that the 50-year-old US-Turkish alliance would be endangered and that there would be an economic and political price to pay.
It was under these conditions that Ankara had to act. The political aims of the US military operation and the Turkish military operation aren’t the same. But for the time being, both sides have to pretend that they are. What’s important is how this façade of harmony plays out in practice.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION