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| Iraq |
| U.S. troops already in northern Iraq... |
| 2003-02-09 |
| The Turkish, American, Kurdish meeting in Ankara was attended by Mr. Jalal Talebani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Prime Minister of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (DPK) Nechirvan Barzani and US Special Envoy for Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad.On the instance of Ankara, Sanan Ahmad Aqa, the leader of Iraqi Turkoman Front (ITC) was also present, but did not intervene in the debate. The two Kurdish groups represented at the talks have already declared they have no intention of declaring an independent Kurdish state and expressed their strong opposition to the entry of Turkish forces in their territories, saying they want to be a part of a united Iraq and have a say on how the country is run from Baghdad. "We regard the Americans as liberators and our neighbours as looters", the New York Times quoted a Kurdish source. There is also an ongoing debate on the status of Kirkook and Mosul. Turkey says the area is dominated by Turkomans and should not fall under the jurisdiction of the Kurds. According to the Turkish press, Turkey and Kurdish forces have agreed to not enter Mosul and Kirkuk in a possible war, leaving the United States the responsibility for security of the oil producing cities. "If Kurdish groups attempt to claim Mosul and Kirkuk, Turkey will have the right to intervene in the region", the press said. Meanwhile, the Iranian news agency IRNA, quoted Thursday Mohammad Hadji Mahmood, the Secretary general of the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party that between 700 and 1,000 US troops are already in northern Iraq, "with some 50 more arriving each day". He also confirmed the preparation of three landing strips in the region, near the enclave's main cities of Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaymaniya. I've got a bad feeling about the Turks with regard to the Kurdish and Turkoman areas... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #2 They'll wait until Saddam's dead,like all good... you know. |
| Posted by: El Id 2003-02-09 15:47:47 |
| #1 Yep, this is the one thing that could hose the entire plan. The Turks decide to do a territory grab, the Kurds object violently, their cousins inside Turkey rise up, and in the resulting fracas, Sammy wiggles off the hook. You don't suppose Sammy is promoting this stuff behind the scenes? |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-02-09 12:59:29 |