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| Iraq |
| US Ambassador Wilson Sees Turkish Military Operation in Iraq Not Wise |
| 2006-05-07 |
| US Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson yesterday said that Turkey conducting a cross-border operation into Iraq wouldn’t be wise. Meeting with diplomatic correspondents, Wilson said that Turkey’s activities in northern Iraq had somehow been declared and “obtained acceptance by the authorities of Iraq and the coalition.” There are many terrorist camps in Northern Iraq and more than 4,000 PKK terrorists have been using Iraq as a base to attack Turkey and other neighboring countries, yet the US forces have done no concrete measures against the PKK terrorists. Turkey says that if the US or the Iraq cannot secure Turkey-Iraq borders, Turkish forces would do so. The US authorities, including the President had promised to remove the PKK terrorist camps from the Northern Iraq, yet the words have not been fulfilled. The US ambassador said that there was an ongoing dialogue between the two countries on the terrorist PKK presence in Northern Iraq and called on all countries neighboring Iraq to show respect to the country. The recent surveys show that the Turkish people think that the US and the Iraqi Kurdish leaders support the PKK terrorism against Turkey. Asked about the upcoming visit to Ankara of Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, Wilson said that during US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s recent visit to Ankara, Turkish authorities openly declared that Turkey doesn’t want to see any nuclear weapons in Iran and that it should cooperate fully and return to the negotiating table, adding, “I expect these to be among key messages to be conveyed by Turkish authorities.” The Iranian forces has recently started a military campaign against the PKK camps, and many PKK terrorists were killed by the Iranian forces. Many more PKK terrorist were also detained by Iran last week. Iran urged Turkey for joint military operations against the terrorist movements in the region while the US and the EU declared that they were against any Turkish military operation against the PKK. Dr. Sedat Laciner, head of the Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization (USAK), says that the Turkish people and the state have been disappointed by the Western position vis-à -vis PKK and Turkey. "Combating terrorism is a right for Turkey and the US and the EU should only support Turkey's struggle against the terrorists" Dr. Laciner added. Laciner argues that the EU in particular sends wrong signals to Turkey: "Joost Lagendijk, Co-President of the joint EU-Turkey Parliamentary Commission, says that the EU is against the PKK and Turkish military operation against the PKK: So he perceives the PKK and Turkish security forces as equal sides. This is not the right attitude Turkish people has expected from the EU. All states, including the United Kingdom, United States, France or Spain, use military forces against terrorism when they face terrorism. The EU countries do not consider the PKK as terrorist because they are free of the PKK violence. The West names terrorism as terrorism when they become victims of terrorism. Belgium, Sweden, Denmark and many other countries allow the PKK activities in the name of democracy and free speech. Yet they have no such a tolerance against the Islamist terrorists. They have no problem with the Kurdist terrorism, because it does not damage their national interests. Iran helps Turkey in combating against terrorism more than Turkey's allies in the West. As far as the PKK camps are in Iraq under the US rule, Turkish-American relations will be undermined". Last week the PKK attacked the school bus and injured 11 children. Attacking children is not a new method for the PKK. In the late 1980s the PKK used to attack Kurdish villages in southeastern Turkey, killing women, children and old men. The terrorist organization used to justify its attacks by saying the victims were members of families who'd collaborated with the Turkish state. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 Continued British occupation of forts in the Northwest Territories [the future Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin] after the American War of Independence and meddling with the locals did wonders for Anglo-American relations for generations. Guess people can't learn from others mistakes. The Turks used to be 'bad asses'. However, I think someone elseÂ’s army is getting re-world, hands on experience with the best in the world. I wouldn't really want to put the consequences into a test sometime in the future. Particularly since they've alienated the Iraqis new sponsor. |
| Posted by: Whoper Glolurong1534 2006-05-07 10:25 |