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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Iraq_demography.jpg
[By going to the above linque, one can see where the Kurds and the city
of Mosul intersect, ergo, where the 'tewwowists' and the Northern Iraqi
oil centre meet. Turkey has expressed over time the desire to reclaim
the oil in the North. Acting now, given the instability of the the rest
of Iraq, the seizure of their desired slice of Iraq is time-critical.
Kurdiland has been in a sort of holding position up until now, 'now'
requiring action due to the unfulfilled promises of the 'COWs' (Coalition
of the Willings) and the mayhem that is awaiting cooler weather.]
SPIEGEL ONLINE - October 18, 2007, 02:45 PM
URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,512228,00.html
THE WORLD FROM BERLIN
'Turkey Is Falling into the Terrorists' Trap'
The Turkish parliament voted Wednesday to empower the government to order
a military incursion to root out Kurdish insurgents in northern Iraq.
Some German commentators wonder if this is simply playing into the PKK's
hands and if now is not the time to use politics instead of force.
AFP
Kurdish PKK militants in Northern Iraq.
Turkey's parliament approved a measure on Wednesday that clears the way
for its military to cross Iraq's northern border to root out Kurdish
insurgents there.
Wednesday's vote was emphatic, with 507 in favor and only 19 against. The
government now has the green light for one year to order a military
incursion into northern Iraq.
Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan had been under severe pressure to
take action in the light of a series of deadly assaults by members of the
separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which have killed 30 soldiers
over the past two weeks.
Commentators in Germany assess the risks of a possible military incursion
for Turkey -- and for Kurds in northern Iraq.
Left-leaning daily Die Tageszeitung writes:
"If Turkey marches into northern Iraq then it's already clear who will
profit the most: the PKK."
"Naturally the state can't sit by and watch as the guerrillas kill dozens
of soldiers, police officers and civilians. But it should be clear to
political elites in Turkey that after spending 25 years trying to achieve
a military victory over the PKK, with no avail, that political decisions
are now required."
"The Kurds are still not treated as a group with equal rights, and there
is still no substantial accommodation of the Kurds in the ongoing debate
about a new constitution. That would be essential to isolate the PKK from
the majority of Kurds and to deprive them of their political base."
"Instead, Turkey is falling for the PKK's escalation logic. Attacks are
only to be met with military force, while Kurdish and Turkish nationalism
provoke each other. An invasion of northern Iraq would finally transform
a national conflict into an international crisis."
The Financial Times Deutschland writes:
"There is a danger that developments here could push the peaceful and
prosperous northern Iraq into a new chaos."
"This can only be prevented if the US and Europe clearly signal to Turkey
that they take the PKK problem seriously, and will contribute to its
solution .... An incursion into northern Iraq could lead to a string of
new conflicts, particularly if the well-armed Iraqi Kurds perceive it as
interfering in their affairs."
"A unilateral Turkish invasion has to be prevented. But that will only
succeed if the US and Europe offer political help in eradicating the PKK
... The Europeans should bear in mind that this is about a region that at
some point could form the external borders of the EU."
The conservative Die Welt writes:
"The Turkish concerns are justified. A sovereign state cannot accept
resistance fighters like the PKK entrenching themselves long-term in the
Iraqi mountains and preparing attacks on Turkish soil."
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"The current alarm is not just about Ankara's justified wish to better
protect itself from terrorism. The increasingly pronounced Kurdish
nationalism in northern Iraq is a thorn in Turkey's side. It is directed
at Turkey as well as the central Iraqi government."
"The Kurds have so far made clever use of their historic opportunity ...
Now they have to remain clever and take care not to endanger their own
project ... The regional government in northern Iraq has to do more
against Kurdish extremists, and would do well to discourage their
nationalist rhetoric. The Turks know an invasion would only cause them
difficulties. But the Kurds would be better off trying not to provoke
it."
The center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:
"The only people who will be happy are the fighters in the PKK terror
group ... The aged guerrillas have grown frustrated. They have been
losing their Kurdish political base in Turkey ever since the government
in Ankara finally started to economically develop the country's
southeast. In the latest parliamentary elections almost half of the Kurds
voted for the governing AKP ... This new alliance can only be broken by
terror. That is why the PKK are bombing again and the Turkish media is
showing soldier's funerals every day. The government has yielded to this
pressure, and fallen into the terrorists' trap."
"Whoever wants to see to the end of the PKK has to approach the Kurds
politically, not wage war on them."
-- Siobhán Dowlng, 1:45 p.m. CET
© SPIEGEL ONLINE 2007
All Rights Reserved
Reproduction only allowed with the permission of SPIEGELnet GmbH
Related SPIEGEL ONLINE links:
War Drums in Ankara: What Turkey Wants From Iraq -- and the US
(10/18/2007)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,512175,00.html
Invading Iraq, Again? Turkish Parliament Approves Cross-Border Attacks
(10/17/2007)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,512081,00.html
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Alamaine, IVe
Grand Forks, ND, US of A
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a
philosopher." - Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)
"Being ignorant is not such a shame as being unwilling to learn." -
Poor Richard's Almanack, 1758 (Benjamin Franklin)
~~~~~~~
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distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving the included information for research and
educational purposes.
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