ANKARA,
February 25 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies ) - Turkey's plans to
allow some 62,000 U.S. troops to use Turkish military bases, including
those in northern Iraq, as a springboard for a possible invasion of
Iraq, triggered strong hostility among Kurds controlling the areas.
A
government motion asking parliament to approve the deployment of the
U.S. forces for a period of six months would be submitted to parliament
later Tuesday, February 25, Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted Turkish
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin as saying.
Tensions
further ran high between Turkey and Iraqi Kurds due to Ankara’s
intention to dispatch troops in northern Iraq with Kurdish leaders
issuing pointed warnings to the Turkish government.
Alarmed
by the Turkish move, the Iraqi Kurd parliament met in special session
Tuesday with deputies from the autonomous region's main factions
unanimously calling for international action to keep Ankara's regional
ambitions in check.
During
the packed session, deputies approved a text stating "the Kurdish
parliament rejects any military intervention by Turkey or other
countries in Kurdistan for any pretext."
The
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK) have accused Turkey of seeking to reclaim areas once part of the
Ottoman Empire, notably the oil-rich areas of Kirkuk and Mosul, in the
event of a U.S.-led invasion.
In
the strongest remarks to date, senior officials of the KDP and the PUk
warned of possible armed conflict should the Turkish army intervene in
the region.
"We
will oppose any Turkish military intervention... Any intervention, under
whatever pretext, will lead to clashes," said KDP’s chief
spokesman, Hoshyar Zebari.
"If
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein were toppled in a U.S.-led operation, there
must be no intervention aimed at limiting our right to freely determine
what kind of a system we want," said Barham Salih, a prominent
figure in the PUK.
Several
Turkish newspaper editorials, in addition, on Tuesday rang alarm bells
over such remarks.
"It
is worrying that there should be such tension between Turkey and Iraqi
Kurds at such a critical phase of the Iraqi crisis.
"It
would lead to dangerous consequences if Kurdish fighters oppose and show
resistance to Turkish troops entering northern Iraq," an editorial
in the liberal Milliyet daily said.
Turkey’s
main concern, in the event of war on Iraq, is to prevent Iraqi Kurds
from declaring independence in their region - where they have set up a
comfortable niche since the 1991 Gulf War when they wrenched it from
Baghdad's control.
Turkey
Has No Designs over Northern Iraq
Turkey
said Tuesday its plans to dispatch troops into northern Iraq in case of
war were to guarantee its own security and denied it has any designs
over the territory.
"Turkey
has no secret agenda regarding Iraq," Turkish foreign ministry
spokesman Yusuf Buluc.
"It
would be very misleading and unjustified to interpret any military
measures Turkey might take to ensure its own security and to provide
humanitarian aid to a possible wave of refugees as having a design or
intentions over Iraq," Buluc said in a statement.
Buluc
accused the Kurdish parliament of "provocation".
"If
everybody understands the conditions and dynamics prevailing in the
region, it will become clear that there is no need for anyone to distort
the situation with misleading and inconsistent remarks," the
spokesman added.
Turkey
already has a large number of troops in northern Iraq and says it will
bolster its presence if the United States launches a military operation
against the Baghdad regime.
No
Turkish Vote on Tuesday
Lawmakers
from the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) have voiced disquiet
at being forced to approve the U.S. deployment, especially as a deal on
economic compensation for Turkey has not yet been reached with
Washington.
Turkish
officials, meanwhile, said the Turkish parliament will not vote Tuesday
on allowing U.S. troops to deploy in Turkey as had been expected.
The
government failed to send to parliament in time a motion asking for
approval to admit the U.S. troops into the country as Prime Minister
Abdullah Gul and his aides were busy discussing the technicalities of
the document.
The
government would submit the motion to parliament later Tuesday, but said
there was no decision yet on when a parliamentary vote would take place,
the state Anatolia news agency said Tuesday.
Parliament
Speaker Bulent Arinc reiterated his opposition to an immediate debate on
the issue and urged the government to put the motion on hold.
