Turkey wants northern Iraq

Daily Times ^

[BlackJack]

‘Turkey demands control of Iraq from US’

By Owen Matthews, Sami Kohen and John Barry

ANKARA: Turkey is raising its price for allowing US forces to invade Iraq from its territory. In early negotiations with the United States, Ankara spoke of sending in Turkish troops to set up a “buffer zone” perhaps 15 miles deep along the Iraqi border. This would prevent a flood of Kurdish refugees from northern Iraq, the Turks said.

But now, Newsweek has learned, Turkey is demanding that it send 60,000 to 80,000 of its own troops into northern Iraq to establish “strategic positions” across a “security arc” as much as 140 to 170 miles deep in Iraq. That would take Turkish troops almost halfway to Baghdad. These troops would not be under US command, according to Turkish sources, who say Turkey has agreed only to “coordination” between US and Turkish forces.

Ankara fears the Iraqi Kurds might use Saddam’s fall to declare independence. Kurdish leaders have not yet been told of this new plan, according to Kurdish spokesmen in Washington, who say the Kurds rejected even the earlier notion of a narrow buffer zone. Farhad Barzani, the US representative of the main Kurdish party in Iraq, the KDP, says, “We have told them: American troops will come as liberators. But Turkish troops will be seen as invaders.”

The White House did not respond to requests for comment; officials elsewhere in the administration played down the Turkish demands as bargaining tactics: “We told them flat out, no.” But independent diplomatic sources in Ankara and Washington with knowledge of the US-Turkey talks say that while the precise depth of the “security zone” has still to be agreed, the concept is “pretty much a done deal,” as one observer put it.

These sources add that the main US concern has been that US, not Turkish, troops occupy the northern Iraqi cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, and that Turkish troops merely surround but not enter the heavily Kurdish cities of Erbil and Sulemaniye. To get Turkey’s assent to this, these sources say, the United States had to “cave” on its demand that Turkish troops be under US control.

Two days of tough negotiations in Washington last week failed to settle the other part of Turkey’s price: a multibillion-dollar economic package. Turkish PM Abdullah Gul is now threatening to delay the all-important vote in the Turkish Parliament to allow US deployments in Turkey. Pentagon officials acknowledge frustration at the problems Turkey’s bargaining poses for the US military buildup.

Turkish sources say that when Turkey’s Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis met with President Bush on Friday, the president warned that the United States might open a northern front against Iraq without Turkish participation. But military sources say that would be close to impossible.

“Turkey is playing hardball,” said Michael Amitay of the Washington Kurdish Institute. “But if the US agrees to these Turkish deployments, there is a real risk that the Kurds will start a guerrilla war against the Turkish troops.” —Newsweek

[BlackJack]

Kirkuk sits on $10 Billion barrels, maybe more.

[dead]

Mars needs women.

[ChemistCat]

This is NOT A BAD IDEA. I hope W has the imagination to see it for its possibilities.

The Turks have in the past had charge of an empire better managed and more humanely governed than any of its contemporaries--yeah, the Ottoman Turks were pretty tough in battle, but even Jews in their domain lived well and with relatively great freedom. If they can rein in their radical elements, they can rule the people of Northern Iraq much better than Saddam Hussein has, and to everyone's benefit.

PUSH this idea with your representatives, please. Call your senators and tell them not to be afraid to give the Turks the go-ahead on this. Ask them to pass word on to the President of your support. This would let the Turkish people come around and support us wholeheartedly, too. It would demonstrate to the whole world in a concrete way that we're not afraid to work WITH Muslim nations that will turn away from Osama and back toward democratic, free-market, secular rule.

That is NO SMALL FEAT.

[ChemistCat]

I know there are other folk interested in Turkish issues--frankly, everyone should be, even dead, above--please ping them for me?

[WOSG]

huh??? Superpower USA is not allowed to do anything without a UN resolution, but Turkey just ups and asks for a bite or Iraq and they can get it ?!?!?!?

[SamAdams76]

I was just thinking...I just got this $500 globe from my work as a gift. It's a terrific globe that is sitting in my library right now. First class all the way.

But if Turkey takes a chunk of Iraq, my globe is going to be obsolete! What a bummer.

[Citizen Tom Paine]

Any fool can tell what the Turks are after. Take out a map and look where the oil fields in Iraq are. Next to Turkey and next to Iran.

When we go in, I bet the Turks were planning to go also (in the north) and the Iranians as soon as they can mobilize and move in the south.

We catch Sadam in Bagdad, they control the oil fields (and the revenue which flows from them) and we have responsibilies for feeding the refugees.

There are a bunch of greedy ba$tard$ in that region.

[WOSG]

uh huh, the same Turks who killed 1 million Armenians and slaughtered Greeks in various bloody wars. Sure.

Here's a better deal: Make it look like we are ready to make an independent Kurdistan and then tell Turkey we *might* change our mind about it if they hop on board our effort.

Liberate Iraq.
Liberate Kurdistan.
Say no to colonial blunderings - by the French, Turks, etc.

[calmseas]

The Turks know the score. Geopolitically it's all about money and territory. They are trying to blackmail us for money, now they are uping the ante.

[a_Turk]

The Turks are disappointed, according to Turkish papers, that Americans are told that the issue is money, when the real sticking points are military and political.

Also, I have read I don't know how many f*cking articles that keep repeating, the Turks fear this, the Turks fear that. These Turkish guys are either really stupid, or they have Turkish national security in mind and are being as brave as they come. Judging from the quiet of the otherwise vocal Turkish military, I'd say our boys figured something out about you, and it must smell reeeealy bad to them..

I sure hope that I am totally totally wrong.

[Edmund Burke]

The US should let the Turks rule the entire country. It would save us a whole lot of trouble. The Turks used to rule it anyway. Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, Israel, Palestine, Lebannon, Syria, etc., all operated a lot better when the Turks ruled with an iron hand. They know how to keep these people in line. Dismantling the Ottoman Empire at the end of WWI has turned out to be a big mistake. I would think that most of the Iraqis would rather be ruled by Muslim Turkey than by the Christian US anyway. The idea that Iraq is going to become a democracy anytime soon is a pipedream.

[AntiGuv]

Yep, as I've said previously, Turkey's paramount objective is a free hand in the Kurdish regions of Iraq. By insisting on an independent command or eliminating an American presence altogether, the Turkish military is in position to sieze the region well before American forces can even make it up from Kuwait to Baghdad. At the very least, this will make Turkey a key power broker in the aftermath of the upcoming campaign. Moreover, the United States would not be in position to blackball Turkey from economic relations with the restructured Iraq considering Turkey would have de facto control of the north - including the oil fields and pipelines around Kirkuk.

The United States cannot open a meaningful second front from the northern Iraq region without land-based access, because heavy offensive equipment cannot get transported by air. Even if the U.S. airlifts some light forces to capture a few strategic points, Turkey would have military superiority in that area for some while - long enough to consolidate their position. As for the economic package, Turkey would reap far more lucrative rewards by seizing control of the Kirkuk fields and the Iraqi pipeline network.

Turkey wanted to force America to abandon its plans, that was the entire point of Turkish intransigance. If we had acceded to their "final" offer, the "final" offer would've probably been jacked up once more. Indeed, their demands for military operational freedom already represent an additional requirement toward their acquiescence to American requests. The Turks don't want just $32 billion out of this, in essence; the Turks want Irbil, Mosul, and Kirkuk...

[RobFromGa]

I think your globe is destined to become a collectors item before 2008, and not just because of Iraq.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

They want land, not money I guess!

Forming up a ping list here for War_List.

Anyone want on or off send me a Freep mail.
I can see the volume getting high.
I want on anyones bump list for articles going on the War_List

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[ScholarWarrior]

Excuse me, but Kurdistan is in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. Are you suggesting we "liberate" these parts of Turkey and Iran while we're at it? Pretty aggressive move there.

[RobFromGa]

Judging from the quiet of the otherwise vocal Turkish military, I'd say our boys figured something out about you, and it must smell reeeealy bad to them..

"our boys" = Turks ?

"you" = __________?

I don't understand your position too well, and since this post was addressed to a large group, I am not sure I understand your point.

[tomahawk]

It's time to let U.S. forces into Turkey, or there will be nothing to talk about.

[cavtrooper21]

Me thinks the KURDS will have a few choice words on that matter.
First one being: H#!L
Second: No

[ellery]

Care to speculate?

[Robert_Paulson2]

"I'd say our boys figured something out about you, and it must smell reeeealy bad to them.."

---

Or, your guys are really just being greedy, or are in fact, supportive of radical islam now that radicals have taken over your political system.

There goes a secular turkey, down the tubes to radical islam... Sorry for your people Turk. Kiss your beer and movies good bye...

and Nato

and the EU

and any place at the table when we do what HAS to be done in IRAQ, and Iran, and Syria... et al...

for us or against us... means something. And I guess that Turkey is not really wanting to be on the "for us" side of the equation...

It really is too bad. A crying shame.