Thread: Archive Latest News - Think Tank - 16/08/07 - 03/11/07

Ban Advises Turkey not to Raid Kurdish Militants in Northern Iraq

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon late Tuesday advised Turkey not to raid Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq because the situation in the region can not withstand more tension.

"Any measures by any country should not create any concerns. First of all, we are going through a very difficult and sensitive period in Iraq.
We need full cooperation and support from the countries in the region," he told reporters in answer to a question.

He said the Turkish Government is going to host an international conference on the Iraqi situation in early November, "therefore I have full confidence and trust that each and every country in the region will act accordingly for peace and security in the region."

The Turkish Parliament is expected to pass legislation today allowing Turkish troops to cross the border into northern Iraq to crush militants of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the P.K.K., who have increased their attacks on Turkish troops across the border lately.

Asked what he thought of the CD he reportedly received from the Syrian authorities depicting the Israeli air attack on Syria in early September and why he did not send a copy to the Security Council, Ban said "we have not received any concrete evidence and concrete information. We need to get more clear information." Pressured further, he said "my answer is ... I will stop there."

PUKmedia :: English - Ban Advises Turkey not to Raid Kurdish Militants in Northern Iraq

Parliament is Holding a Meeting

Kurdistan Regional parliament spokesman said that the parliament is holding a meeting today, Wednesday to talk on the issue of Turkey incursion across Iraqi Kurdistan border to pursuit PKK elements.

PUKmedia :: English - Parliament is Holding a Meeting

Turkey Expected to OK Iraq Incursion

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's Parliament on Wednesday was expected to approve a possible cross-border military incursion into northern Iraq to chase separatist Kurdish rebels de****e international calls for restraint.
Turkish leaders have stressed that an offensive against the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, would not immediately follow the motion authorizing the incursion.

Iraq has urged Turkey not to send troops across the border to pursue separatist Kurds in mountain hideouts. It dispatched the Sunni vice president to Ankara and called for a diplomatic solution to tensions that have raised fears of a new front in the Iraq war.

"Iraq must be given the chance to stop PKK rebels who cross the border before Turkey takes any step," the Anatolia news agency quoted Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi as saying before his departure from Ankara.

"I got what I wanted from our talks. There is a new atmosphere to stop the current crisis," he was also quoted as saying. Al-Hashimi, one of Iraq's two vice presidents, met Tuesday with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials.

Hours before the vote in Parliament, Turkey invited ambassadors from countries bordering Iraq and other Middle Eastern nations to the Foreign Ministry for a briefing on why it was passing the motion in Parliament.

The motion, authorizing an attack into Iraq sometime over the next year, has the backing of all but one party in Parliament. Only a small Kurdish party has said it would vote against it.

"The passage of the motion in Parliament does not mean that an operation will be carried out at once," Erdogan said Tuesday. "Turkey will act with common sense and determination when necessary and when the time is ripe."

Public anger over attacks by Kurdish guerrillas is high but Turkish officials are mindful that two dozen Iraqi campaigns since the 1980s have failed to eradicate the PKK. A cross-border attack into northern Iraq could also strain ties with the United States, a NATO ally that opposes any disruption of its efforts to stabilize Iraq.

Kurdish rebels from the PKK have been fighting since 1984 for autonomy in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast, a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Turkey has complained about what they consider a lack of U.S. support in the fight against the PKK, a frustration with Washington intensified because of another sensitive issue: the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.A U.S. House panel approved a resolution last week labeling the killings as genocide, an affront to Turks who deny there was any systematic campaign to eliminate Armenians at that time. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will schedule a vote soon on the resolution, one President Bush opposes.

PUKmedia :: English - Turkey Expected to OK Iraq Incursion

Iran Opposes Turkish Incursion into Iraq

Iran expressed its unease with a possible cross-border operation into northern Iraq by the Turkish military, daily Milliyet reported yesterday.

“A military operation will create new justification for the invaders and this could have very negative affects”, Isfendiar Rahim Mesai, the Iranian vice president said in an interview.

The Turkish military insists on authorization from Parliament to conduct an operation in Iraq but the government has rejected the notion.

“Our region is very sensitive nowadays, the presence of invaders causes a security deficit. To provide more stability, we should give a chance to the Iraqi administration,” Mesai said.

He also said Iran suffered a lot from the terrorist organizations. “All the countries in the region should cooperate to end these destructive activities by the terror organizations. This cooperation can also be carried out by armed forces.”

Barzani endorses political solution

Meanwhile, Nechirvan Barzani, prime minister of the semi-autonomous regional government in northern Iraq, in an interview with Al-Jazeera, argued that any military operation into Iraq would not yield a positive result. “The only way is to find a political solution,” he said.

Claiming that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is Turkey's internal problem, Barzani reiterated that the terrorists are located in a wide area in northern Iraq and in Turkey. “We don't give logistic support to the PKK. These press reports are false,” said Barzani.

Shiite's are against an incursion as well

According to the Web site of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), PUKmedia, the Shiites are also against a cross-border operation into Iraq. A group of delegates led by Beha Ereci, who are in close contact with Shiite leader Muqtada al Sadr, paid a visit to Suleimanya to meet officials of the PUK.

“We are against Turkey's operation in the region because Kurdistan is a part of Iraq. We can't accept the interference of any neighboring country into the internal affairs of Iraq and Kurdistan,” Ereci said.

PUKmedia :: English - Iran Opposes Turkish Incursion into Iraq

Iraq Sees Progress in Talks to Avert Turkish Assault

Iraq's government said talks with Turkey designed to avert a military strike on northern Iraq were making progress, as the parliament in Ankara prepared to authorize a raid.

``There's a new atmosphere in efforts to overcome this crisis,'' Iraqi Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi said today after meeting officials in Turkey's capital, according to the state-run news agency Anatolia. ``The Iraqi government should now be given a chance to prevent cross-border terrorist activities.''

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is threatening to order an attack against rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq, saying U.S.-led forces failed to control about 3,500 PKK rebels sheltering there. Washington is concerned the raid will further harm Iraq's security and disrupt oil supplies.

Parliament will convene at 3 p.m. local time today to vote on a possible military incursion. Two main rivals to Erdogan's Justice and Development Party have already pledged support for the motion, which would empower Erdogan to order one or more assaults within a year.

The U.S. repeated a warning to Turkey to stay out of Iraq, saying the Turkish army can't crush Kurdish militants by acting alone and must cooperate with Iraq and the U.S.

``The only result of a unilateral action will probably be to allow the PKK to continue to operate,'' State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters in Washington late yesterday. ``The way to really make progress in the fight against PKK terrorism is for there to be cooperative action.''

NATO Urges Calm

Turkey should seek to ``remain calm'' in the face of PKK attacks, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told President Abdullah Gul in a telephone conversation today, the CNN Turk television reported.

The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union, has fought the Turkish military for two decades at a cost of almost 40,000 lives, attacking army units and launching bomb attacks in Turkey's cities.

Turkey, with the second-largest army in NATO, sent troops into northern Iraq in pursuit of PKK rebels several times in the decade before the U.S.-led war to oust Saddam Hussein in 2003. It has halted such assaults since the U.S.-led invasion, instead attacking PKK units as they have entered Turkey.

There is a ``common will'' among lawmakers to sanction an incursion, Erdogan said yesterday.

Approve Incursion

Erdogan's government asked parliament to approve the incursion after more than two dozen soldiers and civilians were killed over the past two weeks in attacks blamed on the PKK.

Turkish companies have started pulling workers out of northern Iraq ahead of today's vote in parliament and the rival Nationalist Action Party urged Erdogan's government to widen the attack on the PKK to include fighters loyal to Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, Vatan newspaper said today.

Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh warned that unilateral action by Turkey could have ``very grave consequences,'' the British Broadcasting Corp. reported on its Web site.

Crude oil rose above $88 a barrel for the first time in New York yesterday on concerns a Turkish attack may disrupt shipments. Iraq has the world's third-largest oil reserves.

Relations between the U.S. and Turkey, both NATO allies, worsened last week after a U.S. House of Representatives committee passed a resolution labeling the World War I-era killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide. Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Washington in protest.

U.S. Lawmakers

At least nine U.S. lawmakers have since withdrawn their support for the resolution. A separate group of Democrats will publicly urge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today to reconsider her pledge to have the House vote on the resolution before the end of the year.

The Pentagon is drafting plans for alternate supply routes into Iraq in the event Turkey closes its airspace to the U.S. because of the resolution, a senior military official told reporters yesterday.

The U.S. military is ``looking at a broad range of options'' it could pursue if Turkey cuts air and ground access, said Lieutenant General Carter Ham, the director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to the American Forces Press Service. ``That is prudent military planning.''

Seventy percent of U.S. air cargo into Iraq goes through Turkey, including almost all of the new vehicles containing heavy armor to protect against roadside bombs, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Oct. 11.

A Turkish attack would put the U.S. in a difficult position, Ham said. Turkey is a ``highly valued NATO ally,'' although the U.S. is also committed to Iraq's sovereignty and its right to protect itself, he added.

PUKmedia :: English - Iraq Sees Progress in Talks to Avert Turkish Assault

Iraq official 'satisfied' with Turkey talks

Ankara: Iraqi vice-president Tareq Al Hashemi was quoted on Wednesday as saying he had achieved his aims in talks with Turkish leaders designed to ward off a Turkish army cross-border incursion.

"I think I got what I wanted (from my talks). Now there is a new atmosphere and we should use it... Iraq should be given a chance to prevent the cross-border terrorist activities," CNN Turk television quoted Hashemi as saying.

Hashemi arrived in Ankara on Tuesday to urge Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to refrain from sending troops into northern Iraq to crush Kurdish rebels based there. Turkey's parliament is due later on Wednesday to approve cross-border operations.

Gulfnews: Iraq official 'satisfied' with Turkey talks

News in brief

Islamism on the rise, say Shiite leaders

Baghdad: Shiite political parties are imposing strict Islamic rules in the oil-producing southern provinces of Iraq and using their armed wings to create a state of fear, a group of tribal Shiite leaders said. The four tribal leaders approached Reuters on condition of anonymity, fearing assassination if their names or even their home provinces were made public. "Fear rules the streets now," said one of the leaders. "We cannot speak our minds, people are not allowed to oppose them. They would immediately disappear or get killed."

Kidnappers scrap agreement

Mosul: The kidnappers of two Roman Catholic priests in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul have withdrawn an agreement for their release, a Christian group said yesterday. Father Pius Affas and Father Mazen Ishoa, both Iraqis, were kidnapped in Mosul on Saturday by an unknown group, and Pope Benedict XVI subsequently made an appeal for their release. "It appears that agreement was reached for their release, leading to reports of their having been released," said a statement from Middle East Concern. "However, the kidnappers subsequently withdrew from the agreement and demanded a larger ransom."

Gulfnews: News in brief

Oil Little Changed Before Turkish Vote on Using Force in Iraq

Crude oil traded little changed near a record before Turkish lawmakers voted on using military force against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.
Turkish legislators were poised to approve an attack on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq today. Oil climbed above $88 yesterday on speculation shipments from Iraq, holder of the world's third-largest reserves, could be disrupted.

``If we don't see an escalation of the conflict between Turkey and the Kurds, we'll see a sharp decline of $5 or $6,'' said Hannes Loacker, an analyst at Raiffeisen Zentralbank Oesterreich AG in Vienna. ``Markets are tight, but not tight enough to justify $87.''

Oil for November delivery traded up 6 cents at $87.67 at 1:04 p.m. local time on electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, the contract fell as much as 66 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $86.95 a barrel.
The contract reached $87.61 yesterday, a record close, after touching an intraday record of $88.17.

Oil prices had climbed 10 percent in the past six days on concern over a possible Turkish offensive. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked parliament to approve a military incursion to attack members of the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party, following the death of 13 Turkish soldiers during an Oct. 7 PKK raid.

Brent crude oil for December settlement slid as much as $1.31, or 1.6 percent, to $82.85 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. It was last at $83.49. The now- expired November contract closed 1.7 percent higher at a record $84.16 a barrel yesterday.

`Capacity Constraints'

``It is very likely the Turkish government will approve the resolution authorizing cross-border operations,'' said Fadi Hakura, an analyst at Chatham House in London. ``Oil supplies are very tight -- Saudi Arabia can barely fill up any capacity constraints from Iraq.''

Iraq exported 1.68 million barrels a day last month, mostly from its Basra terminals in the south of the country. Shipments from the oil-rich northern region, which is controlled by a semi-autonomous Kurdish administration, have been cut for most of the time since the U.S. invasion in 2003.

``In northern Iraq there hasn't been much oil exported over the last four years,'' said Raiffeisen's Loacker. ``If there are geopolitical insecurities, the market always reacts a little bit more than we expect.''

Bloomberg.com: Energy

Turkish Assembly Set to Approve Attack on PKK in Northern Iraq

Turkish legislators were poised to approve an attack on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, a step that may further harm Iraq's security and disrupt oil supplies in the world's third-largest producer.

The parliament in Ankara convened at 3 p.m. today to decide whether to let Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan authorize a military incursion across Turkey's southern border with Iraq.

Erdogan is threatening to launch an attack against members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, saying U.S.-led forces failed to control about 3,500 militants sheltered in Iraq's north. Washington has warned Turkey to stay out of the Kurdish- controlled region, a relatively calm area of the country.

``The Iraqi government should be given a chance to prevent cross-border terrorist activities,'' Iraqi Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi said today in Ankara after meeting Erdogan, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency.

The parliament motion, which empowers Erdogan to order one or more military assaults within a year, is supported by his two main political rivals, who have criticized the government in the past for failing to eradicate the threat posed by the PKK.

''Threats are not useful,'' Barham Salih, the Kurdish Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq said in London today. A Turkish raid ''will have serious implications for Iraq, Turkey and for our bilateral relationships. It will not be helpful to anybody,'' he said at a news conference at Chatham House, a consultant that advises European governments on foreign policy.

The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union, has fought the Turkish military for two decades at a cost of almost 40,000 lives, attacking army units and launching bomb attacks in Turkey's cities.

U.S. Warning

The U.S. repeated a warning to Turkey to stay out of Iraq, saying the Turkish army can't crush Kurdish militants by acting alone and must cooperate with Iraq and the U.S.

``The only result of a unilateral action will probably be to allow the PKK to continue to operate,'' State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters in Washington yesterday. ``The way to really make progress in the fight against PKK terrorism is for there to be cooperative action.''

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki phoned Erdogan today to appeal for more time to deal with the PKK, saying Iraqi forces could join the Turkish army in a military operation against the group ``if necessary,'' the CNN Turk television reported.

NATO Urges Calm

Turkey should seek to ``remain calm'' in the face of PKK attacks, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told President Abdullah Gul in a telephone conversation today, the CNN Turk television reported.

Turkey, with the second-largest army in NATO, sent troops into northern Iraq in pursuit of PKK rebels several times in the decade before the U.S.-led war to oust Saddam Hussein in 2003. It has halted such assaults since the U.S.-led invasion, instead attacking PKK units as they have entered Turkey.

There is a ``common will'' among lawmakers to sanction an incursion, Erdogan said yesterday.

Erdogan's government asked parliament to approve the incursion after more than two dozen soldiers and civilians were killed over the past two weeks in attacks blamed on the PKK.

Turkish companies have started pulling workers out of northern Iraq ahead of today's vote in parliament and the rival Nationalist Action Party urged Erdogan's government to widen the attack on the PKK to include fighters loyal to Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, Vatan newspaper said today.

Crude oil rose above $88 a barrel for the first time in New York yesterday on concerns a Turkish attack may disrupt shipments. Iraq has the world's third-largest oil reserves.

Worsening Relations

Relations between the U.S. and Turkey, both NATO allies, worsened last week after a U.S. House of Representatives committee passed a resolution labeling the World War I-era killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide. Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Washington in protest.

At least nine U.S. lawmakers have since withdrawn their support for the resolution. A separate group of Democrats will publicly urge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today to reconsider her pledge to have the House vote on the resolution before the end of the year.

The Pentagon is drafting plans for alternate supply routes into Iraq in the event Turkey closes its airspace to the U.S. because of the resolution, a senior military official told reporters yesterday.

The U.S. military is ``looking at a broad range of options'' it could pursue if Turkey cuts air and ground access, said Lieutenant General Carter Ham, the director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to the American Forces Press Service. ``That is prudent military planning.''

Seventy percent of U.S. air cargo into Iraq goes through Turkey, including almost all of the new vehicles containing heavy armor to protect against roadside bombs, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Oct. 11.

A Turkish attack would put the U.S. in a difficult position, Ham said. Turkey is a ``highly valued NATO ally,'' although the U.S. is also committed to Iraq's sovereignty and its right to protect itself, he added.

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

Iraq PM proposes joint operation with Turkey-TV

Iraq's prime minister was quoted on Wednesday as proposing a joint military operation with Turkey amid Iraqi efforts to head off a possible Turkish military incursion against Kurdish rebels hiding in northern Iraq.

"Give us another chance; if necessary let's conduct a joint operation," CNN Turk television quoted Nuri al-Maliki as saying during a telephone conversation with Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. The remark could not be immediately confirmed.

Turkey's parliament is expected later on Wednesday to approve cross-border military operations into northern Iraq to crush rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), who use the mountainous region as a base.

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