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

Turkey tells Iraq to wipe out Kurdish guerrilla bases

Ankara/Arbil: Turkey's prime minister yesterday said that Iraq could satisfy Turkey, forestalling Turkish military action in northern part of the country, by eradicating Kurdish rebel bases and extraditing rebel leaders.

But Iraq's foreign minister has said the country does not have the resources now to defeat the guerrillas. And the exchange did not appear to diminish the prospect that a new war front might soon be opened inside Iraq.

Turkey has threatened to cross the Iraqi border to try to wipe out Kurdish rebel bases, arguing it has the right to fight terrorism.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, said on Thursday that Baghdad was willing to increase pressure on the guerrilla Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. But his comments drew a mixed response from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"We welcome this as a positive step, but it is an announcement that came late," Erdogan said yesterday in Istanbul. "The PKK camps must be eradicated and the rebel leaders must be extradited. That would satisfy Turkey." Zebari said on Thursday that Iraq doesn't have the forces to push the PKK out of Iraq.

"The Iraqi government is not running away from its responsibilities. It's just a question of time," Zebari said. "You need to dislodge them by force. Iraqi security forces are battling the terrorists in the streets of Baghdad and many other key cities and are over-stretched." Zebari said Iraq could take steps to cut off supplies and create checkpoints to limit access for the rebels in the north. He also recommended three-party talks between Iraq, Turkey and the United States.

But Turkey said its patience has run out in the face of escalating attacks by Kurdish rebels. And Erdogan said he had told Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki that Turkey does not want to be "deceived with promises."

A senior rebel commander, Murat Karayilan, yesterday said that his fighters could target oil pipelines inside Turkey if Turkish forces move across the border to hit Kurdish rebel camps. Turkey says there are 3,800 rebels holed up in Iraqi mountains.

Gulfnews: Turkey tells Iraq to wipe out Kurdish guerrilla bases

Military surge spurs little political progress

Washington: De****e hopes that the US military 'surge' in Iraq would encourage economic and political headway and sap the strength of the insurgency, little lasting progress has been achieved, according to a new US report.

The study, based on the assessments of dozens of US military and civilian officials working at local levels across Iraq, runs counter to the forecasts by the top US commander in Iraq, Gen David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. It said that with the exception of Al Anbar province, there has been 'little progress' toward political reconciliation, a key US goal in Iraq.

Withdrawal of US troops would produce "open battlegrounds of ethnic cleansing" in some Baghdad neighbourhoods and elsewhere in Iraq, the report said.
In congressional hearings in September, Petraeus and Crocker testified that the addition of 28,000 American troops in Iraq, ordered last winter by President Bush, was tamping down violence and providing opportunity for economic projects, government reform and political reconciliation. The troop 'surge' is temporary, however, with the first of the reinforcement units scheduled to leave Iraq before Christmas.

But instead of charting progress, the new report, by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, warns that Iraq "will require years of steady engagement" before there is significant progress in providing Iraqis with power and clean water, jobs, health resources and government that works.

"Iraq's complex and overlapping sectarian, political, and ethnic conflicts, as well as the difficult security situation, continue to hinder progress in promoting economic development, rule of law, and political reconciliation," the report cautioned.

With a $44 billion (Dh161.5billion) investment by American taxpayers in rebuilding Iraq, there are some visible improvements, the report said. But it warned that local and provincial governments "have little ability to manage and maintain" new health clinics, water treatment plants, power-generating facilities and other projects.

One US official in Iraq, quoted anonymously in the report, said he foresaw a "train wreck" ahead as costly US projects in Iraq grind to a halt for lack of manpower or maintenance.

The report's conclusions parallel previous US assessments, including a major national intelligence estimate in August that said there had been little economic improvement. That report forecast that continuing sectarian violence would continue displacing Iraqis from their own neighbourhoods and that Iraq's government would "become more precarious" over the next six to 12 months.

Nevertheless, Defence Secretary Robert M. Gates dismissed the report's conclusion, which he said "doesn't square" with what he is hearing from senior US military officers in Iraq.

The office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, created by Congress three years ago to probe US spending in Iraq, is headed by Stuart W. Bowen, a lawyer who previously worked for then-Gov George W. Bush in Texas and served on Bush's White House staff in Washington.

His report, released on Thursday, is based on assessments from 32 provincial reconstruction teams made up of US military and civilian experts in local government.

Gulfnews: Military surge spurs little political progress

Saddam jailer acquitted of aiding the enemy

Camp Liberty, Iraq: A former US commander at the jail that held Saddam Hussain was acquitted yesterday of aiding the enemy by loaning an unmonitored cell phone to an inmate, but sentenced to two years' confinement for unauthorised possession of classified documents and an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter.

Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele, a 52-year-old Army reservist from Prince George, Virginia, had faced a life sentence if convicted of accusations he allowed prisoners use of his cell phone for unmonitored calls.

The judge found him not guilty of that charge but convicted him of unauthorised possession of classified documents, behaviour unbecoming an officer for an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter and failing to obey an order.
Steele got credit for 254 days already served so will only have to spend about 15 months in jail, the judge ruled. He also will be reprimanded and dismissed from the service, and will forfeit all pay and allowances.

It was a relatively lenient sentence considering Steele could have received a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail on the classified documents charge.

The alleged incidents took place between October 2005 to February 2007, when Steele commanded the 451st Military Police Detachment at Camp Cropper prison that held Saddam before he was hanged last December.

Unmonitored call

The prosecution had argued that Steele had a history of flouting the rules and claimed he loaned an Al Qaida-linked inmate an unmonitored cell phone, de****e rules that inmate calls should be arranged in advance and conducted with an interpreter present.

"He handed detainee number 2184, an Al Qaida member in Iraq, his personal cell phone and allowed a five-minute conversation. It was the equivalent of putting an AK 47 in his hands," the prosecutor said.

"All it takes is a phone call and if that detainee can communicate with someone outside, that can put soldiers of the United States at risk."

Gulfnews: Saddam jailer acquitted of aiding the enemy

Gold scales 28-year high of $770/ounce

LONDON: A weak dollar, near record-high oil prices and simmering geo-political tensions sent gold to a 28-year high of $770 per ounce on Friday, while continued supply worries gave platinum fresh legs, helping it to record highs.

Dollar weakness makes gold cheaper for non-US investors and a rate cut also reduces the US currency’s yield appeal.

Spot gold hit a high of $770 an ounce, its highest since January 1980, before paring gains to $764.50/765.00, against $763.90/764.70 late in New York on Thursday.

Gold has gained some 20 percent this year on fund buying driven by favourable currency fundamentals and sharp rises in oil that highlight the metal’s role as a hedge against inflation. More recently it has gained from geo-political tension between Turkey and northern Iraq and the bombing in Pakistan. Analysts have said that if those factors stay intact, bullion should easily rally to the psychologically-key $800 level hit in January 1980 when gold hit a record $850 per ounce.

Platinum squeezed: Platinum gathered momentum, taking it to a record high above $1,450 and ounce as supply worries continued to dog the market.

Spot platinum hit a record high of $1,454 before easing to $1,443/1,448 an ounce, versus $1,438/1,443 in New York.

In other bullion markets, the benchmark August 2008 contract on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange closed three yen per gram higher at 2,873 yen after trading as high as 2,883 yen.

US gold futures eased, with the December contract trading down $0.4 an ounce to $768.20.

Bullion dealers in Singapore noted sales of scrap from jewellers and other holders who cashed in on gold’s rally. In India, the world’s top gold consumer, buyers were hoping for a price correction. Indians consider gold an auspicious metal and offer it as a gift during festivals and weddings.

Palladium fell $2 to $367/370, while silver was down at $13.69/13.74, against $13.74/13.79 in New York. reuters

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

Oil pipeline 'will be hit' if Turkey attacks Kurds

Baghdad: A Kurdish rebel leader threatened yesterday to strike an oil pipeline running into Turkey if the Turkish military targets bases of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, in northern Iraq.

"When Turkey starts a military operation against our bases, we will defend ourselves by targeting economic sites and one of our options is to hit the oil pipeline going from Kurdistan to Turkey because of the great economic value of this pipeline to Turkey and its army," Murat Karayilan said.

The most senior leader in Iraq's Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, appeared to raise the stakes in the standoff on Friday, warning Turkey that the region would defend itself against any cross-border military strike on rebel bases.

The tough line taken by the Kurds has stoked worries that a Turkish incursion could ignite a wider cycle of conflict and unrest in one of the few stable corners of Iraq.

Barzani said urgent talks were needed on all sides. But Turkey has flatly declared it is out of patience with escalating attacks by separatist guerrillas who use hideouts in northern Iraq.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK has battled for more than two decades for autonomy in Turkey's southeast.

Syria crossed 'red line'

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani slammed his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al Assad's support for a possible Turkish incursion into northern Iraq to tackle Kurdish rebels, a newspaper said yesterday.

"President's [Bashar] remarks are dangerous and run contrary to the spirit of Arab solidarity," Talabani, himself a Kurd, was quoted as saying in an interview with the Saudi daily Asharq Al Awsat.

"Usually I would refrain from commenting on Syrian positions to preserve our historic ties, but this time I am unable to support the dangerous crossing of red lines."

Bashar said he would support a Turkish incursion into northern Iraq against Turkish Kurdish rebels, calling such action Ankara's "legitimate right".

"How can the president of an Arab state support military intervention against the Iraqi republic?" Talabani was quoted as asking. "This is a serious matter and damaging to relations between the two countries."

Motion: Parliament studies anti-Turkey resolution

Iraq's parliament yesterday discussed a motion condemning Turkey for threatening an incursion to crack down on Kurdish rebels as Baghdad and Ankara were said to be considering a joint operation.

Lawmakers failed to agree on the wording of the motion that would condemn Turkey's parliament for authorising its military to cross the mountainous border to hunt down rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"The Iraqi parliament did not reach a final formula for the draft statement presented by the parliament presidency committee," Speaker Mahmoud Al Mashhadani said.

"The heads of the blocs at the parliament were asked to make other amendments and voting shall take place either [today] or [tomorrow]," he said.

Shiite lawmaker Samira Mussawi told media the disagreement in parliament stemmed from the fact that while many were angry at the developments in Turkey they did not want their motion to further inflame the situation.

Gulfnews: Oil pipeline 'will be hit' if Turkey attacks Kurds

Hilary Clinton promises to establish US Military Bases in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Mrs. Hilary Clinton, the Democrat’s candidate to the US presidency election stressed that if she wins in the next election, she will establish US Military Bases Kurdistan Region of Iraq and will withdraw part of US forces in Iraq.

She said that during an article published in the US foreign affaires magazine entitled (the security and the mistakes of 21st century.)

PUKmedia :: English - Hilary Clinton promises to establish US Military Bases in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Turkish Deputy PM: there is no Intention to close Khabur Border Gate with Iraq

Turkish Deputy PM and minister of state, Hayati Yazji, said that the Turkish government currently do not think of closing Khabur Border Gate with Iraq.

Yazji said in a speech delivered during his seminar at the Union of Chambers and Bourses of Turkey that his country will take all measures concerning the protection of the security and safety of the border gate and the commercial goods crossing it.

The authorization of Turkish Parliament for the government to launch military operations beyond the borders of Turkey will not impede traffic in Khabur border Gate ,which Ankara currently not intend to close.

PUKmedia :: English - Turkish Deputy PM: three is no Intention to close Khabur Border Gate with Iraq

The Iraqi Parliament condenms the Turkish Threats to Kurdistan Region

Iraqi Council of Representatives on Saturday held its normal session headed by Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, President of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, in Baghdad and was devoted to the discussion of the Turkish threats to invade the Kurdistan region on pretext of pursuing elements of the Kurdistan Workers Party PKK.

At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani read a statement about the stance of the Iraqi parliament on the Turkish threats to invade the Kurdistan region and presented it to be the voted on.

” The Iraqi parliament confirms his strong wish to build good-neighborly relations with the neighboring countries and stresses on establishing good-neighborly relations with Turkey in all areas, expresses its great satisfaction of Turkey to host the Conference of Foreign Ministers of the neighboring countries of Iraq to be held in Istanbul. The Iraqi parliament indicates to the international laws which prevent overtaking on the borders or sovereignty of any other country.” the statement of the Iraqi parliament quoted as saying.

“We refuse the Turkish threats which will not serve security and stability in the region. We announce our surprise about the decision of the Turkish Parliament on crossing borders of a neighboring State.” the statement stipulates.

The Council called on the Turkish authorities to work with Iraq through direct dialogue or through friends to solve the problem through diplomatic channels. The Council also appealed to the international community to urge Turkey not to conduct a cross-border operation into Kurdistan region.

The Council also asked the Iraqi government in coordination with the KRG to take all necessary measures, in case of Turkey crossed the border, for defending Iraqi territory. It also asked the Multi-National Forces, according to the resolution 1546 of UN Security Council, to protect the security and sovereignty of Iraq.

The Council called on the government of Iraq to ask the Security Council, the Islamic Conference Organization, the Arab League and the United Nations to protect the security and sovereignty of Iraq.

The Presidency of the Iraqi parliament asked the heads of committees to review the draft and present it to the vote process again after the Iraqi MPs discussed the draft which was proposed by the presidency of the Iraqi Council of representatives and made their opinions about it.

PUKmedia :: English - The Iraqi Parliament condenms the Turkish Threats to Kurdistan Region

Erdoghan: If PKK Leaves Their Weapons, We’ll Offer Them a Safe Life

In an interview with the Turkish 24 TV channel, the Turkish PM Rajab Tayeep Erdoghan was asked about the statement of the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani when he said “we ask the PKK elements to lay down their weapons and continue their struggle via democratic ways and join the Turkish Parliament”, Erdoghan’s answer was “the Returning law that we had issued is still going on, and this organization elements can get benefits from it.”

”If this terrorist organization lay down its weapons, leave the mountain and join the civil life, then they can get a safe life with their families. Security and stability will be achieved in the south eastern part of the country. Then if we got any problem, we can discuss it in the Parliament and this is the right policy”, Erdoghan added.

PUKmedia :: English - Erdoghan: If PKK Leaves Their Weapons, We’ll Offer Them a Safe Life

Zakho District: Turkish Bombardment

Eyewitnesses said that the Turkish artillery started shelling the border areas of Siara Korki, Gali Basagha, Barkhi, Khamber and Establani in Zakho district since 6:00am this morning for two hours.

Damages and casualties are still unknown.

PUKmedia :: English - Zakho District: Turkish Bombardment