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The New York Times
October 15, 2007
Turkish General Says Too Early to Speak on Iraq Move
By REUTERS
Filed at 10:07 a.m. ET
ANKARA (Reuters) - A top Turkish general said on Monday it was too
early to discuss the exact timing or scale of a possible operation
against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, for which parliament's
approval will be sought this week.
Faced with an escalation in Kurdish separatist violence, Turkey's
government plans to request authorization from parliament this week
for a cross-border operation into Iraq.
The United States fears a major incursion to crush Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) guerrillas using the area to launch attacks into Turkey
could destabilize the only relatively peaceful area of Iraq, and
potentially the wider region.
"If this duty (Iraqi incursion) is assigned to us, we will look at the
scale on which it will be carried out. It is not possible to say this
right now," deputy chief of General Staff, General Ergin Saygun told
reporters.
Ankara is a crucial NATO ally for Washington, which relies on Turkey
as a logistics base for the war in Iraq.
Tensions over northern Iraq helped send oil prices to record highs on
Monday. The Kirkuk oil fields of northern Iraq feed export pipelines
running north into Turkey. Turkey's lira currency also fell almost two
percent against the dollar.
The Bush administration has over the past days urged Turkey to refrain
>From any major military operation in Iraq.
Some analysts and diplomats say an operation is more likely after a
vote last Wednesday in which a U.S. congressional committee branded
killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One as
genocide -- a charge Turkey firmly denies.
Analysts say the resolution has sharply weakened the White House's
influence over Ankara.
Turkish diplomatic sources told Reuters a planned visit by Foreign
Minister Ali Babacan to Baghdad had been cancelled due to current
conditions. They declined to elaborate.
DEATH TOLL
Dozens of soldiers and civilians have been killed in recent weeks as
the PKK rebels have stepped up their attacks, putting more public
pressure on the government to send troops into Iraq to tackle rebels
based there.
Saygun shrugged off suggestions that NATO's second-biggest army had
only a limited window of opportunity to attack before winter
conditions made such a move impossible.
"The season would be taken into consideration, and other needs as well
.... But we cannot say that we'll go to Iraq if it doesn't snow or we
won't go if it does," he said.
Meanwhile, Saygun said it was up to the government to determine
Turkey's reaction to the non-binding Armenian resolution. Turkey
denies genocide was carried out, saying many died in inter-ethnic
fighting during the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The bill was sponsored
by a Californian lawmaker whose district has a large Armenian-American
constituency.
Turkey's government recalled its ambassador from the United States for
consultations after the committee vote.
Diplomats say that in retaliation, measures could include Turkey
blocking U.S. access to Incirlik air base, cancelling procurement
contracts, downscaling bilateral visits, denying airspace to U.S.
aircraft and halting joint military exercises.
The United States relies heavily on Turkish bases to supply its war
effort in Iraq, where more than 160,000 U.S. troops are trying to
restore stability more than four years after the invasion that toppled
Saddam Hussein.
Ankara has long complained Washington has not done enough on its own
or through the Iraqi government to crack down on some 3,000 PKK rebels
in northern Iraq.
Turkey blames the PKK for the deaths of more than 30,000 people since
the group launched its armed struggle for an ethnic homeland in
southeast Turkey in 1984.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-turkey-ir aq-army.html
October 15, 2007
Turkish General Says Too Early to Speak on Iraq Move
By REUTERS
Filed at 10:07 a.m. ET
ANKARA (Reuters) - A top Turkish general said on Monday it was too
early to discuss the exact timing or scale of a possible operation
against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, for which parliament's
approval will be sought this week.
Faced with an escalation in Kurdish separatist violence, Turkey's
government plans to request authorization from parliament this week
for a cross-border operation into Iraq.
The United States fears a major incursion to crush Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) guerrillas using the area to launch attacks into Turkey
could destabilize the only relatively peaceful area of Iraq, and
potentially the wider region.
"If this duty (Iraqi incursion) is assigned to us, we will look at the
scale on which it will be carried out. It is not possible to say this
right now," deputy chief of General Staff, General Ergin Saygun told
reporters.
Ankara is a crucial NATO ally for Washington, which relies on Turkey
as a logistics base for the war in Iraq.
Tensions over northern Iraq helped send oil prices to record highs on
Monday. The Kirkuk oil fields of northern Iraq feed export pipelines
running north into Turkey. Turkey's lira currency also fell almost two
percent against the dollar.
The Bush administration has over the past days urged Turkey to refrain
>From any major military operation in Iraq.
Some analysts and diplomats say an operation is more likely after a
vote last Wednesday in which a U.S. congressional committee branded
killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War One as
genocide -- a charge Turkey firmly denies.
Analysts say the resolution has sharply weakened the White House's
influence over Ankara.
Turkish diplomatic sources told Reuters a planned visit by Foreign
Minister Ali Babacan to Baghdad had been cancelled due to current
conditions. They declined to elaborate.
DEATH TOLL
Dozens of soldiers and civilians have been killed in recent weeks as
the PKK rebels have stepped up their attacks, putting more public
pressure on the government to send troops into Iraq to tackle rebels
based there.
Saygun shrugged off suggestions that NATO's second-biggest army had
only a limited window of opportunity to attack before winter
conditions made such a move impossible.
"The season would be taken into consideration, and other needs as well
.... But we cannot say that we'll go to Iraq if it doesn't snow or we
won't go if it does," he said.
Meanwhile, Saygun said it was up to the government to determine
Turkey's reaction to the non-binding Armenian resolution. Turkey
denies genocide was carried out, saying many died in inter-ethnic
fighting during the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The bill was sponsored
by a Californian lawmaker whose district has a large Armenian-American
constituency.
Turkey's government recalled its ambassador from the United States for
consultations after the committee vote.
Diplomats say that in retaliation, measures could include Turkey
blocking U.S. access to Incirlik air base, cancelling procurement
contracts, downscaling bilateral visits, denying airspace to U.S.
aircraft and halting joint military exercises.
The United States relies heavily on Turkish bases to supply its war
effort in Iraq, where more than 160,000 U.S. troops are trying to
restore stability more than four years after the invasion that toppled
Saddam Hussein.
Ankara has long complained Washington has not done enough on its own
or through the Iraqi government to crack down on some 3,000 PKK rebels
in northern Iraq.
Turkey blames the PKK for the deaths of more than 30,000 people since
the group launched its armed struggle for an ethnic homeland in
southeast Turkey in 1984.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-turkey-ir aq-army.html