Turkey Looks to Syria, Abandons Ibrahim Khalil
Border Point
The Globe
Feb 7, 2007
Ankara has been considering Iraqi Kurdistan Region as a threat to Turkey's
long-term regional interests.
Following the Turkish refusal to sign a protocol to export oil products through
Kurdistan Region into Iraq, Baghdad and Ankara have decided to extend their deal
in accordance with the previous bond signed by both sides.
"Ankara and Baghdad have agreed to renew their previous bond," said Turkish
Minister of State for Trade Affairs. In the end of last month, Manager of the
Iraqi National Oil Company wrote a letter in which he asked the Turkish
authorities to renew the bond with the Kurdish authorities and to send oil
products to Kurdistan.
Despite the request letter, the Turkish minister, Kursao Ozman, refused to renew
the bond with Kurdistan Regional Government. "Those who want to test Turkey have
to pay for their stance dearly," Ozman said. "We make deals with the central
government and we will not pay attention to any other groups ? we will not
officially recognize Kurdistan Regional Government."
Ankara has been considering Iraqi Kurdistan Region as a threat to Turkey's
long-term regional interests. They believe that having a stable economy, the
Kurdish authorities in the region will declare their independence - an event
that will affect some 20 million Kurds living in Turkey's Kurdistan.
Kurdish authorities, on the other hand, have repeatedly announced that their
region would not pose any threats against neighboring countries.
Following the Operation Iraqi Freedom, as a result of the insurgent attacks,
most of the country's oil refineries have not been operational. Iraq's crude oil
is exported to Cihan, in Turkey, where it is refined and re-imported to Iraq.
In this regard, the Turkish Minister of Trade sent a letter to the Iraqi Oil
Minister, Hussein Shahristani, in which he says "Disregarding main principles of
the Oil Agreement will negatively affect the continuation of trading of oil
products between Iraq and Turkey."
This comes at a time when so-called Bill of Oil in Iraq has not been ratified to
a law, because there still exists disagreement between the central government in
Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The disagreement has been on the
right to sign oil contracts, drilling, distributing and marketing it.
Turkey decided to punish Iraqi government by stopping oil exports into Iraq on
January 29th, 2007. To increase its pressure on both, the Iraqi central
government and Kurdistan Regional Government, Turkey bombarded the Iraqi
villages close to the boarders of Turkey, news agencies stated.
Ibrahim Khalil is the only official border point between Iraq and Turkey through
which all trade passes. Since Ibrahim Khalil is situated in the area controlled
by the Kurdish government, all types of movement have to be done through
authorities in Kurdistan.
"The Turkish government has started negotiations with Syrian authorities to
renovate the way of Nusebin to be the trade route between Iraq and Turkey," the
mayor of Mardin City in Turkey's Kurdistan told reporters.
Nusebin route is an unpaved one. Syrian authorities have agreed to specify the
land needed to be paved for the Turkish project. This will result in the
abandonment of Ibrahim Khalil in Iraqi Kurdistan.
