Sunday, 14 Oct 2007
By C. ONUR ANT
Associated Press Writer
ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Turkey's top general warned that ties with the U.S., already
strained by attacks from rebels hiding in Iraq, will be irreversibly damaged if
Congress passes a resolution that labels the World War I-era killings of
Armenians a genocide.
Turkey, which is a major cargo hub for U.S. and allied military forces in Iraq
and Afghanistan, has recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations and
warned that there might be a cut in the logistical support to the U.S. over the
issue.
Gen. Yasar Buyukanit told daily Milliyet newspaper that a congressional
committee's approval of the measure had already harmed ties between the two
countries.
"If this resolution passed in the committee passes the House as well, our
military ties with the U.S. will never be the same again," Buyukanit was quoted
as saying by Milliyet.
"I'm the military chief, I deal with security issues. I'm not a politician,"
Buyukanit was quoted as saying by Milliyet. "In this regard, the U.S. shot its
own foot."
About 70 percent of U.S. air cargo headed for Iraq goes through Turkey as does
about one-third of the fuel used by the U.S. military there. U.S. bases also get
water and other supplies carried in overland by Turkish truckers who cross into
Iraq's northern Kurdish region.
In addition, C-17 cargo planes fly military supplies to U.S. soldiers in remote
areas of Iraq from Incirlik, avoiding the use of Iraqi roads vulnerable to bomb
attacks. U.S. officials say the arrangement helps reduce American casualties.
Buyukanit's remarks were published a day after a visit by Dan Fried, assistant
secretary of state for European affairs, and Eric Edelman, who is the
undersecretary of defense for policy.
Kurdish Commander Warns Turkey
IN THE QANDIL MOUNTAINS, (Southern Kurdistan): A Kurdish rebel commander has
warned Turkey it would encounter tough resistance and a dragged-out,
Vietnam-style conflict, if it launched a large-scale offensive against the
Kurdish rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan.
An aggressive incursion by the Turks into Southern Kurdistan would prompt the
rebels to retaliate with protracted and bloody attacks, Murat Karayilan, head of
the armed wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, said Saturday.
Speaking to The Associated Press deep in the Qandil mountains straddling the
Iraq-Turkish border, some 150 kilometers (94 miles) from the Kurdish city of
Sulaimani, Karayilan warned an incursion would "make Turkey experience a Vietnam
war."
"Iraq's Kurds will not support the Turkish army," he said. "If Turkey starts its
attack, we will swing the Turkish public opinion by political, civil and
military struggle."
U.S. officials said last week there are about 60,000 Turkish troops along the
country's southern border with Iraq, even though the U.S. military has not seen
activity to suggest an imminent offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern
Iraq.
Karayilan said the PKK was only defending itself against attacks by the Turks.
"This was not the first time. It happened many times before and no one talked
about it, so why this time," he said, adding the clashes took place at least 100
kilometers (62 miles) from the border, within Turkey, not Iraq.
He said he believes the Turkish attacks are meant to destabilize Iraq, not
remove the rebels.
"Turkey is only making pretexts to enter the Kurdistan region in Iraq," he
added.
Associated Press writer Yahya Barzanji in Iraq's Qandil Mountains contributed
to this report.
