Iraqi
Kurds hold the key to PKK problem
Ilnur Cevik
The New Anatolian ilnurcevik@yahoo.com
05 January 2007
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has repeated Ankara's complaints that the government feels the
United States and Iraq are not keeping their promises to end the terrorist
(Freedom fighters) Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) presence in northern Iraq
(Southern Kurdistan).
Turkey is more than justified in its complaints that the PKK remains a
menace for Turkey with its bases in northern Iraq but we feel he should not
be raising this issue with Baghdad or with the United States simply because
he will not get far, as time has shown.
The Maliki government can't even stop the violence in Baghdad let alone in
the northern Kurdish mountains so it would be naive to expect the Iraqi
government to even make an effort to end the PKK presence in the country.
They simply do not have the means to do this even if they have the will.
The Americans are talking about bringing in an extra force of 30,000 troops
into Iraq but none will be deployed in the Kurdish north as they will be
flooding the Baghdad area in a futile attempt to end sectarian violence in
this region. The Americans, just like the Turkish general staff, know well
that you cannot dislodge the PKK from the mountains of northern Iraq with a
couple of thousand of troops and that this will need a large force over a
long period and that seems to be a "mission impossible."
Ankara complains that the American envoy appointed to coordinate efforts to
fight the PKK has been a failure. We feel Ankara has to understand that what
is now required from Washington should be to force the Iraqi Kurds to be
more facilitating in the fight against the PKK presence in their region.
Northern Iraq is controlled by the Kurdistan regional government which is an
integral part of the Iraqi federal state system. It is a legitimate entity
which Turkey should recognize but seems to disregard at this point… The lack
of dialogue between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds has been highly damaging for
both sides.
The PKK is a reality in the Kurdish region. Some PKK members are holed up in
the Kandil Mountains bordering Iran and Turkey, but others are embedded in
Iraqi Kurdish society. They have laid down roots through intermarriages. It
will be difficult if not impossible to weed them out. Some Kurdish
nationalists regard the PKK as a part of the Kurdish political structure in
the north… Turkey and the Iraqi Kurdish leadership have to discuss these
issues in detail and come up with a workable solution that will pacify the
terrorist organization and also appease Kurds in general.
But all this means genuine and sincere dialogue between Ankara and the Iraqi
Kurdish leadership. Steps have to be taken soon to forge this dialogue so
that we can avert very unpleasant developments later in the year with the
advent of spring. If the PKK resumes its terrorist activities in spring or
summer, Turkey's frustration may trigger a reaction that may be very harmful
for everyone.
The Iraqi Kurds have to realize that they too have a responsibility to tame
the PKK beyond pushing it to accept a recent cease-fire.
Iraqi
Kurds hold the key to PKK problem