Turkey on fine line between Iraqi central, Kurdish gov'ts
Posted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 6:50 pmANKARA, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is walking on a tightrope in keeping close ties with Iraq's Kurdish autonomous authority while managing a fresh start with the central government in Baghdad.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu wrapped up a two-day visit to Iraq on Monday in what he called "a new page" in ties between Ankara and Baghdad while Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to meet with Massoud Barzani, the leader of northern Iraq's Kurdish autonomous government, in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Saturday.
Iraq's central government headed by Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki has deep differences with the Kurdish region over constitution, sharing of hydrocarbon revenues and disputed status of oil-rich Kirkuk.
Eyeing trade and energy opportunities, Turkey wants to keep cordial ties with both of the authorities. Yet that proves to be difficult at times because of the unresolved differences between the two sides in Iraq.
"Turkey is determined not to see a regress in its ties with northern Iraq while it is committed to a rapid normalization process with Iraq's central government," said Yalcin Akdogan, an advisor to the Turkish prime minister and the head of Iraq-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Turkish parliament.
Akdogan said he and Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek will pay a visit to Baghdad later in the month to speed up the normalization process with Iraq.
Yet the Kurds' concerns do not seem to disappear so easily over Turkey's overtures with Baghdad.
"The Iraqi Kurds have concerns over the recent thaw between Ankara and Baghdad," Aziz Barzani, a prominent Kurdish figure, told a Turkish daily on Monday, citing unresolved problems between Maliki and the Kurds.
"We hope that the recent thaw will not affect the strategic ties between the Kurdistan regional government and Turkey," he added.
Turkey values its cordial ties with Barzani not only for trade and investment opportunities especially in the energy sector in Kurdish Iraq but also for Barzani's positive contribution to solving the decades-long Kurdish problem in Turkey.
Barzani is like a god-father figure for Kurds not only in Iraq but also in neighboring countries home to sizable Kurdish minorities.
"Ankara wants to use Barzani's influence over Kurds to alleviate the Kurdish problem in Turkey and solve it eventually," Idris Gursoy, a Turkish analyst, told Xinhua.
"Barzani's differences with the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) may also be a factor in Erdogan's strategy to get closer with the Kurdistan regional government," he underlined.
The PKK, which waged countless attacks against the Turkish officials or troops in the past 30 years from its bases in northern Iraq, is listed as terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
The Iraq's Kurds are also at odds with the PKK's Syrian off- shoot, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), saying it has committed too much violence against other Kurdish groups in Syria.
"It is to the interest of both Ankara and the Iraqi Kurds to see the influence of the PKK and its Syrian affiliate going down," Gursoy emphasized.
At stake is also the disarmament of the PKK as part of a settlement process between the group and the Turkish government launched almost a year ago.
"Turkey is aware that without the Kurdish regional government in Iraq, it cannot solve the issue of the PKK and go ahead with the peace process. So I don't think that Turkey will ignore the Iraqi Kurds, even if it tries to mend ties with Baghdad," Aziz Barzani explained.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Iraqi Kurdish leader Barzani are expected to discuss the PKK settlement process and the issue regarding Syrian Kurds in Diyarbakir over the weekend.
That might irk the PKK and derail the government's settlement with Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the group.
In a bid to address concerns on this issue, Akdogan said the meeting should be seen as a contribution to the process rather a problem. "Our hope is that this visit will strengthen the ongoing process."
Erdogan's visit to Diyarbakir, first since the settlement deal started last year, is seen as crucial to reinvigorate the stalled process.
Galip Ensarioglu, the Kurdish deputy of Diyarbakir and member of the governing Justice and Development Party, described the meeting between Erdogan and Barzani in Turkey as "a very positive development."
"Barzani will come to Diyarbakir for the first time as the leader of the Kurdish regional government. The fact that he will be greeted by Erdogan is an important gesture to Barzani and all other Kurds," he explained.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu wrapped up a two-day visit to Iraq on Monday in what he called "a new page" in ties between Ankara and Baghdad while Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to meet with Massoud Barzani, the leader of northern Iraq's Kurdish autonomous government, in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Saturday.
Iraq's central government headed by Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki has deep differences with the Kurdish region over constitution, sharing of hydrocarbon revenues and disputed status of oil-rich Kirkuk.
Eyeing trade and energy opportunities, Turkey wants to keep cordial ties with both of the authorities. Yet that proves to be difficult at times because of the unresolved differences between the two sides in Iraq.
"Turkey is determined not to see a regress in its ties with northern Iraq while it is committed to a rapid normalization process with Iraq's central government," said Yalcin Akdogan, an advisor to the Turkish prime minister and the head of Iraq-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Turkish parliament.
Akdogan said he and Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek will pay a visit to Baghdad later in the month to speed up the normalization process with Iraq.
Yet the Kurds' concerns do not seem to disappear so easily over Turkey's overtures with Baghdad.
"The Iraqi Kurds have concerns over the recent thaw between Ankara and Baghdad," Aziz Barzani, a prominent Kurdish figure, told a Turkish daily on Monday, citing unresolved problems between Maliki and the Kurds.
"We hope that the recent thaw will not affect the strategic ties between the Kurdistan regional government and Turkey," he added.
Turkey values its cordial ties with Barzani not only for trade and investment opportunities especially in the energy sector in Kurdish Iraq but also for Barzani's positive contribution to solving the decades-long Kurdish problem in Turkey.
Barzani is like a god-father figure for Kurds not only in Iraq but also in neighboring countries home to sizable Kurdish minorities.
"Ankara wants to use Barzani's influence over Kurds to alleviate the Kurdish problem in Turkey and solve it eventually," Idris Gursoy, a Turkish analyst, told Xinhua.
"Barzani's differences with the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) may also be a factor in Erdogan's strategy to get closer with the Kurdistan regional government," he underlined.
The PKK, which waged countless attacks against the Turkish officials or troops in the past 30 years from its bases in northern Iraq, is listed as terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
The Iraq's Kurds are also at odds with the PKK's Syrian off- shoot, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), saying it has committed too much violence against other Kurdish groups in Syria.
"It is to the interest of both Ankara and the Iraqi Kurds to see the influence of the PKK and its Syrian affiliate going down," Gursoy emphasized.
At stake is also the disarmament of the PKK as part of a settlement process between the group and the Turkish government launched almost a year ago.
"Turkey is aware that without the Kurdish regional government in Iraq, it cannot solve the issue of the PKK and go ahead with the peace process. So I don't think that Turkey will ignore the Iraqi Kurds, even if it tries to mend ties with Baghdad," Aziz Barzani explained.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Iraqi Kurdish leader Barzani are expected to discuss the PKK settlement process and the issue regarding Syrian Kurds in Diyarbakir over the weekend.
That might irk the PKK and derail the government's settlement with Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the group.
In a bid to address concerns on this issue, Akdogan said the meeting should be seen as a contribution to the process rather a problem. "Our hope is that this visit will strengthen the ongoing process."
Erdogan's visit to Diyarbakir, first since the settlement deal started last year, is seen as crucial to reinvigorate the stalled process.
Galip Ensarioglu, the Kurdish deputy of Diyarbakir and member of the governing Justice and Development Party, described the meeting between Erdogan and Barzani in Turkey as "a very positive development."
"Barzani will come to Diyarbakir for the first time as the leader of the Kurdish regional government. The fact that he will be greeted by Erdogan is an important gesture to Barzani and all other Kurds," he explained.
is like everyone on RBK old p: ......
