Turkey and US/EU head for dangerous confrontation

The first story tell you that the EU including Britain have warned Turkey explicitly not to enter Northern Iraq.The Second story tells you that Turkey has ordered its troops into Northern Iraq.Someone must blink.

news.bbc.co.uk...

news.bbc.co.uk...

[Edited on 21-3-2003 by John bull 1]

hmmmmmmmm

Northern Iraq is essentially controlled by the Kurds, which is why the northern No Fly Zone was established, in order to protect the Kurds from Iraqi airpower reprisals.

Keep in mind, the Kurds are an ethnic group that most everyone in the region hates. The Turks especially hate them.

The main reason that Turkey did NOT allow US forces to launch from thier territory is strictly because they fear that once Saddam is gone, the Kurds will take over and create a Kurdish state. (For this reason, Turkey actually had a vested interest in Saddam remaining in power). Because the US is currently kicking Saddams @ss, Turkey is getting nervous, and is likely sending troops into northern Iraq to take out as many Kurds as possible to prevent a Kurdish state.

as far as i knew, Turkey and US agreed that US may use Air Space while Turkey was going into Kurdistan

Turkey agreed to allow US use of airspace, mainly because they want to get a piece of the $$$ the US was laying on the table to allow us to use thier land as a jumping off point. I dont know about the status of this or not.

I would not be surprised however if we did have an "under the table" deal with Turkey that we would look the other way while Turkey wiped out the Kurds in order to allow us to use the airspace.

Originally posted by dragonrider
Turkey agreed to allow US use of airspace, mainly because they want to get a piece of the $$$ the US was laying on the table to allow us to use thier land as a jumping off point. I dont know about the status of this or not.

I would not be surprised however if we did have an "under the table" deal with Turkey that we would look the other way while Turkey wiped out the Kurds in order to allow us to use the airspace.

That claim would be backed by the fact that US warned Turkey over acting "unilaterally"

Perhaps we are jumping the gun Ladies and Gentlemen on this one?

Turkey is one of the oldest post W.W.II allies. To present today that it has somehow decided to alter this arrangement is premature.

Turkey is one of the oldest post W.W.II allies. To present today that it has somehow decided to alter this arrangement is premature Posted by Toltec

It is true that Turkey is a longtime US allie, but the Kurds are an ancient enemy to them....

I contend that they are not working in opposition to the US so much as they have an under-the-table agreement, and we are warning them, as we know what they are planning, in order to save face. (But we will just stand by while they wipe out the Kurds)

Hey dragonrider....

I am of course aware of Turkish concerns in relation to the Kurds. At the same time Turkey is aware of the issues presented with regard to the Kurds and the current government of Iraq. The US will not stand by and allow the Turks to wipe out or for that matter take control of the Kurds.

What has in all probability occurred is that the Kurds will be obligated to non aggression against the Turks, if and when they are granted an independent state. The US will then place themselves in a position of responding to the Kurds should the violate that pact.

It potentially possible that Iraq will remain Iraq after this is all over. As a result the Kurds will have independence in the sense they will no longer be
under the authority of a government ruled by Saddam Hussein.

Realistically how this will resolve itself is to early to tell. But that does not change the fact that Turkey has a lot more to loose by imposing itself at this juncture.

As said before we are jumping a gun which the Turks have no intention of superseding.

Originally posted by dragonrider

while Turkey wiped out the Kurds

If Turkey try to do a thing like that, they'll see their last chance to join the EU flying away at the light of speed.

The Turks are justifying this on "humanitarian" grounds -saying they fear an even bigger flood of refugees than they had in '92 and claiming ( not, on the face of it, unreasonably) that it would be preferable to deal with refugees in Iraq.
Worth noting that Turkey has had something of a change in Government of late and that Turkey is also less than happy about Cyprus. Turkey may be less enthusiastic about EU membership than it has hitherto been: if Turkey moved away from its current sternly secular constitution, then EU membership would be utterly impossible, so why bother?
It's also worth noting that an independent Kurdistan might be rather worrying for Turkish oil supplies.
I would not bet on the Turks blinking first.

I can't find a link to confirmation of this but BBC have reported that Turkey has revoked permission for US use of Turkish airspace because of disagreement on its terms and conditions.So US are operating around KIRKUK without air support.

here is a link that confirms that Turkey and the US are not co-operating.

www.reuters.com...;jsessionid=2RVVEMVPYMYOECRBAEKSFEY?type=topNews&storyID=2421654

Thanks america, thanks for f**king the world up

Reports now on BBC that Turkish troops are massing on the Turkish/Iraq border up to 10,000 Turkish troops thought likely to occupy Kurdish controled Iraq in the next 24 hours regardless of US position.Turkey still denying the US to overfly their airspace as a consequence US troops fighting around Kirkuk/Mosul without proiper air cover.

Originally posted by John bull 1
Reports now on BBC that Turkish troops are massing on the Turkish/Iraq border up to 10,000 Turkish troops thought likely to occupy Kurdish controled Iraq in the next 24 hours regardless of US position.Turkey still denying the US to overfly their airspace as a consequence US troops fighting around Kirkuk/Mosul without proiper air cover.

I heard on BBC the troops around Kirkuk were american imported iraqi oppositionals
Took some couch potatoes to bootcamp

Seems they're expendable ?

Thanks america, for betraying your friends

They just don't want refugees in Turkey.

Piss Turkey off! We don't need them!
Paratroop the boyz in from the North in Kird territory.
We have the means and the will to do so.
We should only have to ask once and that's it, no asking a second time, just do it!

By the end of the month, Bagdad will be surrounded from all sides and two to three weeks after that we'll have Bagdad.

It's not looking good. Looks like Turkey wants to control the north without the U.S.

news.bbc.co.uk...

This piece on CNN carries within it what can only be decribed as this veiled threat.

But the United States opposes any unilateral move by Turkey into northern Iraq. Washington has warned that a Turkish incursion could lead to friendly fire incidents with U.S. forces.

edition.cnn.com...

Still looks like Turkey will invade regardless.