Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dimtro de la Prensa-Basl1i Özeti
Increasingly, Turkey fears attack on Iraq
By Ian FISher
1be New Yorl< TImes
ISTANBUL: Barely a day goes by without the
Thrkish prime minister, Bulent Ecevit, saying just
how little he wants a war with his neighbor Iraq.
He complains about being "caught in the middle."
He bluntly raises Thrkey's importance .to the
United States, on the map and, as the only Muslim
country in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
'
"We know that the United States cannot carry
out this operation without us/' he said last week.
"That is why we are advising that it abandon the
idea. We're telling Washington that we are wQrried
about the matter." , "
In the end, there seems little doubt that Thrkey,
however reluctantly,would side with its big friend
and patron. But Thrkey's leaders are still ~thholdirig
their wholehearted support, and their
discomfort grows daily. >"
So unanimous are Thrks against, a war in Iraq
that the topic haS hardly been raised in the campaign
for parliamentary elections Nov. 3. The
election looks certain to expel the coalition led by
Ecevit in favor o( an untried party With roots in
political Islam, which worries many here as a
threat to Thrkey's secularism.
Still, even the leaders of that party, Justice and
Jakob Bo •• rup
The Thrklsh president, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, meeting
the press before European union summit talks with
candidate countries inCopenhagen on Monday.
Development, repeat the same conflicted refrain:
Yes, Saddam Hussein is a menace. Thrkey, they
say, will probably support the United States in the "Both nations will take extreme care not to
name of its long and broad friendship, as well as have an open conflict over what happens in Iraq,"
its own strategic interests. said Ilter Thran, a political science professor at
But Thrkey, concerned that war Could worsen Istanbul BHgiUniversity. "But if the United States
an already dire economy and inflict new prob- intervenes and if you have a prolonged struggle, a
lems of refugees and Kurdish separatism, is not prolonged military role in Iraq, probably quite a
eager to play the rolé Pakistan did in the war number of problems might crop up."
against Afghanistan. , The Justice and Development Party is currently
"It is in the nature of Turks to be convinced eas- drawing support from as many as 30 percent of
Hybut react when they realize that they have been voters polled. The question mark is whether its
cheated," warned Abdullah GuI, a top Justice and leaders, though they have disavowed political Is-
Development leader who is in the running to be- lam, will be any less of an ally to the United States,
come the next prime minister. "Therefore, Thrkey particularly on the question of Iraq. '
should be listened to and understood over her in- GuI 'and the party's popular leader, Recep
terests and concerns." , Tayyip Erdogan, who have played down their pasts
Easing Thrkey's worries might prevent any as Islamic activists, say the relationship would
long-term damage, to relations between the probably stay the same, and GuI has been quoted
United States and Turkey, the kind of moderate' as saying that they would leave any decision on
Muslim country Washington would like' to en- Iraq to the military. Most experts say the party
courage.'
would have no choice, at least in the short term; in
1997, the military eased out the last Islamicleaning
party to govern Turkey.
Zeyno Baran, a fellow with the Center for Strategic
and International Stridiesin Washington,
said it waS highly unlikely that the party would
change the alliance with the United States.
"Absolutely not," she said, "because this will be
the grounds for the military removing them."
With the elections a week away, Turkish and
U.S. officials are reported to be deep into negotiations.
Early last week, General Tommy Franks,
head of the u.S,'Central Command, and'General
Joseph Ralston, the supreme allied commander in
Europe, visited Turkey for talks with its top commanders.
On Wednesday, President George W.
Bush called President Ahmet Necdet Sezer for a
discussion the White House said covered the
"United States-Thrkey strategic partnership."
Officials from both nations say there has been no
formal request, such as for Thrkish troops in a
ground operation in Iraq or the use of Thrkish air
bases. Several reports suggest that any plan would
include having Turkey S,endthousands of troops into
northern Iraq "- in addition to the 2,000 to S,OOO
already there chasing Kurdish rebels - to stem the
flow of refugees or defeated Iraqi fighters.
Thrkey, though, is ,decidedly wary, and officials
say Washington is frustrated that it has withheld
firmer support, partly out of worry that Saddam
will take full advantage of disunity in the region.
Thrkey's worries stretch back over a decade.
Turkish officials complain that Operation Desert
Storm cost tens of billions in dollars in military
expenses, trade with Iraq and lost revenue from
tourism. The no-flight zone enforced since then
over northern Iraq also led to what they believe is
something close to an independent Kurdish state
there, a long-standing worry for Thrkey, with its
own restive Kurdish population.
Government officials here complain loudly that
they do not fully trust American assurances that
there will be no actual Kurdish state.
But many experts say there is' a greater worry
about a new wa,r:money. Thrkey remains in a deep
economic crisis. Reportedly a financial package
worth roughly $5billion is being discussed.
Some experts suggest that it would also help if
the United States pushed the European Union to
set a date for entrance talks at a meeting of ministeI:s
of the European Union in December.
Iraq may, otherwise, remain a hard sell here.
Le Parlement
kurde examine des projets
de Constitution sur un' Irak fédéral
~
, -
ERBIL (Irak), 31 oct (AFP) - 20h~] - Le parlement du Kurdistan irakien a commencé à débattre jeudi de deux projets de Constitution
prévoyant l'instauration d'un système fédéral arabo-kurde en Irak et d'une autonomie dans cette région, qui échappe totalement au
pouvoir de Bagdad depuis 1991.
Selon ces deux projets, les principale~ -tâches seraient dévolues au gouvernement irakien, mais la ville de Kirkouk (nord), riche en pétrole,
actuellement sous le contrôle de Bagdad, deviendrait la capitale de la région du Kurdistan, dans le cadre d'un Irak "fédéral".
, ,
Au cours de la réunion,du Parlement, le contenu de ces documents devra être approuvé, après des débats étalés sur plusieurs sessions au
cours desquelles des amendements mineurs pourront leur, être apportés. "
La séance de jeudi a notamment été marquée par la venue du Français Bernard Kouchner, premier administrateur de l'ONU au Kosovo et
ex-ministre délégué à la Santé, actuellement en visite dans la région. Celui-ci a assisté à la réunion et fait une courte intervention devant
les députés, se félicitant de l'accord de paix intervenu entre les factions kurdes, a constaté un journaliste de l'AFP.
Les deux projets de Constitution ont été approuvés par les deux principales factions rivales kurdes qui se partagent le contrôle du '
Kurdistan, le Parti démocratique du Kurdistan (PDK, de Massoud Barzani) et l'Union patriotique du Kurdistan (UPK, de lalal Talabani)
avant la première séance en six ans de leur parlement unifié le 4 octobre.
Le rétablissement du parlement, où le PDK occupe 51 sièges et l'UPK 49, avec cinq sièges réservés à des partis chrétiens, avait été marqué
par la ratification d'un accord de paix entre les deux factions, sur fond de menaces américaines de frapper l'Irak pour renverser le
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