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

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhëvoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro
de la Prensa-Baszn Özeti
THE OPPOSITION
U.S.EnvoyReassures
Abo~t Turkey
By JUDITH MILLER Washington, and that Turkish troops
and C. Jo'CHIVERS agreeto leave Iraq after a war.
SALAHEDDlN, Iraq, Feb. 26 _ At "We,would definitely like Turkey
the first meeting of top Iraqi dissi-, to be part of the coalition, but we
dénts on Iraqi soil in nearly a decade, don't accept any unilateral movean
American envoy pledged today, mént byany country'," he said after
thatthe United States did not want to the meeting. The Turkish Parliarule
Iraq and wouldrely on a broad- , ment is scheduled ta vote on Thursbased
opposition to govern the coun- day on whether to permit American
try if American forces invade. comb~t forces to be based in Turk~y.
Zalmay Khalilzad, President' Washmgton hopes to use the Turkish
Bush's envoy to the Iraqi opposition,' bases in the event of a war with Iraq.
told the more than 50-member advi- But Iraqi Kurds deeply mistrust Tursory
committee of the Iraqi National key, their powerful neighbor to the
Congress that the "Iraqi people north, which has historical claims to
should govern their ownaffairs as some Iraqi territory and a desire to
soon as possible." He' told delegates .control Kurdish separatist 'forces.
privately' that the, trànsition ,to athere. Some, Kurdish leaders have
democratic Iraqi nile could start' vowed to fight Turkish forces if they
within two months of' the end of a enter Iraq without their permission.
war. Mr. Khalilzad's presence here
Mr. Khalilzad also delivered diplo- seemed to reaSsure the Kurds, who
matically calibrated statements de- opPose Turkey's desire to send a
signed, on one hand, to encourage 'large number of soldiers into north-
. Turkey to Join the coalition against em Iraq, ostensibly for border and
.SaddamHussein, but, on the other, to refugee control. During the Persian
warn Turkey that it must respect, Gulf war of 1991,more than a million
.American demands thatall military Kurds fled Iraqi forces and Washingmovements
"in northern Iraq arid ton imposed a no-flight ZOnethat has
elsewhere be "coordiilated'; ,with allowed the Kurds to control north-
, '
Kurds on Concerns
em Iraq.
Addressing the overwhelming hostility
of some four million to six
million Kurds to a Turkish military
presence in their country, Mr. Khalil- ,
zad also said that the concerns of
"our Kurdish friends in northern
Iraq" have been "fully factored into
our discussions with Turkey."
With aspects of a. Turkish-American
political, military and economic
agreement' still under negotll:ltion,
Turkey did not make it easy for
either Mr. Khalilzad and his small
American delegation, or many of the
300 journalists and others here for
the conference, to cross the border
into Iraq.
Turkey refused to approve the full '
number of security officials that
Washington had requested to protect
Mr ..Khalilzad, anddelayed his arriv-
,al here by at least a day, American
officials said. Wayne Downing, a retired
general and the administration's
former head of counterterrorism,
was recently tur~ed back at the
border, Iraqi dissidents said. .
The meeting itself was. repeatedly
delayed by political disputes with
SpecÏélI env~y Zalmay Khalilzad, second frorn. right,
with opposition leaders Jalal Talabani, of the Patriot-,
ic Union of Kurdistan; Abdelaziz al-Hakim, of the
. . ' . Ruth.Frelnson/The New York Times .
Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq; Massoud
Barzani, of the Kurdistàn Democratic Party, and
Ahmad Chalabi, of the Iraqi National Congress.
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