The Turkish government will seek to improve its dialogue with the Kurds in N. Iraq despite the fact that Massoud Barzani has become the target of criticism in the wake of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party attack on the Aktütün border post leaving 17 soldiers dead.

- 10 / 10 / 2008 11:41

Barcin Yinanc

The military's statements that the attacks were staged from N. Iraq with heavy weaponry, and its emphasis that Turkey is not getting sufficient cooperation from the northern Iraqi Kurds, had suggested the involvement of the peshmerga raising, even further, the already existing anger in the Turkish public towards the Iraqi Kurdish leadership.

  “There is no evidence that the PKK got concrete support from Barzani to stage the attack,” said a senior Turkish official. There seems to be information that some of the weapons used during the attack were buried underground a very long time ago and some of the weapons do not fall under the category of “heavy weapons.”

  It looks like the government will not bow to pressure from the opposition which calls for a ground incursion to Iraq as well as setting up a security zone in the border.

  The civilian bureaucracy is of the view that one of the purposes of the PKK launching the bloody attack was to sabotage the dialogue between Turkey and the authorities of the Kurdish Regional Government, or the KRG, which began at low levels last year. Turkey's special envoy on Iraq met Nechirvan Barzani, but Ankara avoided talking, so far, with Massoud Barzani, one of the most prominent Kurdish leaders in Iraq, along with Celal Talabani, who currently holds the presidency.

  The prevailing view among some decision makers is that the security problem caused by the PKK can not be solved without talking to Barzani. Turkish President Abdullah Gül is preparing to go to Baghdad to talk to Celal Talabani, but the decision to talk with Barzani has yet to be taken by the government, a move which will be very unpopular with the public and objected to by the military.

  It looks like the government might take this bold decision to seek Barzani's cooperation with Turkey. The dialogue with Barzani should aim at convincing him to cooperate with Turkey against the PKK and to create joint mechanisms for combating the PKK, according to Turkish officials.

  “We want to talk to Iraqi Kurds.  Although we discern a sense of rapprochement from their side, as well, we still waited to see their clear intentions,” said an official.

  According to Turkish officials, Iraqi Kurdish authorities have started to realize that it will not be possible to fulfill their aspirations for independence and that they will have to seek their political future within Iraq's territorial integrity. This seems to have encouraged the Turkish side to engage with Barzani.

  It looks like a ground incursion to Iraq, or setting up a security zone in the border region, is wanted neither by the government nor the military. “We could easily set up a security zone,” said an official, “but what about the aftermath. Will we be able to control that zone? Who will we blame if we can not control that zone?”

  Meanwhile, there is also a strong belief that the PKK has launched the Aktütün attack ahead of a decision to close the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, or the DTP. “Closing the party will only strengthen the hands of the PKK,” said an official. It seems that the government is worried about the prospect that if the DTP is closed, then the local population would elect the independent candidates finger pointed by the PKK.