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Editorial Mamma, li Turchi !(1) «War ! It is too much serious for being entrust to soldiers.» - Georges Clemenceau |
So, let’s go to the Parisian representation of the Irakian Kurdistan government, where, in spite of the fact that we haven’t taken any rendez-vous and that they are quite busy nowadays, Saywan Barzani welcomes us. We come at the right moment, for the best way to know Irakian Kurds’ situation is indeed to ask directly to their own representatives, rather than following blindly the advices of many specialists of the Kurdish question (but rare exceptions, we know their value concerning Turkey) ! So, at first, a very good news that just a few have noticed, but OFK has to set it at its right place in the international background, all the more it will raise troops’ spirits : the talentuous football team of Erbil had won against Kirkuk by 6-1. Really we forget much often to remind that Kurds have a team in “1st division” ! You are going to say that Kirkouk is Kurdish, too. Yes, of course, but : because of the exaggerated arabization of the town, the football team is Arabian. So, the next time, if Kirkuk wants to have a chance to win, its selector shouldn’t forget to put some Kurds in his tank... Another great news : the journalist (TV) who was there – for asking informations to prepare the travel of its group – could not have any interview in the country with the Kurdish leader whose picture is fixed on the wall of the office : Mustafa Barzani ! And their job is really to inform public opinion... Irakian Kurds are very energetic presently, and not only by playing football : they have just forbiden to the Turks to enter in Kurdistan with their tanks ! Within living Turkish general’s memory, nobody have heard a so such thing, all the more they have asked an authorisation, politely and according to the rules. But Kurds – facing the painful astonishment of these braves of Touran – had not only refused to do that slight favor though so natural and justified between neighbours, but they have threatened the Turkish army to defend themselves if it takes no notice of their prohibition, without any care of the most basic courtesy ! Considering this obvious lack of hospitality, an official of the Turkish army that has though precised that it won’t be an invasion, just to pass the border with tanks and stay a certain time in the place (Editor's note : for a picnic ?) this official wanted to remind : "But we didn’t want to enter without your agreement, we have asked you the permission !". Then, Texans scratch their heads (under the stetson hidden under the helmet), feeling vaguely that it will be not so easy to manage, afters. Fortunately (for them), Texans are very optimistic people and are absolutely aware that they are in the Good side, the side that always wins. And if you are in the Good side, if you are the Good even, you arrange everything at last and reconcile people each others... It is well-known, you have just to watch the Israelian-Palestinian conflict for verifying it ! Turks have though advanced solid arguments for supporting their asking. First, there are Turkmen that should be protected in Irakian Kurdistan. Some Turks, then, unfortunate minorities condemned to live among Kurds and whose the rights would be illegally abused since, at least 1000 A.D... One million, pretend Turks ! No more than 8.000, answers the representative of KRG in Paris : «They are here since 14 yeards, very scattered, and between 6 to 7.000 of them are pro-Kurds(2)». They have, in Irakian Kurdistan, more rights and autonomy than Kurds within Turkey : they have two channel TV when the Kurds of Turkey have hardly few media, schools where they teach their own language, newspapers, and 12 political parties... These slight details don’t help a lot Turks to convince KRG that they could be very useful in the region ; so they soonly get out the Great argument for justifying their insistance to invade – sorry, to protect – Irakian Kurdistan : yes, pro-tect ! And against a so such adversary, since it concerns PKK, alias KADEK, with whose one can trust for doing Turkey a slight good turn. Since 1994, Turks entered many times in Irakian Kurdistan, with the excuse to eliminate the bases of PKK, obviously without great success ! Fifteen years of attempt to get rid of it in their own country hadn’t had moreover great results if we believe the last statements and continuous Osman Öcalan’s threats – who, by the way, would possess by his name the accounts of PKK/KADEK (Editor's note : it could explain much things) equal to the balance of KGR for a year... Then we hardly envisage how Turkey could protect the Kurds of Irak against a threat that it couldn’t face within its own borders. Moreover, the troops of KADEK (well what it remains of if we excludes fugitives and political prisonners) would be mostly hidden in Iran, and their number would be about 3.000 "fighters", in spite of the inflationnist propaganda of the party that makes them increase wonderfully for many weeks : media get up suddenly from 5.000 to 10.000 ! Turkey might begin to "protect" Iran for getting rid of them ? Thus, all more that only 150 PKK lost and isolated could stay in Northern-Irak, but whom the useful presence is a good excuse to Turkish military staff for passing through the border. Another Turkish argument : war could provoke a flood of Kurdish refugees in Turkey. Also, if in 1991 Irakian Kurds had really fled in Turkey, it was because there was no other place for sheltering and protecting them before the border. Since that time, Kurdish Regional Governement has rebuilt 3.500 villages, hospitals, 2.800 schools, public houses that could shelter refugees as confirm us Saywan, even if they would come from the Kurdish areas controlled by Saddam Hussein. Moreover, some of them has already reached the area that is under Kurdish administration rather than trying to pass in Turkey. Then, here is the logical objection of KRG : if Turks fear that their borders would be invaded by Kurdish refugees, they must protect them (borders, not Kurds). At least, they do it very well, since they have already closed it in Silopi/Zakho direction (and it could make work the tanks that would have enter in Kurdistan) : even journalists could not pass. And indeed we wonder why Americans want too pass by this way : it isn’t the shortest one to Bagdad ! In short, let’s recapitulate : Turks want certainly to enter in Irakian Kurdistan because they don’t accept the idea of a Kurdish state so near of their own Kurdish regions, everybody know that. But it is obvious too that most of Turks – including politicians – don’t want to die, all more that Turkey has nothing to win in that scenario. During more than 15 years, it did’nt success to get rid of a guerilla though that Öcalan didn’t care to arm and nourrish it ; then a country full of Kurds who use to live freely and to fight against more cruel than a jandarma ? If they want to subdue Irakian Kurds, they should use the same methods than Saddam Husein, and Turks couldn’t allow to itself : International watchers will be more fussy and virulent concerning Turkish actions in Irakian areas than they did intra muros. More, it would be difficult to accept Turkey in UE if it get bogged down in a colonialist war, and the next European date is in 2004, next year, then… It will be good that Europe – including the voices that raised for a strict control of democratical steps in Turkey – make energetic statements and make understand to its future partner that it must choose : to become integrated in West or lost its way in South. Let’s hope that Turkey becomes integrated in UE, and that its Kurds, as its other minorities, could have the same freedom of cult and language than European citizens ; but Turkey should let Irakian Kurds deal by themselves with the else Irakians concerning their future governement. It would be more advantageous than to oppress again the South-East that just begins to breathe for three months and that is going to be subdue, before even as war against Irak is declared ! The new Turkish government had had although said that it will prove to Europeans than Turkey would be able to fill the criterions of Copenhaguen one year before the date, at the end of 2003. Then ?
Sandrine Alexie & Roxane (1) That title has been borrowed from Gabriel Matzneff, but he will forgive us if he remembered his visit to Emir Bedir Khan the 31th January 1964 (L’archange aux pieds fourchus, La Table Ronde). Back to the text (2) "A part of Turkmen in Irakian Kurdistan states that they are against a Turkish military operation in Kurdistan and refuse to be an excuse for a Turkish action that could be turned against themselves (...) "We have the same position than Kurds about the question", said Jawdat al-Najar, a Turkman minister responsible for the question of his community in the government of Erbil, in the region controlled by the Kurdish Democratic Party (PDK). If it is necessary "Turkmen will fight against Turks with Kurds", he had even added, for Turks and Kurds raise their voices (source : AFP - 05/03/2003) Back to the text |
