Kurds vs. Turks

[Megale]

Heres another powder keg, article below:

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's prime minister on Tuesday urged one of Iraq's two vice presidents to delay a referendum on the future of Kirkuk, fearing Iraqi Kurdish groups could seize control of the northern, oil-rich city.

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Turkey, which has been trying to quell a Kurdish insurgency for more than two decades, is concerned about the growing power of Iraqi Kurds and has repeatedly warned Iraqi Kurdish groups against trying to seize control of Kirkuk.

Iraq's constitution calls for a referendum on Kirkuk's future by the end of the year. The Kurds want to incorporate the city and its rich oilfields into their self-ruled region — a move the Turks have strongly opposed.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi the normalization of security sought by the Iraqi constitution has not occurred in Kirkuk and the referendum must be postponed, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

Turkey fears Iraq's Kurds want Kirkuk's oil revenues to fund a bid for independence that could encourage separatist Kurdish guerrillas in Turkey, who have been fighting for autonomy since 1984. The conflict has claimed the lives of 37,000 people.

Erdogan also asked Abdul-Mahdi to stop attacks by separatist Kurdish guerrillas, based in Iraq, on Turkey.

Kirkuk, an ancient city that once was part of the Ottoman Empire, has a large minority of ethnic Turks as well as Christians, Shiite and Sunni Arabs, Armenians and Assyrians. The city is just south of the autonomous Kurdish region stretching across three provinces of northeastern Iraq.

Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, thousands of Kurds pushed out of the region under Saddam Hussein's rule have returned.

Turkey — a predominantly Muslim country that is an ally of the U.S. and NATO, a friend of Israel and a candidate to join the European Union — is pushing to increase its influence in the Middle East, where it says it can help negotiate between Islamic countries and the West.

Turkey has not ruled out military incursions into Iraq to hunt separatist Kurds, despite warnings from Washington, which fears that such a move could lead to tensions with the Iraqi Kurdish groups who have been important allies of the U.S.

[Ellinas]

The possible establishment of a Kurdish state in North Iraq by the Americans is becoming a real nightmare for the Turks. If something like that happens, the Kurds of Turkey will be desperately pushing for indepedence and unification with the (former Iraqi) Kurdistan.

Not to mention that if the Americans create a big banana-state in that area, they will increase their influence in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean so they will not need the Turks anymore. It looks like the Turks will have their first problems with their always good friends the Americans....

[Megale]

Originally Posted by Ellinas
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The possible establishment of a Kurdish state in North Iraq by the Americans is becoming a real nightmare for the Turks. If something like that happens, the Kurds of Turkey will be desperately pushing for indepedence and unification with the (former Iraqi) Kurdistan.

Not to mention that if the Americans create a big banana-state in that area, they will higher their influence in Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean so they will not need the Turks anymore. It looks like the Turks will have their first problems with their always good friends the Americans....

Former Defense Secretary Powell was infuriated with the Turks when they tried to meddle with the US when it concerned Iraqi Kurds. Once again the Kurds have been such a problem to the Turks that it could lead to more destabilization and an angry US and Isreal.

[MIKLAGARD]

THE KURDISH DRAMA

Kurdistan is today partitioned among its four neighbours.

Turkey alone occupies half Kurdistan. The Turkish Kurdistan covers an area of 230.000 km2, represents 30% of the whole area of Turkey and is inhabited by approximately 12 million Kurds.

The remaining area of Kurdistan is occupied by Iraq, Iran and a small part by Syria.

In Iran, the Kurds have sufficient freedom and a relative autonomy. In Iraq, they have also autonomy, with their own parliament in Erbil, in north Iraq.

The only country which, not only does not recognise any human right to the Kurds, but also forbids them to speak their own language, to sing their songs, to have newspapers, books, schools, culture, is Turkey. For this reason, the Kurdish problem is mostly a problem, for the part of Kurdistan, which is enslaved to Turkey

The Kurds are a Indoeuropean people, related to the Persians. They inhabited the lands where they live today, 35 centuries ago. Their language is related to the Persian language and was written since the 7th century B.C. According to the latest scientific research, they are considered descendants of the Medes. Thus, they have absolutely no relation (racial, linguistic, anthropologic) to their turkish oppressors, who are of mongolic descent.They also have no relation with the Arabs who are of Semitic descent. The only common characteristic amongthese three nations is the moslem religion.

The Kurds enter history from the time of their acceptance of Islam after the occupation of their country by the army of Chalifa Omar in 637A. D. Saladin, the heroic opponent of the Crusaders, is the great hero of the Kurds during the Middle Ages. Saladin formed a great empire which survived even after his death, in 1193.

The Mongolian attacks of the beginning of the l3th century, dissolved the kurdish states. Because of the separation into many autonomous states and the feudal organisation of society, a great part of Kurdistan was later conquered by the Ottoman Empire and the rest was conquered by Persia.

There is hardly any parallel in history, to the struggles of the Kurds for their independence. In 1806 Babazade Abdul Rahman organised the first revolt against the Turks in Mosul. Since then, there have been 38 Kurdish revolts and uprisings.

The greatest was that which took place in 1925,led by Sheikh Said. It lasted almost 20 months. The totalitarian regime of Kemal crushed the Kurds and drowned their revolt in blood.

The Kurds were slaughtered or hanged by thousands. The turkish newspaper VAKIT, wrote characteristically in 7-5-1925 <<Wherever a turkish bayonet appears, there is no Kurdish problem>>. This is always the turkish response to peoples demanding their independence. The Kurdish revolts in Turkey had 1.500.000 victims. There is constantly for 50 years martial law in the eastern turkish provinces, where the Kurds live, and the district is forbidden to foreigners.

The turkish authorities want to ignore the Kurds, they call them mountainous Turks and they deprive them of any human right. Blood, violence, oppression, have not erased the desire of the Kurdish people to live independent not under this totalitarian enslavement where they are today.

The turkish military regime has recently intensified the oppression and extermination of Kurds. Thousands of them rot in prisons while others live in caves. It would however be wrong to believe that violence against the Kurds was less intense under the so called democratic regime of Turkey. Policy is one and the same for any turkish regime: The policy of extermination of every minority.

The Treaty of Sevres which has not been officially annulled, mentions an autonomous, independent Kurdistan. The Kurds have the right to free themselves from turkish yoke. Kurdish independence must become a reality. Give your help to that end.

In the pages that follow you will see photographs of the drama and the struggle of the kurdish people.


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[O Tizimis]

The Kurds right now is Turkeys worst fear. They live throughout Turkey and all they need to see is that Kurds get a piece of Iraqi land and boom they will explode throughout Turkey wanting a piece of it as well. Im sure the Turks are well aware of that and they are probably devising a plan to start attacking them first in Turkey and then they will find a way to invade Iraq and control the Kurds their.

[AlmightyGreek]

Originally Posted by Ellinas
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

The possible establishment of a Kurdish state in North Iraq by the Americans is becoming a real nightmare for the Turks. If something like that happens, the Kurds of Turkey will be desperately pushing for indepedence and unification with the (former Iraqi) Kurdistan.

Not to mention that if the Americans create a big banana-state in that area, they will increase their influence in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean so they will not need the Turks anymore. It looks like the Turks will have their first problems with their always good friends the Americans....

You are correct. The Turks must be petrofied of that picture. It will be a good thing though if that actually happens for Greece I think.