TURKEY WANTS TO INVADE IRAQ

[issac the dragon]

ISTANBUL, Oct. 9 — Turkey took a step toward a military operation in Iraq on Tuesday, as its top political and military leaders issued a statement allowing troops to cross the Iraq border to eliminate separatist Kurdish rebel camps in the northern region

Turkey moved toward military action in the face of strong opposition by the United States, which is anxious to maintain peace in the region, one of the rare areas of stability in conflict-torn Iraq. But more than two dozen Turkish soldiers have been killed in recent days, and the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan seemed far more determined than before to act decisively.

A government official without authorization to speak publicly on the issue who asked not to be identified by name, said preparations were under way to seek parliamentary approval for a cross-border military operation, a request that would be the first formal step toward an offensive.

The Associated Press reported that the request would be submitted to Parliament as early as Wednesday.

Government offices and institutions have been ordered “to take all economic and political measures, including cross-border operations when necessary, in order to end the existence of the terror organization in a neighboring country,” said the statement, which was released by Mr. Erdogan’s office, after he met with political and military leaders in Ankara.

A Turkish military offensive into northern Iraq, while unlikely, would have far-reaching consequences for the United States. Turkey is a NATO member and has the region’s most powerful army. Turkey’s support of the United States in the Iraq war is crucial. The United States’ Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey supplies the military in central Iraq.

Sean McCormack, a State Department spokesman, said the United States had encouraged Turkish officials to work together with the Iraqi government.

“In our view, it is not going to lead to a long-term, durable solution to have significant incursions from Turkey into Iraq,” he said at a news briefing in Washington.

But Iraq’s government has little authority in the region, which is controlled exclusively by Kurds, and an accord reached by Iraq’s interior minister and senior Turkish officials last month did not include permission for military operations, a formulation that frustrated Turkey. nytimes 2007/10/10

This is going to be a sucking mess.

[Semantics]

Let them do it because maybe in a decade or so we'll be pissed at them and we can use it as an excuse to overthrow their government, illegally occupy their country, and steal their oil. :yep

[issac the dragon]

The only flaw in that Semantics is that there is apparently no oil in Turkey. They've been trying for decades to find some.

The Turks had an agreement with Hussein. They could invade each others countries at will to stop the Kurdish rebels. It seemed to work. But the US wants to keep the Kurds on our side. It will end up costing us dearly. The Bushies are not able to look beyond today's needs.

[Wabash]

The only flaw in that Semantics is that there is apparently no oil in Turkey. They've been trying for decades to find some.

The Turks had an agreement with Hussein. They could invade each others countries at will to stop the Kurdish rebels. It seemed to work. But the US wants to keep the Kurds on our side. It will end up costing us dearly. The Bushies are not able to look beyond today's needs.

I wouldn't be too sure of that...:nono

The world is a stage and sometimes you have to..:juggle

[bluedog]

ISTANBUL, Oct. 9 — Turkey took a step toward a military operation in Iraq on Tuesday, as its top political and military leaders issued a statement allowing troops to cross the Iraq border to eliminate separatist Kurdish rebel camps in the northern region

Turkey moved toward military action in the face of strong opposition by the United States, which is anxious to maintain peace in the region, one of the rare areas of stability in conflict-torn Iraq. But more than two dozen Turkish soldiers have been killed in recent days, and the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan seemed far more determined than before to act decisively.

A government official without authorization to speak publicly on the issue who asked not to be identified by name, said preparations were under way to seek parliamentary approval for a cross-border military operation, a request that would be the first formal step toward an offensive.

The Associated Press reported that the request would be submitted to Parliament as early as Wednesday.

Government offices and institutions have been ordered “to take all economic and political measures, including cross-border operations when necessary, in order to end the existence of the terror organization in a neighboring country,” said the statement, which was released by Mr. Erdogan’s office, after he met with political and military leaders in Ankara.

A Turkish military offensive into northern Iraq, while unlikely, would have far-reaching consequences for the United States. Turkey is a NATO member and has the region’s most powerful army. Turkey’s support of the United States in the Iraq war is crucial. The United States’ Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey supplies the military in central Iraq.

Sean McCormack, a State Department spokesman, said the United States had encouraged Turkish officials to work together with the Iraqi government.

“In our view, it is not going to lead to a long-term, durable solution to have significant incursions from Turkey into Iraq,” he said at a news briefing in Washington.

But Iraq’s government has little authority in the region, which is controlled exclusively by Kurds, and an accord reached by Iraq’s interior minister and senior Turkish officials last month did not include permission for military operations, a formulation that frustrated Turkey. nytimes 2007/10/10

This is going to be a sucking mess.

That must be the reason that the liberals are trying to stir the stink up in the manure pile of the middle east by presenting some nonsense statement "condemning'" the Turks. Nancy Pelosi is trying to get a congressional resolution passed accusing the Turks, the only Muslim country allied with the United States in NATO, of genocide for the mass killings of Armenians almost 90 years ago(1915).....if this is not "pure politics" to place pressure upon the US military while they are in harms way(as the timing could not be more perfect, the war effect in Iraq is gaining sold footing), more political gain envisioned at the expense of our troops? As she is trying to present nonsense just for the sake of causing trouble in that region....I wonder if she will also present a congressional resolution condemning the action of the United States as genocide...as we almost wiped out the Native American peoples of this country just a few shorts years before these things happened in the middle east? BD