LONDON — A communique issued by political organisations active in northen Iraq on February 23 condemned the planned Turkish-US invasion of northern Iraq (South Kurdistan).
"There is no justification for invading South Kurdistan... for the sake of saving the democratic experience and in order not to tilt the balance of power in the region, we strongly stand against the Turkish invasion", the communique said. "The Kurdish nation stands firm against all invasions and will not kneel. It is ready to give whatever sacrifices it takes in order to stop the Turkish or any invasion of Kurdistan."
The forces urged the Kurdish diaspora "to condemn the Turkish policy by every possible means, including condemnations and demonstrations".
The 23 organisations that signed the communique are: the Kurdistan Communist Party-Iraq; the Kurdistan Social Democratic Party; the Democratic Labour Party; the Democratic Mesopotamia Party; the Kurdish Hizbullah Revolutionary Party; the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan-Iraq; the Turkomen Cultural Association of Kurdistan-Iraq; the Brotherhood Turkomen Party of Iraq; the Unity Turkomen Party of Iraq; the Democratic Turkoman Party of Kurdistan; the Iraqi National Party; the Kurdistan Popular Party; the Democratic Movement of the Kurdistan Nation; the Farmers and Toilers Movement of Kurdistan; the Toilers Struggle Movement of Kurdistan; the Freedom Party of Kurdistan; the Kurdish National Association; the Faly Kurdish Association; the Association of Toilers of Kurdistan; the Kurdistan Freedom Congress; the Movement of Democratic Demands of Kurdistan; the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP); and the Unity of National Democrats of Kurdistan.
"Any [Turkish] intervention, under whatever pretext, will lead to clashes", Hoshyar Zebari, a senior KDP official told a February 23 press conference in Erbil. The pro-Western KDP administers the western portion of northern Iraq, beneath the US-British "no-fly" zone. "It would not be helpful for the image and reputation of the US, Britain and many of these countries that want to help the Iraqi people to see two of their allies — Turkey and the Kurdish parties — at each other's throats."
On February 25, the parliament in predominantly Kurdish northern Iraq unanimously voted to oppose Turkish military forces entering Iraq in the event of a US war to overthrow Saddam Hussein. The parliament is dominated by two pro-US parties, the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
The resolution passed just hours before Zalmay Khalilzad, US President George Bush's special envoy, arrived in northern Iraq to meet with leaders.
The Kurdish population has become increasingly fearful that Turkey will use the cover of a US war against Iraq to take control of Iraqi Kurdistan. Yasar Yakis, Turkey's foreign minister, recently stated that Turkish troops would disarm Iraq's Kurds.
Rizgar Haji Kayil, a former guerrilla who is now a Kurdish legislator, warned: "If the Turks enter Kurdistan, I will carry weapons all of my life. If Turkey enters Kurdistan, the US will lose its best friend, the Kurds."
[From <http://kurdishmedia.com>.]
From Green Left Weekly, March 5, 2003.
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