WASHINGTON — Iraqi leaders said the United States has
prevented invasions of their country by Turkey and other neighbors.
Senior Iraqi officials said Turkey has refrained from any major ground
attack on Iraq to avoid confrontation with the United States, Middle East Newsline reported. They said U.S.
forces in Iraq would deter any Turkish invasion in an effort to destroy
Kurdish insurgency strongholds.
"I think there is no danger of Turkey invading Iraqi Kurdistan," Iraqi
President Jalal Talabani said. "The U.S. presence in particular is
preventing any kind of invasion of Iraq by its neighbors. This is why we
want the presence, even if only symbolic, of U.S. forces in Iraq."
[On Thursday, imprisoned Kurdish Workers Party leader Abdullah Ocalan
called for a ceasefire in the war against Turkey. Ocalan said he wanted to
halt rising
tension between Turkey and the PKK.]
In a Sept. 26 address to the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center,
Talabani acknowledged that the PKK has used northern Iraq as a base to
strike Turkey. But Talabani, who met with President George Bush, said Iraq
could end PKK attacks without resorting to force.
"We could calm Turkey down," Talabani said. "We could convince the
Kurdistan Workers' Party leadership to stop fighting against Turkey."
Ankara has repeatedly warned of retaliating against the PKK, which
claimed responsibility for bombings and abductions in Turkey. Over the last
week, Turkey, with at least 2,000 troops in northern Iraq, increased
artillery strikes against PKK strongholds in the area.
Kurdish sources said Turkish artillery units shelled Iraq at least three
times since Sept. 23. Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan reported
Turkish artillery strikes against three Kurdish villages around Zaho,
located near the Turkish border. The PUK website said Turkish warplanes also
flew over the area.
[On late Thursday, a pipeline that transports natural gas from Iran to
Turkey was bombed. The explosion, which ignited a fire, was said to have
taken place in the Iranian city of Bazargan.]
During his tour of the United States, Talabani, who called for a
permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq, accused Iran, Syria and Turkey of
interfering in Iraqi affairs. He warned that Iraq could retaliate by aiding
the opposition in those neighboring countries.
"We'll support the opposition of other countries, will try to make
trouble for them as they are doing for us," Talabani said. "Iraq can help
the opposition forces of our neighboring countries."
