Maliki’s new steps that escalate tension
January 31, 2012 at 9:24 am | Posted in Turkmens | Leave a commentTags: Iraq-Turkey relations
Maliki’s new steps that escalate tension | |
Hasan Kanbolat | |
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been making comments targeting Turkey since mid-December 2011. | |
Maliki, in his statements, has argued that Turkey is interfering with the internal affairs of Iraq; however, he has failed to accuse the US, which occupied the country as of 2003, or Iran of doing the same, especially given that Iran even interfered with the appointment of its government. Nobody can argue that Maliki holds constructive and positive views on Turkey. However, he has never made such strong public statements before. Why is he making them now?Maliki has argued that Turkey has strong ties with the Sunni Arabs in the country through bonds with Sunni leader Tariq al-Hashimi. However, it is a known fact that Turkey has good relations with the Iraqi Islamic Supreme Council and its leader, Ammar al-Hakim, as well as the Sadr movement. It is obvious that not all Shiites have trouble with Turkey and that only relations with Maliki and the Dawa Party have deteriorated. This is the best indicator that Turkey has been relying on a discourse that does not put emphasis on sectarianism.
Maliki’s new policy of targeting Turkey since Dec. 2011, which has escalated tension with Ankara, appeared to come to a halt on Jan. 25, when Hakim paid a visit to Ankara. However, Maliki still keeps criticizing and condemning the Sunni-Arab leaders in the country. Over the past week, the Baghdad deputy governor, the Diyala deputy governor and the Salahaddin parliament speaker have been arrested for supporting terrorism. All of them are members of the Sunni al-Iraqiya movement. Vice President Hashimi, another Sunni-Arab politician, is still in Erbil. His motion to be tried in Kirkuk has been dismissed by the Iraqi Supreme Court. Deputy Prime Minister Salih al-Mutlaq may be replaced by another politician from Iraqiya. It is useful to recall that Mutlaq is a former Baath member and that he participated in the elections due to strong demand by the US and Turkey despite the fact he was on a list of those banned from running for office before the March 7, 2010 elections. As Maliki takes a stronger stance against the Sunni-Arab politicians, the troubles within Iraqiya are manifesting more visibly. The leadership of the party, which protested the cabinet and the parliament after the arrest of Hashimi and did not join the parliamentary sessions, is now unable to control the party group. Some ministers and deputies did not comply with the party’s decision to boycott the parliamentary activities. The Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) in the Iraqiya bloc endorsed the party’s decision; however, some of its ministers did not support it. To what point will Maliki escalate tension? When he was elected prime minister in 2006, Maliki did not have strong tribal or political support. He was appointed prime minister because he was not strong not because he was strong. However, over time, he proved that he was a smart politician, showing that a weak prime minister could actually turn into a strong political figure. He attracted the support of civilian and military bureaucracy, putting emphasis on the unity and integrity of Iraq. It has become a fashion to wear badges and tags of the Iraqi map. Only nine months after the general elections on March 7, 2010, Maliki was able to form the government on Dec. 21, 2010. The new election system and the parties’ preference to take part in the elections as coalitions and political blocs created a divided parliament and government. For this reason, after the withdrawal of the US troops, Maliki has been trying to intimidate the Sunni-Arab politicians. If he succeeds in this plan, Maliki, as argued by reports and analyses, could turn his attention to the Shiite parties and then the Kurds as well to secure a Shiite union in the country. Maliki’s policies that have been escalating tensions as of late have also led to escalated violence, particularly in Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk. The manageable chaotic environment is about to be replaced by an unpredictable chaos in the country. |
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist-270053-malikis-new-steps-that-escalate-tension.html
Davutoğlu, Iraqi Shiite leader discuss cooperation
November 18, 2009 at 8:34 pm | Posted in Turkmens | Leave a commentTags: Ammar Abdulaziz al-Hakim, Iraq-Turkey relations
Davutoğlu, Iraqi Shiite leader discuss cooperation
ISTANBUL – Daily News with wires
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Ammar Abdulaziz al-Hakim, leader of Iraq’s Islamic Supreme Council, discussed the upcoming elections in Iraq and future cooperation regarding the Kurdish issue on Wednesday in Istanbul.
Davutoğlu signified that the elections were could be a “turning point” in the two countries’ relations.
During the meeting, Davutoğlu said Turkey wanted a peaceful and prosperous Iraq, reported Anatolia news agency.
Al- Hakim stressed the importance of preserving the rights of all Iraqis, including those of the Turkmen people in Kirkuk. He welcomed Turkey’s support of Iraq’s democratization process and cooperation on water policy.
In an interview with broadcaster CNNTürk, al-Hakim responded to a question about Turkey’s recent foreign policy moves: “We see Turkey as a bridge between East and West. Of course, we welcome Turkey’s improved relations with the East. But it is important that Turkey maintains its position with the West at the same time.”
© 2009 Hurriyet Daily News
URL: www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=davutoglu-and-iraqi-shiite-leader-discuss-relations-2009-11-18
Attack Against Turkmen Existence in Iraq: Tazehurmatu
August 14, 2009 at 9:45 am | Posted in Turkmens | Leave a commentTags: Hasan Kanbolat, Iraq-Turkey relations, Iraqi Turkmens, Kerkuk, Kurdish expansionism in northern Iraq, ORSAM, Shaikh Taqi al-Mawla, Talafer, Taze Khurmatu
Attack Against Turkmen Existence in Iraq: Tazehurmatu Hasan Kanbolat, Director of ORSAM http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/showArticle.aspx?ID=31 As the guest of honor in the conference named “The role of Turkmens in a New Iraq,” held in Baghdad on June 20, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said, “Turkmens were forced to change their identity due to pressure from the Baath regime,” and noted that they “have made great sacrifices for their country.” While he underlined that these kinds of problems needed to end, he announced that foreign military forces would not be allowed in Iraqi settlement areas and warned that violence could increase because of some circles that did not want foreign forces to withdraw while emphasizing the country’s need for unity and collaboration. A leading member of the Islamic Revolutionary High Council and representative of the Shiite Alliance, Shaikh Taqi al-Mawla said Turkmens wanted to adopt a more important role and asked that Turkmens be given their constitutional rights. Also pushing for the districts of Tal Afar and TuzKhurmatu to gain the status of “province,” al-Mawla said Kirkuk belonged to all Iraqis. Just hours after talking about the possibility of an increase in violence, Tal Afar and TuzKhurmatu gaining “province” status and about oil-rich Kirkuk, a place Kurds want to dominate, a bomb exploded in downtown Tazehurmatu. A suicide truck bomb exploded as worshippers left the Shiite Rasul al-Azam mosque, killing 70 people and wounding close to 200 people.
Tazehurmatu is a predominantly Shiite Turkmen district. Turkmens from Tazehurmatu are intellectual people who have protected their Turkmen identity. The rate of female participation in politics and elections in Tazehurmatu is much higher when compared to other parts of Iraq. Just recently, a march was held in Tazehurmatu protesting the increasing presence of Kurds in the area. Tazehurmatu is an area where only one ethnicity (Turkmen) and one sect (Shiism) is prevalent, making it an ill-suited place to start an ethnic or sectarian conflict.
The real issue, however, is that Tazehurmatu is a border district to Sulaimaniya, which belongs to the Kurdish administration and is within range of Kurdish regional expansion. This is a known scenario. In the past, the same situation emerged in the predominantly Turkmen district of Tal Afar. In a conflict sparked between the Sunnis and Shiites in Tal Afar, which falls under the jurisdiction of the province of Mosul, 3,000 people were killed, 6,000 were injured and around 5,000 families (30,000-35,000 people) fled the area; the economy collapsed. The same game that was played in Tal Afar is being played in Tazehurmatu. The game is starting conflict to foment violence and instability and thereby ruining the economy and forcing the Turkmens to flee. In this way a Turkmen presence is removed in an area that has the potential to become a province and is in close proximity to the Kurdish administration. The bloodiest attack of this year in Iraq was the attack in Tazehurmatu. But the incident did not get the attention of the world media it deserved. Although Tazehurmatu is a Turkmen-rooted settlement area, the attack did not get much attention from Turkey, which is actually a very sensitive country when it comes to the Palestine issue in the Middle East. When a Palestinian suffers the slightest injury, everyone in Turkey takes a stance. However, Turkish people and politicians have not shown the same sensitivity to Iraq and the Iraqi Turkmens as they show to the Palestinian cause and Gaza. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s visit to Iraq, which was scheduled to commence on June 22, has been postponed indefinitely. Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal has said he will visit Iraq in the fall. Visits by these two leaders are going to be a ray of hope for Iraqi Turkmens, who sincerely believe in the unity and democratization of Iraq. |
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