THE 4th IISS REGIONAL SECURITY SUMMIT
THE MANAMA DIALOGUE
Manama Sunday 9 December 2007
IRAQ AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD- TURKEY'S PERSPECTIVE
Zecdi Gönül
Minister of Defence, Turkey
Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, esteemed guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen: it is a great pleasure for me to address such a distinguished audience on the topic that carries paramount importance for all of us. At the very beginning of my speech, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Kingdom of Bahrain for the hospitality they have shown us since our arrival. I would also like to thank the IISS and the directorate general for holding this very important forum for the first time, which paves the way for peripheral discussions.
Since the beginning of Iraqi operations, coalition forces achieved considerable progress. Among them, the most significant are the rescue of Iraqis from the authoritarian administration, in favour of a democratically elected government and immense assistance given to the improvement of democracy throughout the country. We are glad to see there are also some positive and promising developments in the international security status of Iraq. It is necessary to build a new Iraqi political institution on these gains.
On the other hand, continuation of acts of violence and terrorism in Iraq is still of deep concern to us. Turkey attaches utmost importance to the territorial integrity, as well as the national and political unity of Iraq. In order to achieve these objectives, we believe that nationwide political reconciliation should be implemented among all Iraqi political groups. Such accomplishment would help Iraq to prosper in a secure, stable, democratic and peaceful atmosphere. Prolonging instability in Iraq might well have a terrible effect on the entire region. It involves the risk of losing precious time in achieving a long-lasting peace in the Middle East. Therefore, we see an urgent need to set our priorities carefully. Political settlement at the national level should be the point that the efforts of the international focus on. In this context, United Nations Security Council Resolution 17.70 signifies the role of the UN as the main instrument for this goal.
As you know, Turkey hosted the second Enlarged Neighbouring Countries Ministerial Meeting in Istanbul on 2-3 November this year. This meeting reaffirmed the common vision of the international community vis-à-vis Iraq and demonstrated the will of all concerned parties to support the efforts of the Iraqi government towards achieving a unified, stable, democratic and pluralist Iraq. The conference concluded with calls for Iraqi government support for firmer control on the joint border security and a pledge by Baghdad to take prompt measures against PKK terrorists and combat terrorism. The conference’s final statement that Iraqi land will not be used as a base to launch terrorist attacks against neighbouring countries.
Turkey is not simply a party to, but also the initiator of this process. In this context, the Istanbul statement is a comprehensive text designed to produce certain tangible results on the ground. Involvement of the permanent five, G8, United Nations, the League of Arab States, the European Union and the Organisation of Islamic Conference at the highest level is adequate to indicate the international commitment put forward for betterment of the situation in Iraq.
As you recall, the first Enlarged Neighbouring Countries Ministerial Meeting in Sharm el Sheikh had established working groups on energy, security and displaced persons. Progress reports from these working groups have been discussed and continuations of their activities were agreed in Istanbul as well. Meanwhile, Turkey has also maintained peripheral contacts with Iraqi officials at the highest level. Iraqi Vice President, Mr Tareq Al Hashimi, Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki; Minister of Defence, Mohammed Jasim; Minister of National Security Shirwan Al Waili; and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari, have visited Turkey during the last few months. The Turkish Foreign Minister paid an official visit to Baghdad on 23 October.
Turkey considers its relationship with Iraq in a multi-dimensional framework. Security, energy, economy, social and cultural issues are several aspects of this approach. Turkey maintains a construction dialogue, not only with Iraqi political leaders but also with various groups, advising them to achieve and maintain political unity through comprehensive dialogue. These contacts with Iraqi groups, which are built upon the cultural, historical and brotherhood ties between Turkish and Iraqi peoples, aim at helping Iraq in its efforts towards stability and democracy. In order to enhance our daily contacts with Iraqi people, we are planning to open our consulate general in Basra before the end of 2007 as well.
Turkey also contributes to the training effort through their officers serving in Baghdad and giving security-related courses as part of the NATO training mission. In this context, over 100 Iraqi officers have been trained in Turkey so far in order to contribute to the Iraqi security environment. Turkey has also tried to do its best to improve the living conditions of the Iraqi people and will continue its humanitarian efforts in this regard. Turkey supplies Iraqi people’s basic needs, such as foodstuffs, water, medicine, electricity, construction material etc. and currently hundreds of Turkish firms run more than 250 projects in the construction sector in order to improve Iraqi infrastructure. The supplies from Turkey into Iraq are being transported with more than 1,000 trucks daily via the Habur border gate. Despite assaults of the PKK on the Turkish border, Turkey has never closed its borders so far, to maintain an orderly flow for the Iraqi people’s basic needs.
Now I would like to touch upon some of our security concerns regarding Iraq under three main topics. These are: disintegration of Iraqi territory, Kirkuk, PKK terror organisation activities and the present situation in the north of Iraq. One of the key issues to be addressed at this stage in Iraq is to put an end to the risk of fragmentation of the country, along ethnic and sectarian lines. Disintegration of the Iraqi territory may accelerate micro‑nationalist and sectarian moments and inevitably may have a negative effect, not only on neighbouring countries and on the whole region. Turkey is against any kind of division of Iraq which may drag the entire Middle East into a chaotic environment. In this regard, ongoing development in the north of Iraq should be overlooked, since they endanger the territorial integrity of Iraq. Considering the present situation in this particular zone of Iraq, there seems to be local administration, mostly disregarding the authority of central government.
Another main concern about Iraq is the city of Kirkuk. Kirkuk is a microcosm of Iraq, with its mixed ethnic groups, and it may become the flashpoint of regional conflict in the near future. Therefore we attribute special importance to lasting peace in Kirkuk. In this context, we pursue the postponement of the referendum in the region as an opportunity for permanent solutions which all the parties can agree on. We must sincerely wish the best for Kirkuk and hope to establish a special status there.
Last but not least, we have the PKK terror organisation’s brutal activities. Despite PKK’s move to the north of Iraq from the Bekaa Valley, dating back to 1991, the vacuum created in the aftermath of the international interventions in 2003 considerably augmented its presence in the north of Iraq. They infiltrate Turkish territory, making use of harsh terrain conditions and the security gaps along the Iraqi side of the border in order to realise their bloody actions. There has been an enormous increase in the number of victims in PKK raids in two weeks. The number of losses of security forces and civilians is over 140, just in the last year, as a result of heinous attacks by these murdering terrorists. We will not tolerate the use of Iraqi soil for the purpose of launching terrorist activities. We are determined to take all necessary preventative measures to eliminate this thread completely.
Obviously no country in the world will remain indifferent in the face of growing anger and outrage of public opinion over the death of their boys and girls each and every day, and allow a terror organisation to find safe haven in its immediate neighbourhood. In this way, government forwarded a request for authorisation to the parliament, for cross border operations to destroy the terrorist elements outside Turkish territory as self-defence. On October 17, the Turkish Parliament, with an overwhelming vote, authorise the government for cross-border operations. The almost unanimous decision fully reflects the will of people and the resolve of the Turkish parliament.
In this context, we are currently exerting all necessary efforts and we are close to following and taking note of remarks of Iraqi officials. We expect their commitment to disable PKK’s activities in Iraq to be followed by deeds. Let me reaffirm that in the event of cross border operation by Turkish security forces, Turkey’s target shall neither be an invasion of Iraqi territory, nor the local administration in the north of this country. A single and clear target of cross border security operations will be the destruction of the PKK terrorist presence in northern Iraq. All operations will be carried out in accordance with the international norms. The Turkish Government repeatedly conveyed its concerns and expectations from the Iraqi side in serious diplomatic initiatives. These included, among others, an official declaration of the PKK as a terrorist organisation by the Iraqi government, closure of terrorist camps in the Iraqi territory, prevention of cross-border infiltration by terrorist groups from the Iraqi side to Turkish territory and extraditions of the leading PKK terrorists to Turkey for prosecution.
The Turkish authorities provided detailed intelligence and offered operational assistance to the Iraqi side. On 28 September 2007, the Ministers of the Interior of Turkey and Iraq signed an agreement on combating terrorism in Ankara. Turkey has also shared its concerns and expectations with US authorities over various occasions in different formats. All these efforts continue. Turkey has brought its legitimate concerns to the attention of the international community at large. The scourge of terrorism can only be overcome through international cooperation in combating all terrorist threats, whether they are particular contacts or pretexts maybe. In this context, the statements of European Union presidency and the NATO Secretary General as well as the report adopted by the Western European Union Assembly reiterating their total condemnation of terrorist violence, or the PKK, are the most expressive messages of international solidarity.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasise once again that Turkey’s Iraqi policy is based on internationally recognised norms. As a neighbouring and friendly country, we clearly express at each platform an occasion that the independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty and national unity of Iraq should be preserved. The future of Iraq should be determined through the full participation and free consent of the Iraqi nation as a whole. After the whole effort spent by the friends of the Iraqi people, our earnest desire is to see Iraq as a democratic, unified, prosperous country that is at peace with itself and its neighbours.
I would finally like to again thank the Kingdom of Bahrain and the IISS directorate general for the hospitality they extended to us and for organising such an important and informative forum. I re-emphasise the fact that Turkey will keep up its contribution to the regional and global security to the possible maximum extent. Thank you for your kind attention.
