Turkmen front not controlled by Turkey, says Aga

Armed soldiers guard the entrance of the Turkmen Front headquarters in Arbil, a Kurdish stronghold in northern Iraq. It is a ramshackle bungalow, which hardly keeps out the winter chill. The office staffers are bundled up in coats and take turns warming up in front of the kerosene heater.

"This is all a show," said one Kurdish analyst. "They have plenty of money. But they are trying to dispel rumours that they are funded by the Turkish government."

While the Turkmen Front did take part in the Iraqi opposition conference in London last month, many Kurds believe that the Front is no more than an instrument in the hands of neighbouring Turkey to secure its interests in northern Iraq at this critical juncture.

According to one Kurdish scholar, Turkish politicians are dusting off history books to dig up legal bases for its dibs on the oilfields of "southern Kurdistan".

There are others who believe Turkey is trying to justify its bloated military budget by creating an impression that the Turkmen minority in northern Iraq is in need of protection. According to Kurdish politicians, the idea that Kurds in Iraq are seeking an independent Kurdistan has been propagated by Turkish media. The rationale is that an independent Kurdistan carved out of Iraq would stir up irredentist ambitions among Kurds in Turkey and as such, threaten the territorial integrity and internal stability of Turkey.

The greatest fear, however, is that Turkey, which already has ground troops stationed in Kurdish cities, stands to gain a permanent foothold in the region if it agrees to allow the U.S. unrestricted use of its territory, bases and airspace during any military action against Iraqi President Saddam Hussain.

"Let me make one thing clear. If any government or non-governmental organisation helps us, it does not mean they control our activities," said Sanan Ahmet Aga, leader of the Front. "For the record, our funding comes from an awqaf organisation based in Ankara. Individuals or groups who support our cause can make donations through this office."

The Turkmen Front was founded in 1995 based on the premise that "no single community has the right to stake its claim on this land". They do not recognise the so-called Kurdistan regional government. While most residents refer to the area north of Iraq as "Kurdistan", they use the term "no-fly-zone".

"The Kurdish government is a de facto government. Even among themselves, the Kurds do not agree. There is one government in Arbil, another in Sulemanieh, and a third Islamic government on the Iranian border," said Aga, a lawyer by profession. "This is a recipe for civil war."

He added that these set-ups are neither permanent, nor legitimate, as "any legitimate government would have to be recognised by the United Nations".

Turkmen demographics are a moot point. According to Kurdish figures, there are roughly 400,000 Turkmen in all of Iraq. Aga, however, places the figure closer to 3 million, out of which 20 per cent reside in the "no-fly-zone" area.

The Front claims the Turkmen population is discriminated against by the Kurdish administration. A list of 300 grievances was recently submitted to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

"They prevent us from teaching our children Turkmen history in schools, and they force our children to learn Kurdish," said Aga.

Nonetheless, the Front operates some 20 schools in Arbil, four radio stations, one TV programme, one biweekly newspaper, three periodicals, five magazines and a cultural centre.

"We are the same race as the Turks," said Aga, who sports a white handlebar moustache in the Ottoman tradition.

"But our country is Iraq. Our strategy is very clear. We believe that all Iraqi people should enjoy the same basic human rights. To achieve this goal, we need a multi-party, parliamentary system in Iraq."

Jawdat Al Najar, Minister for Turkmen Affairs, vehemently rejects the position of the Turkmen Front, which, he points out, is not licensed by the Kurdistan regional government.

"There is no basis for their claims. I am Turkmen. If there were discrimination, would I hold such a high-ranking position in the government?" he asked. "Most Turkmens support the Kurdistan Democratic Party because their path is right and good."

According to Al Najar, who is also Chairman of the Turkmen Cultural Centre, there are 25,000 Turkmens residing in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq.

"The Turkmen Front serves the interests of Turkey, and not Iraq. No one asked Turkey to interfere in our affairs. Turkey should not interfere, unless it does so as part of Nato," he said.

He believes the Front may have a support base of 10 per cent of the Turkmen population - at the most. "They've been causing too many unnecessary problems, and the people are fed up with them," he said.

Roughly 60 per cent of the Turkmen population is Shiite and as such, Al Najar said they are likely to support the Iran-backed Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI).

The minister also doubts that the Turkmen population has racial ties to the Turks in Turkey. He dismissed the notion as political propaganda.

"We predate the Turks," he said. "The Turks come from Central Asia. We have been in this area for thousands of years."