Turkish role in Iraq will add to chaos, instability

As Turkish and U.S. officials continue talks on a common front against Iraq, Kurdish leaders said on Friday that they oppose allowing Turkey to send troops to the Iraqi regions under Kurd control.

After two days of talks with Turkish officials, Hoshyar Zebari, a senior official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, said his faction and a rival group that have administered northern Iraq since the end of the 1991 Gulf War were unable to strike an agreement on Turkey's role if there is a U.S.-led war against Iraq.

"We do not believe the presence of any foreign troops is necessary in our region, we will resist it," said Zebari in a telephone interview. "Such intervention would invite intervention from other countries such as Iran and that would only add to chaos and instability."

The issue is a potential tinderbox in the U.S. drive to attract allies if it decides to attack Iraq.

The United States has been courting a reluctant Turkey, which fears Kurdish national ambitions. The Kurds are equally fearful of Turkey, which opposes a Kurdish state.

U.S. officials in Washington confirm that the American embassy in Ankara and other U.S. officials have been involved in discussions about the Turks request to send troops into northern Iraq.

"Obviously the Turks are concerned about instability and making sure that nothing happens in that area that becomes a problem for them at home," said an administration official who requested anonymity.

"We want to ensure that if it happens it takes place in a way that does not cause consternation there (in northern Iraq) or instability."

Another U.S. official said the bid to put troops into the north was proposed by Turkey, which continues to negotiate the price of its entrance into any coalition. It's one of their "markers," he said, adding that it could come off the table in the future.

"It's an active discussion with the Turks on what their needs are. They want guarantees about what the post-war environment in Northern Iraq will be and the Kurds relationship with Baghdad" after 10 years of de facto autonomy," he added. "What guarantee will Turks have in this?"

Turkey has concerns because of its own restive Kurds now divided among four countries. It also wants guarantees that the Turkoman population inside Iraq will be protected. "If there's no guarantee, then they'll want a presence there to protect them," the U.S. official said.

Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul confirmed earlier last week that Turkey plans to dispatch thousands of its troops to northern Iraq. He said the deployment is intended to stem the potential flow of millions of Kurdish refugees.

Additionally, Gul said Turkish forces would prevent the establishment of a Kurdish state in Iraq.