Iraq Furious as Turkey, Iraqi Kurds Negotiate in Kirkuk
Iraq Blasts Visit as Violation of Sovereignty
Iraq and Turkey haven’t been on the best of terms in recent months, primarily because of the ongoing dispute over Turkey buying oil from Iraqi Kurdistan without the central government’s permission. That tension is on the rise again today, following a high profile visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
At issue is that Davutoglu apparently didn’t clear the visit with Iraq’s Foreign Ministry first, and instead spent the whole time visiting with the government of the largely autonomous Kurdistan region, aiming to gain support in declaring Syria’s Kurdish rebels a “common threat.”
While Turkey was touting it as the “first visit to Kirkuk in 75 years,” Iraqi officials were blasting it as a violation of their national sovereignty, and warning that even though the talks centered on Kurds in Syria, they considered it unwelcome external meddling.
Turkey has been increasingly friendly with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) while being unusually critical of Iraq’s central government. The issue is exasperated because Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who the Iraqi central government wants to jail as a terrorist, has taken up residence on a permanent basis in Turkey after having hidden in Iraqi Kurdistan for months.
Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz
- US Slams Russia's Missile Sales to Syria - May 17th, 2013
- Nine Killed, 70 Wounded in Bombings Near Kandahar - May 17th, 2013
- Envoy: Russia May Deploy Troops to Tajik-Afghan Border - May 17th, 2013
- Pentagon in Afghan Budget Crisis, Seeks to Shift $10 Billion in Funds - May 17th, 2013
- Nigeria Launching Massive Offensive Against Boko Haram - May 17th, 2013
mojo
August 2nd, 2012 at 9:13 pm
Day by day and hour by hour the world getting closer to a bigger war, a regional war from Lebanon to Afghanistan thanks to the stupidity of one man and one man only, George W. Bush. Not that the planers are not that stupid but they are out of picture, they got paid for what they are, a shame to the human race, every one of them one way or the other has been paid, by stealing from Iraqis or otherwise, starting with Paul Wolfowitz, Richard perl, Rumsfeld, Carl Rove and rest of the Mafia gang from Chicago to WDC.
MoT
August 3rd, 2012 at 7:33 am
I agree except the current clown has every opportunity to reverse the tide but chooses not to do so. And that tells me he's just a clone with a tan.
mojo
August 3rd, 2012 at 9:09 am
You are correct as your words are. The nature of these people is based on betrayal and deception of their own people to start with, the nature of these people is based on lies to get by, here the color have no meaning, in the other hand what they have lied about is the fact showing their true faces.