An American attack will break Iraq up

Turkey’s top general Kivrikoglu has stated that a possible American attack on Iraq will lead to the dissolvent of the country and therefore opposes such an attempt.

General Kývrýkoðlu noted that, "the American intervention in Iraq during the Gulf War resulted in heavy losses for Turkey regarding trade and petrol. But if it intervenes this time the damages will be even greater, an independent Kurdish State might become a reality".

Kývrýkoðlu’s statement came yesterday at the Presidential Cankaya Palace during a dinner organised for the Emir of Qatar, Hamad Bin Halife El-Tani. Kivrikoglu, replying to the question of the journalists, said that, "a possible American attack would not get any support from the international community" and continued, "it is not only us, Russia and Iran are also against a break up of Iraq. Arab countries are against the possibility of a creation of an ethnic state on what they consider Arabic soil. See, even today the Arab countries do not accept the Israeli occupation of territories".

This work cannot be done with 50,000 soldiers

General Kivrikoglu called, the news published in Newsweek, that there had been an agreement among American officials that Iraq should be attacked and that Turkey had agreed to enter Northern Iraq with 50 000 soldiers, as "lies". "This is not possible with 50,000 people. During the Gulf War they deployed 500,000 people", Kivrikoglu said.

Commenting on the news published by the American weekly Newsweek, that Turkey had agreed on deploying troops in Northern Iraq if an American attack took place, the Prime Minister of Turkey Bulent Ecevit said, "there is not such an agreement".

The National Security minister of Turkey, Sabahattin Cakmakoglu also commenting on the news said, "a Turkish agreement on an attack on Iraq is out of question. Our position on this issue is clear. And I have not heard of such an agreement."

Source: Hurriyet, Turkish daily, 26 December 2001