XV. DO THE CROSS-BORDER OPERATIONS INDICATE THE NEO-OTTOMAN EXPANSIONIST POLICY OF TURKEY?

It is stated that some Arabs suspect Turkey of harboring Ottoman ambitions.78 Similarly, extensive military operations carried out in Northern Iraq are thought to nourish expansionist ambitions in some quarters of Turkish political life which could result in the annexation of Mosul province.79 During the operations launched in October 1992 Iraqi Kurdish spokesmen alleged that the real aim of Turkey was not fighting the PKK, but the establishment of a Turkish presence in the area.80

These arguments were invalidated as Turkish troops returned to Turkey having attained their objectives with those operations in Northern Iraq. The PKK has used the territory in Northern Iraq where it is declared to be a "Safe Haven" and Iraqi government is unable to realize its sovereignty. Reports indicate that PKK activity with regard to training facilities has been highest in Northern Iraq.81 The White House statement, dated 26 July 1996, which represents the official position of the United States of America, said: "Northern Iraq should not serve as a sanctuary for activities of the PKK nor should the PKK receive support from any quarter." In the same statement, it was told that the US would urge the people of Northern Iraq to take all appropriate measures to deny the PKK opportunities to exploit northern Iraq for its own purposes. The lack of authority in the "Safe Haven" where PKK could use to infiltrate into Turkey through mountainous and hardly controllable border region for its terrorist attacks compelled Turkey to carry out military operations in the region for the security of its borders and citizens. Also, it should be noted that in 1980s Turkey crossed the Iraqi border with the consent of Iraqi Government to pursue PKK terrorists escaping into Iraq. It would be illogical to think that Iraq allowed the troops of a country into its territory which had expansionist aims on an Iraqi region, Mosul. To maintain peace and stability in the region, Turkey has stressed the importance of Iraq preserving its territorial integrity and compliant with UN Security Council resolutions, and refashioning its development along democratic lines.82

On the other hand, the proven oil reserves in Northern Iraq will probably last for only twenty years and they would not compensate, therefore, the costs of incorporating 4 million Kurds into Turkey.83

78 Rouleau,"The Challenges...", p. 115.

79 James Wyllie, "Turkish Objectives in Northern Iraq", Jane’s Intelligence Review, Vol. 7 No. 7 (July 1995), p. 308.

80 Ofra Bengio, "The Challenge to Territorial Integrity of Iraq", Survival (Summer 1995), p. 84.

81 "Bomb School: International Terrorist Training Camps", Jane’s Intelligence Review (March 1997), p. 136. The US Department of State‘s annual Patterns of Global Terrorism for 1996 reports that the terrorist PKK continues to use northern Iraq as a safehaven and base for attacks on Turkey.

82 Hikmet Çetin (Former Minister of Foreign Affairs), "The Firm Anchor-Turkish Foreign Policy In Troubled Seas", NATO’s Sixteen Nations , Volume 38 No:4/1993 Special Issue, p. 25.

83 Barkey, "Turkey’s...", p. 64.