The Society of Turkish

Press Release: June 21, 2004

The Society of Turkish-American architects, Engineers and Scientists (MIM) held a conference in New York City on June 17, 2003 entitled "The Impact of Recent Developments in Iraq on Turkey 's Economy and Geopolitics." Dr. Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute and Mr. Orhan Ketene of the Iraqi Turkmen Front in USA were the invited speakers of the event. The event was well received by the audience, and cited by the media in US and Turkey .

Dr. Ali Kocak, the president of MIM and a native of Kirkuk , welcomed the attendees and made his opening remarks. Dr. Kocak highlighted the fact that Iraq has a long historical and geopolitical importance for Turkey . Until the World War I, Iraq was a part of the Ottoman Empire . As result of the British occupation at the end of the first war, the state of Iraq was created. Dr. Kocak then posed the following question; "Was this occupation really a peace to end all peace in the Middle East ?" He emphasized that Turkey has vital cultural, economical and security interests in the area and prefers to deal with a unified central government in Baghdad ."

Dr. Cagaptay, briefed the audience about his observations of his nine-day visit to the area in late February and early March 2004. He indicated that the northern part of Iraq is relatively prosperous compared to the southern Shiite region. According to him, this was partly due to Saddam's oppression in the south, while north was protected under the umbrella of the "Safe Heaven" provided by the US and UK, and facilitated by Turkey. However, the entire country is worse off compared to its past before the US invasion. He said that "Iraqis are glad that Saddam is gone, but they are not better off, despite the presence of large US and British troops. The security is a major issue in people's lives in Iraq ." Local security forces are poorly trained, with almost no experience. People in Iraq are still wondering, who is the new boss? How to secure the Iraqi borders and how to rebuild the country? In doing so, Americans depend on local militia, mostly Peshmerges in the north. The Shiite militia is poorly organized. In Iraq , almost everybody has weapons. That makes the country very dangerous place to live.

Focusing on the recent developments in the region, Dr Cagaptay said that "Having about 4 million happy Kurds is a good part of the puzzle since 20 million unhappy Arabs, Turkmens, and Christians makes the situation a very challenging one. This fact brings up the major question of Why a minority should have the defining role in ruling the country? in the minds of the overwhelming majority of Iraqi people." However, he said "Window of opportunity for Kurdish independence is closing and the Kurds have to find their own solution to co-exist in a democratic and unified Iraq ." Before the last UN resolution, Kurds had a veto power for the permanent constitution of Iraq . But, this is no longer the case. UN resolution made no reference for the Kurdish autonomy, or administrative and legal gains of Kurds happened during the years of Safe Heaven in the north. Dr. Cagaptay stated that "Kurds are back to where they started." According to him, the main reason for this recent development in Iraqi equation is the fact that Americans finally realized their constituents includes every Iraqi citizen, not just Kurds. For the stability of the region they need to make everybody relatively happy. He mentioned that Shiites are very disturbed that Kurds are bluntly demanding the control of 40% of the oil in the north, particularly in Kirkuk . Shiites accept democracy as a rule of majority. Since they represent 60% of Iraqi population, they have the popular support to impose their own agenda. US is trying to assure Kurds their already gained rights in Iraqi politics and economy, by assigning them some high ranking positions in the transition government.

Turkish -Kurdish relations will depend on the Kurdish attitude on certain issues that are critical for Turkey . Dr. Cagaptay indicated that Turkey is opposing the federative solutions in Iraq and extremely disturbed from the presence of PKK in the region. He said that "if PKK becomes active in northern Iraq again, fingers will be pointed at the Iraqi Kurds. Thus, Kurds should take necessary actions against the PKK establishment to satisfy Turkey 's legitimate demands since Turkey is the best natural ally for the Kurds in the region, and Turkey is their only outlet for trade routes and to the western world." Dr. Cagaptay also pointed out that the Turkmen issue can have a negative impact on Kurdish-Turkish relations unless the issue is fairly handled. The Turkmen people are living in an environment where their towns turning into political Kurdish enclaves overnight, and, if that continues to happen, it will cause popular clash and will automatically destroy the delicate relationship between Iraqi Kurds and Turkey.

Iraqi Turkmen Front representative Mr. Orhan Ketene, a native of Iraq , gave detailed historical background of Turkmens in the region dating back to 1200 years ago. He told the audience that he needed to give detailed background information about the Turkmens in the region in order to appreciate and to understand the Turkmen perspective on the issues. He underlined that most western and Kurdish media outlets intentionally twist the numbers and try to undervalue and underestimate the significant role of the Turkmens in Iraqi society and politics. "Despite all the information we provide them," he said "still the US officials go back to the old information supplied them by our enemy (Saddam) in the past." Mr. Ketene discussed the roots of the current problems between the Kurds and Turkmens. He stated that Turkmens and the Kurds were like brothers until July 1959 where the Kurdish militia with Iraqi communists started the worst genocide against the Turkmens in the history. They killed tens of Turkmens in a day. Then, he made an analogy to the Serbian genocide against the Bosnian Moslems and gave an example of some horrifying stories he witnessed personally as a young boy. In one account, he witnessed a tragedy where after shooting a person dead, the attackers tied each of his legs to two different cars and drove to split the dead body into its halves. He added that the tragic events of July 1959 are still the major source of Turkmen mistrust towards the Kurds.

He highligted that, after the first Gulf war, "Northern Safe Heaven" was established for the entire Iraqi people oppressed by Saddams rule. Unfortunately, he said, "Kurds hijacked the Safe Heaven, and declared the northern zone as Iraqi Kurdistan and told Turkmens you are merely a minority in this region." Turkmens, on the other hand, did not make any claims on any Kurdish towns or lands. They recognize that Kurds suffered under Saddam's rule, so did Turkmens and others in Iraq . He was disappointed by the fact that security in Kirkuk today is in the hands of Kurds, and the city is subject to influx of the outsider Kurds. In Kirkuk today, more than two thirds of cabs are operated by mostly outsider Kurds, and most of the street vendors are Kurdish. The Kurdish governor of the city was deliberately appointed by the Americans and British. Turkmens had expected the benefits of American democracy, justice, and tolerance. But they did not experience one so far in the post-Saddam Iraq that drives them to mobilize politically and economically in order to secure their fair share in the democratic and united Iraq of future rather than expecting a fair treatment by others. "One thing we still do not understand," Mr. Ketene said, "why the US officials are still ignoring the Turkmens reality and their critical role in a united and democratic Iraq ?"

These are the facts and problems, but what could be done? Mr. Ketene thinks that the mutual respect between Turkmens and Kurds will have to be established, and Kurds have to give up their overstated dream of Kirkuk being the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan or Jerusalem of Iraq. "Turkmens are educated people and they appreciate and respect democracy" he said. Kurds, on the other hand, have their trained militia. However, (he referred to a Turkish proverb) "if the knife reaches the bone the Turkmens will defend themselves and fight back fiercely since they can never accept to be ruled by the Kurds" Mr. Ketene said. He gave an example, "if you go to Kirkuk today, you can see Kurds have their flags all over the city and you can read on the walls " Kirkuk is our Jerusalem ." As a contrast, he said, "the Turkmens raise their flag and write on the walls, " Kirkuk is Turkmen and will remain Turkmen." But he added, "if the Kurds stop all these unrealistic claims and learn how to co-exist in a unified Iraq , the country will prosper and the people will live together happily." "Kurds should also improve their relationship with Turkey , since Turkey is the only gate to the western world for the northern region," he said. "However, while trying to improve their relationship with Turkey and, at the same time, deteriorating the Turkmen situation does not make sense," he added. "That does not make sense, since Turkmens and the Turks are brothers," he said.

Mr. Ketene concluded his presentation by stating, "Unfortunately, Americans failed in Iraq so far. They should not try to establish new Iraqi society and government based on ethnic backgrounds of people. The government positions should be filled based on professional merit rather than ethnic connections. Americans also need to consider all stakeholders in the Iraqi equation and treat all of them equally all fairly."

PLEASE VISIT www.M-I-M.org FOR MORE INFORMATION AND COMPLETE VIDEO
RECORDING OF THIS EVENT.

===================================================================

	The Society of Turkish-American Architects, Engineers and Scientists (MIM)
*Press Release: June 21, 2004* The Society of Turkish-American architects, Engineers and Scientists (MIM) held a conference in New York City on June 17, 2003 entitled "The Impact of Recent Developments in Iraq on Turkey 's Economy and Geopolitics." Dr. Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute and Mr. Orhan Ketene of the Iraqi Turkmen Front in USA were the invited speakers of the event. The event was well received by the audience, and cited by the media in US and Turkey . Dr. Ali Kocak, the president of MIM and a native of Kirkuk , welcomed the attendees and made his opening remarks. Dr. Kocak highlighted the fact that Iraq has a long historical and geopolitical importance for Turkey . Until the World War I, Iraq was a part of the Ottoman Empire . As result of the British occupation at the end of the first war, the state of Iraq was created. Dr. Kocak then posed the following question; "Was this occupation really a peace to end all peace in the Middle East ?" He emphasized that Turkey has vital cultural, economical and security interests in the area and prefers to deal with a unified central government in Baghdad ." Dr. Cagaptay, briefed the audience about his observations of his nine-day visit to the area in late February and early March 2004. He indicated that the northern part of Iraq is relatively prosperous compared to the southern Shiite region. According to him, this was partly due to Saddam's oppression in the south, while north was protected under the umbrella of the "Safe Heaven" provided by the US and UK, and facilitated by Turkey. However, the entire country is worse off compared to its past before the US invasion. He said that "Iraqis are glad that Saddam is gone, but they are not better off, despite the presence of large US and British troops. The security is a major issue in people's lives in Iraq ." Local security forces are poorly trained, with almost no experience. People in Iraq are still wondering, who is the new boss? How to secure the Iraqi borders and how to rebuild the country? In doing so, Americans depend on local militia, mostly Peshmerges in the north. The Shiite militia is poorly organized. In Iraq , almost everybody has weapons. That makes the country very dangerous place to live. Focusing on the recent developments in the region, Dr Cagaptay said that "Having about 4 million happy Kurds is a good part of the puzzle since 20 million unhappy Arabs, Turkmens, and Christians makes the situation a very challenging one. This fact brings up the major question of Why a minority should have the defining role in ruling the country? in the minds of the overwhelming majority of Iraqi people." However, he said "Window of opportunity for Kurdish independence is closing and the Kurds have to find their own solution to co-exist in a democratic and unified Iraq ." Before the last UN resolution, Kurds had a veto power for the permanent constitution of Iraq . But, this is no longer the case. UN resolution made no reference for the Kurdish autonomy, or administrative and legal gains of Kurds happened during the years of Safe Heaven in the north. Dr. Cagaptay stated that "Kurds are back to where they started." According to him, the main reason for this recent development in Iraqi equation is the fact that Americans finally realized their constituents includes every Iraqi citizen, not just Kurds. For the stability of the region they need to make everybody relatively happy. He mentioned that Shiites are very disturbed that Kurds are bluntly demanding the control of 40% of the oil in the north, particularly in Kirkuk . Shiites accept democracy as a rule of majority. Since they represent 60% of Iraqi population, they have the popular support to impose their own agenda. US is trying to assure Kurds their already gained rights in Iraqi politics and economy, by assigning them some high ranking positions in the transition government. Turkish -Kurdish relations will depend on the Kurdish attitude on certain issues that are critical for Turkey . Dr. Cagaptay indicated that Turkey is opposing the federative solutions in Iraq and extremely disturbed from the presence of PKK in the region. He said that "if PKK becomes active in northern Iraq again, fingers will be pointed at the Iraqi Kurds. Thus, Kurds should take necessary actions against the PKK establishment to satisfy Turkey 's legitimate demands since Turkey is the best natural ally for the Kurds in the region, and Turkey is their only outlet for trade routes and to the western world." Dr. Cagaptay also pointed out that the Turkmen issue can have a negative impact on Kurdish-Turkish relations unless the issue is fairly handled. The Turkmen people are living in an environment where their towns turning into political Kurdish enclaves overnight, and, if that continues to happen, it will cause popular clash and will automatically destroy the delicate relationship between Iraqi Kurds and Turkey. Iraqi Turkmen Front representative Mr. Orhan Ketene, a native of Iraq , gave detailed historical background of Turkmens in the region dating back to 1200 years ago. He told the audience that he needed to give detailed background information about the Turkmens in the region in order to appreciate and to understand the Turkmen perspective on the issues. He underlined that most western and Kurdish media outlets intentionally twist the numbers and try to undervalue and underestimate the significant role of the Turkmens in Iraqi society and politics. "Despite all the information we provide them," he said "still the US officials go back to the old information supplied them by our enemy (Saddam) in the past." Mr. Ketene discussed the roots of the current problems between the Kurds and Turkmens. He stated that Turkmens and the Kurds were like brothers until July 1959 where the Kurdish militia with Iraqi communists started the worst genocide against the Turkmens in the history. They killed tens of Turkmens in a day. Then, he made an analogy to the Serbian genocide against the Bosnian Moslems and gave an example of some horrifying stories he witnessed personally as a young boy. In one account, he witnessed a tragedy where after shooting a person dead, the attackers tied each of his legs to two different cars and drove to split the dead body into its halves. He added that the tragic events of July 1959 are still the major source of Turkmen mistrust towards the Kurds. He highligted that, after the first Gulf war, "Northern Safe Heaven" was established for the entire Iraqi people oppressed by Saddams rule. Unfortunately, he said, "Kurds hijacked the Safe Heaven, and declared the northern zone as Iraqi Kurdistan and told Turkmens you are merely a minority in this region." Turkmens, on the other hand, did not make any claims on any Kurdish towns or lands. They recognize that Kurds suffered under Saddam's rule, so did Turkmens and others in Iraq . He was disappointed by the fact that security in Kirkuk today is in the hands of Kurds, and the city is subject to influx of the outsider Kurds. In Kirkuk today, more than two thirds of cabs are operated by mostly outsider Kurds, and most of the street vendors are Kurdish. The Kurdish governor of the city was deliberately appointed by the Americans and British. Turkmens had expected the benefits of American democracy, justice, and tolerance. But they did not experience one so far in the post-Saddam Iraq that drives them to mobilize politically and economically in order to secure their fair share in the democratic and united Iraq of future rather than expecting a fair treatment by others. "One thing we still do not understand," Mr. Ketene said, "why the US officials are still ignoring the Turkmens reality and their critical role in a united and democratic Iraq ?" These are the facts and problems, but what could be done? Mr. Ketene thinks that the mutual respect between Turkmens and Kurds will have to be established, and Kurds have to give up their overstated dream of Kirkuk being the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan or Jerusalem of Iraq. "Turkmens are educated people and they appreciate and respect democracy" he said. Kurds, on the other hand, have their trained militia. However, (he referred to a Turkish proverb) "if the knife reaches the bone the Turkmens will defend themselves and fight back fiercely since they can never accept to be ruled by the Kurds" Mr. Ketene said. He gave an example, "if you go to Kirkuk today, you can see Kurds have their flags all over the city and you can read on the walls " Kirkuk is our Jerusalem ." As a contrast, he said, "the Turkmens raise their flag and write on the walls, " Kirkuk is Turkmen and will remain Turkmen." But he added, "if the Kurds stop all these unrealistic claims and learn how to co-exist in a unified Iraq , the country will prosper and the people will live together happily." "Kurds should also improve their relationship with Turkey , since Turkey is the only gate to the western world for the northern region," he said. "However, while trying to improve their relationship with Turkey and, at the same time, deteriorating the Turkmen situation does not make sense," he added. "That does not make sense, since Turkmens and the Turks are brothers," he said. Mr. Ketene concluded his presentation by stating, "Unfortunately, Americans failed in Iraq so far. They should not try to establish new Iraqi society and government based on ethnic backgrounds of people. The government positions should be filled based on professional merit rather than ethnic connections. Americans also need to consider all stakeholders in the Iraqi equation and treat all of them equally all fairly." PLEASE VISIT www.M-I-M.org FOR MORE INFORMATION AND COMPLETE VIDEO RECORDING OF THIS EVENT. =================================================================== CLICK FOR WEB WEBCAST