WASHINGTON — Trying to head off a Turkish attack in northern Iraq, President Bush on Monday told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the United States will share military intelligence in the hunt for Kurdish terrorists.
The assurance seemed to satisfy Erdogan, who said later: “I’m happy.”
The meeting of the leaders at the White House was viewed as pivotal in influencing the next move by Turkey, which is weighing a military strike against terrorist forces in Iraq.
With thousands of Turkish troops on the border of his country, Erdogan insisted Turkey has the authority to mount a cross-border incursion. He said nothing to indicate his intentions or remove that option from consideration.
But in an Oval Office session, Bush seemed to successfully convey that the U.S. is committed to combatting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. The separatist group in Iraq, deemed a terrorist organization by the U.S., is responsible for killing more than 40 Turks in the past month in cross- border raids.
“As I leave your country, I see that we agree to a great extent,” Erdogan said in a speech at the National Press Club, recapping his visit with Bush. “I suppose you don’t expect me to tell you everything we’ve spoken about. But I’m happy.”
The White House has lobbied for a diplomatic solution between Turkey and Iraq. The fear is that a Turkish incursion into Iraq could bring instability to what has been the calmest part of Iraq and could set a precedent for other countries, such as Iran, that have conflicts with Kurdish rebels.
Bush said his government would offer solid, real-time intelligence to track “people who are using murder as a weapon to achieve political objectives.”
Iraq report – More than 2.3 million Iraqis are refugees in their own country.
