Turkey asks U.S. not to violate airspace again

[AnOhioan]

Source: Reuters

ANKARA - Turkey asked the United States formally on Tuesday to avoid another violation of its airspace after an incident that exposed tensions between the NATO allies.

Last week, two U.S. F-16 warplanes briefly infringed Turkish airspace near the Iraqi border. U.S. diplomats say the incident was an “accident.” Turkish media say it was intended to send a message to Ankara not to send its troops into northern Iraq.

“After we received detailed technical information from the General Staff on the incident, the necessary diplomatic initiative was made today in the presence of (a representative of) the U.S. Embassy,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry official told Reuters: “In the note given (to the embassy representative) it was requested that this kind of incident not be repeated.”



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18924829/

[Catch22Dem]

1. Seems there's no one we won't try to provoke

Turkey has been a pretty good friend over the years. Of course, leave it to * to fuck it up.

[youngdem]

3. This was in response to a Turkish flyover of Northern Iraq

I actually don't disagree with the Chimp on this one.

You gotta keep Turkey out of Kurdistan if you want to keep the lid on this pressure cooker. The addition of an entirely new war in the north of the country involving a NATO member is a scary fucking proposition.

Now, I don't think its gonna work, and I think a war between the fledgling Kurdish state and Turkey is inevitable, but he isn't wrong by trying to send a message to discourage them.

[IndianaGreen]

9. Kurdish terrorists have been staging raids into Turkey from Iraq

Turkey has the right to defend herself!

[youngdem]

11. That part of Turkey is disputed. It is occupied Northern Kurdistan to the Kurds

and the Kurds are seeking to liberate Northern Kurdistan from the Turks who are occupying it, and forcing assimilation onto the Kurds, banning their language and customs with laws and violence.

I would have thought Dems would support a native people's claim to self-determination, especially in the face of cultural oppression. Seems many just resent the Kurds for making our quagmire in Iraq inconveniently more complicated.

[Tempest]

13. Huh?

There is no disputed territory in Turkey.

Turkey's borders are well defined and have been for decades.

The PKK are attacking deep inside Turkey's borders.

[Orrin_73]

14. You are talking nonsense

There is no northern kurdistan and has never been. If the kurds think they can get a piece of Turkey, they are mistaken. Borders of a nation are drawn on the battlefield.
besides kurds are not native to south eastern anatolia, they come from south east iran!

[IndianaGreen]

16. Israeli settlers refer to Judea and Samaria as disputed territory

everyone else calls it occupied territory.

Proving once again that today's oppressed are tomorrow's oppressors, the Kurds have used heavy handed tactics on their fellow Iraqis in Northern Iraq. Kurds have expropriated property and threatened people, Sunni, Shia, and Turkmen alike.

You take any indigenous people in the world today, and chances are that they replaced someone else on the land, usually by force. I don't think much of nationalism, in any of its permutations.

[BushOut06]

2. Bush to Turkey: "We'll do whatever we fucking want."

Are there any countries Bush won't manage to piss off before he leaves office?

[BootinUp]

4. They are just old mid-east allies

not too worry if we piss them off.

Kind of like old Europe, you know.

[roamer65]

5. If Turkey wants to go into northern Iraq, there isn't a damn thing we can do about it.

A stupid little retaliatory "flyover" is not going to stop them.

[cliss]

6. Actually, Turkey is being pushed into a

crisis situation. They may HAVE to bring in troops to Northern Iraq. It seems the Kurds in Turkey (there are several millions) would like to be re-united with their brothers The Kurds in Northern Iraq.

The Kurds in Iraq have a Pot of Gold: it seems the BIGGEST oil deposit is right there....under their feet. In the Tikrit area (Saddam's home town). And the Kurds want it.

Who can blame them? So Turkey in the meantime is sitting on this powder keg, ready to blow. The U.S. is so lacking in understanding of this region, that they would probably botch things up completely.

Just watch (smoking a cigarrette...)
Give 'em some time, and they'll blow it for sure.:smoke:

[LeftistGorilla]

7. Turkey

want to get at the PKK....

they gotta go to Iraq to get them...

[IndianaGreen]

8. NATO will have to attack the US to defend Turkey!

Let's see how crazy this world can get with Bush in charge!

[Big Pappa]

10. Oh hell

we fly missions out of Incirlik Turkey on a daily basis.

[Toots]

12. Or what?

Don't they know the only Decider in the world is Bush*. No one else on earth knows how things are and what needs to be done. Bush* ain't afraid of no Turkey....Horses maybe but no Turkey...

[shanti]

15. wait

don't we have air base(s) in turkey??