Turkey refutes reports on agreement with US on Kirkuk

[DuctapeFatwa]

Turkish Deputy Chief of General StaffIlker Basbug refuted on Tuesday reports that Turkey had reached an agreement with the United States regarding Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

However, Basbug, in remarks to the press, acknowledged that Turkey had discussed the future of Kirkuk with US officials.

He said Turkey hoped energy resources in Iraq could be equally and fairly used by all the Iraqi people and that Kirkuk, which boasts 12 percent of Iraq's oil resources, was of particular importance in this context.

"Any wrong decision concerning Kirkuk might cause an internal clash or a civil war in Iraq that would probably affect neighboringTurkey," he said, adding that Kirkuk should be granted special status and be protected.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/03/content_2170751.htm

[Tempest]

1. Report: Turkey sending 20,000 troops to Northern Iraq

http://tinyurl.com/5vh6f

Analysis: Turkey Makes Plans For Iraq

Turkish newspapers this week are reporting that the Turkish government has formulated a contingency plan that would place at least 20,000 Turkish troops inside northern Iraq in an effort to prevent Kurdish leaders from changing the demographic structure of the highly contested city of Kirkuk.

The plan ostensibly calls for the reentry of Turkish forces into northern Iraq to rout out Turkish-Kurdish militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and also calls for Turkish troops to prevent further Iraqi Kurdish migration to Kirkuk. The city has a large Turkoman (ethnic Turkish) population, and vast oil reserves.

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