Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
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88<br />
Revue <strong>de</strong> Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro <strong>de</strong> la Prensa-Basin Öz<strong>et</strong>i<br />
➩ ma<strong>de</strong> secr<strong>et</strong>, self-serving local <strong>de</strong>als with both the regime and the<br />
opposition, including jihadist rebel elements such as Jabhat al-Nusra;<br />
they may even be working with Iraqi and Iranian agents. These sources<br />
also indicate that Ocalan privately told the PYD to cease and <strong>de</strong>sist, but<br />
neither he nor its nominal chief, Saleh Muslim, really controls the group.<br />
At least some PYD members respond more to the extremist PKK elements<br />
ensconced across the Iraqi bor<strong>de</strong>r in Qandil, who have reportedly<br />
vowed not to disarm for at least another two years.<br />
Nevertheless, Turkey's emerging rapprochement with the PKK presents<br />
a new opportunity to stabilize relations with and among the Syrian Kurds.<br />
Given Ankara's ascent and Assad's <strong>de</strong>cline, they could turn more <strong>de</strong>cisively<br />
against the regime and toward Syria's main opposition coalition.<br />
Such a shift would solidify the promising but incompl<strong>et</strong>e un<strong>de</strong>rstanding<br />
that Barzani brokered b<strong>et</strong>ween rival Syrian Kurdish factions last July.<br />
This in turn would promote the Turkish and U.S. objectives of overthrowing<br />
Assad, averting subsequent internecine strife in Syria, and minimizing<br />
spillover into neighboring countries. In the best case, a cordon of<br />
friendly Kurdish communities could emerge on Turkey's long, porous bor<strong>de</strong>rs<br />
with Syria and Iraq, each boasting some measure of local selfgovernment.<br />
U.S. POLICY IMPLICATIONS<br />
Washington has been commendably quick to welcome the new Turkey-<br />
PKK <strong>de</strong>clarations. Less clear, however, are what steps it can take to help<br />
consolidate the historic initiative and build on its larger regional implications.<br />
In broad terms, the United States should enhance its support for<br />
Turkey and the Syrian opposition, with a view to bringing the Syrian<br />
Kurds on board with this common cause. At minimum, that means quickly<br />
March / 27 / 2013<br />
Arbil-Ankara fuel <strong>de</strong>al on<br />
pipeline, Barzani signals<br />
ANKARA - Hürriy<strong>et</strong> Daily News<br />
Sevil Küçükkoşum<br />
Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government<br />
(KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan<br />
Barzani has said the KRG has “started a<br />
process with Turkey” on an energy <strong>de</strong>al,<br />
un<strong>de</strong>rlining that the process is within the<br />
framework of the Iraqi Constitution.<br />
“We have started a process with<br />
Turkey and whatever we do will end for<br />
the benefit of the whole of Iraq,” Barzani<br />
told reporters yesterday, in response to a<br />
question on wh<strong>et</strong>her Turkey and the<br />
KRG were close to reaching a <strong>de</strong>al,<br />
which is objected to by both the United<br />
States and the central government in<br />
Baghdad. “Whatever we have done and<br />
whatever we will be doing is within the<br />
[Iraqi] constitutional framework,” he<br />
said.<br />
“The agreement with Turkey about<br />
energy is not a new one,” Barzani ad<strong>de</strong>d,<br />
coordinating enhanced, direct humanitarian and other aid with all three<br />
parties, contingent on their willingness to avoid conflict with each other.<br />
A more ambitious but still-realistic approach is to broker a b<strong>et</strong>ter political<br />
un<strong>de</strong>rstanding among the three regarding current and future phases of<br />
the Syrian crisis. This step, following Turkish-PKK <strong>de</strong>tente, would likely<br />
entail an agreement in principle to maintain local Kurdish administration<br />
of the bor<strong>de</strong>r regions that Kurds currently control, both in the short term<br />
and after Assad's ouster.<br />
Washington should also give Baghdad more incentives to abandon<br />
Assad. That means offering additional assurances and tangible support<br />
for Iraqi efforts to secure the bor<strong>de</strong>r with Syria. If Baghdad follows suit by<br />
curbing its active and passive backing of Damascus, Washington should<br />
offer further assurances that it will oppose any Turkish-KRG attempts to<br />
exact an undue political or economic price from Baghdad in terms of oil<br />
concessions or territorial claims.<br />
Finally, the United States should prepare for the possibility of preempting<br />
what will surely be a concerted Iranian effort to sabotage these new<br />
moves. This means urgent, stepped-up monitoring and, whenever possible,<br />
joint preemption of Iranian-sponsored terrorist operations or other<br />
preparations against any of the initiatives discussed above.<br />
David Pollock is the Kaufman fellow at The Washington <strong>Institut</strong>e.<br />
Soner Cagaptay is the Beyer Family fellow and director of the<br />
Turkish Research Program at the <strong>Institut</strong>e.<br />
BDP co-chair<br />
Selahattin<br />
Demirtaş (R)<br />
gre<strong>et</strong>s KRG<br />
Prime<br />
Minister<br />
Nechirvan<br />
Barzani after<br />
an Ankara<br />
me<strong>et</strong>ing. AA<br />
photo<br />
in the wake of his me<strong>et</strong>ing in Ankara<br />
with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip<br />
Erdoğan, in which Energy Minister<br />
Taner Yıldız and Foreign Minister<br />
Ahm<strong>et</strong> Davutoğlu also participated.<br />
Private <strong>de</strong>als<br />
Officials from the Turkish Energy<br />
Ministry did not confirm that Turkey<br />
and the KRG had finalized an energy<br />
<strong>de</strong>al during Barzani’s visit, <strong>de</strong>spite speculations<br />
on the matter. “There are private<br />
sector <strong>de</strong>als,” Yıldız told reporters,<br />
stressing that Turkey respected the unity<br />
of the Iraqi state.<br />
When remin<strong>de</strong>d of the U.S. objection<br />
to an energy <strong>de</strong>al b<strong>et</strong>ween the KRG and<br />
Turkey exclusive of Baghdad, Yıldız<br />
again referred to the private sector. “The<br />
private sector cannot remain indifferent<br />
to projects in Iraq … There are projects<br />
that we un<strong>de</strong>rtook two years ago. There<br />
are [oil and gas] areas in the east and<br />
west [of northern Iraq] that we will work<br />
on,” he said.<br />
A broad energy partnership b<strong>et</strong>ween<br />
Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds regarding<br />
the exploration and extension of oil-gas<br />
export pipelines from north Iraq to<br />
Turkish territory has been in effect since<br />
last year.<br />
Meanwhile, the KRG prime minister<br />
also expressed support to Turkey’s<br />
ongoing efforts to find the Kurdish issue<br />
a peaceful solution. ■