Talabani's Talks With Baykal To Help Baghdad Establish Relations With Ankara

Azerbaijan, Baku, May 29/Trend News, U.Sadikova /

The invitation by the head of the Iraqi Kurdish union, president Jalal Talabani, to the leader of the Turkish opposition to visit Iraq is aimed at expanding the dialogue with Ankara in solving the Kurdish problem and strengthening his position in the upcoming elections in Kurdistan.

"Talabani wants to play the role of peaceful mediator in solving the problem of the Kurds in Turkey and remove from the Kurdish to Iraqi leader, which is very important in the presidential election [in Kurdistan]," Ghassan Attiyah Ghassan Attiyah, Director of Iraqi Democracy Center, told Trend News by telephone.

President Talabani invited the head of the Turkish opposition Republican People's Party (RPP) Deniz Baykal to visit Iraq, Turkish Hurriyet newspaper reported. A delegation of officials from Iraq will visit Ankara in the near future and will hold a meeting with representatives of RPP of Turkey, Hurriyet reported.

However, Baykal said that he will not accept the invitation because it came from Talabani as the leader of the Iraqi Kurds, but not as President.
Formerly Baykal opposed the reforms of the Turkish government in the beginning of the year, which envisaged teaching Kurdish language at Turkish schools and allowing radio and television broadcasts in Kurdish.

Kurdish problem in Turkey appeared as a result of the activities of the terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is fighting for an independent Kurdish state in south-eastern Turkey and northern Iraq.

Ankara and Baghdad repeatedly negotiated to jointly combat the PKK, however, due to political chaos in the country after the war in 2003, they were unsuccessful.

Attiyah believes that Talabani seeks to strengthen the dialogue with political forces in Turkey in solving the Kurdish issue, to show that he is not connected with the Kurdish terrorists from Turkey, as well as to reassure the Turkish party opposing against the solution of the Kurdish problem.

Strengthening relations with Ankara through joint fighting against Kurdish terrorists may help Talabani's government strengthen the power in Iraq and get more chances in the July elections in Kurdistan.

The united fight against terrorism in the region connects Iraq with Turkey, and therefore, Talabani wants to work not only with the Turkish government, but also with the opposition, Fevzi Ekremoglu, member of the Iraqi Parliament, told Trend News by telephone.

"Kurdish problem of Turkey is "private" matter of the country, and therefore, we do not interfere in this issue, said Ekremoglu. - For Iraq, it is important to cooperate with all political forces in Turkey."

Negotiations with Baykal may help Kurdish leaders of northern Iraq Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani improve relations with Ankara and put pressure on the PKK terrorists and force to sign an agreement with the government of Turkey, a leading analyst on the Middle East Hosni Makhalli told Trend News in a telephone conversation from Istanbul.

Iraqi Kurdish leaders' establishing a dialogue with the Turkish opposition will help Iraq's Kurdish leaders Talabani and Massoud Barzani expand dialogue with Ankara, considering the intention of the Turkish government to resolve the Kurdish issue in the near future.
During a press conference with his Kyrgyz counterpart, the Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that "the Kurdish question is the most important problem of Turkey," Hurriyet reported on May 29.

"This issue will worsen over time unless we take steps to address it," he added.
Even during his visit to Iran in March, Gul said that Turkey intends to take new steps forwards resolving the Kurdish problem, but refused to report details.

In addition to the influence on the external relations of Kurdistan, the negotiations with Baykal will affect the July elections in the region.

Christopher Davidson, analyst of the British University of Durham, said that Talabani's invitation is linked with the upcoming elections and the Kurdish presidency.

"Talabani may have more legitimacy [for president] in the future and gain time before the elections in Kurdistan," Davidson, an analyst on Middle East politics, told Trend News by telephone.

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