Turkistan or Kurdistan -- Does it Matter
to Us?
Augin Kurt
February 06, 09
Guest editorial
(AINA) -- Once I had a conversation with the representative of an Assyrian political organization on the Assyrians in the future of Iraq. I was told that for him it does not matter which people we should cooperate with or accept as our rulers: "Turkistan or Kurdistan, what does it matter?" he wondered. But for me it matters a lot because there is a crucial difference.
Recently, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a fierce altercation with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos in a debate on the Middle East. Turkey has in recent weeks been criticizing Israel harshly for the invasion of Gaza.
According to TT's correspondent, Erdogan spoke of the children killed during the war in Gaza and was disrupted by Peres who wondered how Erdogan would react if it rained rockets over Istanbul. Erdogan called for, but was not granted, extended time for a reply. While he was furiously threatening to never again come to Davos, Erdogan took his papers and left the debate.
The reports on the incident say that thousands of people with Turkish and Palestinian flags were waiting for Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he landed at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul. Erdogan was hailed as a hero who dares to stand up for the Palestinian brothers in faith. Even Hamas celebrated its Turkish friend with these words:
"Hamas celebrates Turkey's brave Prime Minister who defended the victims of the criminal Zionist war against our children and women," said a spokesman according to AFP, reported TT.
The anti-Israeli sentiment during the three weeks long war in Gaza has been fiercer and more conspicuous in Turkey than in any Arab country. Why? Is it really so that the Turks burn for Palestine more than other Muslims in general and Arabs in particular?
No, it is unlikely. Israel and Turkey have, after all, had a good relationship for a long time, as both President Shimon Peres and representatives of the Jewish lobby in the U.S. pointed out particularly after the quarrel with Erdogan, in an attempt to play down the whole thing.
The reason for the Turkish Government's frustration against Israel should therefore be sought elsewhere than as a defense for the Palestinian people, who are described as "müslüman kardeshler" (our Muslim brothers). Erdogan's anger would be a sign that his government seems to encounter resistance in their attempts to stop Israel and the U.S. from supporting the creation of a Kurdish state in Iraq. We should not forget that the government in Ankara also has many internal problems to overcome and then it may be important to draw attention away from domestic problems. But the main reason should still be Iraq.
Where do the Assyrians come into the picture in terms of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq? A few years ago Maryam S. Shimoun from Canada wrote an article in the web magazine Zindamagazine.com on this very subject and explained in a pedagogical way why Masoud Barzani acts as he does when he tries to include the Assyrians in his future Kurdish state.
The author was not happy with the Kurdish leader's intentions, but addressed part of her criticism against her own people's willingness or indifference in the matter. She put however her hopes to Turkey, which she said will prevent a move towards the formation of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq.
Augin Kurt is an Assyrian journalist in Sweden. He works for the Assyrian radio station Qolo.
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