Parliament to Vote on Operations into Iraq Today

Today, Turkish Parliament will debate and vote on an authorisation for the Turkish army to carry out cross-border operations into Northern Iraq. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the debate and vote will be open.

Tolga Korkut

Parliament to Vote on Operations into Iraq Today

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that today's parliamentary discussion and vote on an authorisation for cross-border military operations into Northern Iraq would be public.

Chair of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahceli, has accused some MPs of being "in line with Barzani and the PKK" and has also demanded a vote open to the public.

AKP MPs from South-East oppose operations

According to the ntvmsnbc news, MPs of Kurdish origin in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) are not in favour of cross-border operations. Ahmet Inal, MP for Batman, Abdullah Veli Seyda, MP for Sirnak and Ihsan Arslan, MP for Diyarbakir, have said that the people in the region are against operations and that there would be no benefits.

Iraqi calls for diplomacy

Yesterday morning, Iraq's Vice President Tarik Hasimi came to Ankara in order to keep diplomatic channels open; he said that the Iraqi and Turkish governments could solve the problem: "We hope to convince Turkey in this issue."

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri El-Maliki has called on Turkey to act "rationally and patiently". He said that preparations for "urgent meetings" were being made and that a diplomatic solution needed to be found. Maliki's speaker announced that they had called on Turkey for urgent meetings.

Barzani: War is not the solution

Nechirvan Barzani, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, has announced that they would not allow their territory to be used for attacks against neighbouring countries: "The PKK is not only a problem for Turkey; in the past they have also caused us problems. It is not true that we have benefited from the PKK problem, but because we cannot solve the issue with war, we need to seek for a political solution."

He added: "Turkey's politicians must change their way of thinking and find a new solution for the PKK. While the PKK signalled its readiness for political compromise on several occasions, Turkey and all the other parties have to find a peaceful solution." He expressed his sorrow at the death of 13 soldiers, condemned the event, and called for an end to violence.

DTP: Do not drag Turkey into Middle Eastern morass

Ahmet Türk, the parliamentary group leader of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), has pointed out that cross-border operations have been carried out before: "Not only we, but also many columnists say the same. A solution has to be looked for on different ground; there needs to be a climate of dialogue, there need to be civic projects. Dragging Turkey into the Middle East morass will not only damage Turkey as a whole and other Middle Eastern peoples."

CHP criticises government

Deniz Baykal, chair of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), has accused the government of "pursuing politics in conflict with the fight against terrorism". He has called on the government to "create a unified national policy on fighting terrorism." He added:

"We must succeed in forcing Iraqi authorities to stop protecting the PKK. We must make them believe that this protection will cost them dearly. Everyone living in Iraq is our brother, but we also expect brotherly treatment from Iraq." (TK/AG)