Developments in Northern Iraq and Turkish – Iraqi Relations 1990 – 2005
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DEVELOPMENTS IN NORTHERN IRAQ AND TURKISH – IRAQI RELATIONS 1990 – 2005 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY MURAD KH. HUSSEN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DECEMBER 2005 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Sencer Ayata Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Meliha B. Altunıık Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Meliha B. Altunıık Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Meliha B. Altunıık (METU, IR) Prof. Dr. hsan Daı (METU, IR) Assist. Prof. Dr. Mesut Yeen (METU, SOC) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Murad Kh. Hussen Signature : iii ABSTRACT DEVELOPMENTS IN NORTHERN IRAQ AND TURKISH-IRAQI RELATIONS 1990-2005 Kh. Hussen, Murad M. Sc., Department of International Relations Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Meliha B. Altunıık December 2005, 178 pages This study is a historical analysis of Turkish-Iraqi relations from the Gulf War of 1990 up to the Iraqi elections of 2005 and the end of Transitional Administration Law (TAL) and prior to the permanent constitution. This study attempted to explain how Turkish-Iraqi relations entered into a new phase with the Gulf War of 1990. In this year, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Following this invasion, Iraq was attacked by coalition forces and at the end of this war, Iraq was nearly divided when a safe haven was created for the Kurds in northern Iraq. In this regard, this thesis paid attention to three factors that had significant impact on the foreign policy of Turkey towards Iraq: a de facto Kurdish state in northern part of this country and apprehension about the possibility of an independent Kurdish state, the existance of PKK in northern Iraq as a result of a power vacuum there and concerns about the future fate of Turkomans in Iraq and attempts to protect their rights. This study has demonstrated how Kurdish question has influenced Turkey’s policy towards Iraq and restricted its options. Key words: Turkey, Iraq, Gulf War, US, Northern Iraq, Iraqi Kurds, KDP, PUK, KRG, PKK, Turkomans, Kirkuk iv ÖZ KUZEY IRAK’TAK GELMELER VE TÜRK-IRAK LKLER 1990-2005 Kh. Hussen, Murad Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Uluslararası likiler Ana Bilim Dalı Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunıık Aralık 2005, 178 sayfa Bu tez, 1990 Körfez Savaı’ndan, 2005 Irak seçimlerine ve Geçici Yönetim Yasası’nın bitii ve Daimi Anayasa’nın öncesine kadar Türk-Irak ilikilerinin tarihsel bir analizidir. Bu çalıma ile 1990 Körfez Savaı sonrasında birlikte Türk-Irak ilikilerinin nasıl yeni bir aamaya girdii anlatılmaktadır. 1990 yılında Irak’ın Kuveyt’i istilasını takiben Irak, Koalisyon güçleri tarafından müdahale edilmitir. Savaın sonunda Kuzey Irak Kürtleri için bir güvenli bölge oluturulması ile Irak, neredeyse bölünme durumuna gelmitir. Bu açıdan, bu tez Türkiye’nin Irak’a yönelik dı politikasında önemli etkisi olan üç faktörü hesaba katmaktadır: ülkenin kuzeyinde oluacak de facto bir Kürt devleti ve baımsız bir Kürt devletinin kurulmasına yönelik endieler; PKK’nın Kuzey Irak’taki iktidar boluu sonucu bölgede varlık göstermesi ve son olarak Irak Türkmenlerinin geleceine ve haklarının korunmmasına yönelik kaygılar. Bu tez, devlet-üstü bir konu olan Kürt Sorununun Türkiye’nin Irak politikasını nasıl etkilediini ve Türkiye’nin seçeneklerini nasıl sınırladıını göstermitir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Türkıye, Irak, Körfez Savaı, ABD, Kuzey Irak, Irak Kürtleri, KDP, KYB, Kürdistan Bölgesel Yönetimi (KBY), PKK, Türkmenler, Kerkük. v To My Dearest Parents... vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I express sincere appreciation to Prof. Dr. Meliha B. Altunıık for her guidance and insight throughout the research. I do also owe special debt of gratitude to Prof. Dr. hsan Daı and Assist. Prof. Dr. Mesut Yeen, members of the examining committee, for their worthy comments and advises. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................iv ÖZ.................................................................................................................................v DEDICATION .............................................................................................................vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................1 CHAPTERS 1. A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ........................................................................10 1.1. The Ottoman Empire and Iraq..........................................................................10 1.2. The End of World War I and the Mosul Question.............................................11 1.3. Relations From 1926 to 1958 ...........................................................................17 1.4. Relations From 1958 to 1990 ...........................................................................22 2. TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY TOWARDS IRAQ DURING THE GULF CRISIS (1990-1991)............................................................................29 2.1. Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait ..................................................................................29 2.2. Turkish Foreign Policy During the Second Gulf War .......................................37 2.3. Turkey and Operation Provide Comfort ...........................................................40 3. TURKEY AND KURDS IN NORTHERN IRAQ...................................................47 3.1. Why Kurdish Regional Government?...............................................................47 3.2. Turkey’s Policy towards KRG in Northern Iraq................................................55 3.3. Ankara Tripartite Conference...........................................................................59 4. THE KURDISH CIVIL WAR ................................................................................68 4.1. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)..................................................................68 4.2. Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) .................................................................71 4.3. Conflicts in 1994..............................................................................................73 viii 4.3.1. The Paris Agreement ..............................................................................75 4.3.2. Dublin – Ireland Agreement ...................................................................76 4.3.3. Ankara Peace Process.............................................................................79 4.3.4. Washington Agreement ..........................................................................82 4.4. Turkey and Kurdish Civil War .........................................................................84 5. THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ AND ITS AFTERMATH .....................................94 5.1. The Occupation of Iraq and the Iraqi Kurds......................................................94 5.2. Turkey and Kurdistan – Iraq Since the Occupation of Iraq .............................100 5.3. Turkey’s Allies in the Opposition to Iraqi Kurdish Ambitions........................113 6. PKK IN NORTHERN IRAQ AND IRAQI TURKOMANS..................................118 6.1. PKK in Northern Iraq.....................................................................................118 6.1.1. The Emergence of PKK........................................................................118 6.1.2. The PKK in Northern Iraq Since the Second Gulf War .........................122 6.1.3. Turkish Policy Towards the PKK Since the Second Gulf War ..............127 6.2. The Turkomans of Iraq...................................................................................136 6.2.1. Origins, Population, Settlement ............................................................136 6.2.2. Turkomans Before and After the Second Gulf War...............................140 6.2.3. Turkish Foreign Policy Towards the Turkomans...................................142 CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................148 BIBLIOGRAPHY .....................................................................................................152 ix INTRODUCTION Turkey and Iraq as former parts of the Ottoman Empire, have had a history of good neighborliness, as a result of their mutual interests in the region. Iraq has the potential to exert influence over Persian Gulf; it is located on the intersection of the three continents of the world; it contains extensive reserves of crude oil and natural gas and it is an important transit route for Turkey’s export to the Gulf countries. On the other hand, Turkey