Turkish prime minister warns Iraqi Kurdish leader not to threaten Turkey

The Turkish prime minister yesterday warned Iraqi Kurds against interfering in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast, saying "the price for them will be very high."

Recep Tayyip Erdogan was reacting to comments by Massoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdish autonomous region in Iraq, who said Iraqi Kurds would retaliate to any Turkish interference in northern Iraq by stirring up trouble in Turkey's southeast.

"He's out of place," Erdogan said of Barzani. "He'll be crushed under his words."

The verbal sparring was set off by Barzani on Saturday when he said in an interview with al-Arabiyah television that Iraqi Kurds could "interfere" in Kurdish-majority Turkish cities if Ankara interfered in northern Iraq.

The remark touched an extremely sensitive nerve in Turkey, where more than 37,000 people have been killed in fighting between Turkish security forces and Kurdish rebels since 1984, most of them in the southeastern region bordering Iraq. Turkey fears that any moves toward greater independence for Kurds in northern Iraq could incite Turkey's own estimated 14 million Kurds to outright rebellion.

Turkey is especially concerned about Barzani's bid to incorporate the oil-rich northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk into his semiautonomous region, fearing that Iraqi Kurds will use the city's oil revenues to fund a bid for independence.

"Northern Iraq, which is a neighbor, is making a serious mistake: the price for them will be very high," Erdogan warned.

Later in the day, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, an ethnic Kurd, called Erdogan to allay concerns, saying he was saddened by the rising tensions with Turkey, Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

Justice Minister and government spokesman Cemil Cicek also said Turkey's Foreign Ministry had sent a note to the Iraqi government "reminding them of their responsibilities on the subject of the fight against terror."

"The source of the ethnic terrorism that is taking lives in Turkey is Iraq," Cicek said in a press conference following a ministers' meeting, referring to Kurdish rebels who hide out and train in the mountainous region of northern Iraq.

Last week, the Iraqi government decided to implement a constitutional requirement to determine the status of Kirkuk - which is disputed among several different ethnic groups - by the end of the year. The plan is expected to turn Kirkuk and its vast oil reserves over to Kurdish control, a step rejected by many of Iraq's Arabs and its Turkmen - ethnic Turks who are strongly backed by Ankara.

Some in Turkey have hinted at military action to prevent the Kurds from gaining control of Kirkuk.

Barzani's remarks made front page news and drew rage in Turkey, with opposition parties criticizing the government for not responding harshly to the Kurdish leader's threat.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul called US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Saturday to discuss Barzani's remarks, the government-run Anatolia news agency reported.

Kursad Tuzmen, the Turkish minister in charge of trade, said earlier on Monday: "Turkey's hand of friendship is warm and solid. But for those who don't deserve it, it is very heavy - it should never be tested." Turkey is an important trading partner for the Iraqi Kurds.

In the interview with al-Arabiyah on Saturday Barzani said: "Turkey is not allowed to intervene in the Kirkuk issue and if it does, we will interfere in Diyarbakir's issues and other cities in Turkey." Diyarbakir is the largest city in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast.

When asked about the Turkmen minority in Kirkuk and Turkey's concern for its ethnic brethren, Barzani shot back:

"There are 30 million Kurds in Turkey and we don't interfere there. If they (the Turks) interfere in Kirkuk over just thousands of Turkmen then we will take action for the 30 million Kurds in Turkey."

"I hope we don't reach this point, but if the Turks insist on intervening in the Kirkuk matter I am ready to take responsibility for our response," Barzani said.