Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Turkey to give troops go-ahead to enter northern Iraq
Region
(Reuters) - Turkey will defy international pressure on Wednesday and grant its troops permission to enter northern Iraq to crush Kurdish separatist rebels based there. Turkey's prime minister has sought to play down expectations of an imminent attack, but the parliamentary vote will effectively give the army a free hand to act as and when it sees fit.
Washington, Ankara's NATO ally, says it understands Turkey's desire to tackle rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but fears a major incursion would wreck stability in the most peaceful part of Iraq and potentially in the wider region. Turkey's stance has helped drive global oil prices to $88 a barrel, a new record, and has hit its lira currency as investors weigh the economic risks of any major military operation.
Parliamentary approval would create the legal basis for military action. By law, Turkey's parliament must approve the deployment of Turkish troops abroad. Parliament is expected to approve the request from Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's cabinet by a large majority after an open debate, starting at 1200 GMT. "Passage of this motion does not mean an immediate incursion will follow, but we will act at the right time and under the right conditions," Erdogan told his ruling AK Party on Tuesday.
"This is about self-defense," he said in televised remarks.
Iraqi Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi lobbied Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul in Ankara on Tuesday to refrain from military action and to seek a diplomatic solution. Erdogan is under public pressure to hit PKK camps in northern Iraq after a series of deadly rebel attacks on Turkish troops. Markets are closely following the incursion debate.
Turkish opposition parties strongly back the plan for military action, with only the small pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) expressing concern about the implications. Ankara blames the PKK, considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, for the deaths of more than 30,000 people since the group launched its armed struggle for an ethnic homeland in southeast Turkey in 1984.
Turkey conducted large military operations in northern Iraq against the PKK in the 1990s but failed to wipe out the rebels. Some analysts say that despite its tough rhetoric Turkey may limit itself to aerial bombardment of rebel targets and small forays across the border while avoiding a major incursion.
Washington, Ankara's NATO ally, says it understands Turkey's desire to tackle rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but fears a major incursion would wreck stability in the most peaceful part of Iraq and potentially in the wider region. Turkey's stance has helped drive global oil prices to $88 a barrel, a new record, and has hit its lira currency as investors weigh the economic risks of any major military operation.
Parliamentary approval would create the legal basis for military action. By law, Turkey's parliament must approve the deployment of Turkish troops abroad. Parliament is expected to approve the request from Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's cabinet by a large majority after an open debate, starting at 1200 GMT. "Passage of this motion does not mean an immediate incursion will follow, but we will act at the right time and under the right conditions," Erdogan told his ruling AK Party on Tuesday.
"This is about self-defense," he said in televised remarks.
Iraqi Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi lobbied Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul in Ankara on Tuesday to refrain from military action and to seek a diplomatic solution. Erdogan is under public pressure to hit PKK camps in northern Iraq after a series of deadly rebel attacks on Turkish troops. Markets are closely following the incursion debate.
Turkish opposition parties strongly back the plan for military action, with only the small pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) expressing concern about the implications. Ankara blames the PKK, considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, for the deaths of more than 30,000 people since the group launched its armed struggle for an ethnic homeland in southeast Turkey in 1984.
Turkey conducted large military operations in northern Iraq against the PKK in the 1990s but failed to wipe out the rebels. Some analysts say that despite its tough rhetoric Turkey may limit itself to aerial bombardment of rebel targets and small forays across the border while avoiding a major incursion.
Labels: Kurdistan, military action, oil prices, PKK, Turkey
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Oil prices hit new high as fears grow over Kurdish-Turkish conflict
Oil, Region
(The Guardian) - Oil prices burst through $86 a barrel to reach new highs yesterday on the back of growing energy demand forecasts and fears that escalating conflict between Turkey and Kurds in northern Iraq could hit supplies in the Mediterranean. Crude ended at a record level on Friday but has since gone on to hit even greater peaks of $86.13 as the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) said demand for its products would average 31.43m barrels a day in the fourth quarter of 2007, up 100,000 barrels a day on previous estimates.
"It now appears more likely that the US economy could weather the financial crisis without a sharp downturn in economic activity," said a report by Opec economists at the group's Vienna headquarters. Soaring oil prices helped push gold to a 28-year high yesterday as investors were attracted to precious metals because of global uncertainty and the falling dollar. Platinum also swept to record highs on concerns about supply as demand remains strong.
Expectations of higher oil demand have also fed into Opec's first quarter estimates with the organisation predicting there would be 120,000 more barrels needed a day than had been anticipated.
The new forecasts come amid rising fears that Turkey will take unilateral action against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. "The main risk to supplies is currently on an escalation of the Turkish army, Kurdish militia conflict, where we believe the risk for disruptions to the Mediterranean supplies would be real," said Olivier Jakob of Petromix in Switzerland.
The market is already jumpy because last week the International Energy Agency, adviser to 26 industrialised nations such as Britain and the US, predicted that demand would surge by 2.1m barrels a day during 2008. Opec insists "the current supply and demand forecasts predict that the market will be fundamentally balanced over the coming quarters".
"It now appears more likely that the US economy could weather the financial crisis without a sharp downturn in economic activity," said a report by Opec economists at the group's Vienna headquarters. Soaring oil prices helped push gold to a 28-year high yesterday as investors were attracted to precious metals because of global uncertainty and the falling dollar. Platinum also swept to record highs on concerns about supply as demand remains strong.
Expectations of higher oil demand have also fed into Opec's first quarter estimates with the organisation predicting there would be 120,000 more barrels needed a day than had been anticipated.
The new forecasts come amid rising fears that Turkey will take unilateral action against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. "The main risk to supplies is currently on an escalation of the Turkish army, Kurdish militia conflict, where we believe the risk for disruptions to the Mediterranean supplies would be real," said Olivier Jakob of Petromix in Switzerland.
The market is already jumpy because last week the International Energy Agency, adviser to 26 industrialised nations such as Britain and the US, predicted that demand would surge by 2.1m barrels a day during 2008. Opec insists "the current supply and demand forecasts predict that the market will be fundamentally balanced over the coming quarters".
Labels: Kurdistan, northern Iraq, oil, oil prices, OPEC, Petromix, PKK, Turkey
Saturday, March 31, 2007
U.S. rules out deal with Iran to release British sailors
Iran, U.K., Security
(The Telegraph) - The United States has ruled out a deal to exchange the 15 British sailors and Royal Marines captured by Iran for five Iranians held by US forces. State department spokesman Sean McCormack crushed hopes that the hostages could be swapped as the crisis over the captured Royal Navy personnel entered its ninth day.
The US seized five suspected members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Iraqi city of Irbil in January, fuelling claims that Iran has been supplying Iraqi insurgents with weapons. Mr McCormack said: “The international community is not going to stand for the Iranian government trying to use this issue to distract the rest of the world from the situation in which Iran finds itself vis-a-vis its nuclear programme.”
Fears that British sailors would suffer a lengthy incarceration grew as Iranian officials repeated that they could face trial for violating international law. Speaking on Russian television Gholam-Reza Ansari, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, said that his country had launched a investigation into the sailors. He said: “It is possible that the British soldiers who entered into Iranian waters will go on trial for taking this illegal action. “The legal phase concerning these British soldiers has started and if charges against them are proven, they will be punished.”
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said despite the comments, the British position remains unchanged. He said: “It does not change our position. We made it clear that they were seized in Iraqi waters and we demand their release immediately, as well as consular access.” A third letter, purportedly written by Ldg Seaman Turney, the mother of a young daughter, was also published. It said she was being held because of “oppressive” British and US behaviour in Iraq. The letter, in poor English, called for Britain to withdraw from Iraq.
The US seized five suspected members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Iraqi city of Irbil in January, fuelling claims that Iran has been supplying Iraqi insurgents with weapons. Mr McCormack said: “The international community is not going to stand for the Iranian government trying to use this issue to distract the rest of the world from the situation in which Iran finds itself vis-a-vis its nuclear programme.”
Fears that British sailors would suffer a lengthy incarceration grew as Iranian officials repeated that they could face trial for violating international law. Speaking on Russian television Gholam-Reza Ansari, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, said that his country had launched a investigation into the sailors. He said: “It is possible that the British soldiers who entered into Iranian waters will go on trial for taking this illegal action. “The legal phase concerning these British soldiers has started and if charges against them are proven, they will be punished.”
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said despite the comments, the British position remains unchanged. He said: “It does not change our position. We made it clear that they were seized in Iraqi waters and we demand their release immediately, as well as consular access.” A third letter, purportedly written by Ldg Seaman Turney, the mother of a young daughter, was also published. It said she was being held because of “oppressive” British and US behaviour in Iraq. The letter, in poor English, called for Britain to withdraw from Iraq.
Britain gained its first significant international backing over the crisis last night when the European Union called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of the 15 Royal Navy personnel. The "message of solidarity" from 26 other European foreign ministers warned Iran that unless the sailors and marines were released, the EU would take further action, including possible suspension of business ties with Teheran and trade sanctions.
The strongly-worded EU response came 24 hours after the United Nations Security Council in New York approved a watered-down statement expressing "grave concern" about the situation. The EU statement pointedly used the word the UN baulked at endorsing by saying the it "deplores" the Britons' continued detention. It backed Britain's insistence that the Royal Navy boarding party had not crossed into Iranian territorial waters and threatened "further measures" if they were not released.
The strongly-worded EU response came 24 hours after the United Nations Security Council in New York approved a watered-down statement expressing "grave concern" about the situation. The EU statement pointedly used the word the UN baulked at endorsing by saying the it "deplores" the Britons' continued detention. It backed Britain's insistence that the Royal Navy boarding party had not crossed into Iranian territorial waters and threatened "further measures" if they were not released.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, a loose political and economic alliance of Iran's U.S.-allied Gulf Arab neighbors - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, also urged an end to the confrontation. The crisis, at a time of heightened Middle East tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions, has helped push oil prices to six-month highs over concerns an escalation might curb crucial oil exports from the region.
Labels: Baghdad security conference, British navy, E.U., Gholam-Reza Ansari, Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, oil prices, Sean McCormack, trial, U.K., U.N. Security Council, U.S.
