Print

Mail

wiki links

Governing Council plays down differences with US

The president of the US-picked Governing Council sought to play down differences with the Americans over deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq, saying the issue was still under discussion but dodging follow-up questions during a news conference.

A Kurdish member of the 24-member body, however, spoke more candidly about the issue at the same Saturday news conference, calling on the Turks and Americans to "listen to the views of the Iraqi people" and reverse course on sending 10,000 Turkish peacekeepers.

Council President Iyad Allawi, visibly angered about the attention given to the Turkish troop deployment, said differences existed between the council and the US-led coalition over the issue. "But both sides also are determined to have more discussions."

Asked to comment on media reports that Turkey planned to open a new border crossing with Iraq to facilitate the deployment, Allawi said: "We are not ready to take any more questions on the subject."

Addressing his first news conference since taking over the council's rotating, one-month presidency on Oct. 1, Allawi denied he was avoiding answering questions on the subject when asked by a reporter why, as a "representative" of the Iraqi people, he was dodging them.

Allawi's handling of the questioning on the Turkish deployment reflected in part the magnitude of the gap between the council and the US on the issue and the potential damage it could do if the two sides fail to resolve it.

A source familiar with the discussions between the two sides said Paul Bremer, America's top official in Iraq, has asked council members not to discuss the issue with the media after a Kurdish member, Mahmoud Othman, was widely quoted earlier this week as saying the council has unanimously agreed to reject the deployment when the issue was still under discussion.

"We believe it is unnecessary," Othman told Saturday's news conference of the Turkish deployment. "Neighboring nations can help Iraq, but not necessarily through sending troops."

Citing what he called Iraqi sensitivities, Othman said: "We believe that the American and Turkish sides must listen to the views of the Iraqi people."

He did not say what the sensitivities were, but he was apparently referring to the reluctance of Iraq's Kurds to see Turkish troops in the country.
This story has been viewed 2271 times.