Iraqi
Communist Party condemns
Turkey’s military
incursion into Iraq
An editorial article published on 7th December
2015 in the daily newspaper “Tareeq Al-Shaab” (People’s Path), issued by the Iraqi
Communist Party, strongly condemned Turkey’s military incursion into Nineveh
province in northern Iraq. The following
is a translation of this article:
“We have followed, along with our people, with great concern the reports
about the new Turkish military incursion into Iraq, this time in the province
of Nineveh (Mosul), under the pretext of assistance in the training of forces
to liberate the province from the terrorist organization Daesh.
“This is actually not the first
time that the Turkish forces sweep into Iraqi territory, or that its warplanes
violate Iraq’s airspace to perform tasks that are part of Turkey’s agenda and
objectives. Ankara has gone too far in the use of its agreement with Saddam’s dictatorial
regime which had allowed its troops to deploy into Iraqi territory to a depth
of up to 20 kilometers under the pretext of fighting against the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) which it characterizes as a "terrorist
organization".
“The Turkish military presence inside Iraqi territory had continued
during the so-called "fratricidal war" in the Kurdistan region during
the 1990s, and was not rectified even after the change in 2003, both under the US
occupation or the successive governments in power since then and until the
present day.
“The disclosure of this new
military incursion and discussing it publicly has unveiled the root of the problem
and exposed the continued violation by the Turkish forces of the sovereignty
and independence of our country, and blatant interference in the our country's internal
affairs, whereby Turkey gives itself the right to declare its protection for
this or that of Iraqi groups, giving rise to reactions of anxiety, apprehension
and fear.
“The current conditions of our country, the difficulties it is facing
and its national battle against terrorism and Daesh, and its need for
support and assistance, are not supposed to justify violating Iraq's
sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as international legitimacy.
“In this context, it is not acceptable that the Security Council
resolutions against terrorism, that call for fighting it, tightening the noose
on it and cutting off the sources of its human and material funding, would be
interpreted in an arbitrary and one-sided manner contrary to those resolutions
themselves. These UN resolutions stress unequivocally on respecting the
independence and sovereignty of Iraq, as well as obliging that whatever support
and backing is given should be at the request of the Iraqi government and in
cooperation and coordination with it.
“It is only the Iraqi executive and legislative authorities, in accordance with
their duties based on the Constitution, that are entitled to the final say on the issue of coordinating external support and backing,
and employing it properly in the battle to liberate our land from terrorist Daesh
and ensure the return of displaced people to their areas. It is the
responsibility of the government and its security and military forces to secure
their lives and property.
“We, in the Iraqi Communist Party,
while condemning all interference and violation of the sovereignty and independence
of our country by any party, and while demanding the immediate withdrawal of Turkish
troops from our territory, call on the Iraqi government to resort to the UN
Security Council to address the issue as a whole in order to secure for Iraq
its rights as a sovereign state.
“In the context of addressing this important and essential matter, that
has repercussions for the present and future of Iraq, it should be pointed out that
many of the issues that are taking place now, including this new condemned Turkish
invasion, would not have taken place if it had not been for the state of weakness
caused by the divisions and conflicts among the ruling blocs and parties and the
abhorrent sectarian power-sharing policy, giving priority to partisan interests
at the expense of the higher national interest, and relying on external powers to
impose facts on the ground inside Iraq. These are, in all circumstances, time
bombs that do not provide guarantees for security and stability in the country.
“These delicate and critical circumstances require a clear position from
all sides in Iraq, an awareness of the dangers threatening the homeland, an
effort to strengthen national unity, and to proceed along the path of real reform,
correcting the path of the political process and ridding it of the serious shortcomings,
carrying out the national reconciliation process and strengthening the bonds of
the social fabric. It is also crucial to properly employ all the national
factors and external aid in the battle for salvation from Daesh and terrorism,
to achieve security and stability, and to launch a development process that
provides a life of pride and dignity for the Iraqi people.
“Only in this way we can provide the prerequisites of power and strength
and ensure that Iraq is truly free and sovereign, with its people having the
reins of their own decision and deciding their future in accordance with to
their own free will.”
