The fact that most of the losses were caused by heavy weapons fire from northern Iraq urged some to accuse the northern Iraqi administration of abetting the PKK in the region. Some opposition leaders even blamed northern Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani for the deaths. The government has, however, hinted that it plans to normalize relations with the Kurdish administration in Iraq’s north and win its support in the fight against PKK terrorism, a step hailed by many. Sabah’s Erdal Şafak points to Turkey’s recent decision to meet with northern Iraqi Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, upgrading its relations with the northern Iraqi administration -- which it had limited to bureaucrats so far -- and comments that this is an attempt to make the northern Iraqi administration a part of the solution to the PKK problem. He thinks Ankara’s new strategy will be an opportunity for Barzani; however, it has the potential to infuriate the [Nouri] al-Maliki government in Baghdad. Explaining why, Şafak says: “Relations between Arbil and Baghdad are at their worst since March 2003, when US forces occupied Iraq. With the courage Barzani has taken from clichés showing northern Iraq as the most peaceful area in the country and Kurds as the most reliable allies of the US, he began to act as the leader of the de facto government, stretching the limits of Maliki’s patience. And Baghdad has begun to show its anger.” In the wake of all this, Şafak says Turkey’s change of strategy can be a life vest for Barzani but that it can seriously annoy the central administration in Baghdad. “I think it would be a realistic approach if Turkey, while normalizing its relations with northern Iraq, takes the line of relations in the 1990s as a model, which asks for the northern Iraqi administration to arrange the region in line with Turkey’s expectations in return for Turkey making a contribution to the economic welfare of the region through commercial activities and investments.”
Star’s Ardan Zentürk says Turkey, in line with its strategy to fight the PKK, will from now on turn to the northern Iraqi administration. Referring to an expert from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, he quotes him as saying: “The new policy we are following in the Middle East includes out-of-state contacts. This practice is not a classic one. You can have no influence in Palestine if you do not have any contact with Hamas, in addition to Fatah. We have relations with all groups in Lebanon. And the same goes for Afghanistan. Our contacts continue with all the ethnic groups in Iraq. Following such a policy, it is unthinkable for us not to see our next door neighbor, the northern Iraqi administration.” Zentürk says what this expert suggests is important for Massoud Barzani. “I hope he will make good use of this chance,” he says.
Another Star columnist, Nasuhi Güngör, who visited Arbil a while ago to meet with senior officials from the Kurdish administration, talks about his impressions. “They make mistakes and sometimes make reckless and nonsensical statements. All of this is true. However, we should not forget one thing: They are aware of Turkey’s power and value. The administration in northern Iraq does not have the power on its own to keep the PKK alive or render it ineffective,” says Güngör, adding that the important thing here is the steps Ankara needs to take. “The atmosphere in Ankara is promising in this respect,” he writes.
