Vatan's Güngör Mengi strongly supports a cross-border operation into northern Iraq. He says the circumstances have changed a great deal since Turkey rejected American plans to stage the 2003 invasion of Iraq from Turkey and it would be a mistake to assume that Turkey's relationship with the US was the same. He feels that Turkey is but a spectator and not a player in the game being played in the Middle East. Referring to the US rejection of Turkey's wish to postpone the Kirkuk referendum, Mengi asserts that Turkey is not being taken seriously in the region.Another writer from Vatan, Okay Gönensin, is at odds with Mengi and asserts that it is wrong to assume a Turkish military intervention in northern Iraq would prevent the Kurdish annexation of Kirkuk. He explains that Turkish soldiers would have to advance even further south and enter Kirkuk to prevent this. "What will appear on the map will be this: Turkey has invaded a potential Kurdistan," Gönensin urges. He claims even if Turkey achieved a military success it will have to deal with the Iraqi Kurds before settling its Kurdish problem at home -- something difficult to handle.
Sabah's Erdal Şafak talks about three options for dealing with Turkey's northern Iraq crisis: war, peace or acceptance of the current situation. He thinks that threatening the use of force does not mean anything other than an indicator of determination. "So, we have to ponder peaceful and diplomatic solutions," he urges. Şafak suggests taking the issue to the UN Security Council. He thinks that if Turkey's rights, which are outlined in the Lausanne and Ankara Treaties, were recognized by the UN - the address of international legitimacy - the problem would be settled. He admits, however, that this is a faint possibility. Şafak talks about another option, namely implementing the policies of the Hatay problem in Kirkuk. According to this option, an international commission, including Turkey, would be authorized to determine electoral lists and a census in Kirkuk, as was the case in Hatay. Şafak stresses that the referendum process in Kirkuk must be frozen if this option were pursued.
Milliyet's Sami Kohen shares the same view with Şafak in that Turkey should activate channels of dialogue for the settlement of issues like Kirkuk, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and northern Iraq, but he wants Turkey to keep in mind the military intervention option. He admits that Turkey is in close contact with many Iraqi leaders but has failed to establish effective communication with the Kurdish side. He accuses Ankara of ignoring Iraqi President Jalal Talabani at a time when he is being welcomed in Tehran and Damascus. "While discussing Kirkuk and the PKK issues, Iraqi Kurds cannot be ignored. Actually, getting involved in a conflict with them will not be to Turkey's benefit. On the contrary Turkey should look for ways to find a joint solution. Turkey has at its disposal the effective means to ensure this," asserts Kohen. He also dwells on the importance of more dialogue with the US, bearing in mind the reality of the US presence in Iraq. He says that US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns' visit to Ankara and Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül and Chief of General Staff Gen.Yaşar Büyükanit's visit to Washington next month will be influential. He concludes that messages from the Turkish Parliament may also affect the course of these meetings.
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