Tainted by PKK

Washington Times, Opinion

By Tulin Daloglu

October 2, 2007

When Turkey refused to give the United States a northern front to invade Iraq , the U.S. accused its NATO ally of breaking faith. But NATO did not endorse the war in Iraq , and though it provides training to Iraqi security forces, it refrains from taking an active role on the ground.

Meanwhile, when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited New York last week, he was asked about reasons for anti-Americanism in Turkey . "[W]e have found U.S.-made heavy artillery — such as tanks and cannons — in the PKK camps," he said. Yet, there is no evidence that the PKK, Kurdish separatist terrorists, are attacking with tanks and cannons. But Mr. Erdogan's claim forces to light the question of whether Turkey 's refusal to give the United States a northern front into Iraq and American inaction against the PKK are causing Turkey to re-evaluate its NATO membership. Full Text