By RIA Novosti
Ankara : Turkey’s parliament sanctioned on Wednesday military cross-border operations against Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq following a government request earlier this week.
Parliament approved the plan by 507 votes from 526, with 19 MPs representing the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party voting against.
The Turkish government asked parliament on Monday to authorize military operations against the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has stepped up attacks on Turkey from the Iraq.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday parliamentary approval did not mean that the operation would begin immediately.
“It will be conducted when the time is right, when necessary,” he said.
The U.S. urged Turkey not to launch a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebels.
“We are making it very clear to Turkey that we don’t think it is in their interest to send troops into Iraq,” President George Bush said.
The Turkish military has prepared several scenarios for a cross-border operation in northern Iraq to counter Kurdish rebels. The country has of late been amassing troops near the border, and shelling suspected rebel positions along the border.
The scenarios include advancing of 5-10 km into Iraq to gain full control of the border; pinpoint air attacks on suspected separatist bases, air raids on PKK mountainous strongholds, and combined ground operations and air attacks, the Hurriyet newspaper reported on Thursday.
Erdogan said last Wednesday that the proposed operation would aim to clear the region of PKK fighters, who currently number about 3,500.
He said the government wanted parliamentary approval for the operation to remain valid for a year, so the army could “tackle problems as they arise.”
Iraq has protested against Turkish military actions on its territory, calling them “aggression against Iraq and its territorial integrity.” Erdogan responded that Ankara was not after Iraq’s territory or sovereignty, but sought to counter the mounting terrorism threat emanating from the country.
Turkey recently closed its air space to planes flying to northern Iraq from various parts of Europe, a move that Hurriyet said indicates that Ankara does not intend to abandon its tough stance on the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), based in the north of Iraq.
Airlines flying to the north Iranian airport of Erbil now have to change course and fly via Cypriot and Syrian airspace.
Local media said the Turkish leadership was considering imposing sanctions against Massoud Barzani, president of the Autonomous Kurdish Government in Iraq and leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, accusing him of supporting the PKK. The party has been fighting for autonomy status in southeast Turkey for nearly 25 years. The conflict has claimed about 40,000 lives.