****URGENT****BREAKING!!! SYRIA BACKS TURKISH INCURSION INTO IRAQ****

ANKARA (AFP) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday said he would support a Turkish incursion into northern Iraq against Kurdish rebels, as the parliament in Ankara met to vote for military action.
ADVERTISEMENT

"We support the decisions the Turkish government has put on its agenda against terrorism and terrorist activities," Assad told reporters after talks with Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. "We see this as Turkey's legitimate right."

He was speaking shortly before the Turkish parliament was expected to approve a government motion seeking authorisation for cross-border operations into neighbouring northern Iraq to pursue Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels based there.

Turkey says some 3,500 PKK militants enjoy safe haven in autonomous Kurdish-held northern Iraq, which they use as a springboard for attacks on Turkish territory.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and much of the international community, has been fighting for Kurdish self-rule in southeast Turkey since 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives.

Ironically, Turkey had threatened Syria with military action in 1998 over Damascus' alleged support for PKK rebels and the safe haven PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan enjoyed in Syria.

Tensions ended the same year when Damascus forced Ocalan out and signed a security cooperation agreement with Ankara, resulting in a significant improvement in bilateral ties.

Ocalan was subsequently captured in Kenya in 1999, tried and jailed for life.

Iraq and the United States both strongly oppose any Turkish military action in northern Iraq, but Turkey says it is left with no other choice in the face of escalating PKK violence and what it sees as a lack of cooperation by Washington and Baghdad.

Assad said US-led forces in Iraq were to blame for the war-torn country becoming a haven for armed rebels.

"The forces occupying Iraq are responsible in the first degree for the terrorist activities there because they are in control of the country," he said.

The Syrian leader also called for groups in Iraq that "support and protect terrorist activities" to be exposed.

Ankara says PKK rebels in northern Iraq are tolerated and even supported by local Kurdish leaders.

The Turkish government is expected to easily secure parliament's approval for an incursion into northern Iraq, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said there would be no rush to military action.

Turkey has also stressed that any cross-border operation will target only the PKK and

we are definitely falling down the rabbit hole now.

[link to www1.istockphoto.com]

Turkey
Syria
Iran
Russia

The open alliance is building....

.

The Middle East is now approaching a situation where none of the parties has control or even oversight of the situation.
Too many pans on too may fires.
We are probabely going to stumble into WW3 with everyone involved just making it up as they go along.
Not good.

it's hard to say what the hell is going to stop the fall as well.

Yes. We are indeed falling down the rabbit hole.

See this!!!

[link to www.genocide1915.info]

I disagree. This has been planned for YEARS.

Is it really all about the Kurds?The Arabs and Persians have enough land for the Kurds and the Palestinians.

Fucking-hell!!!

Turkey should now either withdraw from, or be thrown out of NATO.

Let's call a spade a fucking spade, is it?

If so, humanity is in much bigger trouble than most suspect.

More links:

[link to www.cnn.com]

[link to www.armenian-genocide.org]

[link to www.iht.com]

Humanity is lucky it got this far. they tried first in 1962 remember? Kennedy paid for stopping it, with his life. it's taken them this long to manouvere themselves to this juicy situation again.

No heroes this time people!

unless Putin pulls something out of the fire.

can't see it myself!

Yes, let's call a spade a spade. the Armenian-American community has contributed MUCH more to the US society than has the Turkish-American society. Need proof??

[link to www.wliw.org]

Look here!! Even Bush himself said in 2000 that it was Genocide fer chrissakes!!!

[link to www.anca.org]

Mother fucking !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually the USA should be forced out.

[link to www.youtube.com]
Officer Huckelberry Hound reportin for duty sir

Actually, I agree with you, but it's all bollocks really, isn't it?

Just

My point is, everything is SOOOO fucking grey nowadays, isn't it?

Bring back the ''cold war'' I say.

Black and white! lovely!

the hard ground will stop the fall, unless an abyss opens up and who knows then. something needs to happen. maybe russia will invade and free us from the tyrants.

[link to news.yahoo.com]

U.S. can calm a ruffled Turkey

Wed Oct 17, 4:00 AM ET

Two hot-button issues have set off Turkish ire and severely strained US ties: Turkey's history with war and increased dangers to its present-day security. In both cases, it's tempting to fault Ankara's overreaction. But US lawmakers and the White House should first examine their own actions.

True, there's something galling about this NATO ally's response to the first of these issues – last week's resolution by a House committee to label the killing of 1.5 million Armenians under the Ottoman Turks as "genocide."

The measure is symbolic, without the force of law, yet Turkey threatens to pull critical logistical support for US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan if the full House passes the resolution. Turkey doesn't deny the Armenian deaths during World War I, but it does deny a systematic slaughter.

Several countries have passed legislative judgement on that historic tragedy, creating anger in Turkey – a sign of its inability to face up to the past. So what's to stop the US House from soon doing the same?

The strongest argument is that now is not the time to sacrifice an essential ally in a current war (about 70 percent of US air cargo to Iraq passes through Turkey), over an event that happened 90 years ago, however worthy the reason.

But another argument deserves mention in this context, and requires self-reflection: At a time when the world questions US moral standing, moral pronouncements from Washington ring hollow.

Much of the world wonders what has become of the US declaration of "genocide" in Darfur, about its inaction to stop Rwanda's genocide, or why it tolerates Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. It asks why more senior-level officers weren't held accountable for Abu Ghraib, about US legal treatment of terrorist suspects, and why the US still appears to find wiggle room in the definition of torture.

At this moment, it's more appropriate for US lawmakers to do what they can to restore America's moral reputation, than to comment on the historic mistakes of others or undercut US war efforts.

As for Turkey's squawk over the second issue – separatist Kurdish terrorists crossing over from northern Iraq to attack its soldiers and civilians – that, too, is cause for US self-examination.

Turkey is threatening a full-scale incursion into northern Iraq to go after Kurdish terrorists fighting for an independent homeland that would include southeast Turkey. But a wider war in Iraq is not in anyone's interest.

The pressure on the US to please Iraqi Kurds in order to help Iraq along must be overwhelming, while pleasing the Turks (who wouldn't let the US invade Iraq from the north in 2003) is secondary. Yet, the US can do more, as Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns admits.

The US needs to better balance its interest in Iraq with its interest in maintaining Turkey as a bridge-building NATO ally between Europe and the Middle East. Pressuring Iraqi Kurds to arrest terrorist leaders and close training camps is not too much to ask in return for years of US protection and advocacy.

Turkey also has work to do on both these issues. It could scrap laws that make the "genocide" description a crime and it can do more for its Kurdish minority. But Washington should start with what it can do to repair this relationship.

Praise The Holy Of Holy :: Next we will do something to get the 2 million man army of China involved !! Praise The Savior Jesus :: Amen

Of course. Who thinks Bushy and the neo-conmen didn't know the regional implications of their 2003 action? They were desperate to start the war.

I agree.

UUmmm...pray tell, why?

.

China hasn't said it yet, but I'm sure they will back Russia too.

Yeah please tell us why? They are defending themselves against terrorists. Terrorists who are crossing their borders and killing their citizens and soldiers. The terrorist just killed 15 - 16 turks and they are doing this almost weekly. Why do they not have a right to defend their citizens from terrorists?

Because only Israel is allowed to defend against terrorists.

Part of the plan to give semi autonomy in the tiered Iraq model is to take about 30% of Turkey for the Kurdish ruled north Iraq. No doubt they would like to have a say in this and this is the area that is somewhat controlled solely because we have given support to the Kurds who are working this and presently the deal they signed with Hunt Oil is going forward as we speak. They have a government already operational. all Turkey and Iran wants is sovereign borders to which they are legally entitled.