Iraq becoming an arena for settling Iran-Turkey scores
A tug of verbal war is erupting between Iran and Turkey over their presence on Iraqi territory.
Tehran wants to be alone in Iraq. However, Ankara wants to get a
piece of the cake by interfering in Iraq under the pretext of fighting the
Kurds.
Iranian demand
The dispute between the two allies started after Iranian
ambassador to Iraq Erej Masjedi said Feb. 27 that his country rejects military
intervention in Iraq.
Turkish forces, he said, should in no way be a threat to Iraqi
territory nor occupy it.
He called on Iraqi forces to provide security for themselves and
for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and to assume the task of maintaining security
in the region.
Masjedi also encouraged Iraq to ask Turkey to pull its troops
out of Iraq.
Turkish reply
Turkish Ambassador in Iraq Fatih Yildiz countered by saying the
Iranian ambassador should be the last person to proselytize on respect for
Iraqi borders and territories.
On Feb. 28, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Iran's
ambassador to Ankara.
Foreign Ministry officials told the Iranian diplomat that Turkey
had expected Iran to support Turkey in its fight against terrorism.
Misunderstanding
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh said Turkish authorities had misunderstood
Tehran's remarks on Iraq.
Iran and Turkey, he said, have strong relations.
He added that both Iran and Ankara had reached understandings on
the need for protecting Iraq.
Iraqi rejection
This controversy prompted a number of Iraqi MPs to ask both
countries to stop interfering in Iraqi affairs.
Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi asked the two countries'
diplomats to stop meddling in Iraq.
