Turkish opposition head hits out at Iraqi Kurdish vote

By Cansu Dikme

ANKARA

A Turkish opposition leader on Thursday said next month’s planned independence vote in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq could potentially lead to war.

Speaking at an Ankara news conference, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli said Turkey should oppose the referendum which would include Turkmen-populated areas.

“This referendum, for Turkey, could be regarded as a reason for war, if need be,” Bahceli said.

"It should be known that a possible referendum is a rehearsal for Kurdistan. This referendum is against Turkey and the Turkmens,” he added.

On Sept. 25, Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government plans to hold a referendum on whether to declare formal independence from the Iraqi state.

Baghdad rejects the poll, saying it could adversely affect the ongoing fight against Daesh, which despite a string of recent defeats still maintains a significant presence in Iraq.

Iranian cooperation

Bahceli also spoke about possible Turkish-Iranian cooperation against terrorist groups in the region, saying any joint operations should “eradicate the nuisance” of the PKK.

The PKK has waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than 30 years, leading to more than 40,000 deaths while in Iran, the PKK-affiliated PJAK group sporadically carries out hit-and-run attacks.

During a news conference on Monday that came after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s meeting with Iranian military, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri in Ankara, the president suggested Iran and Turkey could work together to target the PKK and PJAK, at their bases in northern Iraq.

Border security should be ensured in northern Iraq and Syria, Bahceli said, adding that any threat to the nation should be destroyed.