Iraqi Parliament’s Defense Commission Opposes Direct Talks with Turkey
The Iraqi parliament’s Security and Defense Commission underlined opposition to direct talks between Baghdad and Ankara, and called for an extraordinary meeting of the Arab League (AL) or the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Turkey’s aggression against Iraq.
Chairman of the Security and Defense Commission Mohammadreza Al-e Haider was quoted by the Arabic-language Wa’a news agency as saying on Sunday that Turkey’s insistence on violation of Iraq’ sovereignty leaves the parliament with no other choice but to oppose direct talks.
“Our precondition for talks is Turkey’s withdrawal from the Iraqi borderlines which is now under occupation,” he added.
Al-e Haider called for an extraordinary meeting of the AL or the OIC to study the issue.
Meantime, another member of the Commission, Kate’e Najman al-Rakabi, called on the Iraqi government to file a complaint at the UN Security Council against Turkey.
Turkey resumed airstrikes on the Yazidi heartland of Sinjar in Northern Iraq on Aug. 25 after first attacking the area in mid-June. Turkish airstrikes have been going on for months in other parts of Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
The Turkish drone struck an Iraqi border guard convoy in the Bradost area, North of Erbil. The strike that killed two senior officers was part of Turkish operations by land and air against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in parts of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Following the incident, Iraq’s Foreign Ministry summoned Turkey’s Ambassador to Iraq Fatih Yildiz Aug. 12, calling the strike an act of aggression and a violation of the country’s sovereignty. The Iraqi government canceled the Turkish defense minister’s visit to Baghdad and other scheduled visits by Turkish officials to Iraq.
