Iraqi Communist Party released a statement condemning Turkey’s military incursion into Iraq

ICP, 9th December 2015

Solidnet released a translation of an editorial article published on 7th December in the daily newspaper “Tareeq Al-Shaab” (People’s Path), issued by the Iraqi Communist Party, strongly condemning Turkey’s military incursion into the Nineveh province in northern Iraq.

The translation of the article is as follows:

“We have followed, along with our people, with great concern the reports about the new Turkish military incursion into Iraq, this time in the province of Nineveh (Mosul), under the pretext of assistance in the training of forces to liberate the province from the terrorist organization Daesh.

This is actually not the first time that the Turkish forces sweep into Iraqi territory, or that its warplanes violate Iraq’s airspace to perform tasks that are part of Turkey’s agenda and objectives. Ankara has gone too far in the use of its agreement with Saddam’s dictatorial regime which had allowed its troops to deploy into Iraqi territory to a depth of up to 20 kilometers under the pretext of fighting against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which it characterizes as a "terrorist organization".

The Turkish military presence inside Iraqi territory had continued during the so-called "fratricidal war" in the Kurdistan region during the 1990s, and was not rectified even after the change in 2003, both under the US occupation or the successive governments in power since then and until the present day.

The disclosure of this new military incursion and discussing it publicly has unveiled the root of the problem and exposed the continued violation by the Turkish forces of the sovereignty and independence of our country, and blatant interference in the our country's internal affairs, whereby Turkey gives itself the right to declare its protection for this or that of Iraqi groups, giving rise to reactions of anxiety, apprehension and fear.

The current conditions of our country, the difficulties its is facing and its national and the holy battle against terrorism and Daesh, and its need for support and assistance, are not supposed to justify violating Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as international legitimacy.

In this context, it is not acceptable that the Security Council resolutions against terrorism, that call for fighting it, tightening the noose on it and cutting off the sources of its human and material funding, would be interpreted in an arbitrary and one-sided manner contrary to those resolutions themselves. These UN resolutions stress unequivocally on respecting the independence and sovereignty of Iraq, as well as obliging that whatever support and backing is given should be at the request of the Iraqi government and in cooperation and coordination with it.

The Iraqi executive and legislative authorities, and in accordance with their duties based on the Constitution, are the only one and nobody else who is entitled to the final say on the issue of coordinating external support and backing, and employing it properly in the battle to liberate our land from terrorist Daesh and ensure the return of displaced people to their areas. It is the responsibility of the government and its security and military forces to secure their lives and property.

We, in the Iraqi Communist Party, while condemning all interference and violation of the sovereignty and independence of our country by any party, and while demanding the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops from our territory, call on the Iraqi government to resort to the UN Security Council to address the issue as a whole in order to secure for Iraq its rights as a sovereign state.

In the context of addressing this important and essential matter, that has repercussions for the present and future of Iraq, it should be pointed out that many of the issues that are taking place now, including this new condemned Turkish invasion, would not have taken place if it had not been for the state of weakness caused by the divisions and conflicts among the ruling blocs and parties and the abhorrent sectarian power-sharing policy, giving priority to partisan interests at the expense of the higher national interest, and relying on external powers to impose facts on the ground inside Iraq. These are, in all circumstances, time bombs that do not provide guarantees for security and stability in the country.

These delicate and critical circumstances require a clear position from all sides in Iraq, an awareness of the dangers threatening the homeland, an effort to strengthen national unity, and to proceed along the path of real reform, correcting the path of the political process and ridding it of the serious shortcomings, carrying out the national reconciliation process and strengthening the bonds of the social fabric. It is also crucial to properly employ all the national factors and external aid in the battle for salvation from Daesh and terrorism, to achieve security and stability, and to launch a development process that provides a life of pride and dignity for the Iraqi people.

Only in this way we can provide the prerequisites of power and strength and ensure that Iraq is truly free and sovereign, with its people having the reins of their own decision and deciding their future in accordance with to their own free will.”