Toptan: US faces choice to act or not to act with Turkey against terror

Parliament Speaker Köksal Toptan directed strong criticism against the United States, saying its stance on the problem of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) presence in Iraq was “encouraging” the terrorist organization।
Toptan, speaking in an interview with private NTV, said US claims that the PKK was out of reach for them in northern Iraq did not reflect the truth, as many American and other journalists are known to have visited PKK camps and interviewed its leaders in the region. The US inaction “hurts deeply” the Turkish public, he said, and added the “US is at a point to make a decision: it will either act with its long-time ally or it won’t.”
The Turkish Parliament authorized a cross-border operation into northern Iraq last week that allows the government to hit the PKK bases, on the heels of a recent surge in PKK attacks on military and civilian targets. In response to a comment recalling that some foreign capitals were still asking Turkey to give another chance to diplomacy before sending troops into northern Iraq, Toptan expressed the opinion that Turkey’s time has been consumed for too long with the policies of engagement and said all diplomatic paths have already been exhausted. Toptan also said Turkey has not reached the point in the process of a military incursion into northern Iraq where it will declare a law of extraordinary circumstances or martial law that would override civil laws in the Southeast.
In response to a question on certain proposals made recently by some political parties to introduce OHAL -- a state of martial law in the Southeast which was in effect in the ‘90s -- Toptan said: “I see all the criticism being made as showing that in Turkey, sensitivity, care and concern remain in place. You could agree with these or choose not to.” He said the government would consider all propositions of the opposition but added: “However, if you want to hear my personal opinion, Turkey as of now is most certainly not at a stage where it needs to declare a law of extraordinary circumstances or OHAL because Turkey does not have any problems inside it that threaten our citizens in any way.”
Turkey has been struggling with terrorism for approximately 35 years, Toptan said. “The target of separatist terrorism is most certainly to disturb Turkey and consume its energy, sources and strength that would otherwise be used for infrastructure services or industrialization,” Toptan said.