TODAY’S KURDISTAN NEWS IN BRIEF
Turkey weighs pivotal oil deal with Iraqi Kurdistan
The Washington Post – American diplomats are struggling to prevent a seismic shift in Turkey’s policy toward Iraq, a change that U.S. officials fear could split the foundations of that fractious state. The most volatile fault line in Iraq divides the semiautonomous Kurdistan region in the north from the Arab-majority central government in Baghdad. As the two sides fight for power over territory and oil rights, Turkey is increasingly siding with the Kurds…
Foreign Affairs – The mood in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk — the three largest cities in Iraqi Kurdistan — is newly buoyant these days, and with good reason. Iraq’s Kurds, who occupy the semiautonomous region run by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), have much to celebrate…
What Should U.S. Policy Be in Syria?
Council on Foreign Relations – Debate is intensifying over how the United States should respond to Syria’s escalating crisis. CFR’s Max Boot says Washington needs “to get off the sidelines” and build a coalition of allies to enforce a Libya-style no-fly zone.…
ATK finalizes report on Özal’s death, confirms poison
Today’s Zaman – The Council of Forensic Medicine (ATK) has finalized its awaited report after conducting forensic tests on the remains of the eighth president of Turkey, Turgut Özal, whose death 19 years ago is now the subject of a new investigation, and confirmed the presence of poisonous substances in Özal’s body…
U.S. Will Recognize Syrian Rebels, Obama Says – NYTimes.com
The New York Times – President Obama said Tuesday that the United States would formally recognize a coalition of Syrian opposition groups as that country’s legitimate representative, in an attempt to intensify the pressure on President Bashar al-Assad to give up his nearly two-year-long bloody struggle to stay in power. Mr. Obama’s announcement, in an interview with Barbara Walters of ABC News on the eve of a meeting in Morocco of the Syrian opposition leaders and their supporters, was widely expected.