Replies to post #1704 on Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

At the moment, the former American senior intelligence official said, the Israelis' tie to Kurdistan "would be of greater value than their growing alliance with Turkey. 'We love Turkey but got to keep the pressure on Iran.'" The former Israeli intelligence officer said, "The Kurds were the last surviving group close to the United States with any say in Iraq. The only question was how to square it with Turkey."

As Israel’s focus is closer to home, losing Turkey seems less a tragedy for Israel than for the United States as the loss of Turkey could also herald a slackening of America’s grip on Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Turkey is pivotal in the ME, Central Asia and the South Caucasus. I am surprised the United States is not putting more pressure on Israel to break from Kurdistan. The danger being Turkey could align with Russia or China and become a formidable source of power in Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

I want to see if I can find if Putin has rescheduled his trip to Turkey.

“Not militarily - the United States cannot be defeated militarily in Iraq - but politically."

Interesting that Israel has made it clear that Bush has lost Iraq politically yet the American public has not caught on. The political victory being of much more importance than the military.

Excellent analysis,

-Am

[otraque]

Iran warns Iraq over alleged Israeli presence in Kurdish north
AFP
( i am responding to a post that has much comment on this matter-wl)
TEHRAN, Oct 3 (AFP) - 10h34 - Iran said Sunday it was unable to confirm reports that Israeli agents have been operating in the Kurdish areas of northern Iraq, but nevertheless warned Iraqi officials to "pay attention".

http://www.kerkuk-kurdistan.com/nuceyek.asp?ser=4&cep=1&nnimre=4171

"Regarding the presence of Israeli forces in northen Iraq, we have also heard some things," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters.

"We hope this news is a lie and that Iraqi officials pay attention to the sensitivites of neighbouring countries," he warned, adding the matter was the subject of "protests" by several states on the sidelines of an Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) gathering in Turkey.

Although he said "our proof is only based on reports", he warned that any Israeli presence in northern Iraq "is not something that the Islamic and regional nations would accept, because Israel is an enemy of the region."

Speculation that Israeli agents have been operating in Iraq's Kurdish areas has been circulating for several months.

On Saturday a leading Egyptian MP charged that Israel had taken advantage of last year's US-led invasion of Iraq to deploy large numbers of it agents there to spy on neighbouring Iran and Syria.

"They can deny it all they like but it's the reality," said Mustafa Feki, the chairman of the Egyptian parliamentary foreign affairs committee and a leading member of the ruling National Democratic Party of President Hosni Mubarak.