Barzani Urges Arab League To Support

Juan Cole 10/13/2003

Barzani urges Arab League to Support Exclusion of Turkish Troops from Iraq

In Cairo, IGC member Massoud Barzani urged the Arab League to support the Interim Governing Council in rejecting the stationing of Turkish troops on Iraqi soil. He warned that sending troops to Iraq from any neighboring country would only increase tensions.

The Kurdish groups of northern Iraq have long had an ambiguous relationship to the Arab world, since they are not native Arabic speakers. Some have noticed the irony that the Iraqi Kurds are now turning to the Arab League for support.

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page