Turkish Army: No plans to intervene in Kirkuk

General Ilker Basbug told a media briefing in Ankara that the media was incorrect in reporting that the Turkish military was planning to take action in Northern Iraq.
“At the moment the Turkish Armed Forces has no plans for intervention in Northern Iraq,” he said.
However, the General said that the Turkish Army was always ready for any situation. He went on to say that there was discomfort over the demographic structure of Kirkuk.
“We want the new residential problem of Iraq to be resolved within the framework of the Iraq Constitution,” he said.
Basbug also referred to the topic of minorities in Turkey and was critical of the European Union repeatedly touching on the issue.
“In Turkey there is one country, one sovereignty and one nation,” Basbug said. “To create minorities other than those in the Lausanne would harm to the unitarian structure of Turkey.”