At long last the Iraqi Parliament has been invited to convene by President Talabani today Sunday, March 12, and to elect its speaker and deputy speaker, if they can.

The AKP government of Tayyip Erdogan is trying to play a greater role in the Middle East, not only in the Palestine-Israel conflict but also in the chaotic situation in Iraq by adopting an equal distance policy towards all sides. But for how long will this policy be sustainable? Will there be an Islamist Iraq under the Shiites, which would be a threat to Turkey? Low intensity civil war has been an ongoing fact of life in Iraq, which has now the propensity to turn into a fully fledged civil war, basically between the Shiite majority and the Sunni minority, to affect the rest of the ethnic groups, the Kurds, the Turkmens, Assyrians, etc.

To help and assist, if possible, the ethnic groups at this critical stage is to the interest of all Iraqis as much as it is to the interest of Turkey. Any civil war in Iraq will be the proverbial house next door on fire with dire consequences for Turkey. Erdogan warned that "if this fire is not extinguished locally it will turn into a global fire." Acting Prime Minister of Iraq Ibrahim Jaafari wanted to come to Ankara and he was accordingly invited to pay a visit on Feb. 28 accompanied by a delegation including his deputy prime minister and the Minister of Communication Ahmet Chelebi, Minister of Electricity Muhsin Salash and some members of the Iraqi Parliament. The overdue debt of Iraq to the Turkish private sector, some $1.5 billion, flights to Baghdad by Turkish Airlines and Iraq importing more electricity from Turkey were also understood to have been discussed.

The formation of the Iraqi government, which has been delayed since the Oct. 15, 2005 elections, has now become a priority because sectarian clashes have cost hundreds of innocent lives, taking advantage of the fact that there is no government of consequence in Baghdad, no forceful authority to be imposed, and no force to be used against the insurgents as the police force is dispirited and of no consequence, every group having its own militia.

Therefore, the first item of priority in the Ankara discussions with Prime Minister Jaafari was most likely the urgent formation of the government. In that respect more understanding and tolerance towards the Sunni, Kurdish and Turkmen representations may have been urged for the formation of a broad-based government, rather than the winner-take-all mentality of the Shiite majority.

Prime Minister Jaafari, on the other hand, probably asked Prime Minister Erdogan for his mediation with the White House for a better understanding of the Shiites and not to be concerned about them as Iran's supposed long arm in Iraq.

Turkey has a large scale Sunni majority and a big Alawite minority close to Shiite Iraq, which puts Ankara in an ideal position to play a role of whatever importance or label at the right time for whatever can be done. Ambassador Oguz