A decision by a Turkish state prosecutor to open an investigation on Monday into Massoud Barzani, president of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, has dismayed Iraqi Kurdish authorities who they say they will not be pulled into a fruitless controversy and will remain silent.
The Iraqi Kurdish leaders have taken a policy decision not to react to Turkish moves and leave it to the Baghdad government to do the talking on their behalf.
That is why when Turkey recently allegedly shelled the Kurdish regions to hit PKK terrorist bases the Iraqi Kurdish administration did not react and the Baghdad government presented a protest note on the issue to Turkey.
The decision of the prosecutor to probe Barzani coincides with a buildup of Turkish troops and tanks in southeastern Turkey amid speculation that they may stage a major incursion into northern Iraq to hit PKK terrorist bases located there.
A Turkish nationalist organization asked prosecutors in Diyarbakir, the largest city of Turkey's southeast, to open the probe into the accusations over the PKK, and called for the seizure of any assets, including property and bank accounts, that Barzani may own in Turkey.
Diyarbakir is regarded as the provincial capital of the region where the population is predominantly Kurdish.
Barzani once had good ties with Ankara, but these have deteriorated sharply in recent months after he used tough language to criticize what he called Turkey's interference in Kirkuk, Ankara's approach to Iraq's Kurds and said there could be no question of his forces tackling the PKK.
Turkey, which faces elections next month, says it has the right under international law to send troops into Iraq to crush the PKK if U.S. and Iraqi forces fail to act. Turkey has invited Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to discuss the issue. Maliki would be accompanied by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, also a Kurd and the uncle of Massoud Barzani who is under investigation.
Barzani has emerged as one of the leading allies of Maliki as the Kurds continue to play an enhanced role in Baghdad politics.
Sources said Maliki and Zebari as well as President Jalal Talabani who is also a Kurd convinced Barzani to ease his tough talk against Turkey.
However, Iraqi Kurdish officials are concerned that the campaign against Barzani is picking up pace. Prime Minister Erdogan called Barzani a tribal leader and Chief of Staff General Yasar Buyukanit hinted Barzani should be a target if Turkey launched a cross border operation.
PKK attacks on civilian and security targets in Turkey have increased over the past few months, putting more pressure on Prime Minister Erdogan to get tough with the terrorists.