|
Turkey hails efforts with US against
Kurdish rebels in Iraq
2.11.2005
|
|
|
|
ANKARA, Nov 1 (AFP)
- Turkey and the United States have entered a "new
era" in combatting Turkish Kurd rebels holed up in
the mountains of neighbouring northern Iraq, Turkish
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Tuesday.
"Let me tell you that we have entered a new era,"
Gul told a press conference here when asked if
Washington had plans to move against rebels of the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq, as
called for by Ankara.
"They (the US administration) are aware of how high
expectations are over here," Gul said, expressing
hope that the results of the new phase in
anti-terror cooperation would become public soon.
"One cannot expect to reap the fruit in the
cooperation against terrorism at once," he added.
Turkey has long criticised the United States for
failing to act against PKK rebels who have found
refuge in northern Iraq since 1999.
Ankara has even threatened cross-border incursions
to hunt down the rebels while Washington has failed
to commit itself to immediate military action and
argued for drying up PKK's financial resources as a
first measure.
The PKK, blacklisted as a terrorist group by Turkey
as well as both the United States and the European
Union, has stepped up anti-government violence in
Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast after calling off
a five-year unilateral ceasefire in June 2004.
Most recently the rebels called off a six-week
unilateral ceasefire last month.
More than 37,000 have been killed since 1984 when
the PKK launched an armed campaign for Kurdish
self-rule in Turkey's southeast.
AFP
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 