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U.S. Dissatisfied with Efforts To Curb
Kurdistan Workers Party
28.10.2006
By David Shelby, Washington File Staff Writer |
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Washington,
October 27, 2006 – The United States is not
satisfied with efforts by Iraq’s Kurdish leadership
to rein in the activities of the Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK), which has launched numerous
cross-border attacks against Turkish military,
police and government targets since abandoning its
unilateral cease-fire with the Turkish government in
August 2004.
“No, we are not satisfied with progress on the PKK.
There are more steps that need to be taken to ensure
that the PKK does not return to violence,” said
State Department Coordinator for Iraq David
Satterfield at an October 26 briefing in Washington.
The PKK, an organization designated by the U.S.
State Department as a terrorist group, is fighting
for an independent Kurdish state in parts of Turkey,
Syria, Iraq and Iran. As its roots are in Turkey, it
has focused most of its attacks on Turkish targets.
Nevertheless, it has made common cause with ethnic
Kurds in other countries and currently is using
Iraqi Kurdistan as a base of operations.
“We do take very seriously the need to contain and
confront the PKK and its engagement in violence and
in terror. Too many Turks have suffered from PKK
violence, particularly over the last year. This
needs to come to a halt,” Satterfield said.
“The most important first step is an end to the
terror, an end to the violence, and it does mean
that the PKK must cease its involvement in violent
activities. It must lay down its arms,” he said.
“There are other steps that can be taken and must be
taken by the [Iraqi] Kurdish leadership – closure of
PKK offices, other steps which constrain the ability
of the PKK to function. Those are all extremely
important measures.”
The PKK declared a new cease-fire in September, but
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected
this, saying a state could not have a cease-fire
with a terrorist organization.
The United States has sent a special envoy, General
Joseph Ralston, to consult with the Turkish, Iraqi
and Kurdish regional governments about ways to
resolve the problem of the PKK. (See related
article.)
A transcript of Satterfield’s remarks is available
at the State Department Web site.
state.gov
The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously
rejected due to its alleged political implications
by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize
the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan".
Others estimate as many as 40 million Kurds live in
Big Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia),
which covers an area as big as France, about half of
all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in
Turkey.
The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan but
unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag is
banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it is
a criminal offence"
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey) wikipedia
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