|
Iraqi parliament to resume session
Saturday by discussing Turkish threats
18.10.2007
|
|
|
|
October
18, 2007
BAGHDAD, -- The parliament's leadership has
decided to resume parliament's session on Saturday
after the Eid al-Fitr, during which a number of
issues will be discussed, mainly the Turkish threats
to invade northern Iraq to pursue elements of the
banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a media
source from the parliament said on Thursday.
"The parliament's Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani
decided to resume sessions next Saturday to discuss
a number of issues, mainly the Turkish threats to
invade northern Iraq," the source said.
"Saturday's session is expected to attract a large
number of lawmakers from different parliamentarian
blocs to discuss the Iraqi-Turkish crisis," the
source also said, noting that the parliament is
likely to issue an important decision within this
context.
The Turkish parliament on Wednesday voted to allow
military strikes against Kurdish PKK separatists in
Kurdista region 'northern Iraq', despite stiff U.S.
opposition and appeals from Baghdad for time to
purge the rebels.
Only 19 Turkish lawmakers out of the 555 parliament
members voted against the bill, which permitted any
Turkish incursion into northern Iraq to pursue
fighters allegedly using mountain areas in northern
Iraq as a base to attack Turkish targets.
The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
attended the parliamentary session.
The motion came at a time that both Iraq and the
U.S. urged Turkey to show self-restraint and to seek
a peaceful means of resolving the crisis.
Last week, the Turkish government sought a mandate
from the parliament to pursue the PKK's fighters
inside the Iraqi territories after 13 Turkish
soldiers were ambushed by PKK in southeastern
Turkey.
Since 1984 the PKK took up arms for self-rule in the
country's mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
Iraqi Kurdish politician says, Turkey is using a
Kurdish separatist PKK rebel group as an excuse to
invade Kurdistan region 'Iraq' to prevent the
establishment of Kurdistan state in the Kurdish
autonomous region in 'northern Iraq'
Erdogan however, said that the mandate did not mean
an imminent incursion into northern Iraq, expressing
hope that "the military action be avoided."
For his part, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
said in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart
Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday that he
understands Turkey's concerns about the Kurdistan
Workers Party's (PKK) activities and reiterated his
government's keenness to prevent Kurdish
separatists' operations from being launched from
within Iraqi territories.
VOI
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 