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Iraq parliament looks to condemn Turkey
20.10.2007
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October
20, 2007
BAGHDAD, -- Iraq's parliament on Saturday
discussed a motion condemning Turkey for threatening
an incursion to crack down on Turkey's Kurdish PKK
rebels as Baghdad and Ankara were said to be
considering a joint operation.
Lawmakers failed to agree on the wording of the
motion that would condemn Turkey's parliament for
authorising its military to cross the mountainous
border to hunt down rebels of the Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK).
"The Iraqi parliament did not reach a final formula
for the draft statement presented by the parliament
presidency committee," speaker Mahmud al-Mashhadani
said.
"The heads of the blocs at the parliament were asked
to make other amendments and voting shall take place
either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow," he said.
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Iraq's parliament |
The Turkish parliament on Wednesday approved a
motion authorising military strikes for a one-year
period against PKK rebels, ethnic Kurds who believed
to use Kurdistan 'northern Iraq' as a springboard
for attacks across the border in Turkey. Kurdish
authorities in Kurdistan region strongly reject the
claim.
Shiite lawmaker Samira Mussawi said the disagreement
in parliament stemmed from the fact that while many
were angry at the developments in Turkey they did
not want their motion to further inflame the
situation.
"The parliament condemns the Turkish threats which
cannot help in enhancing good neighbourly relations
between the two countries," said the original draft
text being worked on, according to a copy obtained
by AFP.
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said that his Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Maliki
had proposed joint action to crack down on the PKK
rebels.
"Maliki confirmed the following thing: that if there
was no result from the talks, we would carry out
this operation together," Erdogan said in an
interview late on Friday on the Kanal 24 news
channel.
He repeated his call on Washington and Baghdad to
crack down on the rebels, warning that Ankara would
follow through with its threat of a cross-border
operation if it sees no action.
"We are tired of being put off with empty words,"
Erdogan said. "We need to see some concrete results
with regards to the presence of (Kurdish rebels) in
northern Iraq."
But he also said that the United States had the
primary responsibility in routing PKK bases, and
said talks with US President George W. Bush early
next month in Washington would be crucial in
determining the next course of action.
"As far as a cross-border operation goes, we are in
the position of making things very clear with the
United States and I particularly want to get clarity
in my talks on November 5," Erdogan said.
Ankara claims some 3,500 PKK fighters have found
refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan and are tolerated or even
actively supported by Iraqi Kurdish leaders -- a
charge the Kurdistan government strongly deny.
Authorities from the autonomous Kurdistan government
in Iraq, frightened of being squeezed by both
Baghdad and Ankara, say they will rebuff any attack
on their region.
"We frankly say to all parties: if they attack the
region or Kurdistan experiment under whatever
pretext, we will be completely ready to defend our
democratic experiment and the dignity of our people
and the sanctity of our homeland," Kurdistan
regional president Massoud Barzani said on Friday.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates hinted on Thursday
that US and Iraqi forces were prepared to act
against PKK rebels if they had more precise
intelligence.
"I think that if we were to come up with specific
information, that we and the Iraqis would be
prepared to do the appropriate thing, and if we had
information on them in Turkey, that we would provide
that information," Gates said without elaborating.
Gates is scheduled to meet Turkish Defence Minister
Vecdi Gonul on Sunday to discuss the tensions over
PKK on the sidelines of an international gathering
in Kiev.
Turkey's threats of a cross-border military strike
into crude producer Iraq have sent jitters through
the international community, triggering calls for
restraint, and have helped to push oil prices to
record highs.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday welcomed Ankara's
readiness for talks with Iraq and expressed concern
over a possible Turkish military operation.
The PKK has waged a bloody campaign for Kurdish
self-rule in southeast Turkey since 1984. The
conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives.
AFP
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