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Iraqi Kurdistan government angry at
Turkey-Iraq deal
1.10.2007
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October
1, 2007
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',-- The
government of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region
expressed its anger on Saturday at being kept in the
dark about an agreement between Baghdad and Ankara
to crack down on rebel Turkish Kurds.
The accord was signed on Friday in Turkey’s capital
by Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani and his
Turkish counterpart Besir Atalay.
“It would have been better if someone had told us
what was going to be in the agreement,” Falah
Mustafa Bakir, head of the Kurdish Regional
Government’s foreign affairs department, said in a
statement posted on the KRG’s website.
“We are talking about a new democratic, federal Iraq
not the Iraq of dictatorship and one-party rule,” he
said. Turkey says the separatist Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK) enjoys free movement in northern Iraq,
where it has long taken refuge, and obtains weapons
and explosives there for attacks across the border.
Turkey, the United States and much of the
international community list the PKK as a terrorist
group.
Since 1984 the PKK took up arms for self-rule in the
country's mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. Turkey
is home to over 25 million ethnic Kurds.
Atalay said Friday that the two sides had failed to
agree on a proposed provision concerning “the
strengthening of security and cooperation in border
areas” and that negotiations would continue.
A draft provision sought by Ankara would have
reportedly allowed Turkey with Iraqi authorisation
to conduct “hot pursuit”, or small-scale military
operations across the border to hunt PKK militants.
But the Iraqi Kurds, who run Kurdistan region
'northern Iraq' and have been accused by Ankara of
tolerating and even aiding the PKK, raised
objections to the provision, according to media
reports.
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 Kurdistan
autonomous region in 'northern Iraq'.
Ankara is anxious to prevent the emergence of a
Kurdish state in Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq',
fearing this could fan separatism among its own
large Kurdish population in southeast Turkey.
AFP
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