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Iraqi Kurds urge end to Turkey border row
15.10.2007
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October
15, 2007
DUBAI, -- The government of Iraqi Kurdistan
said it was committed to stopping cross border
attacks by Kurdish PKK separatists against Turkey
but called for a political solution amid Turkish
threats to invade its neighbour.
Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of Iraq's
Kurdistan Regional Government, told Al Jazeera
Television the problem of attacks by the Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK), whose rebels use northern Iraq
as a base, could not be resolved militarily.
"We, as the government of the province of Kurdistan,
will not allow our land or the land of Iraq to be
used for assaults on any neighbouring state," he
said in comments aired on Sunday.
"The PKK is not just a problem for Turkey but has
caused us problems in the past .... It is not true
that we are benefiting from the problem of the PKK,
but our view is that since this issue cannot be
solved through war we should seek a political
solution," he added in comments dubbed into Arabic.
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on
Friday Ankara was prepared to face any international
criticism if his country launched an attack on
Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.
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Nechirvan Barzani, Prime
Minister of
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) |
Washington fears such an offensive against Turkish
Kurds, who are fighting for an independent homeland
in the mainly Kurdish of southeastern Turkey, could
destabilise Iraq's most stable area and potentially
the wider region.
But faced with a sharp escalation of attacks by
Kurdish militants on Turkish troops, Erdogan's
government has decided to seek approval from
parliament next week for a major military operation
against the PKK rebels.
Barzani said only a political deal would end the
violence.
"We are very sorry about the recent killing of 13
Turkish soldiers. We condemn this incident, which
did not help to solve the problem. The more blood is
spilled the more complex this problem becomes. We
must put an end to this violence," he said.
"Turkish politicians must change their thinking on
this and find a new solution to the issue of the PKK...
The PKK has said it is ready for a political
solution and we must try, along with Turkey and all
parties ... to find a peaceful solution."
Barzani also criticised the central government in
Baghdad for failing to consult the regional Kurdish
government before signing an anti-terrorism deal
with Turkey in September, which targeted Kurdish
rebels based in northern Iraq.
Iraq and Turkey failed to agree on a plan that would
have let Turkish troops chase militants across the
border, as Ankara says it has the right to do under
international law.
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'.
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. Turkey
is home to over 25 million ethnic Kurds.
An estimated 3,000 PKK guerrillas use northern Iraq
as a springboard from which to attack security and
civilian targets inside Turkish territory. Turkey
blames the PKK for the deaths of over 30,000 people
since it began its armed struggle in 1984.
Reuters
**
Kurds are not recognized as an official minority in
Turkey and are denied rights granted to other
minority groups. Under EU pressure, Turkey recently
granted Kurds limited rights for broadcasts and
education in the Kurdish language, but critics say
the measures do not go far enough.
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" Southeast
Turkey.
Others estimate over 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.
Turkey is home to over 25 million ethnic Kurds, some
of whom openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK for a
Kurdish homeland in the country's mainly Kurdish
southeast of Turkey.
Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed
severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish language,
prohibiting the language in education and broadcast
media.
The Kurdish alphabet is still not recognized
in Turkey, and use of the Kurdish letters X, W, Q
which do not exist in the Turkish
alphabet has led to judicial persecution in 2000 and
2003
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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