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Iraqi Kurdish official claims Turkey fears
democracy 29.10.2007 |
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October
29, 2007
The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Kurdistan
region 'Iraq', Dr Kamal Kirkuki (Kerkuki), has
alleged that Turkey's threats to attack
Turkey-Kurdish PKK rebels in Iraq's Kurdistan region
in northern region were motivated by an unspoken
fear of the democracy developing beyond its southern
border.
Turkey has been threatening to launch cross-border
operations to seek out rebels from the Turkey's
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), who are hiding in
the rugged Qandil Mountains of Kurdistan 'northern
Iraq' and attacking Turkey.
But Kirkuki said he believed Turkey had a ''second
reason''.
''They don't like the experiment in democracy we
Kurds are now conducting,'' he said on Sunday in an
interview at Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan
autonomous region.
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The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Kurdistan
region 'Iraq', Dr Kamal Kirkuki |
Kirkuki is a former member of the Peshmerga, or
fighters, of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP)
of Massoud Barzani, who is now the president of
Iraq's Kurdistan Autonomous Region.
''If Turkey thinks that it can intimidate us,
they're on the wrong track,'' Kirkuki said.
He urged a peaceful solution, saying, ''We hate this
war.''
Kirkuki confirmed the US had given assurances to the
Erbil government it would not conduct a military
operation against PKK elements in Kurdistan
'northern Iraq' in favour of Turkey.
Despite weeks of tension over the issue, all
attempts by the Iraqi government have failed to
reach agreement with Ankara.
Iraq has offered to deploy a strong unit of Iraqi
troops and Peshmerga along the Iraqi
Kurdistan-Turkish border to prevent attacks by PKK
forces into Turkey.
Turkey has rejected the offer, saying it would take
too much time.
''Perhaps Turkey believes that Iraq is weakened
right now, and they want to claim part of Iraq's
oil. But if Turkey begins the war, then we will
defend ourselves, and then it will no longer be in
Turkey's hands as to when this war ends,'' the
Deputy Speaker said.
''For all of Iraq, this would be a catastrophe,
because it would drain (Iraqi) military power to the
northern front and provide an opportunity for
terrorists in the rest of Iraq to solidify,'' he
added.
On Saturday, a high ranking Turkish military
official General Yasar Buyukanit was quoted as
saying that Turkey would not attack before a
November 5 meeting between US President George W
Bush and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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', Turkey fears
this could fan separatism among its own large
Kurdish population in southeast Turkey.
www.ekurd.net
Turkey rejects direct talks with Iraqi Kurdistan
government, Officially, Turkey does not recognise
the regional government of Kurdistan led by
president Massoud Barzani.
Ankara has never, and still does not, recognize the
KRG and refuses to meet with its representatives in
any official capacity.
That reflects Ankara's fear that any international
respect shown to the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan
region would only embolden Turkey's own Kurdish
minority to seek similar home-rule status.
Since 1984 the PKK took up arms for self-rule in the
country's mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
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