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Turkey says ready to pay the price for a
cross-border incursion into Iraq's Kurdistan
11.10.2007 |
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October
11, 2007
ANKARA, Turkey: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey would be ready to
pay the price and prepared to face up to
international criticism of any Iraq campaign if it
decides to stage a cross-border offensive against
Kurdish PKK rebels in Iraq's Kurdistan autonomous
region.
Asked about world reaction to any such incursion,
Erdogan told reporters: "After going down this
route, its cost has already been calculated.
Whatever the cost is, it will be met."
"If such an option is chosen, whatever its price it
will be paid," Erdogan told reporters in response to
a question about international repercussions of such
a decision, which is likely to strain ties with the
United States and Iraq. "There could be pros and
cons of such a decision but what is important is our
country's interests."
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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan |
The Cabinet will once again debate a decision to
seek Parliament's approval to send troops abroad,
Erdogan said.
"We are making necessary preparations to be ready in
case we decide on a cross-border operations since we
don't have patience to lose more time," Erdogan
said, adding that Turkey lost 30 people in rebel
attacks over the past two weeks.
Erdogan said Turkey has long been seeking the
cooperation of Iraq and the United States but there
has been no crackdown on the rebel group of the
Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Erdogan said a recent anti-'terrorism' deal signed
with Iraq is not valid since it had not been
approved by Iraq's parliament yet.
"If there are terrorists sheltering and attacking
Turkey from Iraqi soil and if they don't do anything
then we should do something," Erdogan said.
The Turkish parliament was expected to approve a
government request to authorize an Iraq campaign as
early as next week, after a holiday ending the
Islamic holy month of Ramadan. But that does not
mean a risky incursion will follow at once. Turkey
might give diplomacy, and perhaps economic pressure,
more time to work even as public enthusiasm for a
military mission mounts.
The
United States,
EU,
Russia,
Iraq and
Kurdistan government
warned Turkey against making a military incursion
into Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq'.
The Iraqi Kurds are the strongest allies the US has
in the area.
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.
More than 37,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas have been killed since 1984 when the PKK
took up arms for self-rule in the country's mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
The United States and the European Union, like
Turkey, class the PKK as a "terrorist organisation"
AP | 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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