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Turkey expects US actions against Kurdish
PKK rebels
20.10.2007
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October
20, 2007
ANKARA, -- Turkey expects the United States
to take urgent action against Turkey's Kurdish PKK
rebels hiding in 'northern Iraq', its prime minister
said, in comments suggesting Ankara hopes to avoid a
Turkish military operation in Iraqi Kurdistan
region.
Turkey's parliament this week authorised troops to
cross the mountainous border into Kurdistan region
'northern Iraq' to track down rebels of the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), who believed to use
the region as a base from which to attack Turkish
targets which Kurdish authorities in Kurdistan
region strongly reject the claim.
"We expect the coalition forces in Iraq, above all
the Americans, to take steps in the current
situation," Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told
Turkish television late on Friday.
"These steps must be taken to ensure we get good
results in the fight against the terrorist
organisation in northern Iraq." |
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan |
"We expect things from the United States rather than
from Iraq," he said. The Baghdad government has
little clout in the mainly Kurdistan autonomous
region of the north.
Washington and Baghdad have urged Ankara to avoid
military action, which they fear could destabilise
the whole region, and to fight the PKK by diplomatic
and other means.
But Erdogan's government is under heavy domestic
pressure to act after a series of deadly PKK attacks
on Turkish troops.
Erdogan said he would discuss anti-PKK measures with
U.S. President George W. Bush when they meet in
Washington on Nov. 5.
Asked whether Turkey might consider a joint
operation with Iraqi forces to root out the PKK
rebels, Erdogan said: "That is a separate proposal.
We can discuss that."
Western diplomats say Ankara remains reluctant to
take military action because of the security,
economic and diplomatic risks. But the parliamentary
authorisation is useful because it keeps the rebels
guessing and also increases pressure on Washington
and Baghdad to take their own action against the PKK.
Turkey rejects direct talks with Iraqi Kurdistan
government, officially, Turkey does not recognise
the regional government of Kurdistan led by
president Massoud Barzani. The Kurdistan regional
government is recognised by US, Iraq and in the new
Iraqi Constitution, it is referred to as Kurdistan
region. The use of the term "Kurdistan" is
vigorously rejected due to its alleged political
implications by the Republic of Turkey. www.ekurd.net
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.
More than 30,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas have been killed since 1984 when the PKK
took up arms for a Kurdish homeland in the country's
mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
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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