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Turkey closes air space to flights to
Iraqi Kurdistan
1.11.2007
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November 1, 2007
ANKARA, -- Turkey closed its air space
Thursday to planes bound for Kurdistan region
'northern Iraq' as part of economic sanctions over
the safe haven Turkey's Kurdish PKK rebels enjoy in
the region, the NTV news channel quoted officials as
saying.
The measure will target only planes flying to the
Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq' and will not affect
other parts of the country, NTV said.
Ankara accuses the autonomous Kurdistan
administration in the north of harbouring and aiding
the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which
uses bases in the region as a springboard for
attacks on Turkish targets across the border.
Kurdish authorities in Kurdistan region strongly
reject the claim of aiding PKK rebels .
A travel agent here told AFP that the ban will
affect at least two airlines operating flights from
Istanbul to Erbil and Sulaimaniyah, in Kurdistan
region 'northern Iraq': Iraq Airlines and Tarhan
Tower Airlines, which uses planes it charters from
the Turkish firm Atlas Jet.
A number of companies based in western Europe have
also recently begun flying to destinations in Iraqi
Kurdistan, the agent said.
On October 15, Turkey suspended the over-flight
license of a German airline running charters to
Kurdistan 'northern Iraq' because passengers were
reportedly sold tickets under the "Kurdistan
Airlines" label.
"The authorities are assessing whether or not to
renew the company's license, which expired on
September 30," a foreign ministry official then told
AFP.
He said there were allegations that the company,
Hamburg International, was being "used as a front"
by Kurdish separatists and that passengers flying to
Erbil, capital of Iraq's Kurdistan autonomous
region, were sold "Kurdistan Airlines" tickets.
In Turkey, the term Kurdistan is a
politically-charged reference to Kurdish-majority
areas in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq. In
the new Iraqi Constitution, it is referred to as
Kurdistan region for northern Iraq.
Ankara suspects the Iraqi Kurds, who enjoy autonomy
in Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq', of harbouring
designs to proclaim an independent Kurdish state.
Such a prospect, it fears, may embolden a 23-year
separatist insurgency in southeast Turkey led by the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Ankara is threatening a military incursion into
northern Iraq to wipe out PKK bases there unless
Baghdad and Washington take urgent, decisive steps
to end the rebels' safe haven in the area.
Turkish officials say at least 3,500 armed PKK
rebels -out of an estimated total of around 5,000-
are based in the mountains of Kurdistan 'northern
Iraq', where they obtain weapons for attacks in
Turkey.
Turkey has massed an estimated 100,000 troops on the
border with Iraqi Kurdistan for an eventual
incursion it hopes will end the PKK campaign, 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.
Iraqi Kurdish politician says, Turkey is using
Turkey's 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.
Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan regional
government that holds sway in northern Iraq,
regretted Ankara's refusal to hold direct talks on
the crisis over the Turkey's separatist Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) rebels.
Barzani said he was worried that Turkey is using the
PKK as a pretext to undermine Kurdistan autonomy in
northern Iraq.
Turkey rejects direct talks with Iraqi Kurdistan
government, Officially, Turkey does not recognise
the regional government of Kurdistan led by
president Massoud Barzani. www.ekurd.net
Kamel Shaker, a top Iraqi Kurdish leader, said "They
do not want to meet with the representatives of
Kurdistan, or have a dialogue with president Massud
Barzani. They do not want Kurdistan."
Fouad Hussein, the chief of staff for Iraqi
Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani, thinks that the
Turks are using the PKK as a pretext to attack the
Kurds. "The PKK is not the target. The target is
Kurdistan regional government," Hussein said.
Turkey has never, and still does not, recognize the
Kurdistan region government (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
large Kurdish minority to seek similar home-rule
status. www.ekurd.net
AFP
Since 1991, the Kurds of Iraq achieved self-rule in
part of the country. Today's teenagers are the first
generation to grow up under Kurdish rule. In the new
Iraqi Constitution, it is referred to as Kurdistan
region. Kurdistan region has all the trappings of an
independent state -- its own constitution, its own
parliament, its own flag, its own army, its own
border, its own border patrol, its own national
anthem, its own education system, its own
International airports, even its own stamp inked
into the passports of visitors.
**
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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