|
Israeli aircrafts headed soon to Turkey
for use against Kurdish PKK rebels
27.12.2007
|
|
|
|
December
27, 2007
JERUSALEM, Israel, -- Israeli defense
contractors plan to deliver to Turkey within weeks
10 unmanned aircraft that will be used, among other
things, in intelligence-gathering operations against
Turkey's Kurdish PKK rebels, an Israeli official
familiar with the deal said Thursday.
As part of the $190 million (¤134 million) deal with
the Turkish Air Force, signed several years ago,
Israeli crews will provide training and technical
support for the Heron systems, the official said. A
malfunction in a camera system manufactured for the
drones by a Turkish subcontractor has held up
delivery,www.ekurd.net
but the problems are
expected to be worked out soon, he said.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because
he wasn't authorized to discuss the deal with the
media. State-run Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. is
lead contractor for the project, which also includes
Israel's Elbit Systems Ltd. and Turkey's Aselsan.
Ten days ago, the Turkish television station Star
reported that IAI Heron UAVs are being used in the
offensive against the Kurds.
The same report stated that Turkey's Chief of Staff,
General Yasar Buyukanit, had observed the UAVs'
operations in real time, in the operations room of
the Batman air force base near the border with Iraq.
The intelligence relayed by the UAVs was used by the
Turkish Air Force in targeting the Kurdish PKK
militants inside Iraqi Kurdistan.
However, in the Turkish Daily News report, a Turkish
military source is quoted expressing criticism that
the IAI and Elbit, which is also part of the Heron
program, have failed to meet their contractual
obligations and have delayed the supply of UAVs
ordered for the Turkish Air Force in 2005.
"The delays have left the TuAF critically short of
UAVs when intelligence input from those valuable
reconnaissance assets are exceedingly required," the
Turkish military official was quoted as saying.
According to the Turkish newspaper, the presence of
the Israeli crews is an interim solution that was
offered following the delay in the delivery of the
UAVs.
The reports in the Turkish media about the failure
of Israeli firms to meet their contractual
commitments is likely to increase tensions between
the two countries, even though an interim solution
has been provided. On the other hand, the news that
Israeli crews are involved operating the UAVs used
to target Kurds, is not likely to be well received
by the Kurdistan government in 'northern Iraq'.
Over 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 PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas,www.ekurd.net
the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, granting them full
political freedoms.
Iraqi Kurdistan 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.
Turkey considers the PKK a terrorist organization,
as do the U.S. and European Union. The Turkish
government's war against the rebels has been
bolstered by U.S. intelligence that has been flowing
to Turkey since U.S. President George W. Bush met
with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on
Nov. 5.
Turkey, Israel's closest ally in the Islamic world,
is an important customer of Israeli defense
contractors.
AP | haaretz com
**
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, a
large Turkey's Kurdish community 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
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 