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Turkey suspends plans to hold talks with
Kurdistan's leaders
20.2.2007 |
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There has been widespread opposition to a
suggestion by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
about possibly holding talks with the Kurdish
administration in Kurdistan region (northern Iraq).
February 20, 2007
ANKARA - Turkey’s government on Monday
decided to suspend plans to hold talks with Iraqi
Kurdish groups over the presence of the terrorist
organisation the PKK in Kurdistan-northern Iraq
until the National Security Council (MGK) meeting on
February 23.
In a meeting of the cabinet Monday, ministers
discussed plans for holding talks with Iraqi Kurdish
groups about the PKK presence in northern Iraq. It
had been proposed that discussions be held with
representatives of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in
Istanbul later this month.
However, faced with strong opposition from both the
military and public opinion, the government stepped
back from the plan until it was discussed at the MGK.
Responding to the government’s plans, General Yasar
Buyukanit, the chief of the Turkish General Staff,
said that he would not talk to supporters of the PKK
himself but if politicians wanted to do so they
could.
After the cabinet meeting, government spokesman and
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said that there was no
change in state policy on Iraq, warning that
different assessments could lead to hesitations in
abroad. However, he added that it was wrong to
portray the military and the government as being in
opposition to each other on this issue.
ntvmsnbc com
** 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 as many as 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 some 20 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
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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