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Turkish minister to Rice 'Our neighbor is Iraq, not
Kurdistan'
1.3.2007 |
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March 1, 2007
Ankara, -- Minister of Justice and Government
Spokesman Cemil Cicek said that Turkey's southern
neighbor is Iraq, underlining that all statements
contrary to this reality are wrong, referring to the
statement of
the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
defining PKK as "The PKK group acting on the border
between Turkey and Kurdistan."
Speaking to a TV program on the Turkish NTV news
station, Cemil Cicek responded to the statements of
Rice defining the PKK as a terrorist group on the
border between Turkey and Kurdistan.
"Our southern neighbor is Iraq. The statements which
are contrary to this reality are wrong. We can not
accept those statements. I hope Rice has a valid
explanation," Cicek said.
Rice, in a speech in the U.S. Senate Tuesday said
that the US is paving the way for negotiations
between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds, mentioning PKK
as "group acting on the border between Turkey and
Kurdistan."
When asked what Ms. Rice meant by "Kurdistan," US
Secretary of State Spokesman Sean McCormack stated
that the US gives full support to integrity of lands
in Iraq.
"Iraq is composed of regional states and the local
government of the Northern region calls itself
"Kurdistan regional government," however all these
provinces are part of a federal system," said
McCormack.
thenewanatolian com | sabah com.tr
** Kurdistan in the northern Iraq is already a de
facto independent state, Kurds no longer speak
Arabic, but various dialects of Kurdish, in offices
and schools.. It has its own elected government. It
has its own army--the legendarily disciplined 'Peshmerga',
or "Those Who Face Death". It flies its own Kurdish
flag. provide their own services. The Iraqi army is
not allowed to go to Kurdistan. The old Iraqi flag
is banned there.
The Kurds have been enjoying complete self-rule for
the past 16 years and they are not about to
surrender what they have gained in blood.
The constitution allows Iraq's three main groups to
establish powerful regions.
* 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. The word 'KURDISTAN' is strongly prohibited
in 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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