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Erdogan: Turkey has right to defend itself
15.4.2007 |
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April
15, 2007
BERLIN, -- Turkey has the right to defend its
self against the rebel Kurdistan Labor Party (PKK)
centered in Kurdistan (northern Iraq), Turkish PM
told a German magazine here.
Der Spiegel, the German weekly, quoted Turkey's
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying in an
interview that international law grants Turkey the
right to protect its national security.
Erdogan called on the Iraqi government to approve
anti-terrorism measures against those who are
threatening Turkey, or else Ankara has the right to
self defense.
The EU has said diplomacy solutions for
Turkish-Iraqi conflicts are in the interest of both
countries. |
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan |
Erdogan had also criticized Germany, current EU
chair, for not extending an invitation to Turkey to
join the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the
Roman Accords held last month in Berlin.
Turkey remains far from EU membership although it
had wanted to join for over two decades, the Prime
Minister said. He hoped the EU would put a time
limit on negotiations and set a date for Turkey's
accession.
If the EU does not want Turkey as a member then
there's no reason to waste time in negotiations, he
added.
Erdogan said 2014 or 2015 are reasonable years for
Turkey's membership.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be
joined by Turkish Prime Minister in Hannover to
inaugurate an industrial exhibition.
Merkel has repeatedly said, since becoming
Chancellor, that she is for strong relations between
the EU and Turkey.
kuna net.kw
** 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 more than 20 million live in
Turkey.
Turkey is home to more than 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.
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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