|
U.S. Defense Secretary urges Turkey not to
hit Iraqi Kurds
3.6.2007
|
|
|
|
Pentagon chief Gates presses Turkey against military
action in Kurdistan-Iraq, Iraq's prime minister also
urged Turkey not to send its troops into Kurdistan
region (northern Iraq)
June 3, 2007
Singapore, June 3, -- U.S. Defense Secretary
Robert Gates urged Turkey on Sunday against using
military force against Kurdish separatist forces in
Kurdistan region (northern Iraq) amid rising
tensions in the border region.
"We would prefer that we continue to work through
this problem with them to try and safeguard Turkey,
and hope that there would not be a unilateral
military action across the border into Iraq," Gates
told a news briefing at an Asian security conference
in Singapore.
Troop movements on Turkey's southeastern border have
prompted speculation of a possible incursion into
Iraq's largely autonomous northern Kurdistan region. |
U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates |
Last week, Turkey moved tanks near to the Iraqi
border after bomb attacks killed 12 Turks. Ankara
swiftly blamed the Kurdistan Workers Party for the
bombings and said its troop movement was routine.
"The Turks have a genuine concern with Kurdish
terrorism," Gates said. "We have been working with
the Turks to try and help them get control of this
problem on Turkish soil."
Asked whether U.S. pressure for a non-military
response was being heeded in Ankara, Gates said he
thought so.
"We have had ongoing discussions with Turkish
officials," he said. "General Ralston is our envoy
to Turkey and he continues to be deeply engage."
Joseph Ralston is a retired air force general and
Washington's special envoy to deal with Kurdish
separatism.
Iraq's prime minister also urged Turkey over the
weekend not to send its troops into northern Iraq,
urging Ankara to tone down its threats of military
intervention.
Reuters
** 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.
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.
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
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 