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USA, Kurdistan officials and Turkish Government
deny incursion by Turkish troops
6.6.2007
Rewritten by ekurd.net staff |
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U.S.
says no new military activity in Iraqi Kurdistan
region
June
6, 2007
HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, -- U.S. officials have
said that there was "no new activity" in Kurdistan
region (northern Iraq) after unconfirmed reports
that thousands of Turkish troops had invaded, the
White House said on on Wednesday.
"Both the Turkish government and U.S. officials on
the ground say it's not occurring," White House
spokesman Gordon Johndroe said at the G8 summit.
"There's been no new activity to lead to these press
reports," he added.
Media speculation has been high about a possible
cross-border operation against rebels of the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which uses
the mountains of Kurdistan region (northern Iraq) as a base from which to
launch attacks in Turkey.
"The Turkish government reports there's been no new
incursion into Kurdistan region (Iraq). U.S.
officials on the ground confirm no new activity. We
remain concerned about the PKK and their use of
northern Iraq as a safe haven, and we will continue
to work with both the Turkish and Iraqi governments
to deal with that threat," Johndroe said.
Government officials in the northern Iraqi
autonomous region of Kurdistan on Wednesday denied
media reports that Turkish troops had crossed the
border into Iraq to hunt for Turkish rebels.
Fouad Hussein, the head of the office of Kurdistan
President Massoud Barzani, said the government had
no knowledge of any invasion.
"Up to this moment, there is no incursion by Turkish
troops into the Iraq Kurdistan region. But I don't
know if the troops have entered into distant parts
of the mountains, situated between Iraq and Turkey,"
he told Reuters.
A deputy minister responsible for Kurdistan's
Peshmerga security forces (Kurdistan national
guard), Jabar Yawir, also denied there had been any
incursion.
Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on
Wednesday there was no evidence that Turkish troops
had crossed the Iraqi border to launch a military
operation against Turkish rebels hiding in the
mountains.
"We have checked all along the border and there
hasn't been any incursion or military operation
inside Iraqi territory," he told Reuters.
"Iraq will not tolerate any military incursion.
There is always room for dialogue," he said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul denied that
Turkish troops had entered neighbouring northern
Iraq in a cross-border operation to hunt down
separatist Kurdish rebels.
"There is no incursion into any other country at the
moment," Gul told reporters here.
Turkey's military General Staff said on Wednesday it
could not confirm a report that it had sent several
thousand troops into Kurdistan region (northern
Iraq) to combat Kurdish militants hiding there.
"I cannot confirm this report," said a General Staff
official, referring to the Associated
Press report. -- AP (Several thousand Turkish
troops crossed into Kurdistan region (northern Iraq)
early Wednesday to chase Kurdish guerrillas who
operate from bases there, Turkish security officials
told The Associated Press.)
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
region
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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