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Iraqi Kurdistan incursion needs parliament
approval: Turkish PM
7.6.2007 |
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June
5, 2007
ANKARA, June 7,-- Turkish Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan has repeated that parliament's
approval was needed for an incursion into Kurdistan
region (northern Iraq) after reports of a
cross-border military operation against Kurdish
rebels.
Turkey's foreign ministry and military denied a
report on Wednesday it had launched a major
incursion into northern Iraq in pursuit of
separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels.
"A parliament decision is necessary to launch a
cross-border operation and the steps would be taken
accordingly," Erdogan was quoted as saying by
state-run agency Anatolian late on Wednesday.
He said, however, any operation would not be
announced publicly.
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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan |
Turkey's parliament, now in recess ahead of a July
general election, would have to reconvene to
authorise any serious military operation in Iraq.
The U.S. government has urged Ankara to be cautious,
fearing conflict in Kurdistan region (northern
Iraq), one of the most stable areas of Iraq.
Since 1984 PKK guerrillas took up arms for self-rule
in the country's mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.
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.
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.
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.
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
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