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Turkish-origin MEP: Businessmen should conquer
Iraqi Kurdistan
11.6.2007 |
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June
11, 2007
Cem Özdemir, a Turkish-origin German member of the
European Parliament (MEP) from the Greens, has
voiced his support for using business, rather than
military might, as a weapon to counter the threat to
Turkey from Iraqi Kurdistan region (northern Iraq).
"Turkish businessmen can easily conquer the
organization in northern Iraq. I support sending
businessmen instead of the army," said Özdemir, who
visited Antalya to attend a panel named
"Turkish-Greek Friendship Fest." Answering a
reporters’ question on how the Turkish Armed Forces
(TSK) entering Kurdistan (northern Iraq) would
affect Turkey's EU accession, he said that the
countries don't have the chance to choose their
neighbors and Turkey has to live with its neighbors.
After emphasizing that a TSK incursion into
Kurdistan (northern Iraq) is only a speculation, he
said, "Those who put this issue on the agenda are
the people who want to destroy Turkish-EU
relations."
Continuing on the subject of northern Iraq he said:
"Whereas there is an organization under the control
of [Kurdish administration head Massoud] Barzani,
the most reasonable attitude is to develop better
relationships in northern Iraq as much as possible.
Of course it binds Barzani as well. Barzani should
also appreciate that Turkey is their only democratic
neighbor.
The locals and Kurdish leaders in the region should
cooperate with Turkey to solve the 'terrorist'
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) issue. If the locals
of that region want to open to the world, it would
be only via Turkey. My recommendation is that as
there are already Turkish businessmen who invest
significantly, it is necessary that those
investments be increased."
todayszaman com
** 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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