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China officially objects to Turkey's incursion into
Iraqi Kurdistan region
30.6.2007 |
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June
30, 2007
Beijing, -- China has officially announced
its objection to a possible cross-border operation
that may be launched by Turkey into neighboring
Kurdistan region (Iraq) in order to eliminate the
presence of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
based in the country's northern region.
Beijing's statement came on Thursday in the form of
a written official answer to a question which was
asked at a press briefing on Wednesday. "The Chinese
government is against all terrorist activities. At
the same time, it favors holding respect for Iraq's
freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity at
the top level," the statement said.
This week Iraqi President Jalal Talabani paid an
official visit to China. "The Chinese leaders
conveyed [to] Talabani their demands," a
spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said
at the time when asked whether a possible military
operation by Turkey into Kurdistan (northern Iraq)
was discussed during talks with Talabani.
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China officially objects to Turkey incursion into
Iraqi north Kurdistan region |
The same spokesperson had declined to comment when
asked whether China accepted the PKK as a terrorist
organization.
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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