|
Turkey, Iraq agree on Kurdish PKK rebels
26.9.2007
|
|
|
|
September 26, 2007
ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey and Iraq have agreed
to sign a counterterrorism deal cracking down on
separatist Kurdish PKK rebels holed up in bases in
the border mountains of Kurdistan region 'northern
Iraq', officials said Wednesday.
The agreement would require Turkish forces to seek
Iraqi authorization to cross into Iraq for
small-scale operations to chase separatist Kurdish
rebels, private NTV television reported, citing
unnamed Iraqi and Turkish sources.
The agreement was reached during a visit by Iraqi
Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, who arrived in
Ankara on Tuesday for talks on Turkish concerns over
rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK,
launching attacks against targets in Turkey from
bases in northern Iraq.
Turkey has long been pressing Iraq for a
counterterrorism pact to crack down on the PKK and
has threatened to stage a military incursion into
northern Iraq to eradicate rebel bases there if U.S.
or Iraqi forces failed to take action against the
group. |
Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay, left, greets
his Iraqi counterpart Jawad al-Bolani as he arrives
for talks to discuss Turkish concerns over
separatist Kurdish rebels holed up in bases in n
Iraq, in Ankara, Sept. 26, 2007
|
Since 1984 the PKK took up arms for self-rule in the
country's mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. Turkey
is home to over 25 million ethnic Kurds. The
conflict has killed tens of thousands of people. The
PKK is considered a terrorist group by the United
States and the European Union.
Iraqi Interior Ministry Undersecretary Aidn Khald
said the sides had reached an agreement on Wednesday
and a deal would be signed Thursday. Officials would
work on Turkish, Arabic and English versions of the
text, he said.
NTV television, citing Iraqi sources, said that
under the agreement, Turkey would seek Iraqi
authorization for future "hot pursuit" operations —
cross border military offensives aimed at tracking
down and eliminating rebel armed groups that are
limited in time, scale and in scope.
But Khald would not confirm that the agreement would
allow Turkish troops to engage in hot pursuits.
"Everything will become clear tomorrow," he said.
During a visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
to Ankara in August, Turkey and Iraq agreed to try
to root out the rebels.
But al-Maliki said the Iraqi parliament would have
the final say on efforts to halt the guerrillas'
cross-border attacks into Turkey.
At a meeting with Turkish foreign minister Ali
Babacan in New York on Tuesday, Iraqi foreign
minister Hoshyar Zebari who is also a Kurd, warned
that “there would be problems about such a treaty
unless it is studied carefully”.
AP
**
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.
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.
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
|
® 