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Kurdistan president urges U.S.
intervention, dialogue with Turkey
25.2.2008
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February
25, 2008
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan Region 'Iraq',--
Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani sent an
urgent message to his American counterpart calling
for a U.S. intervention to help his government solve
the aggravating situation with Turkey, the prime
minister said on Sunday, criticizing the Iraqi
government's stance as "frail."
"The Americans had told us that the Turkish
operations would be limited and would end by the
beginning of the current year, but unfortunately, we
are approaching the third month and the problem
remains," the prime minister in the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG),www.ekurd.net
Nechirvan Barzani, said
during a press conference at the headquarters of the
Iraqi cabinet in Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan.
Expressing concerns that the
Turkish incursion
may destabilize the situation in the region, the
premier indicated that the military operations
target the Kurdistan region, not Turkish-Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) fighters. |
Massoud Barzani, the President of the autonomous Regional
Government of Kurdistan 'Iraq' |
When asked about the KRG's stance on the operations,
the prime minister said, "Turkey is an important
neighbor that helped us at times of crisis."
"Despite the fact that we do not want war with
anyone, we will have to defend our citizens if they
are hurt in the operations," he added.
The premier lashed out at the government in Baghdad
for its "frail" stance on the issue. "Unfortunately,
many foreign countries took tougher stances than
that by the Iraqi government, which has caused us
embarrassment," he said.
On Thursday, Turkish forces shelled regions inside
the Iraqi Kurdistan-Turkish-Iranian border triangle
and engaged in battles with Turkish-Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) fighters in the border area of
Bazia,www.ekurd.net
which came under air
attacks by Turkish warplanes.
Turks are fearful of the autonomy the northern Iraqi
Kurdistan region enjoys with its own flag,
institutions and even oil exploitation contracts
with overseas companies.
A fully independent Kurdistan state in Iraq would
only fuel separatist sentiment in Turkey's own
Kurdish population, they fear.
Over 39,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas have been killed since 1984 when the PKK
took up arms for self-rule in the country's mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey. A large Turkey's
Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish
PKK rebels.
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas, the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by
the U.S. and the EU.
VOI | Agencies
**
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, a
large Turkey's Kurdish community 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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