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Israeli-made Heron unmanned aircrafts to
be used against PKK
13.2.2008
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February 13, 2008
ANKARA, Turkey -- Israeli Defense Minister
Ehud Barak arrived in Turkey on Tuesday for talks
expected to center on defense cooperation between
the two countries as well as regional issues,
including Iran and Middle East peace.
Israel will take further military measures to
respond to attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza,
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday.
"We will be forced to strengthen our military
efforts," Barak said during a meeting with his
Turkish counterpart Vecdi Gonul.
Asked to comment on the reported Turkish mediation,
Barak said "These are not issues that we are talking
about in detail and for sure, we will not report on
them." |
Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul(L) welcomes his
Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak prior to their
meeting in Ankara. |
"Turkey has good relations with all countries in the
region. If Turkey can contribute to a decrease of
the risk, it will have a positive role in the
region," Barak said.
Both countries have good defense relations and Gonul
thanked the visiting minister for his country's
support in fighting Kurdish rebels by providing
Israeli-made Heron unmanned aircraft used to gather
intelligence about Turkish-Kurdish PKK rebels
hideouts in neighboring Kurdistan region 'northern
Iraq'.
Turkey has leased three unmanned aircraft from
Israel to use in a recent aerial bombing campaign
against the Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party,www.ekurd.net
or PKK, in Kurdistan
region 'northern Iraq'. The PKK, which has battled
for autonomy in the mainly Kurdish southeastern
Turkey for more than two decades.
"Along with the information provided by the United
States, Israel's unmanned air vehicles have been
extremely helpful," Gonul said.
Turkey is planning to buy 10 Heron aircraft from
Israel and has leased three recently to use in an
aerial bombing campaign against the
Turkish-Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in
Kurdistan region in 'northern Iraq'.
A $190 million deal for the Herons was signed
several years ago, but a malfunction in a camera
system manufactured for the drones by a Turkish
subcontractor has held up delivery.
Gonul said technical teams were separately
discussing Turkey's interest in procuring an Israeli
spy satellite worth $300 million.
Barak was scheduled to meet with Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan later Tuesday. The
defense minister will meet Turkish President
Abdullah Gul and chief of staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit
on Wednesday.
Earlier Tuesday, after landing in Turkey, Barak said
that Israel would "not hesitate to carry out any
operation that could lead to a reduction in Kassam
fire."
However, there were reasons, he claimed, why Israel
was not committing to a large-scale operation in the
Gaza Strip.
"The entire military and political leadership in
Israel is dealing with the matter, but we must act
with responsibility over time," Barak said.
Referring to the possibility of targeting the Hamas
political echelon,www.ekurd.net
the defense minister
said: "It would be irresponsible to give names and
targets."
Barak criticized elements in Israel for forewarning
Hamas leaders by providing names of possible
targets. When the time came, Barak said, those
targets had already gone into hiding and were simply
not to be found.
Iraqi Kurdistan politician says, Turkey is using
Turkey's Kurdish separatist PKK rebel group as an
excuse to invade Kurdistan region 'Iraq' to prevent
the establishment of Kurdistan state in the Kurdish
autonomous region in 'northern Iraq', Turkey fears this could
fan separatism among its own large Kurdish
population in southeast Turkey. Turkey is home to
over 25 million ethnic Kurds
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, granting them full
political freedoms.
The group is listed as a "terrorist" organisation by
Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
AP | jpost com | 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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