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U.S. urges Turkey, Iraq to cooperate to
fight against PKK
20.2.2008
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February 20, 2008
WASHINGTON, -- The Untied States said Tuesday
it is continuing to work with Turkey on fighting
against the Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
and calls for cooperation between Turkey and Iraq in
fighting the rebel threat.
"We are continuing to work with the Turkish
government and Turkish military to provide the best
possible intelligence so that the terrorist group,
PKK, operating in Iraqi territory can be dealt
with," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack
said.
"Ultimately, what we're looking for is cooperation
between Turkey and Iraq in fighting this terrorist
threat. And we're going to do what we can, as an
interested party with good relations with both
sides,www.ekurd.net
to make sure that there
is an open dialogue and good communication and
effective action in dealing with the PKK," he said.
The United States has said the PKK is a threat to
Turkey, Iraq and the United States, and has voiced
support for Turkey to launch attacks on PKK targets
in northern Iraq.
The Turkish military has launched several
cross-border attacks to fight separatist Kurdish PKK
rebels, who use northern Iraq as a launch pad for
attacks against Turkey.
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.
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,www.ekurd.net
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.
Xinhua
**
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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