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Iraqi Deputy premier meets EU delegation
on Turkish operations in Kurdistan
5.3.2008
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March 5, 2008
BAGHDAD -- Iraqi Deputy Premier Dr Barham
Saleh on Wednesday discussed with the visiting EU
delegation the latest regional developments, mainly
the recent Turkish operations in Kurdistan region in
'northern Iraq' as well as means to boost bilateral
relations.
Saleh stressed on the importance to adopt political
and diplomatic ways to solve the issue of Turkey's
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its presence in
northern Iraq,www.ekurd.net
asserting the Iraqi and
Kurdish governments' readiness to cooperate with all
parties concerned to solve the crisis. |
Dr. Barham Saleh Iraq's deputy premier |
Meanwhile, Turkish
military helicopters
resumes attacks
Tuesday on the Turkey's Kurdish PKK separatist rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan
region 'northern Iraq' less than a week after the
end of a large-scale ground operation, a Turkish
television station reported Wednesday.
"The senior Iraqi official tackled with the EU
delegation ways to foster bilateral ties between
Iraq and the EU and the economic cooperation
fields," the government said in a statement released
on its website.
He highlighted the importance of boosting the EU
role in the country.
Turkish soldiers
crossed into Kurdistan region
in 'northern Iraq' on February 21 for what officials
described as a limited incursion against the PKK
after two months of air strikes on rebel positions.
Turkish forces withdrew
from semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in 'northern
Iraq' Friday morning, only a day after US President
George W. Bush
urged Ankara to
quickly wrap up the incursion and Defense Secretary
Robert Gates personally
put pressure on
Turkish leaders during a visit to Ankara.
Since 1984 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.
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.
VOI | Agencies
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