|
Kurdistan President gets White House
invitation from Cheney
20.3.2008
|
|
|
 |
March 20, 2008
US President George W. Bush has officially invited
Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani to visit
the US capital, news reports posted from Erbil
following US Vice President Dick Cheney’s visit to
the region have said.
Cheney personally conveyed the official invitation
by Bush to Barzani during their
meeting in Erbil,
the Iraqi Kurdistan's capital on Tuesday, reports by
both the Peyamner Web site, affiliated with
Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and
Pukmedia, affiliated with Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), said.
Officials at the US Embassy in Ankara were unable to
provide information concerning the invitation. |
US Vice President Dick Cheney (R) with Massoud
Barzani, president of Iraq's Kurdistan region. in
Kurdistan 18.3.2008 |
“We are certainly
counting on President Barzani’s leadership to help
us conclude a new strategic relationship between the
United States and Iraq as well as crucial pieces of
national legislation in the days ahead,” Cheney,www.ekurd.net
who is expected to visit
Ankara within days as part of a regional tour, said,
The Associated Press reported. Barzani called
Cheney’s visit an “historic day” in Iraq’s Kurdish
region.
If it takes place, Barzani’s visit to the White
House will not be the first time he will be hosted
by the President Bush. Back in October 2005, when
Barzani met with Bush
in Washington,www.ekurd.net
Turkish media
highlighted the fact that Barzani had arrived in the
White House in his traditional Kurdish garb and Bush
addressed him as “President.” In addition, some
commentators argued then that the visit was a sign
of Washington giving its blessing to a separate
Kurdish entity in autonomous Kurdistan region in
'northern Iraq'.
Ankara reacted calmly to the previous meeting,
saying remarks from both leaders after the visit
were a confirmation that Turkish policy focusing on
the need to protect Iraq’s territorial integrity had
the support of the United States and Iraqi
authorities.
Thousands of Turkish troops, backed by tanks,
attack helicopters and warplanes,
crossed into Kurdistan region in northern
Iraq on February 21 in an operation which Ankara said was aimed at Turkey's Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) guerrillas and their bases.
Turkish forces withdrew
from semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in 'northern
Iraq' on February 29, 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.
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 rejects direct talks with Iraqi Kurdistan
government, Officially, Turkey does not recognise
the regional government of Kurdistan led by
President Massoud Barzani.
Turkey has never, and still does not, recognize the
Kurdistan region government (KRG) and refuses to
meet with its representatives in any official
capacity. That reflects Ankara's fear that any
international respect shown to the autonomous Iraqi
Kurdistan region would only embolden Turkey's own
large Kurdish minority to seek similar home-rule
status.
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
Ankara, U.S. and the EU.
todayszaman com | AFP | AP | 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 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
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 