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U.S. expects Turkey not to negotiate with
Kurdish PKK rebels
8.3.2008
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March 8, 2008
WASHINGTON, -- The United States said
Thursday it is closely watching Turkey's campaign
against the Turkey's separatist Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) and expects Turkey not to negotiate with
the group.
"As we have said before, the PKK is a common enemy.
We have been strongly supporting Turkey in its
efforts to combat the PKK,"www.ekurd.net
White House spokeswoman
Dana Perino said.
"We have encouraged dialogue and coordination
between the United States, Turkey and Iraq, but we
have not and we will not negotiate or hold talks
with the PKK, nor do we expect Turkey to do so,"
Perino said. |
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino |
Instead, Perino said the United States is encouraged
to see the cooperation between Iraq and Turkey on
fighting against the PKK.
Turkey launched military strikes against the PKK
targets in Iraqi Kurdistan region recently. The
United States has voiced support for Turkish strikes
against the PKK, but meanwhile called for
cooperation between Turkey and Iraq.
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.
Xinhua | 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)
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