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Iraqi Deputy PM says Turkish air strikes
"unfortunate"
28.4.2008
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April
28, 2008
BAGHDAD, -- Turkish air strikes on Kurdish
PKK rebels in Kurdistan-northern Iraq are
"unfortunate" and will do little to address Ankara's
concerns about security, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister
Barham Salih said on Monday.
Turkey has stepped up strikes in the past week on
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in remote
parts of Kurdistan region in 'northern Iraq'. It has
also launched operations against rebels inside
Turkey.
"It's unfortunate. Undoubtedly these military
attacks are not helpful,www.ekurd.net
will not do (their) job and
ensure Turkish security concerns -- nor Iraqi
security concerns," Salih told Reuters. |
Dr. Barham Saleh Iraq's deputy premier |
"We have been clear that we recognise the legitimate
security concerns of Turkey. But we believe this can
only be achieved through dialogue and cooperation
between the two governments, not by unilateral
military action by Turkey."
Air strikes by Turkey late last week were the
biggest this year, according to Turkish military
sources.
But the attacks do not necessarily herald another
land incursion like the big offensive in February,
analysts have said. That prompted concern in
Washington about further regional instability and
was watched closely on financial markets.
Turkey has launched several aerial attacks and 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.
The Turkish army said it killed 240 rebels and lost
27 of its own men during February's eight-day-long
incursion.
In early March, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani
visited Turkey, partly to smooth relations strained
by the PKK issue.
"We have had some serious discussions and we are
hopeful these discussions will lead to meaningful
processes by which these problems could be
resolved," Salih said.
Ankara has criticised Baghdad for not cracking down
on the several thousand PKK rebels who use a remote
part of Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq' to stage
attacks inside Turkey.
Iraqi officials say the government has taken some
measures, while noting it has major security
headaches elsewhere.
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
Ankara, U.S., the PKK continues to be on the
blacklist list in EU despite court ruling which
overturned a decision to place the Kurdish
rebel group PKK and its political wing on
the European Union's terror list.
Copyright, respective author or news agency. Reuters
| AFP | 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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