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PKK says Turkey tries to export its crises
to neighbors
3.5.2008
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May 3, 2008
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan region 'Iraq', –
Senior member of the Turkey's Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) accused Turkey on Friday of attempting
to export its internal crises to neighboring
countries, after Turkish forces bombarded Iraqi
territories within Iraq's Kurdistan region.
"It is important that Kurdish and Iraqi leaders
realize that Turkey wants to get rid of the PKK
problem,www.ekurd.net
which is an internal
problem, by accusing neighboring countries of
supporting the PKK," Ahmed Denis, responsible for
PKK's relations and PKK spokesman, told VOI by
phone.
"Leaders in Iraq should be aware of this fact in
dealing with the Turkish delegation to Iraq, as this
delegation came for the interests of Turkey," he
added.
"The best evidence is the Turkish bombardment on
Qandil Mountain on Thursday night," he said,
referring to the Turkish airstrikes that targeted
distant locations in Kurdistan "north-eastern Iraq",
where PKK fighters and other Kurdish parties' armed
elements operate.
He explained that at 11 pm of Thursday night, the
bombardment, that was conducted by a number of
Turkish jetfighters, started and continued until
2:00 am on Friday, but "without causing any
casualties among the PKK fighters."
The bombardment coincides with a visit of a
high-ranking Turkish delegation to Baghdad, while
Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi was also in a
similar visit to Turkey.
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.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish politicians
say the measures fall short of their expectations.
Copyright, respective author or news agency, VOI |
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
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