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Turkey’s top brass meets on Kurdish PKK
rebels in Syrian Kurdistan
25.7.2012 |
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Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) and
Turkish ground Forces Commander and acting Chief of
Staff General Necdet Ozel. Photo: Getty Images. •
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July 25, 2012
ANKARA, — Turkey's top brass held talks
Wednesday about the activities of Kurdish rebels in
Syrian Kurdish region (Western Kurdistan), after
press reports that they were in control of several
northern areas of the conflict-torn nation.
"The latest developments in Syria, the activities of
the terrorist separatist group in our country and in
neighboring countries were discussed at the
meeting," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
office said.
"Supplementary measures to be taken in all domains
regarding our national security were discussed," it
said in a statement after the meeting grouping top
security, military and political officials.
It did not elaborate on the possible security
measures.
The Turkish press has reported that parts of
northern Syria have fallen into the hands of the
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) or its Syrian branch
the Democratic Union Party (PYD).
The PKK is considered ass '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.
The Turkish press accuses the Syrian regime of
entrusting its northern border zones to the PKK to
enable them to operate more freely and to fuel the
separatist aspirations of Turkish Kurds.
Ankara, a one-time Damascus ally, has become a
vehement critic of the Syrian regime since President
Bashar al-Assad's forces unleashed a crackdown
against dissent in March last year.
The head of the umbrella opposition group the Syrian
National Council said earlier this week that Syrian
forces had "entrusted" the northern region to the
PKK or the PYD and then withdrawn.
"The Kurdish people are not on the side of these
groups, they're on the side of the rebellion," said
Abdel Basset Sayda,www.ekurd.net
himself a Kurd.
Kurds represent around nine percent of Syria's 23
million population.
The PKK has several times proposed peaceful solutions regarding Kurdish problem,
Turkey has always refused saying that it will not negotiate with “terrorists”.
Since it was established in 1984, the PKK has been fighting the Turkish state,
which still denies the constitutional existence of Kurds, to establish a Kurdish
state in the south east of the country.
But now its aim is the creation an autonomous region and more cultural rights
for ethnic Kurds who constitute the greatest minority in Turkey, numbering more
than 20 million.
A large Turkey's Kurdish community openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK
rebels.
The PKK wants constitutional recognition for the Kurds, regional
self-governance and Kurdish-language education in schools.
PKK's demands included releasing PKK detainees, lifting the ban on education in
Kurdish, paving the way for an autonomous democrat Kurdish system within Turkey,
reducing pressure on the detained PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, stopping military action
against the Kurdish party and recomposing the Turkish constitution.
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.
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