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TURKEY-U.S.: PKK AND KIRKUK HIGH ON FOREIGN MINISTER'S WASHINGTON AGENDA
AKI, Italy
Feb 6 2007
Washington, 6 Feb. (AKI) - Turkish foreign minister Abdullah
Gul continued his three day visit to the United States on Tuesday
including a meeting with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in
Washington set to focus on Turkey's fight against Kurdish separatism
and the status of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk. In particular, Gul and his
American counterpart are expected to discuss the presence in Northern
Iraq of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) from where Ankara alleges
it launches attacks against Turkey.
Ankara also opposes Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region's claim of
sovereignity over the oil-rich region of Kirkuk whose population
includes ethnic Turkmen, Arabs as well as Kurds.
Gul is expected to seek Washington's support to curb PKK activity
and to thwart Kurdistan's ambitions in Kirkuk.
Gul raised the issues in meetings with US Vice President Dick Cheney
and US National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley on Monday.
Besides Iraq and the PKK, Gul will also try to prevent Washington
from recognising that the early 20th century massacre of Armenians
under the Ottomans was a genocide.
A resolution introduced last week in the House of Representatives,
the US Congress' lower house, calls on the Bush administration and
Congress to classify the massacre, which Ankara says never took place,
as a genocide.
While Bush's administration opposes the measure, the new Democratic
leadership in Congress is sympathetic towards it.
On Wednesday, Gul is scheduled to meet US top Democrat officials to
convince not to support the Armenian genocide legislation.
AKI, Italy
Feb 6 2007
Washington, 6 Feb. (AKI) - Turkish foreign minister Abdullah
Gul continued his three day visit to the United States on Tuesday
including a meeting with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in
Washington set to focus on Turkey's fight against Kurdish separatism
and the status of the Iraqi city of Kirkuk. In particular, Gul and his
American counterpart are expected to discuss the presence in Northern
Iraq of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) from where Ankara alleges
it launches attacks against Turkey.
Ankara also opposes Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region's claim of
sovereignity over the oil-rich region of Kirkuk whose population
includes ethnic Turkmen, Arabs as well as Kurds.
Gul is expected to seek Washington's support to curb PKK activity
and to thwart Kurdistan's ambitions in Kirkuk.
Gul raised the issues in meetings with US Vice President Dick Cheney
and US National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley on Monday.
Besides Iraq and the PKK, Gul will also try to prevent Washington
from recognising that the early 20th century massacre of Armenians
under the Ottomans was a genocide.
A resolution introduced last week in the House of Representatives,
the US Congress' lower house, calls on the Bush administration and
Congress to classify the massacre, which Ankara says never took place,
as a genocide.
While Bush's administration opposes the measure, the new Democratic
leadership in Congress is sympathetic towards it.
On Wednesday, Gul is scheduled to meet US top Democrat officials to
convince not to support the Armenian genocide legislation.