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TURKEY URGED TO TACKLE PKK PROBLEM THROUGH DIALOGUE WITH IRAQI KURDS
Southeast European Times, MD
Feb 8 2007
The best way to deal with separatist Kurdish rebels staging attacks
on Turkish territory from bases in northern Iraq would involve
dialogue with the Kurdish regional government, rather than military
intervention, a top US diplomat said on Wednesday (February 7th).
"I think there are serious risks if Turkey moves in, and I hope that
we're able to work with Turkey so this choice can be avoided," the
AP quoted US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried as saying in
an interview broadcast on CNN-Turk.
The fight against militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK),
who use northern Iraq's Kurdish region as a launch pad for attacks
on Turkish territory, topped the agenda of Turkish Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul's talks with US officials in Washington this week.
Outlawed in Turkey, the PKK is considered a terrorist organisation
by both the United States and the EU.
Gul, who began his six-day visit to the United States on Monday,
called for greater US co-operation.
"We have conveyed to US officials that they are late in taking action
in northern Iraq, and the Turkish people want to see an action," Gul
said in a statement late Tuesday. "US officials are aware of this," he
added hours after his meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Last August, Washington appointed retired General Joseph Ralston,
a former NATO supreme allied commander, as the co-ordinator of US
efforts to deal with the PKK.
"In terms of the PKK, I think that everybody is in agreement that we
want to try to resolve this issue," State Department spokesman Sean
McCormack told reporters during a briefing Tuesday. "General Ralston
is working to decrease those tensions on both sides of the border."
Another key issue on Gul's agenda was a non-binding US congressional
resolution, likely to be discussed in March, that condemns the
killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the waning days of the
Ottoman empire as genocide. Such resolutions have no direct bearing
on policy and no legal impact. Nevertheless, the minister warned,
the bill could seriously affect ties.
"I believe that Turkish-American relations should not be taken hostage
by this issue," Gul said. [But] "I see this as a real threat to our
relationship."
The White House has opposed similar legislation in the past. On
Wednesday, McCormack said the administration understands the
sensitivities in Turkey, in communities in the United States and in
other parts of the world, and has conveyed Ankara's concerns.
Other issues Gul and Rice discussed on Tuesday included Lebanon,
Iran, the Middle East, Turkish-EU relations and Kosovo. On Monday,
the Turkish foreign minister met with Vice President Dick Cheney,
Defence Secretary Robert Gates and the president's National Security
Adviser, Stephen Hadley.
Southeast European Times, MD
Feb 8 2007
The best way to deal with separatist Kurdish rebels staging attacks
on Turkish territory from bases in northern Iraq would involve
dialogue with the Kurdish regional government, rather than military
intervention, a top US diplomat said on Wednesday (February 7th).
"I think there are serious risks if Turkey moves in, and I hope that
we're able to work with Turkey so this choice can be avoided," the
AP quoted US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried as saying in
an interview broadcast on CNN-Turk.
The fight against militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK),
who use northern Iraq's Kurdish region as a launch pad for attacks
on Turkish territory, topped the agenda of Turkish Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul's talks with US officials in Washington this week.
Outlawed in Turkey, the PKK is considered a terrorist organisation
by both the United States and the EU.
Gul, who began his six-day visit to the United States on Monday,
called for greater US co-operation.
"We have conveyed to US officials that they are late in taking action
in northern Iraq, and the Turkish people want to see an action," Gul
said in a statement late Tuesday. "US officials are aware of this," he
added hours after his meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Last August, Washington appointed retired General Joseph Ralston,
a former NATO supreme allied commander, as the co-ordinator of US
efforts to deal with the PKK.
"In terms of the PKK, I think that everybody is in agreement that we
want to try to resolve this issue," State Department spokesman Sean
McCormack told reporters during a briefing Tuesday. "General Ralston
is working to decrease those tensions on both sides of the border."
Another key issue on Gul's agenda was a non-binding US congressional
resolution, likely to be discussed in March, that condemns the
killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the waning days of the
Ottoman empire as genocide. Such resolutions have no direct bearing
on policy and no legal impact. Nevertheless, the minister warned,
the bill could seriously affect ties.
"I believe that Turkish-American relations should not be taken hostage
by this issue," Gul said. [But] "I see this as a real threat to our
relationship."
The White House has opposed similar legislation in the past. On
Wednesday, McCormack said the administration understands the
sensitivities in Turkey, in communities in the United States and in
other parts of the world, and has conveyed Ankara's concerns.
Other issues Gul and Rice discussed on Tuesday included Lebanon,
Iran, the Middle East, Turkish-EU relations and Kosovo. On Monday,
the Turkish foreign minister met with Vice President Dick Cheney,
Defence Secretary Robert Gates and the president's National Security
Adviser, Stephen Hadley.