Kurdish lawmaker slams U.S. over military assistance
to Turkey
December 22, 2007
VOI
Mahmoud Othman criticized the U.S. policy of
providing military assisitance to Turkey.
A Kurdistan Alliance leader criticized on Thursday
the U.S. policy of providing military assistance to
Turkish troops in their bombing of Kurdistan
'northern Iraqi regions', describing the cooperation
as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.
While stressing the strength of U.S.-Kurdish
relations, Kurdish leader and lawmaker Dr Mahmoud
Othman said, "U.S.-Turkish cooperation in the
bombing of regions in northern Iraq is a violation
of Iraqi sovereignty and a breach of U.S. commitment
to protect Iraq's sovereignty and borders."
"It also contradicts the declaration of intentions
and principles signed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki and U.S. President George W. Bush last
month, which provides for U.S. protection of Iraqi
borders and national government," the
parliamentarian indicated.
Slashing the United States for providing "incorrect
intelligence reports" to the Turks, Othman said,
"The victims of the Turkish shelling were
civilians," in referernce to a Turkish bombing of
villages in Iraq's Kurdistan region a few days ago.
On Tuesday Turkish Ambassador to Washington Nabi
Sensoy said that the U.S. administration provided
his country with necessary intelligence that led to
raids in Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq' on
Turkey's Kurdish PKK militants on Sunday.
On Monday, about 500-600 Turkish troops penetrated
two kilometers into the Kurdistan region in pursuit
of members of the Turkey's Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
in 'northern Iraq'.
Iraqi Kurdistan politician says, Turkey is using
Turkey's Kurdish separatist PKK rebel group as an
excuse to invade Kurdistan region 'Iraq' to prevent
the establishment of Kurdistan state in the Kurdish
autonomous region in 'northern Iraq',www.ekurd.net
Turkey fears this could fan separatism among its own
large Kurdish population in southeast Turkey.
In October, Othman said "We warn against any
military action because it will add to the
complexity of the situation and create more enemies
for the United States and Turkey. They have to
reconsider their policies," Othman explained.
"The U.S. must be aware of the magnitude of threats
posing on a daily basis against the territories of
Iraqi Kurdistan Region," said Othman, accusing the
Turkish government of trying to throw a monkey
wrench into the democratic experiment of the
Kurdistan region.
"If Turkey is really keen on fighting PKK members,
why shouldn't it fight them on its lands now that
there is an intensive presence of PKK inside
Turkey," wondered Othman.
Earlier Othman said "Considering the PKK as a
terrorist party will give Ankara an excuse to crush
the Party inside Iraq,"
"Turkey has been committing the crime of terrorism
against the Kurdish people since almost 100 years
and isn't granting them their rights." That's why
it's not sensible to describe the PKK as a terrorist
organization. Because the PKK is struggling against
the terrorism committed being committed by the
Turkish government," Othman added.
Turkey has massed up to 100,000 troops along the
frontier in preparation for a cross-border operation
to crush about 3,000 guerrillas of the PKK, blamed
for attacks that killed 15 Turkish soldiers.
Since 1984 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 for a Kurdish homeland in
southeast of Turkey.
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,www.ekurd.net the party also
demanded an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish
laws and constitution against Kurds, granting them
full political freedoms.
