Information and liaison bulletin - Institut kurde de Paris
Information and liaison bulletin - Institut kurde de Paris
Information and liaison bulletin - Institut kurde de Paris
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Revue <strong>de</strong> Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro <strong>de</strong> la Prensa-Basin Ozeti<br />
Mr Shahristani also said that he<br />
would use legislation in force during<br />
the regime of the <strong>de</strong>posed presi¬<br />
<strong>de</strong>nt Saddam Hussein to strike<br />
<strong>de</strong>als with foreign groups. In a<br />
statement released late on Tues¬<br />
day, the KRG accused Mr Shahris¬<br />
tani of having "chosen to si<strong>de</strong> with<br />
anti-Kurdish elements from the<br />
Turkish Daily News<br />
ANKARA - Reuters<br />
Saddam era" <strong>and</strong> also of incompe¬<br />
tence.<br />
"Dr Shahristani has failed to <strong>de</strong>liver<br />
any meaningful projects through his<br />
ministry year after year. He has not<br />
managed to spend even a quarter<br />
of the annual fe<strong>de</strong>ral budget alloca¬<br />
ted to his ministry <strong>and</strong> is now trying<br />
November 22. 2007<br />
The presi<strong>de</strong>nt said on Wednesday "com¬<br />
mon sense" was gaining ground in<br />
northern Iraq, in comments that seemed<br />
to signal a reduced chance of Turkish<br />
military intervention against the outlawed<br />
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).<br />
Ankara has massed up to 100,000 troops<br />
near its mountainous bor<strong>de</strong>r with Iraq,<br />
backed up by tanks, artillery <strong>and</strong> warpla¬<br />
nes, in preparation for a possible incursion<br />
to root out militants of the outlawed the<br />
PKK hiding there.<br />
But analysts say improved intelligence<br />
sharing between NATO allies the United<br />
States <strong>and</strong> Turkey <strong>and</strong> measures taken by<br />
the autonomous Kurdish administration in<br />
northern Iraq have lessened the likelihood<br />
of a major Turkish cross-bor<strong>de</strong>r incursion.<br />
Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government has<br />
set up roadblocks to stop the flow of food<br />
<strong>and</strong> fuel to the PKK members, who use<br />
the region as a launchpad for attacks on<br />
targets insi<strong>de</strong> Turkey.<br />
"We see that common sense has slowly<br />
started to dominate in northern Iraq,"<br />
Turkey's Anatolian state news agency<br />
quoted Presi<strong>de</strong>nt Abdullah Gul as saying<br />
during a visit to Tbilisi in neighbouring<br />
Georgia. "The northern Iraq administration<br />
>IP<br />
Associated Press<br />
also to <strong>de</strong>ter others from doing the<br />
right thing for the country."<br />
Despite the KRG's insistence that it<br />
has the constitution on its si<strong>de</strong>, the<br />
leverage Baghdad enjoys thanks to<br />
its control over the vast oil fields in<br />
southern Iraq will probably <strong>de</strong>ter<br />
most big oil companies from doing<br />
business in Kurdistan. "A KRG<br />
agreement is now the kiss of <strong>de</strong>ath<br />
in Baghdad," said one foreign<br />
company executive who does<br />
business in Iraq. However, Bagh¬<br />
dad itself could face difficulties<br />
lining up foreign investment <strong>de</strong>als<br />
as long as the law remains in dis¬<br />
pute.<br />
Presi<strong>de</strong>nt sees 'common sense1 in N. Iraq<br />
must assess carefully the costs of using<br />
the PKK <strong>and</strong> the benefits of cooperating<br />
with Turkey," Gul said.<br />
Turkey has long accused Masoud Barza¬<br />
ni's administration of giving the PKK free<br />
rein in the region. Barzani has refused<br />
repeated requests from Ankara to crack<br />
down on the rebels but has begun to act<br />
after increased U.S. pressure.<br />
Both Washington <strong>and</strong> Baghdad are an¬<br />
xious to avert a major Turkish incursion<br />
into northern Iraq, fearing this could <strong>de</strong>s¬<br />
tabilise the wi<strong>de</strong>r region.<br />
"The question of whether an operation is<br />
ma<strong>de</strong> must be left to the political <strong>and</strong><br />
military experts," said Gul, stressing the<br />
need for a "cool-hea<strong>de</strong>d" approach to<br />
fighting terrorism.<br />
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari<br />
said on Tuesday in Brussels he saw a<br />
reduced risk of a major Turkish incursion<br />
because of improved cooperation between<br />
Ankara <strong>and</strong> Washington.<br />
Also on Tuesday, two senior U.S. gene¬<br />
rals visited Ankara to discuss intelligence<br />
sharing with Turkey's military.<br />
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan<br />
was due to discuss the northern Iraq si-<br />
SIGNS: After weeks of saber rattling in<br />
Turkey, Presi<strong>de</strong>nt Gul (left) sees encou¬<br />
raging signs emanating from northern<br />
Iraq. The military, led by Gen. Yasar<br />
Buyiikamt, still believe an incursion into<br />
northern Iraq is necessary. AA photo<br />
tuation on Wednesday with General Yasar<br />
Bùyûkanit, head of Turkey's poweful mili¬<br />
tary General Staff.<br />
Ankara blames the PKK for the <strong>de</strong>aths of<br />
nearly 40,000 people since the group<br />
launched its armed campaign for an ethnic<br />
homel<strong>and</strong> in southeast Turkey in 1984.<br />
The United States <strong>and</strong> European Union,<br />
like Turkey, consi<strong>de</strong>r it a terrorist group.<br />
Iraqi forces <strong>de</strong>tain dozens in major offensive in<br />
oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk<br />
The Associated Press November 24. 2007<br />
BAGHDAD: Authorities imposed a daylong curfew in the northern city of<br />
Kirkuk <strong>and</strong> surrounding areas on Saturday as Iraqi security forces captured<br />
dozens of suspected militants during a major offensive amid fears of vio¬<br />
lence in the oil-rich area.<br />
Acting on intelligence, more than 1,000 Iraqi police <strong>and</strong> army soldiers<br />
poured into the streets of the violence-plagued city, 290 kilometers (180<br />
miles) north of Baghdad.<br />
Maj. Gen. Jamal Tahir Bakir, the chief of police for the Tamim province,<br />
said the operation dubbed "Revolutionary Eagle" was aimed at bombing<br />
networks <strong>and</strong> other insurgent activities after tips indicated new attacks<br />
were planned.<br />
The 1 1-hour curfew began at 6 a.m. to keep ordinary Iraqis insi<strong>de</strong> as<br />
security forces went house-to-house, seizing weapons <strong>and</strong> searching for<br />
militants <strong>and</strong> signs of car bombs believed to have been smuggled into the<br />
city.<br />
Iraqi troops <strong>de</strong>tained 18 militants believed to be part of a roadsi<strong>de</strong> bomb<br />
network targeting security forces <strong>and</strong> 135 other suspects accused of<br />
"terrorist activities," Bakir said, <strong>de</strong>clining to be more specific. He also said<br />
40 rifles were confiscated.<br />
104<br />
The local police chief in the provincial capital of Kirkuk, Maj. Gen. Torhan<br />
Abdul-Rahman, said the operation was launched after 22 wanted militants<br />
<strong>and</strong> 1 1 other suspects had been <strong>de</strong>tained late Friday in Hawija, which is<br />
south of Kirkuk.<br />
Kirkuk has seen a recent rise in violence that authorities have blamed in<br />
part on insurgents who fled security crackdowns in Baghdad <strong>and</strong> surroun¬<br />
ding areas as well as an argument over the city's status.<br />
Kurds want to incorporate it into their self-rule area, but the i<strong>de</strong>a has met<br />
stiff resistance from Arabs <strong>and</strong> a constitutionally required referendum on<br />
the issue was recently <strong>de</strong>layed.<br />
Kirkuk is an especially coveted city for both the Shiite-dominated Iraqi<br />
government in Baghdad <strong>and</strong> the Kurdish one in Irbil.<br />
Much of Iraq's vast oil wealth lies un<strong>de</strong>r the ground in the region, as well<br />
as in the Shiite-controlled south. Kurds refer to Kirkuk as the "Kurdish<br />
Jerusalem," <strong>and</strong> control of the area's oil resources <strong>and</strong> its cultural attach¬<br />
ment to Kurdistan have been hotly contested.