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 Ôzeti<br />
Gfie ilPfiilabelpfha Inquirer _2i^J<br />
Bush: U.S. will help Turks fight Kurd rebels<br />
By Desmond Butler Associated Press<br />
WASHINGTON - Presi<strong>de</strong>nt Bush pledged fresh<br />
help yesterday to Turkish Prime Minister Recep<br />
Tayyip Erdogan in fighting Kurdish rebels, <strong>de</strong>claring<br />
them "an enemy of Turkey, a free Iraq <strong>and</strong> the<br />
United States."<br />
In an Oval Office session, Bush offered intelligencesharing<br />
to help combat the Kurdistan Workers'<br />
Party, or PKK. Bush also said top military officials<br />
from the United States <strong>and</strong> Turkey would be in<br />
more regular contact in an effort to track the mo¬<br />
vement of the guerrilla fighters.<br />
"I ma<strong>de</strong> it very clear to the prime minister that we<br />
want to work in a close way to <strong>de</strong>al with this pro¬<br />
blem," Bush told reporters.<br />
» Pilaklnfiia Inquirer Nov- 6- mi<br />
SUZAN FRASER The Associated Press<br />
With Turkish troops massed on the bor<strong>de</strong>r of his<br />
country, Erdogan is weighing a major attack against<br />
the PKK in northern Iraq. The guerrillas have killed<br />
about 40 Turks in the last month in bor<strong>de</strong>r raids,<br />
<strong>and</strong> pressure is growing on Erdogan to strike back.<br />
The White House worries that a Turkish incursion<br />
into Iraq could bring instability to what has been the<br />
calmest part of Iraq <strong>and</strong> could set a prece<strong>de</strong>nt for<br />
other countries, such as Iran, that have conflicts<br />
with Kurdish rebels.<br />
Asked about a potential Turkish attack, Bush called<br />
the question hypothetical.<br />
"It's fine to speculate about what may or may not<br />
happen," Bush said. "But nothing can happen until<br />
you get good intelligence. We need to know where<br />
people are hiding, <strong>and</strong> we need to know what<br />
they're doing."<br />
Erdogan said his government had the authority to<br />
mount an incursion into Iraq, but he gave no further<br />
indication of his intentions. Instead, he emphasized<br />
cooperation with the United States.<br />
"As strategic partners, we are fighting jointly<br />
against international terrorism in the world," Erdo¬<br />
gan said.<br />
It is wi<strong>de</strong>ly believed that the bulk of the PKK forces -<br />
which traditionally halt operations in the winter<br />
because of supply <strong>and</strong> logistical difficulties - have<br />
scattered as far as southern Iraq, as well as melting<br />
into the populations of large cities in the north.<br />
Bush <strong>and</strong> Erdogan met a day after the PKK released<br />
eight soldiers it had held for two weeks since<br />
capturing them in an ambush insi<strong>de</strong> Turkey along<br />
the Iraqi bor<strong>de</strong>r.<br />
Turkish Prez: Decision Ma<strong>de</strong> on Rebels<br />
ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's presi<strong>de</strong>nt said<br />
Tuesday his country "has <strong>de</strong>ci<strong>de</strong>d" on how to<br />
proceed against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq <strong>and</strong><br />
had informed the United States.<br />
The U.S. <strong>and</strong> Iraq have been pressing Turkey to<br />
avoid a major cross-bor<strong>de</strong>r attack on Kurdish<br />
Workers' Party, or PKK, rebel bases in northern<br />
Iraq out of fear such an incursion would bring<br />
instability to what has been one of the calmest<br />
areas in Iraq.<br />
Presi<strong>de</strong>nt Abdullah Gul did not specify what <strong>de</strong>ci¬<br />
sion had been ma<strong>de</strong> regarding an attack, but ma<strong>de</strong><br />
clear that Turkey feels that the PKK is leading to<br />
instability in the region itself.<br />
"Iraq's stability cannot be limited to fighting terro¬<br />
rism in Baghdad or other regions," he said. "The<br />
terrorist organization in the north is also disrupting<br />
Iraq's stability."<br />
The comments come the day after Presi<strong>de</strong>nt Bush<br />
fflf WiwWtifiiiti ffihttw<br />
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey - At least<br />
150 teenagers from this city in<br />
southeastern Turkey have joined<br />
the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party<br />
in the past year, illustrating a ma¬<br />
gnetic pull that many of their el<strong>de</strong>rs<br />
find baffling.<br />
Since the jailing of Kurdish nationa¬<br />
list lea<strong>de</strong>r Abdullah Ocalan in 1999,<br />
the central government in Ankara<br />
has taken major steps to address<br />
Kurdish grievances. Their region is<br />
now free of military law; the use of<br />
Kurdish names has been legalized;<br />
Kurdish-language broadcasting is<br />
permitted for one hour a day; <strong>and</strong>,<br />
44<br />
met in Washington with Turkish Prime Minister<br />
Recep Tayyip Erdogan <strong>and</strong> promised him that the<br />
United States would share military intelligence in<br />
the hunt for PKK rebels.<br />
Gul said part of Erdogan's goal in his trip was to<br />
share with the United States the <strong>de</strong>cision that the<br />
country has ma<strong>de</strong> on how to <strong>de</strong>al with the rebels.<br />
"Turkey had ma<strong>de</strong> its preparations <strong>and</strong> had <strong>de</strong>ci<strong>de</strong>d<br />
what to do on the issue before the prime minister<br />
left," he said.<br />
PKK rebels have killed more than 40 Turks in hit<strong>and</strong>-run<br />
attacks over the past month, mainly sol¬<br />
diers, raising the public pressure on Erdogan to<br />
retaliate.<br />
Tens of thous<strong>and</strong>s of Turkish troops are poised at<br />
the southeastern bor<strong>de</strong>r with Iraq, <strong>and</strong> experts<br />
speculate that if there is to be an attack this year, it<br />
must come soon before the winter weather <strong>de</strong>s¬<br />
cends upon the mountainous region making military<br />
action nearly impossible.<br />
Both the U.S. <strong>and</strong> the European Union have labeled<br />
By Nicholas Birch November 6, 2007<br />
Kurdish teens drawn to rebels' ranks<br />
for the first time in a <strong>de</strong>ca<strong>de</strong>, Kur¬<br />
dish nationalists are represented in<br />
parliament.<br />
The Turkish military, meanwhile,<br />
has waged a highly successful<br />
battle against the PKK as the<br />
Kurdistan Workers' Party is referred<br />
to by its Kurdish acronym at<br />
least in tactical terms. As many as<br />
75 PKK members have died since<br />
militants attacked a Turkish platoon<br />
on Oct. 21, killing 12 soldiers <strong>and</strong><br />
capturing eight all of whom were<br />
released over the weekend.<br />
Presi<strong>de</strong>nt Bush ad<strong>de</strong>d to the pres¬<br />
sure on the rebel group yesterday,<br />
promising Turkish Prime Minister<br />
Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washing¬<br />
ton that the United States will offer<br />
intelligence <strong>and</strong> other help in<br />
tling the PKK.<br />
bat¬<br />
"The PKK is a terrorist organization.<br />
They're an enemy of Turkey; they're<br />
an enemy of Iraq; <strong>and</strong> they're an<br />
enemy of the United States," Mr.<br />
Bush said at a press conference<br />
after talks with Mr. Erdogan.<br />
Nevertheless, as Turkey"s No. 2<br />
general conce<strong>de</strong>d recently, Turkey<br />
has been "unsuccessful" in dissua¬<br />
ding a new generation of Kurds<br />
from joining the militant organiza<br />
the PKK a terrorist organization, <strong>and</strong> Bush called<br />
the rebels "an enemy of Turkey, a free Iraq <strong>and</strong> the<br />
United States."<br />
In addition to White House worries that a Turkish<br />
incursion into Iraq could bring instability to the area,<br />
it also is concerned an incursion could set a prece¬<br />
<strong>de</strong>nt for other countries, such as Iran, that have<br />
conflicts with Kurdish rebels.<br />
Yet, when asked about the possibility of Turkey<br />
attacking Iraq, Bush dismissed the question as<br />
hypothetical.<br />
He tried instead to assure Turkey that the U.S. is<br />
providing support.<br />
"It's fine to speculate about what may or may not<br />
happen," Bush said. "But nothing can happen until<br />
you get good intelligence. We need to know where<br />
people are hiding, <strong>and</strong> we need to know what<br />
they're doing."<br />
Erdogan said his government has the authority to<br />
mount an incursion into Iraq if necessary. But he<br />
gave no further indication of his intentions.<br />
tion.<br />
Military intelligence last year repor¬<br />
ted that 40 percent of the estimated<br />
3,000 Kurdish militants in northern<br />
Iraq had joined since the start of a<br />
PKK cease-fire, which began in<br />
1999 <strong>and</strong> lasted five years.<br />
In Diyarbakir, locals say at least<br />
150 teenagers enlisted this year. In<br />
Yuksekova, a city of 100,000, six<br />
have joined in the last month.<br />
In towns <strong>and</strong> villages across the<br />
region, the story is told in photos on<br />
the walls of homes like that of Irfan<br />
Gur, a slen<strong>de</strong>r man whose face is<br />
wrinkled from years of sun <strong>and</strong>