Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

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Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka
Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti
The powerful Turkish mili~ary has already played down the PKK's truce pledges as a "ploy" and has called on the
rebels to either surrender or face the army. While there has been no official statement on the size of Turkey's current
cross-border operation, Turkish newspapers have reported that somelO,OOOtroops have penetrated deep into the
mountainsof northernIraq ..
But Turkish general staff deniedthe
reports Sunday as being far from the truth.
The Turkish army regularly launches operations against the PKK in the north of Iraq which it says the rebels
use as a springboard for attacks against TUrkey.
. ...
The incursions draw strong criticism from Baghdad, which accuses Ankara of violating its territorial integrity.
On Tuesday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Said al-Sahhaf called on the Arab League to intervene and ensure
the "immediate withdrawal" of Turkish troops.
"The continuation of Turkish aggression against Iraqi territory represents a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty,"
Sahhaf said in a message to the league's Secretary General Esmat Abel Meguid.
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Talabani to start talks on Tuesday
by ILNUR CEVIK Turkish Daily News January 8, 2001
Jalal Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) will meet Turkish leaders on Tuesday to
discuss the latest regional developments, government sources told the Turkish Daily News.
This will be Talabani's second visit to Ankara where he will again meet with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. He
was here last July and received a red carpet treatment. The PUK leader will also meet with Foreign Ministry
Undersecretary Faruk Logoglu, and military and intelligence officials during his two-day visit to the Turkish capital.
Turkish sources said, Talabani was invited to Ankara for wide ranging consultations. "We neglected Talabani
for a long time. Now we feel the PUK is doing an excellent job along with Mesoud Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic
Party (KDP) in the struggle against the terrorist PKK group in northern Iraq and dese,vés Turkey's support," the
sources said.
"We appreciate the fact that Talabani is under intensive pressure form Iraq and Iran for his cooperation with
Turkey and we feel we have to provide him with proper support," the sources said.
The sources also said Barzani would be invited to Ankara for consultations.
Turkish Daily News January 8, 2001
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General Staff denies operation in northern Iraq
The General Staff has dènied press reports that Turkey had started a new, massive-military operation against
outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists in northern Iraq with some 10,000 troops.
A written statement from the Office of General Staff yesterday stated that the reports, that were published on
Jan. 6-7 in some newspapers, claiming that 10,000 troops entered northern Iraq were not true. Stressing that some
PKK-controlled newspapers and Web sites have been for some time claiming that Turkish troops have entered "il
northern Iraq in a bid to create an anti-Turkish climate abroad, the statement indicated those efforts were closely
followed by the Turkish authorities.
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit on the other hand stated that Turkey had sent technical aid to the Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan (PUK), not confirming reports of a military operation. Some newspapers have run reports claiming
that 10,000 Turkish troops had crossed into northern Iraq and are preparing to battle terrorist organization PKK
militants there. The daily Hurriyet said the troops were stationed near the city of Sulaymaniyah, more than 150
kilometers into Iraqi territory. Northern Iraq has been controlled by two rival Iraqi Kurdish factions since the
aftermath of the 1991 Gulf War..
The Hurriyet and the Belgium-based PKK Medya TV claimed the PUK, which controls the area around
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