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

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
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Turkish Daily News Jariuary-9~-2000
Talabani to update Turkey on latest developments
The leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Jalal Talabani arrived in Ankara yesterday evening in a
bid to update Ankara on the latest developments in Northern Iraq. Talabani's visit comes at a time when press
reports claimed that Turkey had started another massive military operation with 10.000 troops in Northern Iraq
against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists. However, while the General Staff categorically
denied reports of any military operation, Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said Turkey had given technical help to
PUK.
Talabani will meet Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Faruk Logoglu and deputy undersecretary
Ugur Ziyal. He is also expected to be received by PM Ecevit. Diplomatic sources say the basic item on the agenda
will be the fight against PKK terrorists who fled Turkey and stationed in Northern Iraq which is under PUK
control. Turkey has repeatedly declared that it would not give up its efforts to fight against terrorists unless they
surrender unconditionally and told PUK to help Ankara in its fight against PKK.
PUK, which had conducted a rather ambiguous policy vis-a-vis the PKK, has occasionally angered Ankara. Only
recently relations between Ankara and PUK have improved after Talabani's visit to Ankara last summer. As PUK
took initiatives to distance itself from the PKK, Ankara has increased its help to PUK. However, Ankara wants
full cooperation from PUK to eradicate all PKK existence in Northern Iraq.
Diplomatic sources indicate that another topic will be opening another border gate to the PUK-controlled region
as PUK can not get any revenue from the Habur border gate.
Talabani's visit comes after Ecevit said Turkey was assisting the PUK in fighting guerrillas of the PKK, who use
Northern Iraq as a base for their campaign for Kurdish autonomy and cultural rights in neighboring Turkey. A
Turkish diplomat has told Reuters that the visit was a regular one. "They're going to discuss the same topics they
usually discuss - the situation in Northern Iraq," he has reportedly said.
Talabani heads one of two Iraqi Kurdish groups that have run Northern Iraq since the mountainous enclave
broke from the Iraqi governments control in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War. Turkey allows U.S. and British military
aircraft to use an air base to patrol Northern Iraq's no-fly zone. In return, Turkish forces regularly cross the
border to pursue PKK guerrillas with little western opposition. The PUK has intermittently clashed with the PKK
in recent months, but another PUK aide in Ankara said there had been no clashes in recent weeks. Ecevit said on
Sunday Turkey provided technical support for Iraqi Kurdish factions in order to guarantee its own security.
Terrorist PKK has largely withdrawn from Turkey to Northern Iraq and Iran since late 1999 following orders
from its leader Abdullah Ocalan that the group should abandon the armed struggle and remold itself as political
party. Meanwhile, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on Monday that Britain might change its policy towards
another no-fly zone in southern Iraq and propose to U.S. President-elect George W. Bush's incoming administration
that the bombing of targets there be stopped. However, the report said Britain would propose retaining the
northern no-fly zone because Kurds' safety was still threatened.
* * * * *
The occupation is on Turkey's agenda
Kurdish Observer 09 Jan 2001
Great space continues to be given by the Turkish media to news of the Turkish military occupation in the South
[Iraqi Kurdistan] and preparations for assault against the People's Defense Forces as well as the call by Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Jalal Talabani. But the positions of Prime Minister Ecevit and General Staff
towards developments are different from one another.
Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, answering questions from reporters the other evening after leaving TRT television
station premises, where he had appeared on the "Pazar Panorama" (Sunday Panorama) program, confirmed
the occupation news. Ecevit asserted that the PKK continued to pose a "threat" to Turkey, despite the fact that its
armed forces had withdrawn from the country, and said that all necessary measures were being taken.
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