Outlines of a Kurdish deal loom in N. Iraq
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 19, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Amid repeated calls from Iraqi leaders for the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, to lay down arms, the Turkish foreign minister confirmed yesterday that a visit from the leader of the northern Iraq regional administration, Massoud Barzani, is a possibility.
"There is no plan for Barzani to visit Turkey," Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said during a press conference yesterday. "But I see no reason why such a visit should not take place. We used to communicate with the regional administration in northern Iraq indirectly. Now we are in direct contact."
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, announced that Kurdish political groups based in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Europe are expected to make a call to the PKK to lay down its arms in late April or May during a conference in the northern Iraq city of Arbil, in remarks published in the Turkish press Wednesday.
Talabani said the conference would aim to end the armed struggle. The Democratic Society Party, or DTP, will be invited to the conference. "I do not know whether DTP will attend. The PKK is warm to the idea," Talabani said.
Barzani has plans to attend meetings with Gül, who will be visiting Baghdad on Friday. "Barzani is under treatment in a European country at this time, if the treatment ends he will join the meetings," Talabani said.
He called on to PKK to lay down its arms, in a live interview on CNNTurk this week. "I believe that the armed struggle is over. Popular wars are now out of question. It is time for a political struggle," Talabani said.
Talabani’s statements came as he was in Istanbul to attend the 5th World Water Forum where he held a bilateral meeting with Gül this week. "I believe the PKK will accept the wish of all Kurdish parties, laying down its arms and putting an end to violent action," Talabani said. The PKK's expected move would not mean only a ceasefire but "a decision in principle to end the so-called armed revolution," he said.
The Iraqi President also called for an amnesty for the PKK members to consolidate recent measures broadening Kurdish cultural freedoms and to boost the prospect of lasting peace. "I would ask Prime Minister Erdoğan one question if he made a demand for people to come down from the mountains. Will they go to their homes or to prison?" Talabani said.
Babacan said yesterday that "Turkish laws leave the door open for people with true intentions," answering a question about Talabani’s suggestion. "We have already talked about these matters with the central government in Baghdad and the regional administration in northern Iraq. But it is impossible to speak about the details today. The PKK has no place in Turkey or in Iraq. We work together with the U.S. and Iraq in a trilateral mechanism to that effect," Babacan said.
Rumors about the independence of the Kurdish region have prevented closer relations in the past, Talabani said. "The Kurdish people do not have that idea. Iraq has a democratic parliament, and 95 percent of the Kurdish people support the Constitution. Iraqi Kurds voted in favor of Iraq’s unity. I think the time of the Kurdish movement has passed. They understood that independence is impossible," Talabani said.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, announced that Kurdish political groups based in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Europe are expected to make a call to the PKK to lay down its arms in late April or May during a conference in the northern Iraq city of Arbil, in remarks published in the Turkish press Wednesday.
Talabani said the conference would aim to end the armed struggle. The Democratic Society Party, or DTP, will be invited to the conference. "I do not know whether DTP will attend. The PKK is warm to the idea," Talabani said.
Barzani has plans to attend meetings with Gül, who will be visiting Baghdad on Friday. "Barzani is under treatment in a European country at this time, if the treatment ends he will join the meetings," Talabani said.
He called on to PKK to lay down its arms, in a live interview on CNNTurk this week. "I believe that the armed struggle is over. Popular wars are now out of question. It is time for a political struggle," Talabani said.
Talabani’s statements came as he was in Istanbul to attend the 5th World Water Forum where he held a bilateral meeting with Gül this week. "I believe the PKK will accept the wish of all Kurdish parties, laying down its arms and putting an end to violent action," Talabani said. The PKK's expected move would not mean only a ceasefire but "a decision in principle to end the so-called armed revolution," he said.
The Iraqi President also called for an amnesty for the PKK members to consolidate recent measures broadening Kurdish cultural freedoms and to boost the prospect of lasting peace. "I would ask Prime Minister Erdoğan one question if he made a demand for people to come down from the mountains. Will they go to their homes or to prison?" Talabani said.
Babacan said yesterday that "Turkish laws leave the door open for people with true intentions," answering a question about Talabani’s suggestion. "We have already talked about these matters with the central government in Baghdad and the regional administration in northern Iraq. But it is impossible to speak about the details today. The PKK has no place in Turkey or in Iraq. We work together with the U.S. and Iraq in a trilateral mechanism to that effect," Babacan said.
Rumors about the independence of the Kurdish region have prevented closer relations in the past, Talabani said. "The Kurdish people do not have that idea. Iraq has a democratic parliament, and 95 percent of the Kurdish people support the Constitution. Iraqi Kurds voted in favor of Iraq’s unity. I think the time of the Kurdish movement has passed. They understood that independence is impossible," Talabani said.