Saturday, September 30, 2006
Turkey threatens to cut off electricity, fuel to N. Iraq
Politics, Region
In a new chapter in the degenerating Turkish - Iraqi relations, Turkey has warned Iraqi President Jalal Talabani that it would sever electricity and fuel supplies to northern Iraq if Baghdad did not adopt any measures against the illegal Kurdish group PKK in the region, the Turkish news channel NTV reported Friday. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told the US television channel PBS that it could paralyse public life in northern Iraq, the report said.
COMMENT: On Friday Kurdish news agency Firat reported that jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to implement a ceasefire. Ocalan also urged the PKK to seek a peaceful solution to their conflict with Turkey. Turkey rejected the call. Prior to that on Tuesday 19 September, the Iraqi government banned the PKK. COMMENT ENDS.
