Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Erdogan warns Barzani against interference in Turkey
Turkey, Kurdistan
(AP) - The prime minister on Monday warned Iraqi Kurds against interfering in southeastern Turkey, where the Kurdish majority is fighting Turkish security forces, saying "the price for them will be very high." Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was responding to Massoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdish autonomous region in Iraq, who said Iraqi Kurds would retaliate for any Turkish interference in northern Iraq by stirring up trouble in southeastern Turkey.
"He's out of place," Erdogan said of Barzani. "He'll be crushed under his words." The verbal sparring was set off by Barzani on Saturday when he said in an interview with al-Arabiyah television that Iraqi Kurds could "interfere" in Kurdish-majority Turkish cities if Ankara interfered in northern Iraq.
Turkey is especially concerned about Barzani's bid to incorporate the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk into his semiautonomous region, fearing that Iraqi Kurds will use revenues from the city's oil wealth to fund a bid for independence. The Foreign Ministry also sent a note to the Iraqi government "reminding them of their responsibilities on the subject of the fight against terror," government spokesman Cemil Cicek said.
"The source of the ethnic terrorism that is taking lives in Turkey is Iraq," Cicek said in a press conference following a Cabinet meeting, referring to Kurdish rebels (PKK) who hide and train in the mountainous region of northern Iraq. Later in the day, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, an ethnic Kurd, called Erdogan to allay his concerns, saying he was saddened by the rising tensions with Turkey, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.
Last week, the Iraqi government decided to implement a constitutional requirement to determine the status of Kirkuk, which is disputed among several different ethnic groups, by the end of the year. The plan is expected to turn Kirkuk and its vast oil reserves over to Kurdish control, a step rejected by many of Iraq's Arabs and its Turkmen, ethnic Turks who are strongly backed by the Turkish government. Some in Turkey have hinted at military action to prevent the Kurds from gaining control of Kirkuk.
"He's out of place," Erdogan said of Barzani. "He'll be crushed under his words." The verbal sparring was set off by Barzani on Saturday when he said in an interview with al-Arabiyah television that Iraqi Kurds could "interfere" in Kurdish-majority Turkish cities if Ankara interfered in northern Iraq.
Turkey is especially concerned about Barzani's bid to incorporate the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk into his semiautonomous region, fearing that Iraqi Kurds will use revenues from the city's oil wealth to fund a bid for independence. The Foreign Ministry also sent a note to the Iraqi government "reminding them of their responsibilities on the subject of the fight against terror," government spokesman Cemil Cicek said.
"The source of the ethnic terrorism that is taking lives in Turkey is Iraq," Cicek said in a press conference following a Cabinet meeting, referring to Kurdish rebels (PKK) who hide and train in the mountainous region of northern Iraq. Later in the day, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, an ethnic Kurd, called Erdogan to allay his concerns, saying he was saddened by the rising tensions with Turkey, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported.
Last week, the Iraqi government decided to implement a constitutional requirement to determine the status of Kirkuk, which is disputed among several different ethnic groups, by the end of the year. The plan is expected to turn Kirkuk and its vast oil reserves over to Kurdish control, a step rejected by many of Iraq's Arabs and its Turkmen, ethnic Turks who are strongly backed by the Turkish government. Some in Turkey have hinted at military action to prevent the Kurds from gaining control of Kirkuk.
Labels: Article 140, Cemil Cicek, Jalal Talabani, Kirkuk, Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani, PKK, Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey
