.U.S. envoy meets with Turkish leaders
ANKARA, Turkey -- A special U.S. envoy assured skeptical Turks on Wednesday that the United States was determined to help counter Iraq-based Kurdish guerrillas waging an escalating battle for an autonomous homeland.
Retired Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston met with Turkish leaders a day after three bombings - including one that killed 10 people in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir - that authorities have blamed on the Kurdish guerillas.
Turkey has repeatedly complained about a lack of U.S. cooperation in the struggle against the guerrillas, known as the PKK. It has made veiled threats to take unilateral military action against the rebels in Iraq if necessary.
Ralston expressed sympathy for the victims of Tuesday's attacks and said Washington understood the need for urgent action to stem the conflict, which has heightened in recent months.
"We need (measures) urgently and they need to be visible so that not only the Turkish public, but the Iraqi public and the American public can see that we are serious about eliminating the threat of terrorism," Ralston told a news conference with Turkish Foreign Ministry officials.
The appointment of the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander appears intended to underscore Washington's commitment to helping Turkey and Iraq confront the PKK, which the U.S. lists as a terrorist organization.
Turkish officials were expected to ask Ralston for some U.S. military action such as capturing senior rebel commanders - possibly with help from Iraqi forces. But the thinly stretched U.S. military in Iraq is unlikely to pursue experienced PKK fighters hiding in the remote mountains along the border shared by Iraq, Iran and Turkey.
The bulk of the PKK's estimated 5,000 guerrillas are thought to be in Turkey, but many operate in Iraq and Iran. Tthe guerrillas have benefited from the years of a power vacuum in northern Iraq to stage cross-border offensives in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast.
Retired Turkish Gen. Edip Baser, who was appointed to work with Ralston, urged Turks to be patient as the two countries negotiated.
"We hope that positive results will be achieved in a short time," he said.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other U.S. officials have repeatedly warned Turkey against entering northern Iraq, one of the few stable areas in that country, fearing that an incursion would alienate Iraqi Kurds, the most pro-American group in the region.
The United States and the European Union have called on Turkey to offer the rebels economic and political incentives to help end the 22-year-old conflict, which has killed 37,000 people. Turkey insists it will not negotiate with terrorists, vowing to fight until all rebels are killed or surrender.
Although the Turkish government has offered greater rights to Kurds, such as limited broadcasting in the once-banned Kurdish language, most Kurds dismiss the measures as inadequate.
Ralston's immediate challenge is bridging the growing animosity between Turks and Iraqi Kurds, who have repeatedly asserted dreams of an independent state that Turkey fears will encourage separatists in Turkey.
Turkey has been eyeing recent events in northern Iraq with concern, particularly an order by Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani to replace Iraq's national flag with the Kurdish tricolor on all government buildings in his autonomous Kurdish region.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is facing increasing domestic criticism over the surge of rebel violence, has called on Baghdad to block any moves toward separatism in Iraq, calling recent developments "extremely dangerous."
More than a dozen Turkish soldiers and police officers have been killed in recent weeks. Tuesday's bombing in Diyarbakir was the deadliest since a 2003 al-Qaida suicide attack that killed 58 people in Istanbul.
Since the beginning of the year, rebel attacks have killed 91 soldiers and left 472 civilians dead or injured, a dramatic rise over previous years, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
SPI
Mostly old news to the readers here, well that's if they have been following the links to Rasti.
Yet I wonder if the Turks are feeling the heat now for their refusal to help out at the beginning of this war. Maybe they should have had a little more foresight then.
Retired Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston met with Turkish leaders a day after three bombings - including one that killed 10 people in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir - that authorities have blamed on the Kurdish guerillas.
Turkey has repeatedly complained about a lack of U.S. cooperation in the struggle against the guerrillas, known as the PKK. It has made veiled threats to take unilateral military action against the rebels in Iraq if necessary.
Ralston expressed sympathy for the victims of Tuesday's attacks and said Washington understood the need for urgent action to stem the conflict, which has heightened in recent months.
"We need (measures) urgently and they need to be visible so that not only the Turkish public, but the Iraqi public and the American public can see that we are serious about eliminating the threat of terrorism," Ralston told a news conference with Turkish Foreign Ministry officials.
The appointment of the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander appears intended to underscore Washington's commitment to helping Turkey and Iraq confront the PKK, which the U.S. lists as a terrorist organization.
Turkish officials were expected to ask Ralston for some U.S. military action such as capturing senior rebel commanders - possibly with help from Iraqi forces. But the thinly stretched U.S. military in Iraq is unlikely to pursue experienced PKK fighters hiding in the remote mountains along the border shared by Iraq, Iran and Turkey.
The bulk of the PKK's estimated 5,000 guerrillas are thought to be in Turkey, but many operate in Iraq and Iran. Tthe guerrillas have benefited from the years of a power vacuum in northern Iraq to stage cross-border offensives in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast.
Retired Turkish Gen. Edip Baser, who was appointed to work with Ralston, urged Turks to be patient as the two countries negotiated.
"We hope that positive results will be achieved in a short time," he said.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other U.S. officials have repeatedly warned Turkey against entering northern Iraq, one of the few stable areas in that country, fearing that an incursion would alienate Iraqi Kurds, the most pro-American group in the region.
The United States and the European Union have called on Turkey to offer the rebels economic and political incentives to help end the 22-year-old conflict, which has killed 37,000 people. Turkey insists it will not negotiate with terrorists, vowing to fight until all rebels are killed or surrender.
Although the Turkish government has offered greater rights to Kurds, such as limited broadcasting in the once-banned Kurdish language, most Kurds dismiss the measures as inadequate.
Ralston's immediate challenge is bridging the growing animosity between Turks and Iraqi Kurds, who have repeatedly asserted dreams of an independent state that Turkey fears will encourage separatists in Turkey.
Turkey has been eyeing recent events in northern Iraq with concern, particularly an order by Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani to replace Iraq's national flag with the Kurdish tricolor on all government buildings in his autonomous Kurdish region.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is facing increasing domestic criticism over the surge of rebel violence, has called on Baghdad to block any moves toward separatism in Iraq, calling recent developments "extremely dangerous."
More than a dozen Turkish soldiers and police officers have been killed in recent weeks. Tuesday's bombing in Diyarbakir was the deadliest since a 2003 al-Qaida suicide attack that killed 58 people in Istanbul.
Since the beginning of the year, rebel attacks have killed 91 soldiers and left 472 civilians dead or injured, a dramatic rise over previous years, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
SPI
Mostly old news to the readers here, well that's if they have been following the links to Rasti.
Yet I wonder if the Turks are feeling the heat now for their refusal to help out at the beginning of this war. Maybe they should have had a little more foresight then.
posted by madtom at 10:55 PM
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