Kurdistan Regional Government Slams US Over Turkish Incursion
ARBIL, Feb 23, 2008 (AFP) - Iraq's Kurdish region, usually one of
Washington's closest friends in the region, on Saturday attacked the United
States for green-lighting a Turkish incursion onto its territory.
"We place responsibility for the military operations on the US government
because without its consent Turkey would not be allowed to violate the land and
air sovereignty of Iraq," said regional government spokesman Falah Mustafa.
"The regional government condemns these military operations and the air bombing
targeting infrastructure," he told AFP.
The Arbil-based regional government has demanded "an immediate Turkish retreat
from the Kurdish region of Iraq. The problem will not be solved militarily, but
rather by peaceful means," Mustafa said.
He insisted that the regional government has taken measures to stop the
activities of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.
"The regional government offers no support whatsoever to the PKK, and has taken
a series of measures to limit its activities in the region," he said.
Mustafa called for a "direct dialogue between Ankara, Washington and Arbil to
find a solution to this problem."
The Turkish army's general staff said on Friday that at least 24 rebels and five
of its soldiers have been killed in clashes.
