Gates To Tell Turks To End Incursion In Iraqi Kurdistan
NEW DELHI, Feb 27, 2008 (AFP) -US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday
he will tell Turkish leaders they should quickly end a military operation in
Iraq and deal with Kurdish disaffection in a non-military fashion.
"I measure quick in terms of days, or a week or two, something like that. Not
months," he told reporters in New Delhi.
Gates is scheduled to visit Ankara later Wednesday and Thursday amid growing
tension between Iraq and Turkey over a five day old Turkish assault against
Kurdish guerrillas in Iraqi Kurdistan
The Baghdad government issued a statement declaring its "rejection and
condemnation of the Turkish military incursion, which is considered a violation
of Iraq's sovereignty."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday defended the military offensive
against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as a "rightful struggle" in self
defence.
While Washington has expressed understanding for the Turkish position, sharing
near real-time targeting intelligence with it on the PKK, it also appears to be
growing impatient.
Asked whether he will personally make the point to Turkish leaders in Ankara
that they should wrap up the operation quickly, Gates said, "I will make that
point but I must say it has been manifest by any number of senior officials
pretty straightforwardly to the Turks.
"I also will repeat the point that I made to (Turkish) President Abdullah Gul
when he visited Washington, which is that military activity alone will not solve
this problem for Turkey.
"There certainly is a place for security operations, but these also need to be
accompanied by economic and political initiatives, and to deal with some of the
issues that provide a favorable local environment where the PKK can operate," he
said.
"They need to deal with some of the issues and complaints that some of the Kurds
have and move this in a non-military direction in order to get a long-term
solution," he said.
He said the United States would consider helping Ankara with such an approach if
asked.
