Ankara’s Southern Kurdistan Policy Softens
Turkish NTV Feb 15, 2007
ANKARA - Steps could be taken to develop
relations with the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq (Southern
Kurdistan), Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday.
Speaking to reporters on his flight back from
Turkmenistan on Thursday, Erdogan said that this message was also being sent to
Iraqi President Jelal Talabani.
‘We think that he would be very warm to this nice development,’ he said.
Despite some military opposition to such a move, Erdogan justified the move as a
good one if it would bring peace to both parties.
However, General Yasar Buyukanit, the Chief of the Turkish General Staff, said
Thursday during his visit to the US that they see the Baghdad administration as
to blame for protecting the terrorist group the PKK.
The Kurdish administration of northern Iraq welcomed the move and the Ankara
representative for Patriotic Union for Kurdistan (PUK), Bahros Galali, welcomed
the statement by Erdogan saying it was very constructive.
