WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- President Bush has told Turkish President Abdullah
Gul that Kurdish struggle in Turkish-occupied Kurdistan cannot be defeated by
purely military means.
A senior Bush administration official, speaking to reporters on condition of
anonymity Tuesday, said the two presidents had "a lengthy discussion" about the
PKK, the Kurdish armed group both governments call terrorists.
"The discussion was along the lines of having a comprehensive solution to the
PKK problem, which means not just military action, but also political action,
including things within Turkey -- economic, political development, social
development in the southeast," said the official.
The official said the two explored "a whole bunch of different solutions to the
problem" and that "there was discussion, as there is when we deal with
terrorists in different parts of the world, that you have to provide an
alternative so that the freedom fighters are not as attractive" to local populations.
