Commenting on the latest atrocities against the Kurds by the Arab terrorists
in Kirkuk and Mosul, Barzani and Talabani warned that they will not stay
silent while those crimes are unfolding daily
Now, with Mosul threatening to turn to chaos after most of the city's 4,000
police deserted, the Kurds are again proving staunch allies. "They're well-organised,
fierce and get the job done," said Captain Robert Lackey, a company
commander with the U.S. Stryker Brigade, which is responsible for northern
Iraq.
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News Snapshot
Talabani, Barzani and have revealed that they have reached an agreement with
Iraqi political parties to postpone elections
in Kirkuk which was
planned to be held next January until the issue of Kurdish settlement
resolved.
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Turkish FM Gul criticized Talabani and Barzani for their demand that local
elections in Kirkuk be postponed until the issue of Kurdish settlement
resolved. "They are not the ones who will decide. They might have some
demands as Iraqi citizens; however, they cannot decide when elections will
take place. There is a council in Iraq and it will decide on it. That the
election is held on a designated date is crucial."
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Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan told US Vice President Cheney that the
operation against terrorists in Falluja has caused outrage in Turkey and the
Muslim world, reported Turkish Daily News yesterday.
American warplanes flew over Arab parts of the city, and some units of the
American Task Force Olympia ventured out of their base on patrol. An
insurgent unit crossed over to the mainly Kurdish west of Mosul and attacked
offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Three of the four
attackers were killed, and the fourth was wounded.
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"The
Peshmergas captured five and killed eight," Mr Piri said. "The five captured
did not carry identity cards, so we do not know yet whether they are Iraqi."
The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Saleh, said the rebels were trying "to
destabilise Mosul" and "to prevent elections" scheduled for January.
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Kurds Ask Turkey For More Democratic Steps Ahead Of Key EU
Summit
DIYARBAKIR, (Northern Kurdistan), Dec 4 (AFP) -
Fifty-seven
mayors from Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast called on the government Saturday
to take more steps to make peace with its restive Kurdish population ahead of a
crucial decision by the European Union on whether to open membership talks with
Ankara.
In a joint declaration, the mayors said the government should issue a full
pardon for armed rebels of the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) to encourage
them to lay their arms.
Turkey has previously offered only partial amnesties, involving sentence
reductions, to PKK rebels who picked up arms against Ankara in 1984 for
self-rule in the southeast.
Some 37,000 people were killed in the conflict, which saw gross human rights
violations on both sides, forced population movements, disappearances and
summary executions.
The group -- now known as KONGRA-GEL and considered a terrorist organization
by Turkey, the EU and the United States -- called off a five-year ceasefire on
June 1, warning tourists and investors to stay away from the country.
The mayors' declaration also called for amendments to the constitution to
ensure equal rights for all ethnic groups, arrangements to allow different
ethnic groups to freely express themselves and steps to improve welfare in
southeast Turkey, the country's most underdeveloped region.
"These steps would make a positive contribution to the resolution of problems
concerning democracy, freedom and economy," the declaration said.
"Furthermore, they will prove to be a significant impetus towards EU
membership," it added.
After years of resistance, Turkey in recent years adopted reforms allowing
Kurds to learn their own language at private courses and lifting bans on radio
and television broadcasts in Kurdish, in a bid to boost its bid to join the
25-nation bloc.
EU leaders are now expected to agree at their December 16-17 summit to give
Ankara the greenlight to begin accession talks.
