Turkey's Gul Warns Kofi Annan
about Kirkuk. Gul told Annan that "Some groups are trying to alter the
demography of the city. Kirkuk is a small Iraq, similar to the way Iraq is a
small Middle East. For this reason, Kirkuk should not be taken for granted.
Please, pay more attention to this issue."
Three Arab Shiite
provinces in southern Iraq applied to the Baghdad administration in order
to be recognized as an "autonomous territory". The local administrators of
Basra, Amara, and Nasiriye agreed that they wanted to unify and be granted
autonomy. Basra Governor, Hasan Rasid reported that they sent their demands
to interim Iraq Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. This development, confirmed
also by the speaker of the parliament in Amara province, increases the
disintegration anxieties of Iraq.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on
Wednesday, ''Turkey has been monitoring all activities of Kurdish groups in
Kirkuk city of Iraq and adjacent areas.''
More
"Torture is systematic and
widespread in Turkey," Husnu Ondul, chairman of the Turkish Human Rights
Association, told the AP by telephone. "We're not saying that the government
is ordering it, but we're saying that measures are yet to be taken to
prevent it."
----------------
Danish Prime Minister Anders
Fogh Rasmussen said Turkey should fulfill the European Union criteria fully
in order to begin accession negotiations with the 25-nation bloc. "Turkey
should meet the political criteria one hundred percent," reported Turkish news
agency Anatolia
Turkish FM Gul said he told Powell that "what
is being done there (Talafer) is harming the civilian population, that it is
wrong, and that if it continues, Turkey's cooperation on issues regarding
Iraq will come to a total stop," reported AP
----------------
A group of protesters in
Ankara demonstrated yesterday against US military attacks against Turkmen
terrorists in the city of Talafar, about 30 miles west of Mosul. The group
gathered near the American Embassy and shouted anti-US slogans.
----------------
The US ambassador in Turkey
Edelman rejected claims in the Turkish media that US forces aimed to clear
Talafer of its Turkish-speaking Turkmens, who are close to Ankara, and
replace them with their own allies in Southern Kurdistan, the Kurds,
reported AFP
----------------
An
audiotape purportedly by key terror suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi boasts that
Islamic holy warriors have humiliated the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. The
audiotape surfaced Saturday, the third anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks,
on a Web site known for Islamic content. Zarqawi said Iraq was in the hands
of an "evil alliance" of Americans, Kurds aided by Israel and Shiite
Muslims, reported Reuters.
Turkey warned Talabani that the
demographic structure in Kirkuk
resulting from the ethnic cleansing policies of Saddam should not be
tampered with and that Turkey shall in no way remain a spectator to
any new developments in Kirkuk that might reverse Saddam's policies.
Turkey reitrated its full support for the outcome of the genocidal
policies of Saddam against the Kurds.
Sep
11, 2004
News Snapshot
During a meeting with his staff in Salahuddin,
Barzani said that a plural Kirkurk, with Turkmens, Arabs and Kurds, is not
an abdication of the city's Kurdish identity. Barzani reminded his
constituency that his father, the Kurdish legendary leader Mustafa Barzani,
gave his life for Kirkurk.
----------------
Nechirvan Barzani and Jalal
Talabani held separate talks with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul this week.
Turkish officials said that Turkey's concerns on Kirkuk had been highlighted
in the talks and that Kurdish leaders were aware of those sensitivities.
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The Imam of Mosul Mulla Kasim
has issued an edict of Jihad, or "holy war", against Kurds, Americans and
Israelis whom he described as similar to each other. He has offered a reward
of $100 for each one killed. He considered Kurds as infidels, reported the
KDP's daily paper, Taakhi.
----------------
Turkey's Gul warned Kurdish
leader Jalal Talabani and Kurdistan prime minister Nechirvan Barzani about
the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) during their meetings in Ankara earlier
this week. "It will be a calamity for you in the future, be aware of this,"
Gul informed them.
----------------
European Union (EU) Commissioner for Enlargement Gunter
Verheugen completed his five day fact-finding mission in Turkey. The
commissioner reminded Turkey to do its best to rectify several deficiencies
and concerns, among them the problem in Northern Kurdistan and the Turkish
terrorist state's predilection for prisoner torture.
Massoud Barzani told the French news agency
today that "Kirkuk is
the heart of Kurdistan and we are ready to wage war and make
sacrifices in order to preserve its identity and maintain what Kurds
have already achieved".
----------------
Turkish Police in Northern Kurdistan have
detained 19 people, including a former mayor of Dersim Hasan Korkmaz and the
head of the province's chamber of commerce and industry, Ali Asker Guler, on
suspicion of aiding and abetting armed Kurdish rebels fighters, reported AFP
Diplomatic sources said that
the Prime Minster of the Kurdistan Regional Government would arrive in
Ankara on Tuesday. Sources say that Nechirvan Barzani will be holding talks
with the Turkish foreign ministry officials regarding the security of the
Turkish truck drivers working in Iraq and Southern Kurdistan. On the other
hand, Jalal Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, will
be in Ankara on Wednesday.
----------------
Five
Turkish soldiers were killed yesterday in the Kurdish city of Perwar in
Northern Kurdistan, in the latest clashes between the fighters of Kongre Gel
and the Turkish army, the Mesopotamian news agency reported yesterday.
"Our
patience has limits. We cannot watch our people falling martyrs like that.
Helicopters and planes are dropping bombs on Fallujah. On whom? On terrorist
groups... Why other methods are not considered there as well?"
More
Commenting on the killing of three Turkish
hostages in Iraq, Turkish Foreign Minister Gul warned that "Turkey has
always backed Iraq. Those attacking our citizens must be afraid of the
hostility of the Turkish people." According to Gul, not only Iraqis but
other organizations are behind the attacks carried out on Turks in Iraq.
Barzani and Salih Say Self Determination Is "People's Natural Rights"
KO- Oct 11, 2004- The Kurdish Prime Minister and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minster
lashed out at Iraqi president' remarks who called the Referendum movement in
Southern Kurdistan as a "national betrayal by the Kurds."
Ghazi al-Yawar warned the Kurds last Tuesday that his administration will
severely suppress any movement that is aimed at disintegrating Iraq."
"There is a freedom of opinion in Iraq but this does not mean that some people
would try to speak about disintegrating Iraq. This is not something we could
accept and we will counter this with all our power," Yawer told the Arabiya TV
station.
In a joint press conference with Nechirvan
Barzani in Arbil, Barham Salih said that "If Iraq does not become a democratic
and a federal government where people live in harmony and their rights are
protected, the Kurds will undoubtedly choose not to remain in Iraq." The
PUK official added that "We are with democratic forces in Iraq and we have
program to build the new Iraq on bases of democracy and federation." Salih went
on to say that " If the radicals controlled the power in Iraq, it most certain
that the Kurds will decide their future by themselves."
On his part, Nechirvan Barzani said that " we don't see this ( self
determination) as a treason. It is peoples natural rights. Unfortunately, the
Iraqi government has described this notion (self determination) in many
occasions as treason."
