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Turkey, U.S. Agree on Joint Action Plan
The United States and Turkey agreed Friday on ``a joint plan of actionââ regarding Turkish Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, U.S. officials said. I sure hope this doesnât cost us anything. Turkey, NATOâs only Muslim member, is considering a request by Washington to send peacekeepers to neighboring Iraq, but wants help in dealing with an estimated 5,000 rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, that are based in northern Iraq. A U.S. team headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State B. Lynn Pascoe met with Turkish government, military and intelligence officials in Ankara Friday to discuss cooperation on the issue of Kurdish rebels, who fought a 15-year war for autonomy in southeastern Turkey. After the talks, Pascoe told reporters that Turkey and the United States had agreed on a ``a joint plan of action,ââ but provided no details. ``Weâre very sympathetic with the problems that Turkey has had on this issue,ââ Pascoe said. Kiss yer heinies goodbye, KADEK! The State Department has branded the PKK, which now calls itself KADEK, as a terrorist organization. The possible deployment of peacekeepers is deeply controversial in Turkey. A recent poll indicated that a majority of Turks oppose the move. Turkish officials have said that a U.N. resolution backing the deployment of foreign troops in Iraq would make the Turkish deployment easier. Alternately, some help whacking KADEK would seal the deal. Posted by: Steve White 2003-09-13 |
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