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Turkish parliament OKs N. Iraq incursion request: report
Turkey's parliament approved by a large majority on Wednesday a government request to allow troops to cross into northern Iraq to crush Kurdish rebels based there, Reuters reported. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has played down expectations of an imminent offensive, but the parliamentary approval provides the legal basis for NATO's second biggest army to cross the mountainous border as and when it sees fit, the report said. Turkey has been building up pressure against the separatist Kurdish Workers' Party, or PKK, since June, but the parliamentary approval enables it to carry out major operations for one-year period. The United States and the European Union have both asked Turkey to exercise self-restraint. At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. President George W. Bush said it was not in Turkey's interest to send troops into Iraq. "We are making it very clear to Turkey that we don't think it is in their interests to send troops into Iraq," Bush said. "Actually, they have troops already stationed in Iraq. And they've had troops stationed there for quite a while. We don't think it's in their interests to send more troops in," he added. Northern Iraq, which is predominantly Kurdish, has been a haven of peace compared to the rest of Iraq, which has been ravaged by four years of war. CNN said Iraqi officials have denied that the PKK was using Iraqi territory to stage attacks against Turkey and warned that as many as 30,000 people could be forced to leave villages near the frontier. In the past, Turkey has sent troops to northern Iraq for a number of occasions to fight Turkish Kurds seeking safe haven there. Posted by: anonymous5089 2007-10-17 |
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