ANKARA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkey is considering economic sanctions
against Kurd groups which are backing the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
rebels based in northern Iraq. Turkey's powerful National Security Council (MGK)
made the suggestion in a statement issued late Wednesday after a six-hour
meeting of the country's powerful security body.
"It has been decided to recommend to the government that they take economic
measures against the Kurds who support, directly or indirectly, the separatist
organization (PKK)," said the statement. However, the MGK statement did not say
what measures should betaken or which groups would be targeted.
Ankara has recently strongly criticized the Kurdish regional administration
in northern Iraq for failing to crack down on PKK rebels.
Media reports said earlier on Wednesday that Turkey's military and civilian
leaders held a MGK meeting to discuss the scope and duration of a possible
incursion into northern Iraq, as they face growing demands at home to stage the
offensive against PKK. The Turkish parliament approved on Oct. 17 a government
motion backing a cross-border operation into northern Iraq for pursuing PKK
militants, straining the relations between the two neighboring countries.
The PKK, which has been fighting more than 20 years for an independent
Kurdish country in southern Turkey, further fueled the tension on Sunday by
killing 12 Turkish soldiers in a deadly ambush.
Turkey has been blaming the Iraqi government for its failure in checking
the PKK fighters who use Iraq's northern Kurdish region as a launching pad for
attacks against Turkish troops.
Iraqi FM vows to help Turkey in
fighting Kurdish rebels
BAGHDAD, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Foreign Minister
Hoshyar Zebari vowed on Tuesday to help Turkey crack down on the banned Kurdish
Workers' Party (PKK) taking refuge in northern Iraq.
After talks with his counterpart Ali Babacan, Zebari
told reporters in a joint news conference that his government would "actively
help Turkey overcome this menace." Full story
Turkish FM rejects ceasefire by
PKK
BAGHDAD, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Turkish Foreign
Minister Ali Babacan on Tuesday rejected the ceasefire offered by the Kurdish
Workers' Party (PKK), saying there's no "ceasefire" with terror.
Babacan made the remarks at a joint press conference
with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari after their talks over the crisis on
the two countries' borders caused by the PKK rebels. Full story
Senior member of PKK confirms
ceasefire to be observed this evening
BAGHDAD, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- A unilateral ceasefire
with Turkish government would be observed as of this evening, a senior member of
the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in charge of foreign relations told Xinhua on
Monday.
Abid Al-rahman Aljadarje said, "I can confirm that
our group will observe a unilateral ceasefire as of this evening," but he didn't
disclose how long the truce would last. Full story
