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Top US generals in Ankara for talks on Kurdish terorists |
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Written by Agencies
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Tuesday, 20 November 2007 |
Two top U.S. generals were holding talks in Turkey with the Turkish counterparts to discuss measures to crack down on Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq.
Turkey has massed troops on its border with Iraq and has been weighing a cross-border attack against terorist PKK.
The United States considers the PKK a terrorist organization, and President Bush told visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month that the U.S. would begin sharing intelligence on the guerrillas. US President Bush announced after talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington that the three generals would coordinate the fight against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Tuesday's talks — between Gen. James Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq; and Turkey's Gen. Ergin Saygun — lasted a few hours, U.S. officials said, but no further details were available. The U.S. Embassy said the meeting was a follow-up to one between Bush and Erdogan.
"The issues of Iraq, the ongoing cooperation against the common enemy, the PKK, and comprehensive intelligence sharing were discussed," the Turkish military said in a statement.
PKK have killed more than 50 Turks in cross-border raids since late September, and pressure is growing on Turkey's government to strike back.
The United States worries that a Turkish incursion could bring instability to the north — a region that has been the calmest part of Iraq — and could set a precedent for other countries, such as Iran, that have conflicts with Kurdish rebels.
Turkey has complained for years that the U.S. has not done enough to end PKK activity in Iraq's north. The issue has enraged Turks and moved public opinion against the U.S.
In Brussels, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the threat of a major Turkish military incursion into northern Iraq was less likely due to increased cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad to curb the rebel attacks, including steps to secure the border.
"The threat is still there but we believe the chances of a major invasion are less now," Zebari said Tuesday before talks with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said in another meeting Iraq's central government and the Kurdish regional authority of northern Iraq have "very good intentions (but) political will in itself is not enough. You also need the physical capacity" to act against terrorists. |
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