TURKEY: Turkey and Iraq sign an anti-terrorism deal targeting Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq
Record ID:
784390
TURKEY: Turkey and Iraq sign an anti-terrorism deal targeting Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq
- Title: TURKEY: Turkey and Iraq sign an anti-terrorism deal targeting Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq
- Date: 29th September 2007
- Summary: (EU) ANKARA , TURKEY (SEPTEMBER 28, 2007) (REUTERS) TURKISH INTERIOR MINISTER BESIR ATALAY ENTERING BUILDING IRAQI INTERIOR MINISTER JAWAD AL-BOLANI ENTERING BUILDING
- Embargoed: 14th October 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Turkey
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVAA78D3BX5TKE9NA43GQPZLZVJI
- Story Text: Turkey and Iraq sign an anti-terrorism deal targeting Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq but fail to agree on a plan that would have allowed Turkish troops chase militants across their shared border.
The two countries signed the deal in Ankara on Friday (September 28).
Ankara claims the right under international law to send its troops across the mountainous frontier in "hot pursuit" of guerrillas of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but Iraqi Kurds opposed any concession by Baghdad on this issue.
"We could not reach agreement on the article concerning improvement of border security cooperation. Our negotiations on this issue will continue," Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay said after the signing ceremony.
An estimated 3,000 PKK guerrillas use northern Iraq as a springboard from which to attack security and civilian targets inside Turkish territory.
Under the accord, the two countries pledged to take all necessary measures, including financial and intelligence, to combat the PKK and other militant groups. They will hold six-monthly meetings to coordinate their work.
Turkey blames the PKK for the deaths of more than 30,000 people since the group began its armed struggle in 1984 for an ethnic homeland in the mainly Kurdish southeast of the country.
"The Iraqi government cannot accept any danger coming from our lands to the others, especially to Turkey. We already said that. We will take all necessary measures to stop this kind of terrorist danger for the future," Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani told reporters, adding his government would do all in its power to implement the measures.
But Ankara knows the Baghdad government has little clout in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq whose authorities are loathe to take action against their ethnic kin in the PKK. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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