Turkey to treat 40 people injured in Mosul attack
Turkey will treat 40 people who were wounded in an attack in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the Directorate General for Emergency Management said on Saturday.
The directorate released a statement in which it said that 40 people who were injured in an attack in Mosul on Friday and their hospital attendants would be brought to Turkey for treatment. Read the rest of this entry »
Mahmur camp’s future unclear
The 12,000 Turkish citizens who live in the U.N.-supervised Mahmur camps in northern Iraq will only return back to Turkey if the Kurdish problem is resolved, one local official said.
The refugees crossed over to Iraq in 1994 from the southeastern provinces of Şırnak and Hakkari during the heaviest clashes between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and the military.
Turkey’s efforts to resolve the Kurdish issue had local repercussions, said one local official who wanted to remain anonymous, adding that the only viable way for the refugees to return to their homes was the resolution of the Kurdish problem. Read the rest of this entry »
Iraqi Kurd leader vows no ’compromise’ on oil city
The leader of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, Massud Barzani, said he would not “compromise” on long-standing Kurdish claims to the oil-rich province of Kirkuk in a speech late Sunday.
“We are committed to the application of Article 140 [of the Iraqi constitution] and we promise that we will absolutely not compromise on this issue or on the rights of the people of Kurdistan,” Barzani said at a campaign rally ahead of Kurdish regional elections on Saturday.
Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution calls for a referendum to decide the fate of Kirkuk, which the Kurds have long wanted to make the capital of their autonomous region in the north, an aim strongly opposed by the province’s Arab and Turkmen communities. Read the rest of this entry »
Martyr Week of Iraqi-Turkmen
Fiftieth Anniversary of the 1959 Kirkuk Massacre
14 July 2009, this day marks the 50th year anniversary of the largest massacre of Iraqi-Turkmen in Kirkuk, Iraq to date.
Every year on July 14th, this massacre and the Turkmen martyrs are remembered with respect and gratitude.
No other people in history have suffered massacres in almost every one of their cities. Likewise, there is no other nation in history which on a year by year count has seen such systematic massacres. No other nation has ever been exposed to this kind of genocide and forced assimilation. The only “crime” of the Turkmen people, remnants of the Ottoman Empire, living in a geography that is the extension of Turkey, is to be of Turkish origin. Read the rest of this entry »
Hashimi: PKK will leave Iraq or lay down arms
The Iraqi vice president said on Thursday that the terrorist organization PKK would leave his country if it does not lay down arms.
Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi said that the terrorist organization PKK would leave Iraq if it does not lay down arms.
“The terrorist organization PKK will either lay down arms and plead for mercy or it will leave Iraq,” he said in a TV program. Read the rest of this entry »
Six years on, future of Iraq still uncertain
Iraq today marks the sixth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s Baath regime, but the country’s future remains uncertain, with serious questions over whether Iraqi forces will manage to successfully take over security from withdrawing U.S. troops.
With U.S. President Barack Obama’s plans to pullout, an end to a costly war is now in sight. The war-torn country has experienced a dramatic decline in the death toll since early 2008, raising hopes for a more secure Iraq. At the same time, continuing insurgent attacks, a brewing sectarian conflict and unstable governance reveal the risks awaiting the country. Read the rest of this entry »
Turkish envoy says Kirkuk should not cause new conflicts in Iraq
Kirkuk should not cause new conflicts in Iraq, Turkey’s permanent representative to the United Nations (U.N.), said on Thursday.
“The status of Kirkuk, which is a small example of the rich ethnic diversity in Iraq, should not cause new clashes in Iraq,” Baki Ilkin said during a meeting on Iraq at the U.N. Security Council in New York.
Ilkin said that Turkey, as Iraq’s neighbor, underlined the great importance to boosting stability and security in Iraq. Read the rest of this entry »
Anti-PKK unit starts functionning in Arbil
A subcommittee established by Turkey, Iraq and the United States to crack down on the terrorist PKK organization, in northern Iraq has started to function in the Kurdish city of Arbil, the Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed yesterday.
“Several arrangements were made to allow a branch of the subcommittee to operate in Arbil in order to effectively work toward the elimination of the PKK,” Burak Özügergin, spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry told reporters in his weekly press conference. Read the rest of this entry »
Obama offers support for Turkey-Iraq relationship
U.S. President Barack Obama has told Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan he hoped to strengthen ties with their country and expressed support for Turkey’s growing relationship with Iraq, the White House said on Monday.
Obama spoke to the two men by phone earlier in the day.
“In both calls, the leaders discussed a number of current issues, including U.S. support for the growing Turkish-Iraqi relationship, the importance of cooperation in Middle East peace efforts, and the U.S. review on Afghanistan and Pakistan policy,” the White House said in a statement. Read the rest of this entry »
Turkish Initiatives Raise Hopes for Iraqi Elections
The Turkish government, which has been working with the international community to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq, will dispatch observers for Iraq’s provincial elections on January 31. Turkey’s team is the second largest, only after the United States. BesidesTurkey and the U.S., some other countries and international organizations are also sending election observers to Iraq.
Provincial elections will be held in 14 out of 18 Iraqi provinces. These elections will provide a critical new opportunity to strengthen national reconciliation in Iraq, establish a culture of democracy there and ensure a fair representation at the local levels. Therefore, all Iraqi political groups as well as the international community attach great importance to the fair, democratic, transparent and secure conduct of the provincial elections. Read the rest of this entry »