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 »
Arbil to be center of joint committee between Turkey, Iraq and U.S.
Hurriyet
The northern Iraqi city of Arbil will be the center of a trilateral committee formed to struggle against terrorism in a step that could be seen as an important policy shift for Turkey.
“There is a trilateral mechanism established by us, Turkey and the United States. We want to form a joint command center in Arbil,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan in Ankara.
Turkey, Iraq and the U.S. in November formed a joint committee to combat the PKK after holding three-way talks in Baghdad as part of efforts to boost cooperation against the terrorists. Read the rest of this entry »
Turkey sends observers to Iraq elections, early voting begins
Hurriyet
A group of Turkish observers will monitor Saturday’s Iraqi provincial elections as polling stations opened across the country on Wednesday in the first stage of the provincial election, the nation’s first ballot since 2005.
Turkish observers, consisting of 26 academicians, researchers and representatives of think-tanks, will monitor elections together with nearly 1,000 foreign observers in Iraq, the Anatolian Agency reported.
About 614,000 police, soldiers, hospital patients and prisoners are entitled to vote at 1,672 established polling centers that opened at 7:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) and will close at 5:00 p.m. Read the rest of this entry »
Turkish president invites Kirkuk ethnic groups to gather in Ankara
Hurriyet
Turkish President Abdullah Gul has called on the representatives of Kirkuk’s ethnic groups to convene in Ankara, an Iraqi Shi’ite Turkmen MP from the United Iraqi Alliance said on Monday.
The fate of Kirkuk, an ancient city that was once part of the Ottoman Empire, is one of the most divisive issues in Iraq. Control over Kirkuk, a mixed city of Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, and the surrounding oil wealth, is in dispute between the city’s three ethnic groups.
“The meeting of the representatives of the Iraqi components is related with their approval and willingness to discuss this sensitive issue on a round table with a Turkish readiness to offer the circumstances of succeeding the meeting,” Abbas al-Bayati told Baghdad-based al-Sabah newspaper. Read the rest of this entry »
Turkey wary over status of Kirkuk
Middle East Times
Turkey cautioned against moving too quickly on a referendum to settle the disputed status of the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, officials said.
Abbas al-Bayati, a Shiite Turkomen with the United Iraqi Alliance coalition, said Turkish President Abdullah Gul invited members from the ethnic community in Kirkuk to meet in Ankara to discuss the way forward on the disputed city, Turkey’s daily newspaper Hurriyet reported Monday.
Iraq holds provincial elections in 14 of the 18 provinces Jan. 31. The vote is delayed in the three Kurdish provinces and Kirkuk because of territorial disputes.
Ethnic Kurds, Sunnis and Turkomen disagree over whether Kirkuk should be considered part of greater Iraq or Iraqi Kurdistan. The vote in Kirkuk is postponed indefinitely. Read the rest of this entry »