December 07, 2007

Department of foregone conclusions: Kurdistan

U.S. may bomb PKK bases?
06.12.2007 13:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ If Iraqi Kurds refuse to support in the U.S. in fighting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), labeled as a terrorist organization by the Department of State, the U.S. may bombard the bases of the Kurdish rebels, said professor Amatzia Baram of the United States Institute of Peace.

The U.S. undertook to cooperate with administration of the Northern Kurdistan for neutralization of PKK rebels at the Iraqi-Turkish border, according to him. “If Iraq holds back, the United States will have to allow a limited Turkish incursion. The Iraqi government is not capable to control Baghdad, not to mention mountainous Kurdistan situated hundreds of miles northward of the capital,” he said, Trend reports.

November 30, following the government’s approval of the cross-border operation, Turkish artillery and helicopters shelled positions of the Kurdish rebels. Reports said the operation was a success and the enemy suffered fatal casualties.

US 'repeats Israel scenario in Kurdistan'
Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:38:02

The President of Turkey's Media Association says the US is seeking to establish an Israel-like illegitimate state in Kurdistan.

In an article entitled Enmity towards the PKK, friendship with PJAK, Mustafa Yurekli has warned of US hypocritical policies on the issue of terrorism.

Yurekli added during a meeting between Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President George W. Bush in the White House, Washington's hypocrisy was revealed but nobody paid attention to it.

"The United States strives to establish a second Israel in return for allowing the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to be eliminated. This means the creation of a Kurdish state which will be hostile towards Turkey, Iran and Syria. Only those who are ignorant of US hypocrisy will be surprised to see Turkey's inevitable clash with PJAK in the future," he said.

A member of Germany's Green Party had earlier denounced Bush's support for PJAK and his opposition to the PKK as a dirty political game.


MP/RE

Iranian Kurdistan: Eradicating Mines

2007-12-05

The Hague, 05 December 2007 - The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan has signed teh Deed of Commitment, a document that symbolises their opposition to landmines and commits them to undertake mine removal and awareness programmes.

Representatives of The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), Geneva Call, and the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) were all present in Geneva on 04 December 2007 to witness the PDKI officially sign Geneva Call’s Deed of Commitment.

The Deed of Commitment is an important document as it provides a means for Non-State Actors (NSA) to be included in the campaign against landmines. Currently, only internationally recognized states are permitted to sign the Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Convention), leaving NSAs and De Facto States unable to demonstrate their opposition to this form of weaponry that indiscriminately targets civilian populations and continues to affect people long after the conflict has ended.

The signature of the PDKI to the Deed of Commitment is an important event that expresses the Iranian Kurdish community’s opposition to the placement of landmines in their region and places pressure on the Iranian Government to make similar commitments through the Mine Ban Treaty.

As many UNPO Members suffer extensively from the threat of landmines, UNPO strongly supports this landmine ban campaign and works to highlight the devastating and indiscriminate effects anti-personal mines have on entire communities. Several other UNPO Members have already signed the Deed of Commitment, including Chin State, Nagalim, and Iraqi Kursdistan. The addition of Iranian Kurdistan to this list reflects UNPO’s commitment on the eradication of landmines, as expressed in the 2006 UNPO General Assembly Joint Resolution Concerning Antipersonnel Landmines.

Speaking on the signature of Iranian Kurdistan, the UNPO General Secretary Mr. Marino Busdachin stated that “it is with great honour that I would like to communicate to Mr. Hijri [Secretary-General of the PDKI] how pleased I am to learn that the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan has committed itself to renouncing the use of anti-personnel mines and has signed the Deed of Commitment against their use. I wish the PDKI and the Iranian Kurdish community all the best on their valuable commitment”.


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