Iraqi president rules out Kurdish independence as `unrealistic`


ANKARA, June 25 (AFP) - 13h07 - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani dismissed as "unrealistic" aspirations by Iraqi Kurds for independence in their northern enclave and urged Turkey to set aside its doubts and give backing to Kurds in the war-torn country.

  

‘PKK won't die off as long as deep state is alive’



10 March 2008 | Yonca Poyraz DOĞAN

Abdülmelik Fırat, the founder of the pro-Kurdish Rights and Freedoms Party (HAK-PAR), has said military operations will not be enough to deal with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) unless democratic measures have been taken.


  

Turkey Vows No Tolerance of Kurd Militants


By SUZAN FRASER - The Associated Press - Friday, November 25, 2005

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey vowed Friday to offer no tolerance for Kurdish militants despite concern over actions of its own security forces after a convicted rebel was allegedly targeted in a grenade attack earlier this month.


  

Iraq has halted oil flows to OMV over Kurd deal



Friday February 1 2008 | Reuters | Editing by Anthony Barker

VIENNA, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Iraq has halted oil supplies to Austria's OMV AG in protest over a deal between the company and the Kurdish regional government, Iraq's oil minister said on Friday.


  

Rice, Straw to Iraqis: The time has come


 Sunday, April 2, 2006
Unifying government, prime minister urged during Baghdad visit

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterpart, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, flew to Baghdad on Sunday for a visit aimed at jump-starting the process of forming a national unity government.


  

Shiites Keep Control of Iraqi Parliament


Official Election Results Are Announced; Negotiations Begin on Ruling Coalition

 By Nelson Hernandez and Omar Fekeiki - Washington Post Staff Writers - Saturday, January 21, 2006; 2:08 AM

BAGHDAD, Jan. 20 -- Official election results released Friday showed that an alliance of Shiite Muslim religious parties will remain the largest bloc in Iraq's parliament but will have to reach out to other factions to form a coalition government in the weeks ahead.


  

The Kurdish question and current political crisis



31 March 2008 | IHSAN DAGI

It is certainly interesting to note the coincidence between the emergence of the current crisis in Turkish politics and high hopes for a final solution to the Kurdish question.


  

Bush plan hinges on 4 factors




Najmaldin Karim | Special to the Sentinel
January 15, 2007

President George W. Bush has argued for a new strategy in Iraq that will concentrate on providing security for Baghdad and its diverse religious and ethnic population. Although this change in the American military approach has been long overdue, it alone will not be enough to stop the violence in Iraq -- nor will it bring home U.S. troops any faster.

  

Timeline: Turkey


A chronology of key events:

1923 - Assembly declares Turkey a republic and Kemal Ataturk as president.

  

Gates: Turkey Raid Won't Solve Problems


February 23, 2008 | By LOLITA C. BALDOR

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Turkey's military assault into northern Iraq will not solve the terrorist problem there, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday, calling for greater political and economic initiatives by the Turks to win over supporters of the Kurdish rebels.