November 05, 2007

Progress On The PKK-Turkish Front

UPDATED.

In a sign that tensions may be lessening between Turkey and Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, today freed eight Turkish soldiers who were captured last month.

Diplomatic talks have been going on for weeks to try to avert a conflict, but a massive Turkish force was still amassing on the border and PKK rebels continued to partake in skirmishes with Turkish troops in the region. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice traveled to Turkey last week to reassure the government that the PKK rebels were a "common threat."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Washington today to meet with President Bush. Erdogan was seeking American support for action against the PKK, while Bush sought to convince the prime minister to hold off on a full-scale incursion.

Following the meeting, Bush and Erdogan exuded a united front before the press.

"The PKK's a terrorist organization. They're an enemy of Turkey, they're an enemy of Iraq, and they're an enemy of the United States," Bush said, seated alongside Erdogan. "We have talked about how we can work together to protect ourselves from the PKK. We talked about the need to have better intelligence sharing. In order to chase down people who murder people, you need good intelligence."

The president added that he and Erdogan had arranged for the leaders of their respective militaries to "stay in touch."

Earlier today, the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq weighed in with an op-ed in the Washington Post, emphasizing his government's commitment to finding a diplomatic solution and saying he will be "listening with hope" for the results from Erdogan's meeting with Bush.

"Let me be clear: The KRG is, and will remain, fully prepared to find a long-term solution to this problem," Nechirvan Barzani wrote. "To this end, we propose talks among Ankara, Baghdad, Erbil and Washington. This is a transnational issue, complicated by ethnic ties, and no party can find a solution on its own. We will sit down at any time with anyone who seeks a negotiated, diplomatic resolution."

Posted at 4:30 PM
Posted to: Europe, Iraq, Kurds, Middle East, Turkey
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