Pentagon solo in PKK moves
11 04 2008WASHINGTON - Turkish Daily News
The divide between the Pentagon and the US State Department becomes particularly apparent as the former calls for Turkey to reach some sort of accommodation with the terrorist group while the latter in response specifically notes that there can be no talks with terrorists
The United States yesterday emitted mixed signals on its stance regarding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), with the Pentagon voicing its preference for Turkey to engage the group directly to end the separatist threat while a reportedly furious State Department underlined its policy of “no talks with terrorists.”
Adm. William Fallon, commander of the U.S. Central Command responsible for the Near East including Iraq, called for “some kind of accommodation reached” with the PKK at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday.
His remarks came one day after Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, former commander of the Multi-National Corps in Iraq, said that the PKK should be kept under pressure, so that talks could be launched “with these terrorist elements.” Responding to a lawmaker’s question on the Turkish army’s late February incursion into northern Iraq to fight the PKK, Fallon announced for the first time that the U.S. military helped the Turks in the offensive.”We provided indirect support to the Turkish military intelligence, helped the incursion achieve some tactical success, is my understanding,” he said.”But I think the real key issue here is figuring out a way to have the Turks come to grips with KGK, and to not just try to eliminate them militarily,” Fallon said. The KGK is another name for the PKK.
Categories : Turkish Press
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