| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Talabani: We hope for a general amnesty for KADEK |
| 2003-05-22 |
| Answering yesterday the questions of the Turkish NTVMSNBC journalist, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Jalal Talabani, said that the US was determined to rid Iraq of terrorist organisations and within this frame the PKK/KADEK would also be ousted from the area. Claiming that Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress (KADEK), formerly known as Kurdistan Worker`s Party (PKK), had around 5000 guerrillas, Talabani said that they were hoping for a general amnesty for these people and that the problems surrounding the presence of PKK/KADEK in south Kurdistan would solve itself in this way. Regarding PUK’s relationship with Turkey, Talabani told the NTV channel that they had very positive meetings with the Turkish delegation in Iraq adding that they wanted to reinforce the relations with Turkey. On the reports that the number of Kurds in Kirkuk had increased, Talabani said that these reports were false. "These kinds of reports are propaganda. The documents in question are documents prepared by the Iraqi dictatorship and cannot be trusted. These have been produced to lower the numbers of Kurds and Turkmens," Talabani said. Talabani also added that a peaceful life had started in Kirkuk and that a committee where Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens and Assyrians were represented had already been set up. Talabani said that their aim was to stop the process of Arabisation in Kirkuk by enabling the return of displaced Kurds and Turkmens. Saying that they wanted a democratic and federal Iraq, Talabani said that they did not have any demands regarding the creation of an independent Kurdish state. Answering live the questions of the Turkish NTV journalist Isin Elcin, Talabani touched upon the issue of Turkish oil firms, saying that they had given assurances to the Turkish delegation that the agreements with the Turkish companies would be valid when an Iraqi government comes to power. During the interview the PUK leader also said that he would support the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Massoud Barzani in case he became a candidate for the Iraqi presidency, adding that he was not a candidate for such a position. Talabani also emphasised that he did not have any disagreements with Barzani. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 Interesting: he supports Barzani for pres, and in return Talabani gets to be governor of the Kurdish state (in the federal sense). Each has his hand in the pie, each controls enough to be happy, and each can keep watch on the other. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-05-23 01:16:47 |