Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Baghdad, Oct 23, (VOI) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said on Tuesday, during his meeting with the visiting Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, that the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) is a terrorist organization and we decided to close its offices and prevent it from working within the Iraqi territories.
The premier expressed optimism to end the current crisis in cooperation with the Turkish government led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan."The premier stressed to Babacan his country's keenness to have the best of relations with neighboring Turkey according to a constitutional national vision based on principle of not interfering in internal affairs and preventing terrorist organizations from using Iraqi territories to launch attacks on other neighboring countries," al-Maliki's office said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"The visiting Turkish minister reiterated Turkey's support of the Iraqi government and its respect of Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity, highlighting the desire to cooperate with Iraq to fight terrorism threatening Iraqi and Turkish people, voicing hope over the end of PKK's presence on northern Iraq and solve this crisis through cooperation between the two countries," according to the Iraqi statement.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday for talks with government officials on problems related to the PKK and current tension on Iraq-Turkey border. He held a meeting earlier with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zibari.
SH/SR http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=58434&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1
mardi 23 octobre 2007
16 Civilians killed, 14 wounded in U.S. shelling near Tikrit
www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArt icle=58422&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1
Salah al-Din - Voices of Iraq
Tuesday , 23 /10 /2007
Salah al-Din, Oct 23, (VOI) – Sixteen civilians were killed and 14 others wounded when U.S. aircrafts bombed residential areas south of Tikrit, an official security source from Salah al-Din, said on Tuesday."U.S. warplanes shelled residential areas in Degla neighborhood, 20 km south of Tikrit, on Tuesday morning, killing 16 civilians and injuring 14 others," Captain Abdullah al-Isawi told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The wounded were taken to the Tikrit Educational Hospital, the source added.No further details were given by the source.
No comment was available from the U.S. side on the incident.
Tikrit, the capital city of Salah al-Din province, lies 175 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Salah al-Din - Voices of Iraq
Tuesday , 23 /10 /2007
Salah al-Din, Oct 23, (VOI) – Sixteen civilians were killed and 14 others wounded when U.S. aircrafts bombed residential areas south of Tikrit, an official security source from Salah al-Din, said on Tuesday."U.S. warplanes shelled residential areas in Degla neighborhood, 20 km south of Tikrit, on Tuesday morning, killing 16 civilians and injuring 14 others," Captain Abdullah al-Isawi told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). The wounded were taken to the Tikrit Educational Hospital, the source added.No further details were given by the source.
No comment was available from the U.S. side on the incident.
Tikrit, the capital city of Salah al-Din province, lies 175 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
عاصف سرت تركمن: محاولة اغتيال سعدالدين اركج هو أنذار مسبق للتركمان في كركوك بمجزرة جديدة
محاولة اغتيال رئيس الجبهة التركمانية العراقية"محاولة أغتيال رئيس الجبهة التركمانية مرتبطة بالاحداث الجارية في شمال العراق، وانذار مسبق للتركمان في كركوك بمجزرة جديدة"مرة أخرى قامت أيادي الغدر والخيانة بمحاولة بائسة لاغتيال رئيس الجبهة التركمانية العراقية وعضو البرلمان العراقي الدكتور سعد الدين أركج يوم أمس في مدينة كركوك التركمانية، ولكنهم نسوا أن الله (جل جلاله) مع الحق ومع المظلومين، فقد نجا قائد التركمان بفضل الله وأصيب أثنين من أفراد حمايته بجروح بليغة. وحول تحديد الجهة التي قامت بمحاولة الاغتيال فال عاصف سرت توركمان ممثل الجبهة التركمانية العراقية في بريطانيا وأمريكا الشمالية: " في البداية نحمد الله على سلامة الدكتور سعد الدين أركج وندعو الله أن يحفظه لخدمة شعبنا المظلوم، في الحقيقة أن هذه ليست المحاولة الاولى بل هي المحاولة التاسعة ولكن الله سبحانه وتعالى يحفظه في كل مكان وزمان استجابة لدعوات الارامل واليتامى والمظلومين من التركمان، نحن نعلم الفاعلين ونعلم نواياهم الشريرة، والكل يعلم الى من تتوجه أصابع الاتهام التي تحاول زعزعة الاستقرار والسيطرة على كركوك ، كما أن هذه المحاولة هي أنذار مسبق للتركمان في كركوك بمجزرة جديدة ومرتبطة بالاحداث الجارية في شمال العراق، هناك من يريد زرع العداوة بين الشعبين التركماني والكردي الذين عاشوا جنبا الى جنب في شمال العراق، وليعلم الذين يتصيدون في الماء العكر أن التركمان سوف لن يتنازلوا عن حقوقهم المشروعة ولن يتخلوا شبرا عن مدينة كركوك التركمانية وباقي المدن الاخرى مثل أربيل وخانقين وكفري وقره تبة وآلتون كوبري وتلعفر وبقية المدن والقصبات التركمانية في توركمن أيلي، وستستمر الجبهة التركمانية العراقية بالدفاع عن حقوق التركمان وعن وحدة العراق أرضا وشعبا ".ممثلية الجبهة التركمانية العراقية في بريطانيا وأمريكاالمكتب الاعلامي22 تشرين الاول (اكتوبر) 2007
http://bizturkmeniz.com/ar/index.htm
Türkmen Lideri Ergeç'e Silahlı Saldırı - Iraq Turkmen Front leader's convoy attacked
Türkmen Lideri Ergeç'e Silahlı Saldırı
http://www.kerkuk.net/haberler/haber.aspx?dil=1055&metin=2007102284
22 Ekim 2007, Pazartesi
Irak Türkmen Cephesi Genel Başkanı ve Türkmen Lideri Dr. Sadettin Ergeç'in konvoyuna bu akşam saatlerinde silahlı saldırı gerçekleştirildi.
Ergeç'i evine bıraktıktan sonra dönen ve korumalarının bulunduğu araç konvoyuna bombalı, daha sonra da silahlı saldırıda bulunuldu. Çıkan çatışma sonucu Ergeç'in iki koruması ağır şekilde yaralandı. Yaralılar Kerkük Hastanesine kaldırıldı. Tedavileri sürüyor.
Bu son suikast, PKK terör örgütünün son zamanlarda Türkiye'de artan eylemleri sonucu, TBMM'de tezkere kararının alınması ve Irak'ın kuzeyine gerçekleşecek olası bir sınır ötesi harekât, Irak'ta bulunan PKK'lıların Türkmenlere yönelik bir katliamı gerçekleştirebileceği düşüncesini doğurdu.
21.Yüzyıl
24 October 2007, Wednesday
Iraq Türkmen Front Chairman and Türkmen Leader Dr. Sadettin Ergeç's convoy was attacked with firearms last night.
After leaving Mr.Ergeç at his home the convoy consisting of the returning vehicle and bodyguards was attacked with bombs followed by firepower. In the ensuing combat two of Mr.Ergeç's bodyguards were seriously injured. The injured guards were taken to Kirkuk hospital. Their treatment is ongoing.
This final assassination attempt is the last in a series of events escalated by the PKK terrorist organization in Iraq as a result of the recent increase of activities in Turkey and leads to conclude that the PKK may extend their massacres against the Turkmen after the deployment decision taken by the Grand National Assembly of Republic of Turkey in anticipation of the possible cross border operation into northern Iraq.
lundi 22 octobre 2007
US urges Iraq to Act against Kurdish 'Rebels'
SPIEGEL ONLINE - October 22, 2007
URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,512862,00.html
KURDISTAN CONFLICT
US Urges Iraq to Act Against Kurdish Rebels
By Jürgen Gottschlich in Istanbul
Excerpt :
.... .......
"Mister President, Mister President, is the PKK a terrorist group or not?"
"Is what? Can you say that again? I didn't understand the question."
A telephone interview on Sunday evening showed just how far communication between political leaders in Turkey and in northern Iraq had broken down.
Mehmed Ali Birand, one of the best-known journalists in Turkey, got a hold of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who is also leader of the political party the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. And while a war cabinet sat in Ankara, Birand put pressure on Talabani to say something that would de-escalate the situation -- but without success.
Talabani simply didn't want to commit himself. For 10 minutes, he dodged every question. All he was prepared to say was that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) should, in his opinion, "not create problems here." If the PKK guerillas weren't prepared to lay down their weapons, then they should "return to their countries," he said. Unfortunately he, Talabani, does not himself possess the means to force the PKK to do so, he said.
On Monday, however, he had something more concrete to say. Talibani told reporters that the PKK rebels would announce a ceasefire on Monday evening.
Between both statements lay hours of hectic diplomacy which culminated Monday afternoon in Turkey's promise not to invade northern Iraq for the time being. All diplomatic means would be exhausted before a military operation was launched, said Foreign Minister Ali Babacan.
The White House also said on Monday that the Iraqi government should take "swift action" to stop PKK activities. "We do not want to see wider military action on the northern border," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto, adding that the US would work together with all parties to prevent an escalation of the situation.
It remains to be seen how much the pressure and promises will bring. The PKK has openly provoked Turkey's military and nobody really knows if the rebels can be successfully brought under control. On Monday, a pro-Kurdish news agency reported that the PKK had captured eight Turkish soldiers. The Turkish military confirmed that eight soldiers had been missing since clashes with Kurdish rebels on Sunday in the border area.
Anger Grows in Turkey
The political situation in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq is complicated. Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish autonomous region and Talabani's political rival, had on Sunday flat-out refused to label the PKK a terrorist organization. Barzani announced that the 100,000 members of the official Kurdish militia would resist an invasion by the Turkish army into northern Iraq.
The clear refusal of the autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq to act against PKK separatists -- primarily Turkish Kurds who want independence and who mount attacks on the Turkish army from Iraq -- is the main reason for a rising level of rage among voters in Turkey. Leaders in northern Iraq who don't seem ready to distance themselves from the PKK raids have made themselves targets of Turkish scorn.
..........
URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,512862,00.html
KURDISTAN CONFLICT
US Urges Iraq to Act Against Kurdish Rebels
By Jürgen Gottschlich in Istanbul
Excerpt :
.... .......
"Mister President, Mister President, is the PKK a terrorist group or not?"
"Is what? Can you say that again? I didn't understand the question."
A telephone interview on Sunday evening showed just how far communication between political leaders in Turkey and in northern Iraq had broken down.
Mehmed Ali Birand, one of the best-known journalists in Turkey, got a hold of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who is also leader of the political party the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. And while a war cabinet sat in Ankara, Birand put pressure on Talabani to say something that would de-escalate the situation -- but without success.
Talabani simply didn't want to commit himself. For 10 minutes, he dodged every question. All he was prepared to say was that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) should, in his opinion, "not create problems here." If the PKK guerillas weren't prepared to lay down their weapons, then they should "return to their countries," he said. Unfortunately he, Talabani, does not himself possess the means to force the PKK to do so, he said.
On Monday, however, he had something more concrete to say. Talibani told reporters that the PKK rebels would announce a ceasefire on Monday evening.
Between both statements lay hours of hectic diplomacy which culminated Monday afternoon in Turkey's promise not to invade northern Iraq for the time being. All diplomatic means would be exhausted before a military operation was launched, said Foreign Minister Ali Babacan.
The White House also said on Monday that the Iraqi government should take "swift action" to stop PKK activities. "We do not want to see wider military action on the northern border," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto, adding that the US would work together with all parties to prevent an escalation of the situation.
It remains to be seen how much the pressure and promises will bring. The PKK has openly provoked Turkey's military and nobody really knows if the rebels can be successfully brought under control. On Monday, a pro-Kurdish news agency reported that the PKK had captured eight Turkish soldiers. The Turkish military confirmed that eight soldiers had been missing since clashes with Kurdish rebels on Sunday in the border area.
Anger Grows in Turkey
The political situation in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq is complicated. Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish autonomous region and Talabani's political rival, had on Sunday flat-out refused to label the PKK a terrorist organization. Barzani announced that the 100,000 members of the official Kurdish militia would resist an invasion by the Turkish army into northern Iraq.
The clear refusal of the autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq to act against PKK separatists -- primarily Turkish Kurds who want independence and who mount attacks on the Turkish army from Iraq -- is the main reason for a rising level of rage among voters in Turkey. Leaders in northern Iraq who don't seem ready to distance themselves from the PKK raids have made themselves targets of Turkish scorn.
..........
see: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,512175,00.html
Iraq is still the issue - Part 1: Waiting for the partition
by Gabriele Zamparini
The brave boys and girls in Amerikan uniform did it again. This time, flying their fat asses on helicopters and fighter jets, they bombed the suburb east of Baghdad Madinat al-Thawra (City of the Revolution), now known as Madinat al-Sadr (Sadr City). You may see in this photo gallery women and children among the victims of such a heroic action. Support "our" troops!
A few weeks ago Scott Ritter wrote an interesting analysis on the priorities of the US anti-war movement, Iraq Will Have to Wait
(…) Of the two problems (the reality of Iraq, the potential of Iran), Iran is by far the more important. (…) The antiwar movement in America must make a strategic decision, and soon: Contain the war in Iraq, and stop a war from breaking out in Iran. The war in Iraq can be contained simply by letting war be war. There is no genuine good news coming out of Iraq. There won’t be as long as the United States is there. As callous as it sounds, let the war establish the news cycle, and let the reality of war serve to contain it. The surge has failed. Congress may not act decisively to bring the troops home, but it is highly unlikely that Congress will idly approve any massive expansion of an unpopular war that continues to fail so publicly. (…) The highest priority for the antiwar movement in America today must be the prevention of a war with Iran. (…) Sadly, there really is no alternative for the antiwar movement: Put opposition to the war in Iraq on the back burner and make preventing a war with Iran the No. 1 priority, at least until the national election cycle kicks in during the summer of 2008. (…)
Of course Iraq has been “waiting for” since 1991, when the first Anglo-American war of aggression against that country violated the Geneva Conventions and other international covenants all around (that means massive war crimes and crimes against humanity against the people of Iraq). Ritter certainly knows all this very well: at the time he was a Marine Corps intelligence officer and served as a ballistic missile advisor to Stormin' Norman, General Norman Schwarzkopf, the commander of the so-called Coalition Forces in that war.
In Iraq Will Have to Wait, Scott Ritter writes, “The war in Iraq can be contained simply by letting war be war.”
I don’t have any qualifications to write about war containments and other war strategies, let alone the Ritter’s qualifications above. But I wonder the meaning of the word “containment” for a war of aggression (the supreme international crime) that’s already resulted in the deaths of 1.2 million of human beings, 4.2 million refugees and the complete annihilation of that country. Ritter’s article is very long but nowhere I could find these data, I guess of some importance for any realistic analysis.
As Les Roberts and Gilbert Burnham wrote recently,
“How can military and civilian leadership comment intelligently about security trends in Iraq, or if any security policies are working, if they are not detecting most of the 5000+ violent deaths that occur per week? Can American plans for the future of Iraq be respected within Iraq if they do not openly address the toll that they imply?”
This should be kept in mind also by all those opposing the Amerikan war machine and it’s frankly very odd (to say the least) that one has to campaign continuously to try to make not just the state-corporate so-called media to inform about the real extent of the Iraqi carnage but also within the anti-war movement and the so-called “left” and it’s also very odd (to say the least) that in spite of the apocalypse unleashed upon the Iraqi people, just a very few voices dare to talk openly of genocide whereas the majority of commentators, analysts, journalists, intellectuals and even some peace activists and anti-war campaigners prefer the safer notions of “mistake”, “error”, “misjudgment”.
To read further see The Cat’s dream or click on the link below:
http://www.thecatsdream.com/blog/2007/10/iraq-is-still-issue-part-1-waiting-for.htm
The brave boys and girls in Amerikan uniform did it again. This time, flying their fat asses on helicopters and fighter jets, they bombed the suburb east of Baghdad Madinat al-Thawra (City of the Revolution), now known as Madinat al-Sadr (Sadr City). You may see in this photo gallery women and children among the victims of such a heroic action. Support "our" troops!
A few weeks ago Scott Ritter wrote an interesting analysis on the priorities of the US anti-war movement, Iraq Will Have to Wait
(…) Of the two problems (the reality of Iraq, the potential of Iran), Iran is by far the more important. (…) The antiwar movement in America must make a strategic decision, and soon: Contain the war in Iraq, and stop a war from breaking out in Iran. The war in Iraq can be contained simply by letting war be war. There is no genuine good news coming out of Iraq. There won’t be as long as the United States is there. As callous as it sounds, let the war establish the news cycle, and let the reality of war serve to contain it. The surge has failed. Congress may not act decisively to bring the troops home, but it is highly unlikely that Congress will idly approve any massive expansion of an unpopular war that continues to fail so publicly. (…) The highest priority for the antiwar movement in America today must be the prevention of a war with Iran. (…) Sadly, there really is no alternative for the antiwar movement: Put opposition to the war in Iraq on the back burner and make preventing a war with Iran the No. 1 priority, at least until the national election cycle kicks in during the summer of 2008. (…)
Of course Iraq has been “waiting for” since 1991, when the first Anglo-American war of aggression against that country violated the Geneva Conventions and other international covenants all around (that means massive war crimes and crimes against humanity against the people of Iraq). Ritter certainly knows all this very well: at the time he was a Marine Corps intelligence officer and served as a ballistic missile advisor to Stormin' Norman, General Norman Schwarzkopf, the commander of the so-called Coalition Forces in that war.
In Iraq Will Have to Wait, Scott Ritter writes, “The war in Iraq can be contained simply by letting war be war.”
I don’t have any qualifications to write about war containments and other war strategies, let alone the Ritter’s qualifications above. But I wonder the meaning of the word “containment” for a war of aggression (the supreme international crime) that’s already resulted in the deaths of 1.2 million of human beings, 4.2 million refugees and the complete annihilation of that country. Ritter’s article is very long but nowhere I could find these data, I guess of some importance for any realistic analysis.
As Les Roberts and Gilbert Burnham wrote recently,
“How can military and civilian leadership comment intelligently about security trends in Iraq, or if any security policies are working, if they are not detecting most of the 5000+ violent deaths that occur per week? Can American plans for the future of Iraq be respected within Iraq if they do not openly address the toll that they imply?”
This should be kept in mind also by all those opposing the Amerikan war machine and it’s frankly very odd (to say the least) that one has to campaign continuously to try to make not just the state-corporate so-called media to inform about the real extent of the Iraqi carnage but also within the anti-war movement and the so-called “left” and it’s also very odd (to say the least) that in spite of the apocalypse unleashed upon the Iraqi people, just a very few voices dare to talk openly of genocide whereas the majority of commentators, analysts, journalists, intellectuals and even some peace activists and anti-war campaigners prefer the safer notions of “mistake”, “error”, “misjudgment”.
To read further see The Cat’s dream or click on the link below:
http://www.thecatsdream.com/blog/2007/10/iraq-is-still-issue-part-1-waiting-for.htm
The PKK is the vehicle for a secret war against Turkey
CHP's Deniz Baykal on recent PKK attacks: There is a secret war taking place against Turkey
Reactions from top level Turkish government officials to the recent PKK terror attacks in the southeastern reaches of the country were varied yesterday, though consistent in the theme that the patience of both the state and Turkish citizens have had their patience pushed to the final limits. Some of the comments heard from Ankara yesterday were as follows:
Deniz Baykal (opposition CHP leader): "Terror has now gone beyond the levels of this administration. There needs to be the immediate creation of a new national platform, and I perceive the urgent need for determination to be shown by the administration, the opposition parties, the military, and civilian organizations on this front. Currently, a secret war is taking place against Turkey, and the vehicle for this war is the PKK. Turkey must tighten up its goals in the struggle against terror within this framework..."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan: "Our anger and enmity at this point are overwhelming. I ask for patience from the relatives of the martyrs and from our people. We are determined to follow up on these events in a cool-tempered manner. A cross-border military operation is one which requires legal maneuvers, and our parliament has granted this permission. Within this framework then, whatever needs to be done shall be done. We have no thoughts about what other people might say as to our plans..."
Ahmet Turk (opposition DTP leader): "My sorrow is great. Societal tension has been created, we have entered into a period when this reciprocal tension will increase even more....In the coming days, our party will be making a statement on this matter...."
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/7534119.asp?gid=74&sz=61778
Reactions from top level Turkish government officials to the recent PKK terror attacks in the southeastern reaches of the country were varied yesterday, though consistent in the theme that the patience of both the state and Turkish citizens have had their patience pushed to the final limits. Some of the comments heard from Ankara yesterday were as follows:
Deniz Baykal (opposition CHP leader): "Terror has now gone beyond the levels of this administration. There needs to be the immediate creation of a new national platform, and I perceive the urgent need for determination to be shown by the administration, the opposition parties, the military, and civilian organizations on this front. Currently, a secret war is taking place against Turkey, and the vehicle for this war is the PKK. Turkey must tighten up its goals in the struggle against terror within this framework..."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan: "Our anger and enmity at this point are overwhelming. I ask for patience from the relatives of the martyrs and from our people. We are determined to follow up on these events in a cool-tempered manner. A cross-border military operation is one which requires legal maneuvers, and our parliament has granted this permission. Within this framework then, whatever needs to be done shall be done. We have no thoughts about what other people might say as to our plans..."
Ahmet Turk (opposition DTP leader): "My sorrow is great. Societal tension has been created, we have entered into a period when this reciprocal tension will increase even more....In the coming days, our party will be making a statement on this matter...."
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/7534119.asp?gid=74&sz=61778
Riverbend: Bloggers Without Borders...
Monday, October 22, 2007
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
Riverbend, the famous Iraqi blogger is now a refugee in Syria, check her latest post
Bloggers Without Borders...
Excerpt:
We live in an apartment building where two other Iraqis are renting. The people in the floor above us are a Christian family from northern Iraq who got chased out of their village by Peshmerga and the family on our floor is a Kurdish family who lost their home in Baghdad to militias and were waiting for immigration to Sweden or Switzerland or some such European refugee haven.
The first evening we arrived, exhausted, dragging suitcases behind us, morale a little bit bruised, the Kurdish family sent over their representative – a 9 year old boy missing two front teeth, holding a lopsided cake, “We’re Abu Mohammed’s house- across from you- mama says if you need anything, just ask- this is our number. Abu Dalia’s family live upstairs, this is their number. We’re all Iraqi too... Welcome to the building.”
I cried that night because for the first time in a long time, so far away from home, I felt the unity that had been stolen from us in 2003.
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
Riverbend, the famous Iraqi blogger is now a refugee in Syria, check her latest post
Bloggers Without Borders...
Excerpt:
We live in an apartment building where two other Iraqis are renting. The people in the floor above us are a Christian family from northern Iraq who got chased out of their village by Peshmerga and the family on our floor is a Kurdish family who lost their home in Baghdad to militias and were waiting for immigration to Sweden or Switzerland or some such European refugee haven.
The first evening we arrived, exhausted, dragging suitcases behind us, morale a little bit bruised, the Kurdish family sent over their representative – a 9 year old boy missing two front teeth, holding a lopsided cake, “We’re Abu Mohammed’s house- across from you- mama says if you need anything, just ask- this is our number. Abu Dalia’s family live upstairs, this is their number. We’re all Iraqi too... Welcome to the building.”
I cried that night because for the first time in a long time, so far away from home, I felt the unity that had been stolen from us in 2003.
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