Paris, 07/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 4 December, the Parliamentary assembly of the Western European Union (WEU) provided the opportunity for an animated exchange of views on the question of anti-terrorist activity on the border between Turkey and Iraq (report by British Conservative Robert Walter). The question was raised against the backdrop of the Turkish government having authorised the armed forces to intervene on Iraqi territory (northern Iraq), should it prove necessary, in their pursuit of members of the PKK (Workers' Party of Kurdistan), the armed activists of which may be planning to carry out terrorist attacks against Turkish nationals. Last October, the Turkish parliament gave the green light to its government for this type of action, in its adoption of the text allowing the Turkish authorities to carry out cross-border operations. Speaking before the Assembly, the Turkish Defence Minister, Vecdi Gönül, confirmed Turkey's determination, acknowledging the possibility of recourse to “all measures necessary, including cross-border operations” to fight PKK terrorists taking refuge in northern Iraq.
Broadly sketching out the need for concrete measures against the “brutal terrorists” of the PKK, of which “70%, including leaders, have taken refuge in camps in northern Iraq”, Mr Gönül nonetheless assured the Assembly that the fight against terrorism “will be fought in full respect of human rights and the rule of law”. He did not, however, rule out the use of “cross-border operations”, to be carried out by the Turkish security forces on Iraqi territory, in order to “destroy the hiding places of the terrorists, which cannot be removed by the Iraqi authorities”.
“The Turkish government has on many occasions reiterated its concerns and its expectations of the Iraqi authorities (…), including an official declaration by the Iraqi government classifying the PKK as a terrorist organisation, the closing of terrorist camps on Iraqi territory, the prevention of the infiltration of terrorist groups (…) onto Turkish territory and the extradition of the main PKK terrorists to Turkey, or their prosecution”, said the minister, criticising the Iraqi authorities for their lack of action. The Iraqi ambassador to France, Mowafak Abboud, reacted strongly to this: “Iraq stands by Turkey in its fight against PKK terrorists”. He went on to state that the Iraqi government is prepared to take “all measures necessary to counter activities of the PKK in the area of the border with Iraq”. Summing up actions already undertaken, Mr Abboud emphasised that “a ministerial crisis cell tasked with this issue had been set in place”. The ambassador went on to explain that this working group had already taken many decisions to remedy the crisis (particularly setting up a joint Iraqi-Turkish-American committee, closing all PKK posts on Iraqi territory and excluding its members from Iraqi soil). An Iraqi delegation headed up by the Iraqi Defence Minister has, furthermore, visited Turkey to assure the government of Iraq's determination to assist in the fight against the PKK. The Iraqi authorities do indeed consider it to be “a terrorist organisation”, the ambassador explained. During this visit, the Iraqi delegation made concrete proposals to resolve the problem “whilst retaining Iraq's sovereignty”, such as the “rearmament of Iraqi border posts on the Turkish border to prevent terrorists from making the border crossing”, said Mr Abboud. Having listed all of these initiatives, Mr Abboud called upon the Turkish authorities not to choose “a military option on Iraqi territory”, as this “will not resolve the problem” but, quite the contrary, “may add complications to the security and political challenges in Iraq”. “Saddam's regime set little store by peaceful relations with the outside world”, said the ambassador, emphasising that the “new Iraq is seeking to be a responsible and fully integrated member of the international community, at peace with its neighbours and the world”. In conclusion, Mr Abboud stressed the “firm commitments of the Iraqi government to maintain dialogue and cooperation with the Turkish government”.
The British rapporteur Robert Walter called upon the EU to lend its support to Turkey in the fight against terrorism. “Turkey has been a member of NATO for a long time and is a candidate for accession to the European Union (…), this makes it a member of our family”, he said the start of the debate, pointing out that “the PKK is a terrorist organisation”. Presenting his report, entitled “Terrorist Activities on the Border between Turkey and Iraq”, Mr Walter called on the Member States to “do their utmost to do something about this terrible situation, whether it is a question of military action”, acting together with the United States, working with Iraq to disband the PKK and put a stop to its terrorist attacks against Turkey. In its recommendations to the Council, which were adopted by a vast majority (seven votes against, no abstentions), the Assembly called on the countries of the WEU and the countries of the EU to “take all measures necessary to prevent all activities with a link to the PKK” (particularly actions which are “illegal, such as the recruitment of terrorists, money laundering, or the trafficking in drugs, weapons or explosives”) and to “support the government of Iraq and Turkey in their efforts to prevent and stamp down on the terrorist activities of the PKK” on Iraqi soil. However, the Assembly recommends “continuing to call on Turkey to abstain from any disproportionate military action” and to urge it to continue its process of political reform in full respect of the rights of all of its citizens, including those of Kurdish origin. (A.By)