27 April 2001, Volume  4, Number  14
RFE

 In an interview published in Cairo's "Al-Ahram Al-'Arabi" on 21 April,
PUK leader Jalal Talabani said that the establishment of the "safe haven"
for the Kurds of Iraq had created a "favorable climate for the democratic
experience in Iraqi Kurdistan. It brought us closer to our central goal of
setting up a pluralistic democratic system that includes all Iraq and
guarantees the Kurds their autonomy within the context of a united Iraqi
confederation." Talabani emphasized that "we have no separatist ambition,
" but he added that the Kurdish people do have the right to autonomy.
At the same time, he said that Kurds must be careful in their dealings with the
Iraqi opposition lest they be made "scapegoats."
(David Nissman)
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com