PUK leader Jalal Talabani arrives in Ankara to update Turkey on the recent
developments in the region particularly on fight against outlawed PKK

Jan 9, 2001

Ankara - Turkish Daily News

The leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Jalal Talabani arrived in Ankara
yesterday evening in a bid to update Ankara on the latest developments in Northern
Iraq. Talabani's visit comes at a time when press reports claimed that Turkey had
started another massive military operation with 10.000 troops in Northern Iraq
against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists. However, while the
General Staff categorically denied reports of any military operation, Prime Minister
Bulent Ecevit said Turkey had given technical help to PUK.

Talabani will meet Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Faruk Logoglu
and deputy undersecretary Ugur Ziyal. He is also expected to be received by PM
Ecevit. Diplomatic sources say the basic item on the agenda will be the fight against
PKK terrorists who fled Turkey and stationed in Northern Iraq which is under PUK
control. Turkey has repeatedly declared that it would not give up its efforts to fight
against terrorists unless they surrender unconditionally and told PUK to help Ankara
in its fight against PKK.

PUK, which had conducted a rather ambiguous policy vis-a-vis the PKK, has
occasionally angered Ankara. Only recently relations between Ankara and PUK have
improved after Talabani's visit to Ankara last summer. As PUK took initiatives to
distance itself from the PKK, Ankara has increased its help to PUK. However,
Ankara wants full cooperation from PUK to eradicate all PKK existence in Northern
Iraq.

Diplomatic sources indicate that another topic will be opening another border gate to
the PUK-controlled region as PUK can not get any revenue from the Habur border
gate.

Talabani's visit comes after Ecevit said Turkey was assisting the PUK in fighting
guerrillas of the PKK, who use Northern Iraq as a base for their campaign for Kurdish
autonomy and cultural rights in neighboring Turkey. A Turkish diplomat has told
Reuters that the visit was a regular one. "They're going to discuss the same topics
they usually discuss -- the situation in Northern Iraq," he has reportedly said.

Talabani heads one of two Iraqi Kurdish groups that have run Northern Iraq since the
mountainous enclave broke from the Iraqi governments control in the wake of the
1991 Gulf War. Turkey allows U.S. and British military aircraft to use an air base to
patrol Northern Iraq's no-fly zone. In return, Turkish forces regularly cross the border to
pursue PKK guerrillas with little western opposition.

The PUK has intermittently clashed with the PKK in recent months, but another PUK
aide in Ankara said there had been no clashes in recent weeks. Ecevit said on
Sunday Turkey provided technical support for Iraqi Kurdish factions in order to
guarantee its own security.

 PKK has largely withdrawn from Turkey to Northern Iraq and Iran since late
1999 following orders from its leader Abdullah Ocalan that the group should abandon
the armed struggle and remold itself as political party.

Meanwhile, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on Monday that Britain might
change its policy towards another no-fly zone in southern Iraq and propose to U.S.
President-elect George W. Bush's incoming administration that the bombing of
targets there be stopped. However, the report said Britain would propose retaining
the northern no-fly zone because Kurds' safety was still threatened.
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com