Ankara/Baghdad - The parliament of Iraq's Kurdish Autonomous
Region called on its government Tuesday to end a military agreement
sealed by Iraq's former regime and Turkey allowing for incursions
into each other's territories to seek out Kurdish rebels.
In an emergency session, lawmakers called on the government of the
Kurdish region to end a treaty that Iraq under former President
Saddam Hussein and Turkey had signed in emergency circumstances.
The treaty permits Iraqi troops to make incursions into Turkish
territories for up to 25 kilometres in pursuit of rebels belonging to
Iraqi Kurdish groups which were fighting the Saddam regime.
Turkey, in turn, was allowed to send troops into Iraqi
territories, also for up to 25 kilometres, to launch attacks on its
own separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The US should live up to its legal responsibility in Iraq and
protect the sovereignty and airspace of the Kurdish region, the
lawmakers said.
They urged the Iraqi federal government to review all agreements
which were sealed by the 'former dictatorship' and Turkey and harmed
the Kurdish region.
The Iraqi government was urged to demand compensation for damages
suffered by civilians during Turkey's military action.
The Iraqi government meanwhile said that although it understood
the good intentions of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
it insisted on a speedy withdrawal of Turkish troops from northern
Iraq.
Iraqi cabinet spokesman Ali al-Dabagh said any PKK activities in
Iraq were not acceptable but military action undertaken by Turkey in
the past had yielded few results.
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