TURKISH JETS CONTINUE AIRSTRIKES ON PKK CAMPS
Turkish fighter jets struck another blow against the terrorist PKK on Saturday. The planes targeted PKK camps in and around Zap, northern Iraq. Military officials stated that a number of PKK terrorists were killed in the airstrikes and that more such attacks would follow. /Turkiye/
ERDOGAN: "TURKEY IS RESOLVED TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE PKK"
Speaking to reporters yesterday before leaving Istanbul for Ankara, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey would continue to decisively fight the terrorist PKK in line with international law. He stated that Ankara would not make concessions on the issue. Commenting on Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani's recent remarks on Turkish attacks on PKK camps in northern Iraq, Erdogan said that Ankara's contact on the issue is the Iraqi central government. /Hurriyet/
US AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: "TURKEY HAS THE RIGHT TO DEFEND ITS COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE"
US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said yesterday that Turkey has the right to defend its country and its people. "At the same time we have also said that we all have a pretty substantial interest in the stability of Iraq and none of us want to see operations pursued in a manner that can threaten basic stability inside Iraq," he said. Crocker added that the issue posed by the terrorist PKK was going to "continue to be a complex equation" of coordination and communication between the governments of the United States, Turkey and Iraq. He said that all three countries want to see an end to the PKK's ability to attack Turkey from across the border in Iraq. /Cumhuriyet/
BARZANI: "ATTACKING KANDIL AMOUNTS TO AN ATTACK ON ERBIL"
Following a series of Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) cross-border operations into northern Iraq, Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani claimed that these offensives were targeted at northern Iraqi Kurds in general. Barzani made the remarks while visiting an area recently hit by Turkish airstrikes. Barzani called alleged attacks on people living in villages in the Kandil Mountains an "atrocity." He added, "Bombing villages near the Kandil Mountains is no different than bombing Erbil, Sulaimaniyah or the rest of the Kurdistan region." /Cumhuriyet/
KARAMANLIS TO VISIT TURKEY NEXT MONTH
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is set to visit Turkey next month. Karamanlis will be the first Greek premier to pay an official visit to Turkey in 50 years. During his stay on Jan. 23-25, energy cooperation is expected to dominate the talks. Turkey's European Union membership bid and the Cyprus issue are also expected to be discussed. /Turkiye/
FEHMI KUBILAY COMMEMORATED IN MENEMEN
A rally was held yesterday in Izmir's Menemen district to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the death of Second Lt. and teacher Fehmi Kubilay, who was killed by fundamentalists in 1930. Democratic Left Party (DSP) leader Zeki Sezer, Menemen district Mayor Tahir Sahin, Republican People's Party (CHP) lawmakers and a large group of people attended the ceremony. During the event people chanted, "Turkey is a secular country and so it will remain." /Milliyet/