ANKARA, Turkey, June 12 -- Kurdish separatist rebels declared a "unilateral cease-fire" Tuesday in attacks against Turkey and said they were ready for peace negotiations, but the group maintained the right to defend itself.
Kurdish separatist rebels Tuesday declared a "unilateral cease-fire" in attacks against Turkey and said they were ready for peace negotiations, but the group maintained the right to defend itself.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan signaled on Tuesday that Turkey should focus on battling Kurdish guerrillas at home rather than in northern Iraq.
Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema, in Turkey for two days of talks, urged the government to refrain from cross-border incursions into Iraq.
As if Iraq were not complex enough, now Turkey's troops are massed along the rugged border between the two countries. The Turks threaten an incursion to root out separatist Kurds who attack inside Turkey. If those involved can lift their view to the height of the mountains in this region, a dangerous escalation could be avoided.
Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema arrived in Ankara on Tuesday for two days of talks on Turkey's bid to join the European Union and economic relations.
France is threatening to block part of Turkey's membership bid to join the European Union this month, in the first sign President Nicolas Sarkozy is serious about pushing Ankara into an arms-length relationship with Europe.
The Kurdish PKK guerrilla movement yesterday declared it would cease attacks on Turkey and called on Ankara to suspend a massive counter- insurgency operation that has threatened to spill over Turkey's border with Iraq.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Kurdish separatist rebels Tuesday declared a "unilateral ceasefire' ' in attacks against Turkey and said they were ready for peace negotiations, but the group maintained the right to defend itself.
France is threatening to block part of Turkey’s membership bid to join the European Union this month in the first concrete sign President Nicolas Sarkozy is serious about pushing Ankara into an arms-length relationship with Europe.