PKK to lay down arms or to get out of Iraq – Talabani

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Monday said that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has to cease their armed operations or to leave Iraq, considering any gunman in a democratic country as a terrorist. Speaking at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, Talabani said “the Iraqi Constitution prevents the presence of armed groups in Iraq.” “There is a committee, made up of three countries; Iraq, U.S. and Turkey to solve the PKK issue, in addition to another committee in Baghdad and Arbil,” the president said. For his part, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said that solving the PKK issue lies on the shoulder of all parties concerned. “There is a fact that PKK leaders and elements exist in northern Iraq and there is a tripartite mechanism between Iraq, Turkey and the U.S. on fighting terrorism,” he said, stressing on the need to end all these problems which hamper the developments of relations between the two countries. The PKK, or Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan in Kurdish, which is banned in Turkey, has been leading an armed campaign inside Turkey since 1984. Iraqi border areas in the Kurdistan region, adjacent to Turkey and Iran, are coming under occasional Turkish air attacks and Iranian artillery shelling allegedly to strike the strongholds of the PKK and the PJAK ( Partiya Jiyana Azada Kurdistanê in Kurdish or Kurdistan Free Life Party), both are against Turkey and Iran respectively. Gul and first lady Hayrunnisa Gul were received by Iraqi President Jalal al-Talabani and first lady Hero Ibrahim Ahmed at the Baghdad-based al-Salam Palace. Earlier today, a source close to the Turkish president said that Gul is scheduled to meet with Talabani, and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during the visit that will last until Tuesday. The visit is the first by a Turkish head of state to neighboring Iraq in 33 years. The last was by Fahri Koruturk in 1976.   SH (S)/SR   1