Iraq's Kurdish lawmakers demand end to treaty with Turkey (Extra)

Feb 26, 2008, 13:55 GMT

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.