Iraq comlains against Turkish incursion
Iraq-Turkey, Politics, 6/11/1998

The Arab League received yesterday a protest note from Iraq against Turkey, the note was sent by the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.

The secretary-general of the Arab League, Esmat Abdul Meguid, said today, "The note tackled the Turkish breaches into the Iraqi territories and that Turkey should stop impinging upon the safety and the integrity of the Iraqi territories."

Aziz expressed his regret over the Turkish government's repeated violation of Iraq's sovereignty, confirming that this goes against having a neighborly relation with Iraq and contradicts the Turkish - Iraqi border treaty signed in 1926.

Aziz asked Turkey to "withdraw its forces immediately from northern Iraq, and to stop repeating these practices as well as considering the bases that control relations between the countries."

He said that the Turkish violations are unjustified and contradict the principles of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which the two countries are members, and rules of good-neighborliness.

Meanwhile, there were unconfirmed reports by individuals arriving from northern Iraq on Tuesday that stated that as of Monday night Turkish troops began to withdraw from positions they recently established.

Turkish troops entered northern Iraq May 20th under the pretext of chasing fighters of the Kurdistani Workers Party (PKK).

Previous Stories:
  Baghdad grants right of asylum to 7,000 Turkish Kurds   (6/8/1998)
  Iraq condemns new Turkish incursion   (5/29/1998)
  Talabani trip to Cairo gets Turkey concerned   (5/19/1998)

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