Talabani: Hard work required to make peace in Kurdistan

"To make peace and reconciliation," with Kurdistan Democratic Party of Mr. Massud Barzani, "we have to make the utmost effort," Secretary General of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Jalal Talabani said during a meeting of his party's political bureau yesterday. The work should be done by all social, political and media associations, he added.

In the course of PUK Political Bureau meeting, Talabani hinted at the crisis between the Iraq and the UN and said his party supported a peaceful solution to it.

"We believe that Iraq should adopt democracy, pluralism and should have a freely elected parliament," Talabani said in the meeting.

Regarding relations between Iraq's government and the Kurds in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Talibani said, "The up-and-coming relations between Kurds and the Iraqi government will be pinpointed by a new, freely-elected Kurdish parliament." PUK's leader pointed out the broad lines of the faction's relations relations with neighboring countries.

"Our relations with both Iran and Syria are very good and positive," he stated, "meanwhile we try to normalize our relations with Turkey."

Ties between Turkey and the PUK were deterred since last year when the PUK accused Turkey of allying with its rival Kurdish faction, the KDP and launching air raids against its militia positions. Turkey on the other hand accuses the PUK of providing the PKK guerrillas with shelter and military assistance.

At the Arab level, Talabani said, "Our relations with Egypt, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are friendly and positive."