Page 87 - America's Failure to Perceive the PKK

tion literally served as the PKK's private territory, in which the terror
organization, previously on the brink of collapse, could re-arm, train
and pull itself together.

As a result, immediately after the establishment of the Poised
Hammer Force, the PKK returned stronger and re-armed for its acts
of terror in Turkish territory. As a matter of fact, the 1990s in partic-
ular were when the PKK committed the most attacks and bloodshed
in Turkey.

Let us make it clear that we have no objections to the Kurds set-
ting up their own state. There is already an autonomous Kurdish state
in the north of Iraq, and Turkey has excellent relations with it. Head

of state Masoud Barzani and Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani are both
sincere and devout leaders. Of course we would always wish to see
countries' territorial integrity maintained, but if an independent Kur-
distan is to be founded under Barzani's leadership in northern Iraq as
a result of the current turmoil in that country, then of course we will
support it. However, it is essential that the threat of the PKK be elim-
inated from the region first, and that the threat be lifted from the Barzani

family in particular.

85