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WORLD NEWSSaturday 20 February 2016
EU strikes deal on reform sought by Britain
RAF CASERT British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives for an EU summit at the EU Council building in Brussels the gap on issues including
LORNE COOK on Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. Cameron has won a hard-fought deal for a less intrusive European Union financial governance and
Associated Press after two days of tense talks with EU leaders, a commitment he said he needed to persuade UK welfare benefits.
BRUSSELS (AP) — British voters the country should stay in the bloc. Grybauskaite said the deal
Prime Minister David Cam- should give the British pub-
eron has won a hard- (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) lic a clear choice.
fought deal for a less intru- “But no matter what we do
sive European Union after was pushing his demands hard for Britain. Good deal with European leaders, in- here, no matter what face-
two days of tense talks with for more autonomy to the for UK and EU. Congrats!” cluding EU President Don- lifting or face-saving we
EU leaders, a commitment limit at a dinner with the 28 tweeted Danish Prime Min- ald Tusk, Italy’s Matteo Ren- perform here, it is up to the
he said he needed to per- national leaders. ister Lars Lokke Rasmussen. zi and Polish Prime Minister British people to decide,”
suade UK voters the coun- “David Cameron fought Earlier, Cameron had met Beata Szydlo, trying to close she said.
try should stay in the bloc. The deal offers guarantees
The agreement is seen as a to the nine EU countries,
key stepping stone to the including Britain, that do
in-out referendum in Britain not use the shared euro
on continued EU member- currency, that they will not
ship that could come as be sidelined, and makes
soon as this summer. tweaks aimed at giving
After 31 hours of negotia- national parliaments more
tions, Lithuanian President power. Most of the tensions
Dalia Grybauskaite wrote surrounded a relatively mi-
on Twitter: “Agreement nor change: a move to
#UKinEU done. Drama suspend or restrict benefit
over.” payments made to work-
EU President Donald Tusk ers from other EU countries.
added there was “unani- Immigration is an espe-
mous support” for the cially sensitive point for Brit-
“new settlement.” The deal ish voters, because Britain
would only be enacted if has attracted hundreds of
Britain stays an EU member. thousands of workers from
The summit ran into over- Eastern Europe in the past
time Friday as Cameron decade.q
Kurdish group claims responsibility for Ankara attack
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A backed Syrian Kurdish mi- been most effective in the servers from entering. Turkey’s military pushed
Kurdish militant group on litia group for the attack, fight against the Islamic The group threatened fur- ahead with its cross-border
Friday claimed responsibil- saying they had acted in State group in Syria. ther attacks in Turkey. Most artillery shelling campaign
ity for a suicide car bomb collaboration with the PKK. The Kurdistan Freedom recently, TAK had claimed against YPG positions in Syr-
attack in the Turkish capi- Prime Minister Ahmet Da- Falcons, also known as responsibility for a mortar ia, Anadolu reported.
tal Ankara which killed 28 vutoglu had identified the TAK, however, named the attack in December at Is- President Recep Tayyip Er-
people. bomber as Syrian national bomber as Abdulbaki Son- tanbul’s second airport dogan said three of the
In a statement posted on Salih Neccar and said he mez. that killed a cleaner. It said detained suspects are be-
its website, the Kurdistan was a member of the Syr- “This act was conducted the attack was in retaliation lieved to have played “an
Freedom Falcons said it ian Kurdish militia group to avenge the massacre to the military’s stepped up active part” in the attack.
carried out the attack to People’s Protection Units, of defenseless, injured ci- operations against the PKK. Erdogan said Friday that
avenge Turkish military op- or YPG. vilians,” the group said, in On Friday, Turkish authori- Turkish authorities don’t
erations against Kurdish Following the attack, Tur- reference to a large-scale ties said they had detained have the slightest doubt
rebels in southeast Turkey. key stepped up pressure Turkish security operation three more suspects in con- that the YPG and its po-
The Turkey-based group is on the United States and against militants in the nection with the bombing litical arm, the Democratic
considered an offshoot of other allies to cut off sup- town of Cizre. Rights groups in Ankara, raising the num- Union Party, or PYD, were
the Kurdistan Workers’ Par- port to the militia group. have raised serious con- ber of people in custody to behind the bombing and
ty, or PKK, and has carried Turkey views the YPG as a cerns over the operation in 17, the state-run Anadolu said Turkey was saddened
out several violent attacks terror group because of its the town, which has been Agency said. The latest sus- by its Western allies’ failure
in the past. affiliation with the PKK. placed under a curfew that pects are believed to be to brand them as terrorist
Turkey had blamed a U.S.- The YPG, however, has prevents journalists and ob- linked to the PKK, it said. groups. q
