Brown promises 'no safe haven' for PKK

Brown lends full support to the Turkish government.

Tuesday, 23, Oct 2007 12:00

Gordon Brown has promised Turkey the border areas of northern Iraq will be "no safe haven" for the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party).

In a Downing Street press conference with the prime minister of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, Gordon Brown explained the US, the Iraqi government and the regional Kurdish government in northern Iraq would work with Turkey and the UK to "investigate and root out" the PKK in northern Iraq.

He also revealed the armed militant group was now considered a terrorist organisation by the UK.

He praised Turkey's restraint after attacks over the weekend by the PKK on Turkish troops killed 12 soldiers, actions which Mr Brown said he "absolutely and unequivocally" condemned.

The Turkish government currently has parliamentary approval to use military force to attack the PKK bases, but Mr Erdogan is yet to act on the mandate despite protests and pressure from the military and the Turkish people.

The Turkish prime minister said the restraint shown so far "cannot wait forever".

This follows a joint UK and US statement issued in Washington DC yesterday, which made clear that ending PKK terrorism was a shared goal.

The announcement from Condoleezza Rice and foreign secretary David Miliband encouraged the Iraqi and Kurdish regional government authorities to "take immediate steps to halt PKK operations from Iraqi territory".

The statement said: "We will intensify efforts with our Turkish and Iraqi allies to achieve our common goals to end PKK terrorism.

"We call on other members of the international community to be unequivocal in their condemnation of PKK terrorism and to support Turkey, and Iraq in their efforts to eliminate this threat in a lasting and stabilising manner."