TURKISH TROOPS CROSS IRAQI BORDER

About 300 Turkish troops have crossed into northern Iraq in a raid against Kurdish rebels, Iraqi officials say. The lightly-armed soldiers moved up to three kilometers (1.9 miles) inside Iraq. It is believed to be the first major Turkish troop deployment in Iraq since the cabinet backed the move last month to hunt PKK rebels based there, BBC reports. Meanwhile, as reported by The Guardian, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has made a surprise visit to the northern Iraq city of Kirkuk, a day after the U.S. appeared to give tacit approval to the bombing of rebel Kurdish bases by Turkish jets. The US secretary of state’s arrival in the oil rich city indicates growing American concern about the level of fighting in a once stable region of Iraq. Rice today met members of a civilian-military reconstruction unit based in Kirkuk and provincial politicians of all stripes to persuade them to press for political reconciliation. Kirkuk is an especially coveted city for both the Shia-dominated Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Kurdish government in Irbil. Kurds want to incorporate the city into their self-rule area, but the idea has met stiff resistance from Arabs delaying a referendum on the issue that is required under the constitution. Much of Iraq’s vast oil wealth lies under the ground in the region, as well as in the Shia-controlled south. Kurds refer to Kirkuk as the "Kurdish Jerusalem". "It truly is the crossing point for every one of Iraq’s ethnicities, every one of Iraq’s religions and sects," said David Satterfield, Rice’s top adviser for Iraq. "Kirkuk is often identified as a flash point for the future of Iraq."

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Headlines for December 18, 2007

CONGRESS TO REDUCE FOREIGN AID TO ARMENIA TO $58.5 MLN
Negotiators representing the U.S. House and Senate appear to have agreed upon Fiscal Year 2008 assistance figures for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, both at levels less than last year, as part of a far-reaching ...
AZERI YOUTH READY FOR DIALOGUE WITH ARMENIA, AZERI MINISTER SAYS
Azerbaijani youth are ready to join the dialogue with the youth of Armenia in the framework of the people’s diplomacy, if the initiative may promote the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani ...
HAKAN TEKIN: TURKEY NOT SCARED OF ITS HISTORY
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American lawmakers should not vote on the Armenian Genocide resolution, H.Res.106, since it can hamper the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation, said Hakan Tekin, Turkey’s Consul General in Los Angeles. “It’s ...
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GENOCIDE SCHOLARS RECOGNIZED ASSYRIAN AND GREEK GENOCIDES
In a groundbreaking move, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) has voted overwhelmingly to recognize the genocides inflicted on Assyrian and Greek populations of the Ottoman Empire ...
PACE, OSCE PA, EP AND CIS IPA INVITED TO OBSERVE RA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
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ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTED KARABAKH PROBLEM AT OSCE FMS SUMMIT
No declaration was adopted upon the outcomes of the Madrid summit, since a number of issues were not coordinated, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told a news conference in Yerevan. “Discussion ...
KARABAKH ISSUE BASES ON RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION
Whatever OSCE MG proposals could be, the opinion of Karabakhi people will be taken into account, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told a news conference in Yerevan. “Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan ...
VARTAN OSKANIAN: ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN TALKS WILL GO ON
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chair states welcomed the decision of Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue talks for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement despite the forthcoming presidential elections in both ...
PACE MISSION ON CULTURAL HERITAGE CAN ARRIVE IN REGION EARLY 2008
The PACE mission on cultural heritage will arrive in the region early next year, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told a news conference in Yerevan. Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh have already ...
OSCE TO RESUME MONITORING OF ARMENIAN-AZERI BORDER
Monitoring of the contact line of the Armenian and Azeri armed forces will be resumed tomorrow, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told a news conference in Yerevan. The monitoring process was ...
TURKISH TROOPS CROSS IRAQI BORDER
About 300 Turkish troops have crossed into northern Iraq in a raid against Kurdish rebels, Iraqi officials say. The lightly-armed soldiers moved up to three kilometers (1.9 miles) inside Iraq. It is ...