PKK the most important issue on the agenda, Jeffrey says

Ambassador James Jeffrey gave an interview with daily Sabah, during which he said the United States was in constant contact with Turkey Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Administration. Jeffrey said the most important issue in relations between the United States and Iraq, Turkey and the Kurdish Regional Administration was the PKK, which a major factor in the region’s instability. "The U.S. is still behind the United Nations’ decision about Iraq and that is Iraq would be a democratic, united, multinational and federal state" the ambassador said. Learning from VietnamJeffrey declined to respond to a question about the general amnesty, as they are behind-door talks and an internal matter of Turkey’s. "We learned something about Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq that to succeed in quelling rebellions, you have to use the military to maintain public security, meanwhile you have to examine the root problems that created the rebellion. You have also to stimulate politics and the economy, but it is up to the Turkish government, how they will do that" said the ambassador. Karayılan rejects disarming Meanwhile, the military chief of the PKK, said his group would not lay down its arms until there was a political settlement between the Turkish government and the militants, according to an audio tape released Saturday, reported the AP. "Our weapons are necessary because we are not dealing with a state that believes in democracy," Murat Karayılan said in an audiotape sent Saturday to Iraqi Kurdish journalists. He urged the Turkish government to begin a dialogue with the PKK to resolve Kurdish issues. "If the Turkish government wants to solve our issue seriously, they should release 4,000 of our leaders who are in Turkish custody. Otherwise to abandon our arms without a political solution to our issues means suicide," he said. Iraqi President Jalal talabani repeated his disarmament call for the PKK to stop fighting or leave Iraq. He made the call last Monday during a visit by Turkish President abdullah gül.