Arbil, Asharq Al-Awsat-The official spokesman of Turkey’s opposition Kurdish Workers Party [PKK] has called the results of Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay’s recent visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to lay down a joint strategy for confronting the party’s fighters, “a failure like previous ones”.

In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat from his base in the Qandil Mountains, Ahmed Deniz, the PKK’s official spokesman, warned the government of the Kurdistan Region not to be “deceived” by Turkish promises and economic offers and said: “The government of the region should be more aware and not deceived by these twisted promises and ways which aim at attracting the regional forces and dragging them into a bloody conflict with our party. While we appreciate the stand of Barham Salih, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, about his government’s unwillingness to take part in any Turkish military action against our party on the basis that the issue is an internal Turkish one, we assert that the issue is indeed an internal one and needs to be resolved through political negotiation with the parties concerned with it, which are the representatives of the Kurdish people in Turkey.” He added: “There is no reason for Turkey’s moves to gain regional support for its vile efforts that are aimed at liquidating the Kurdish cause and destroying the PKK. We warn the government of the region against being deceived by the promises and economic offers made by Turkey to ensure its support for the war against our party.”

Deniz pointed out that “Turkey is talking about peace in its media statements but is hiding a sharp knife behind its back and therefore its promises and stands cannot be trusted and relied upon. The closest evidence of this is the ban on the activities of the Kurdish Democratic Society Party. After this party refused to comply with the Turkish Government’s demands to consider the PKK a terrorist one, the Constitutional Court banned this party which was licensed in accordance with the constitution.” He added: “Therefore Turkey’s relationship with the government of the region is governed by the same criteria that are hostile to everything that is Kurdish. Turkey is not hostile only to the PKK but to all the Kurds in all four parts of Kurdistan and is dealing with the regional parties on the basis of its interests alone without consideration for the others’ rights.”