KURDISTAN OFFICIAL: WE USED THE LANGUAGE OF

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 001261 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS IR TU IZ SUBJECT: KURDISTAN OFFICIAL: WE USED THE LANGUAGE OF SELF-DEFENSE, NOT THE LANGUAGE OF THREATENING REF: BAGHDAD 01256 ¶1. The below article highlights statements made by Dr. Fouad Hussein, Chief of Staff to Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani on April 10, 2007, which was posted in English on the Kurdish news website Peyamner.com. ¶2. Begin Text: National - Kurdistan Official: We used the language of self-defense not the language of threatening (10 Apr 07, 10:35). Erbil, Kurdistan region (Iraq),(KUNA) - PNA - An Iraqi Kurdish official said on Monday, Kurdish people were seeking to have one-to-one dialogue with Turkish leaders to ponder over unsettled disputes between both sides. Fouad Hussein, of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Presidency, said in news remarks that Kurdish leaders had extended their hands to political leaders in Turkey, and there were several efforts to sit and negotiate with them, but, unfortunately, Ankara used to respond in the negative. "If a clear-cut invitation is extended to any official in Kurdistan (for a meeting),with an unequivocal and articulate agenda, then the response will be in the positive. Relevant efforts were exerted, and a date was set for a meeting with Mr. Prime Minister of Kurdistan with Turkish officials. But, regrettably, the meeting was canceled at the last moment," he said. However, he affirmed that Kurdish leaders did not support Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) elements. "We have repeatedly said that we do not poke our noses into the affairs of neither Turkey nor Iran, neither do we back violence or PKK elements on the border between Turkey and Iraq or the border between Turkey and Iran." "Kurdish people do not use the language of threatening against anybody in our political dictionary. Instead, we used to adopt the language of self-defense to defend our land and Kurdistani society. But, at the same time, we cannot allow others to use the language of threatening against the Iraqi people or Kurdistan's people." End Text. CROCKER