ANKARA: The Turkish government will ask Parliament to extend by one year its mandate to order military strikes against separatist Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq, the deputy prime minister said yesterday.
“We have decided to ask the Parliament again for a one-year authorization” when lawmakers return from summer recess on Oct. 1, Cemil Cicek, who is also the government spokesman, told reporters after a Cabinet meeting.
“I believe the motion will be debated within the first few days of Parliament reopening,” he said without giving a date. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) dominates the 550-seat Parliament and is likely to face no difficulty in securing approval for the extension.
The government won a one-year parliamentary authorization on Oct. 17 last year for cross-border raids against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebels who have led a 24-year-long bloody campaign against Ankara.
Turkey’s new army chief, who was sworn in last month, said in remarks published in newspapers yesterday, that Turkey faced a good opportunity to deal a decisive blow to the PKK.
“The PKK is heading toward a breaking point. What is important is how we will make use of it... The organization has been in this situation before, but we made mistakes,” Gen. Ilker Basbug said.
