2006年VOA标准英语-Turkey Considers Options Regarding Kurdish Rebe

By Margaret Besheer
Irbil, Iraq
19 July 2006

Turkey's prime minister says his military is moving forward in drafting plans for sending forces into northern Iraq to clear out Kurdish rebel bases, but added that officials are also holding talks with the United States and Iraq in an attempt to defuse tensions.

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting in Ankara   
  
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Ankara Wednesday that his security forces are proceeding¹ with their work and would take whatever steps are warranted according to their findings.

Erdogan added that his government is in talks with the United States and Iraq regarding the issue.

It is not the first time Turkey has said it is considering sending troops across the border into northern Iraq to act against rebels from the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).   The rebels are mostly based in the Qandil Mountains where Iraq's border meets Turkey and Iran. Ankara says PKK militants² use those mountain bases to launch attacks inside Turkey, and blames the PKK for the deaths of 15 soldiers last week in southeastern Turkey.

The Ankara government has repeatedly pressed the United States to send troops into northern Iraq to take action against the PKK, and Washington's reluctance³ has at times strained relations between the two allies.  The United States has argued that its broader security problems in Iraq prevent the kind of full-scale military crackdown on the rebels that Turkey wants.

The U.S. embassy in Ankara said in a statement Wednesday that, Turkey, like every country, has a right and an obligation to defend itself and its people.  But the statement also urged Turkey not to take unilateral action, saying, working together with the United States and the government of Iraq can be an essential part of advancing Turkish security.

In the Kurdistan regional capital of Irbil, government spokesman Khaled Salih told VOA that more than a military solution is needed.

"We believe that solving this Kurdish issue in Turkey is not a military solution, because this a more complicated situation and political considerations must also be incorporated into that kind of a package to find a viable⁴ solution for the Kurdish problem in Turkey," he said.

He also reaffirmed the Kurdistan regional government's position.

"No forces should be used from our territory to threaten our neighbors," he added.

The United States and Turkey consider the PKK to be a terrorist group.

1 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

4 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。