U.S. State Department Coordinator for Iraq, David Satterfield, says the United States wants Iraq's Kurdish leadership to do more to stop the Kurdistan Workers Party, or P-K-K, from conducting terrorist attacks against Turkey:
"No, we are not satisfied with progress on the P-K-K. There are more steps that need to be taken to ensure that the P-K-K does not return to violence."
A majority of the several thousand P-K-K insurgents are operating out of the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. Ambassador Satterfield says a U.S. special envoy, retired general Joseph Ralston, is working on stopping P-K-K attacks:
"He is working with the Iraqi government. He is working with officials of the Kurdish regional government with an aim to finding a way forward that brings this problem to a resolution, to a close. And the most important step is an end to the terror, an end to the violence. And it does mean that the P-K-K must cease its involvement in violent activities. It must lay down its arms."
General Ralston told senior Iraqi officials that they should not allow Iraqi territory to be used as a safe haven for the P-K-K:
"It works certainly against the best interests of Iraq. Turkey is the best possible friend that Iraq could have in that neighborhood. . . .And the economic interests between Iraq and Turkey are critical for both Iraq and Turkey."
State Department Coordinator for Iraq David Satterfield says, "Too many Turks have suffered from P-K-K violence, particularly over the last year. This needs to come to a halt."
The preceding was an editorial reflecting the views of the United States Government.
