(Cemil) Bayik, one of the founding members of the PKK, points to his fighters success on the battlefield as another reason for the US to drop its designation. In Shingal (Sijar) we succeeded in evacuating civilians, which even the US couldnt accomplish. But it won’t be easy. Not everyone agrees with the PKK’s assessment of its own activities. The EU, Germany, Japan, Australia and Canada, to name a few, still classify it as a terrorist organization. Then there is Turkey. On the surface it is keen to solve the ‘Kurdish question’, but it wants to do so on its own, and is vehemently against any reclassification of the PKK. As the second-largest NATO member in terms of its military capabilities, its sway over the US is far from negligible. The State Department itself appears to be in no rush to remove the PKK from the list. Despite a fractured relationship of late, caused in part by differences of opinion over how best to deal with the Syrian conflict, Turkey remains a key ally in the region at an important time. One official, outlining the State Departments position to McClatchy, said: “The idea that ‘This group’s being very helpful against ISIL so we should remove the designation’ – that wouldn’t merit a sufficient case, in our view, for de-listing.” But there are some aspects of US policy here that, while not explicitly contradictory, are confusing. For example, while US policy is to have nothing to do with the PKK, officials have met with its Syrian offshoot — the Democratic Union Party (PYD). The PYD’s military arm, the YPG, is also fighting IS — most of it taking place in the city of Kobani, which the US-led coalition has invested heavily in defending.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 08:12:41 +0000
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