Press release by the European United Left Group/Nordic Green Left group in the European Parliament
Turkey should withdraw its troops immediately from northern Iraq .
Brussels should break off the EU's pre-accession agreement with Ankara

The Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left organised a press conference about the invasion of northern Iraq by the Turkish army this morning in Brussels .

"Solana's understanding, expressed on behalf of the EU, of Turkey 's invasion of north Iraq is unacceptable. Ever since its foundation" - said Vittorio Agnoletto (GUE/NGL, Italy ) - "the European Union has never recognised war as a means of solving political conflicts. The EU should break off its pre-accession agreement with Turkey on European membership: military aggression towards another country goes against all the EU's founding principles."

" Turkey should immediately withdraw its troops from Iraqi territory" - said German GUE/NGL MEP Feleknas Uca. " Ankara has violated the territorial integrity of another country as well as international law. No armed solution can solve the Kurdish question; therefore we ask both parties to immediately suspend all armed action and Turkish troops to retreat behind their own borders."

"A European delegation should go to Ankara to meet Turkish parliamentarians - said European Parliament Vice-President Luisa Morgantini (GUE/NGL) - in order to seek a negotiated solution that will lead to the affirmation of social and civil rights for all Kurdish people and recognition of all forms of diversity in a united Turkey ."

"In a resolution adopted last April, the European Parliament already asked the Turkish government to start talks with the DTP (Democratic Society Party, the biggest Kurdish-Turkish party) as well as with civil society representatives to find a way out of this long-standing conflict. Nothing has been done. On the contrary, the Turkish government has requested a procedure leading to the dissolution of the DTP so that it can ask for DTP parliamentarians to be dismissed from office," the three GUE/NGL MEPs  concluded.

Brussels , 27 February 2008.