Speculations over real motives of US General Cartwright visit to Turkey

General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has arrived in Turkey on Sunday. His visit is said to be the result of an invitation issued by "his counterpart General Aslan Güner, deputy chief of Turkey’s General Staff", according to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.
Clearly the visit comes at a particular point and indeed it is no coincidence that the Turkish side has insisted on saying that the U.S. General will discuss regional security issues, including the struggle against the Kurdish guerrilla movement, the PKK. It is no mystery that Ankara has long criticised what it calls a lack of real support in this struggle by the United States and indeed the international community as a whole.

General Cartwright has already met with Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül and Chief of Staff General Işık Koşaner. He will visit the NATO Command in İzmir today before leaving the country.

In his last meeting with his lawyer, Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan made remarks about the statements made by the US Ambassador to Turkey. "For 60 years - Ocalan said - the USA's politics have been dependent on the cultural genocide policy against Kurds. To gain the support of Turkey and Israel in the region, the Middle East and Caucasus, the USA has supported the policy of cultural genocide that has been implemented against Kurds, however it has also not given permission for wholesale annihilation." 

A policy which, Ocalan reminded "is called 'the rabbit and hound' policy has been implemented. The Kurds have constantly been left wounded, they have not been killed but also never been given the chance to heal themselves. The USA and England have always used this policy. This has been a constant tactic since the support (given by Turkey) in the Korean war, this is why I said it has been 60 years, since 1952. They have kept the Kurds wounded to gain Turkish support in Bosnia, Somalia and Afghanistan. When there has been doubt they have left an open door in Northern Iraq for Kurds to escape through. In this way they have made the Turks and Kurds dependent on themselves, this is the policy of 'the rabbit and hound' where the rabbit is told to run and the hound told to catch."

In his closing remarks Ocalan added that "The recent decision the US has taken regarding Murat Karayilan (KCK Executive Council President) and the others is linked with this policy." and then underlined that "the USA should know that times have changed, the Kurds are not the Kurds of old and I am not Sheikh Said. No one can prevent the freedom struggle of the Kurdish people any longer."

 Speculations over real motives of US General Cartwright visit to Turkey

Kurdish Info                        Tuesday, May 17 2011ANF