"Arrest reveals EU and US in alliance with Turkey
by Sait Akgul, Kurdish activist and Respect executive member
The arrest of one of the most prominent Kurdish officials by Germany, at the request of Turkey, signals a new era of co-operation between Turkey and the EU, within a framework set by the US.
Remzi Kartal is the vice president of Kongra-Gel, the only Kurdish force able to defend Kurdish rights against the semi-military Turkish regime. His arrest comes after a meeting last week in Ankara, Turkey, involving the interim Iraqi government and Turkish and US officials.
The meeting took place just before US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice�s visit to Europe, Turkey and the PalestinianWest Bank.
Further evidence for the alliance between the US and Turkey came from the Iranian authorities. They claim that the Turkish government has already agreed to let the US use four air bases to monitor Iran�s nuclear activities.
These airbases are all in the Kurdish region. Once again Western powers are using the �Kurdish card� to achieve their aims � letting Turkey get away with its earlier crimes, and further persecute the Kurdish population.
The EU is also aligning itself with Turkey, in return for having another foot in the Middle East."
Socialist Worker(Britain) - ' Arrest reveals EU and US in alliance with Turkey'
