"General Joseph Ralston (USAF, retired), Special Envoy Countering the Kurdistan Worker's Party
Testimony Before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Europe
Washington, DC
March 15, 2007
As prepared
Chairman Wexler, Congressman Gallegly, Members of the Sub-Committee, it is an honor to speak to you today about my efforts during the past six months to address the significant threat posed to our long-standing ally Turkey by the PKK (the Kurdistan Workers Party), including its impact on Turkey's relations with Iraq and the potential for Turkish cross-border action. This conflict has endured for more than twenty years and the resulting violence led in the last year alone to the deaths of 600 Turkish citizens. The continued ability of this terrorist group to operate from Iraqi territory is a threat to regional security and an impediment to improvements in the lives of people on both sides of the border. "
More:U.S.-Turkish Relations and the Challenges Ahead
