Press Releases

U.S. Embassy Statement

Ankara, April 29, 2005

Ankara, April 29, 2005. Some in the Turkish press have criticized the US State Department report “Patterns of Global Terrorism 2004” for mentioning that the stated goal of the PKK is to establish “an independent, democratic Kurdish state.” In fact, identical language was included in last year’s report and in previous reports dating back to 2000. The sentence simply states the PKK’s description of its own goals. It in no way implies US support for those goals. There has been no change in the US view that the PKK is a terrorist organization, and no wavering in the US commitment to help eliminate the PKK threat. Groups that kill, intimidate, extort, and engage in other illegal activities to achieve their goals – whatever those goals may be – are terrorist organizations. The PKK clearly falls into that category. Turkey has had no better friend over the years than the United States in its efforts to end the PKK threat. That cooperation will continue.