Turkey’s Erdogan says no Iraqi incursion before elections

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says authorisation of a military incursion into northern Iraq is not on the immediate agenda, but he did not rule it out after the July 22nd general elections. “We don’t have seeking parliamentary approval on our agenda in these 12 days,” Erdogan told state TV Monday (July 9th). He reiterated that the government would not hesitate to authorise “the harshest possible reaction” to the terrorist organisation Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, if required after the elections. He also urged both Iraq and the United States to take appropriate measures against the PKK.On Tuesday meanwhile, local media in Ankara reported that prosecutors have begun investigating two mayors from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party in southeast Turkey for alleged PKK propaganda. If convicted in a trial, they face up to 7.5 years in prison.