Iraq Prez Says No Kurdish Independence

From the Hindustan Times:

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani dismissed as "unrealistic" aspirations by Iraqi Kurds for independence in their northern enclave and urged Turkey to set aside its doubts and give backing to Kurds in the war-torn country.

"I never thought or championed that Kurdistan should break off from Iraq ... because these dreams are unrealistic and impracticable," Talabani, the leader of a Kurdish faction who has long been at odds with Turkey, said in an interview with the Turkish Aksam daily.

"Let us say a Kurdish state were set up. How could a state opposed by Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq live? These countries could suffocate the Kurdish state even if they did not attack it," he added.

Although there surely are many Kurds that desire their own homeland, the cold, hard logic that Talabani uses is hard to dispute. As a separate state, Kurdistan would be landlocked and surrounded by hostile countries. Unfortunately, warring factions in the Middle East sometimes do not use logic.