MOSCOW (Reuters)–Russia on Monday said the West’s failure to condemn Turkish killings of Kurds in northern Iraq highlighted its double standards in international policy.
"The situation arising in this region has more than one similarity with the situation in Kosovo," the foreign ministry said in a statement–condemning Turkey’s military action in northern Iraq.
"The real absence of any kind of reaction from the West (to the killings) shows the double standards in its policy. In one instance–difficulties in regulating domestic problems provokes the use of NATO’s military machine and in another…they close their eyes."
Russia’strongly opposes NATO military action in Yugoslavia and has frozen ties with the military alliance. But Moscow has not gone further than verbal attacks on NATO.
Thousands of Turkish troops pressed into Kurd-controlled territory in northern Iraq in pursuit of Turkish Kurds last week–after launching an operation the week before.
Turkey said on Sunday it had killed 141 Kurds.
"It is a gross infringement of basic norms of international rights–trampling the sovereignty and territory of a neighboring country," Russia’s foreign ministry said.
Turkey regularly mounts operations into northern Iraq against members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)–who use the remote mountainous terrain to launch attacks on mainly Kurdish sourtheast Turkey in their campaign for self rule.