)
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is being investigated by a special prosecutor of the Istanbul public prosecutor's office, accused of "acting as an accomplice in the crime of harming the unity of the state and the integrity of Turkey," Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reported Friday.
The criminal charges were originally lodged by Pakize Alp Akbaba, head of the Martyrs’ Mothers Association and Gönül Alpaydın, of the Turkey Veterans and Orphans of Martyrs Association.
Akbaba testified to the prosecutor that Talabani was supporting the PKK and had caused as much harm to Turkey as PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
The complaint was originally filed with the Istanbul public prosecutor's office, which transferred the case to a public prosecutor in Diyarbakır province, in southeastern Turkey.
That prosecutor ruled the investigation into Talabani outside his office's jurisdiction and referred the case back to Istanbul with a recommendation that a special prosecutor take up the case.
News that the special prosecutor will be looking into the case comes just as Ankara somewhat snubbed President Talabani by not inviting him to the currently proceeding conference of Iraq's neighbors and supporters.
The Turkish Daily News reports Iraq's ambassador to Turkey, Sabah Omran, said Talabani had told Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan at a recent meeting in Baghdad that he intended to attend the meeting. Though Babacan had extended a verbal invitation at the time, no formal one had followed.
"Up to this minute we have not received any invitation from Turkey for a visit to Ankara or Istanbul either for a working or official visit or for the foreign ministers' meeting." he said.
Ankara has refused to meet with Talabani or KRG President Massud Barzani because of their history with and perceived bias towards (or support of, the new charges imply) the Kurdish rebel group.
Talabani and Barzani released a joint statement earlier this week condemning the actions of the PKK and pledging full cooperation to assist Turkey assure its security.
