From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Sat Sep  5 09:10:33 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sat, 05 Sep 1992 01:10:33 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: TURKEY: Security troops launch oute
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc658.2a1@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: TURKEY: Security troops launch oute

/* Written 12:15 am  Sep  5, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "TURKEY: Security troops launch oute" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: TURKEY: Security troops launch outer border attack on PKK


cizre, turkey, sep 2 (ips/nadire mater) -- the anticipated outer
border northern iraq crackdown on the kurdish guerrilla group pkk,
has begun, although turkish authorities are not confirming the
reports.

sources say that turkish troops crossed the southern border early
wednesday, entering the deshtan region near amadiya -- ten km into
iraqi territory.

prior to that, there were also reports of heavy artillery fire
around the same region, and there was also increased turkish
military activity near the iran-turkey border, the sources said.

ever since the reported clashes between the kurdistan workers
party (pkk) guerrillas and the turkish security forces in south-
eastern turkey two weeks ago, the authorities have made no secret
that they would go after the rebel group which has been
consolidating its position in the hilly terrain of northern iraq.

the south-eastern kurdish town of sirnak was left in a state of
ruin following near weeklong clashes starting aug. 18, in which 17
civilians and four soldiers were killed. the casualty count of the
guerrilla group, which up to now denies any involvement in the
shoot-outs, is unknown.

formed in 1978, the guerrilla group has been waging an armed
struggle since 1984 in a bid of self-determination for the seven
percent minority kurds of turkey's 56 million population.

last thursday, the national security council, comprising cabinet
ministers, including prime minister suleyman demirel and high-
ranking army personnel, met in the south-eastern kurdish city of
diyarbakir to discuss the issue.

and in a joint statement issued afterwards said: ''the terrorist
organisation will be pursued in the mountains, in the cities --
both in the country and abroad -- and will be struck an
indispensable blow.''

since the start of this week, mountain commando troops have been
massively redeployed on the border region with iraq, and fighter
planes have been reported to be bombing kurdish villages at the
bottom of the judi mountain near the iraqi-turkish border.

caglayan and hisar villages are two such villages, with one
caglayan resident who does business in neighbouring cizre, saying
that the first raids carried on his village began tuesday.
(more/ips)

turkey: security troops launch outer border attack on pkk(2-e)

turkey: security (2)

''when i was turning back to my village this morning after having
sold the grape harvest in cizre, i was stopped by the soldiers,
who made be undress and drove me in the bushes and forced me to
stand in a pit. they they set the bushes on fire,'' claimed the
caglayan villager, whose hair, hands and face have fresh burns.

declining to give his name, he said the soldiers told him that no
one would be allowed to enter the village for the next three days.
''(they) released me. but my children are burning. i saw the
flames and smoke rising above the village,'' he said, breaking
down in tears.

a villager from hisar who had traveled to cizre to shop, also
complained that he had been ''forbidden'' from returning home.
''our village is in a ravine. i haven't seen any smoke. but
helicopters and fighter planes were flying over. they told me to
come back in three days time. i am extremely worried.''

although the military authorities continue to deny any ground
operations, there have been air raids over pkk camps in the
haftanin region in iraq, near to the turkish border.

and political analysts predict that the operation is likely to
expand, particularly after wednesday's meeting in ankara between
iraqi kurdish leaders jalal talabani and mesoud barzani, and the
top brass of the turkish administration.

the iraqi kurds have been reeling from an embargo enforced by the
pkk, who have stopped all across the border trade between turkey
and iraq in the last two months.

the aim of the embargo is two-fold -- as a show of muscle by the
10,000 strong rebel kurds, and as a means of establishing control
over the territory they hope to make their new operating base.

the pkk was previously based in the syrian-controlled bikaa
valley. but under an agreement signed earlier this year between
the turkish and syrian governments, it was agreed to flush the
kurds out.

since then, the pkk has been attempting to settle in northern
iraq, but their embargo tactics have rubbed the kurdish community
of the region the wrong way, with the influential talabani and
barzani both previously warning that the pkk was hurting its own
kurdish brethren. (end/ips/np/nm/cpg/92)


From nyxfer at panix.com  Sat Sep  5 14:32:51 1992
From: nyxfer at panix.com (nyxfer at panix.com)
Date: 05 Sep 1992 14:32:51
Subject: NEWS:Turkish ParaMil.Death Squads/W
Message-ID: <bac1c849.9209052124.AA04340@panix.com>

From: nyxfer at panix.com (N.Y. Transfer)
Subject: NEWS:Turkish ParaMil.Death Squads/WW


 
Via The NY Transfer News Service ~ All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
Turkish paramilitary death squads killing kurds
 
By Bill Doares
 
On Aug. 9, Huseyin Deniz, a Kurdish reporter for the newspaper
Ozgur Gundem (Free Agenda), was shot to death in southeastern
Turkey. He was the fifth journalist to be murdered in
southeastern Turkey this year.
 
Only 10 days earlier Yahya Orhan, who also worked for Gundem, was
shot to death in the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir and Burhan
Karadeniz, another Gundem correspondent, was wounded. In June,
Hafiz Akdemir, also of Gundem, was murdered in Diyarbakir, only
two weeks after the newspaper began publication. In February, two
other reporters, Halit Gulgen of Yeni Ulke (New Country) and
Cengiz Altun of 2000 E' Dogru (Toward 2000) were assassinated. No
one has been arrested in any of the murders.
 
The killings are the work of right-wing death squads, called
"counter-guerrillas," that are terrorizing the Kurdish population
in southeast Turkey. The squads are widely believed to be made up
of commandos from Turkey's U.S.-financed army and police force.
Turkey receives over $500 million a year in U.S. military aid.
 
Ozgur Gundem, Yeni Ulke and 2000 E' Dogru have been targeted
because of their role in exposing the reign of terror that the
Turkish military has launched against Turkey's 15 million-strong
Kurdish population.
 
Three-quarters of the Kurdish people live in Turkey. This terror
increased in the month of August, which is marked by the Kurdish
people as the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Workers
Party of Kurdistan (PKK). The PKK is leading the struggle of the
Kurdish people for self-determination.
 
The Turkish regime's attacks have included massacres of
civilians, as in Sirnak on Aug. 15, and the indiscriminate aerial
bombing of Kurdish villages in both Turkey and Iraq. Hundreds of
civilians have been killed in these raids, which are carried out
with U.S.-provided F16s. The Pentagon also supplies the Turkish
air force with satellite intelligence to use in its operations.
 
The Turkish regime is also collaborating with the CIA-backed
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Massoud Barzani and the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of Jalal Talabani in its
efforts to crush the PKK. The KDP has murdered PKK supporters in
Iraq's Kurdish region and forcibly closed Berxwedan, a pro-PKK
newspaper being published in Iraqi Kurdistan.
 
The PKK has retaliated by blockading the border between Turkey
and northern Iraq, where the KDP and PUK are trying to set up a
mini-state with U.S. help. This has disrupted U.S. plans to
reopen oil production in that region under U.S. military control.
The PKK has also struck back at the Turkish military. On Aug. 30,
dozens of Turkish soldiers were slain in a 10-hour battle with
PKK guerrillas at an army base in Alan in Hakkari province.
 
While the U.S. government is hypocritically posing as a defender
of Iraqi Kurds and Shiites in an effort to dismember Iraq and
grab its oil, it is helping the Turkish regime carry out genocide
against the Kurdish people. In doing so, it is moving headlong
toward direct involvement in yet another way.
 
Protests against the death squad murders should be sent to:
President Turgut Ozal, Ankara, Turkey.
 
(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted
if source is cited. For more info contact Workers World,46 W. 21
St., New York, NY 10010; "workers at igc.apc.org".)
 
-----
NY Transfer News Service
Modem: 718-448-2358  nytransfer at igc.org  nyxfer at panix.com


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Tue Sep  8 05:52:04 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Mon, 07 Sep 1992 21:52:04 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: IPS/TURKEY/SEPTEMBER 1992
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc659.d04@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: IPS/TURKEY/SEPTEMBER 1992

/* Written 12:12 am  Sep  6, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "Turkey: Kurds refuse to return to t" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: Turkey: Kurds refuse to return to town demolished by army


cizre, turkey sep 3 (ips) -- twenty thousand residents of the town
of sirnak in this southeastern kurdish province refuse to return
to their homes, claiming the army systematically devastated their
homes without provocation two weeks ago.

reports of the incident at the time stated that the army had
clashed with guerillas of the kurdistan workers party (pkk) in
sirnak.

the residents say that was not true.

"a guerrilla raid would last at most 1 or 2 hours,'' one pointed
out to ips. ''but the army fired for 48 hours. and we have seen no
guerrillas in the town. how could they manage to penetrate sirnak
which was surrounded by thousands of troops.''

now that their homes have been devastated by tank fire, the
residents have taken refuge with relatives in neighbouring towns.
but 3,000 others have had no place to go and remain in tents on
the banks of herzin creek, 50 kilometers to the west of sirnak.

living like a nomadic tribe, they have already got used to doing
without proper food and electricity.

''nobody in the government cares for us. nobody is concerned with
our fate," one sixty-year old man complained to ips, eating a dish
of plain macaroni. their only hope was to demand asylum from some
other foreign country, he added.

''i don't want to go to school anymore,'' said gurbet, 8, a
schoolgirl whose lips quivered with fear as she related the events
in sirnak.

being the eldest of 6 sisters, she has assummed the
responsibility of caring for them. she wore the same yellow dress
she had on when she fled sirnak; all others were left behind.

''our home is in sirnak but all we had was burnt. i don't want to
return there any more. i don't want to hear the sound of artillery
guns," she stated.

7 families, at least 50 people, now live in a tent 15 square
metres large. they get water from the creek. their food, mainly
macaroni, tomatoes and bread is supplied through the aid campaign
launched by cizre municipality.

under the blazing sun, where the temperature is around 40 c, the
children swim in the tiny creek, as though they are in a summer
camp.

but they say that the police is again harassing them in their
tent villages. (more/ips)

turkey: kurds refuse to return (2)

''we are in fear again. they have taken some people. they will
not let us remain here. they will bomb us again,'' one stated.

kormiye, a 19 year old pregnant woman spoke about death as though
it was an ordinary thing.

turkey: kurds refuse to return to town demolished by army(2-e)

''the turkish republic has not used only chemical weapons against
us. all of my relatives are under arrest. they bombed us
themselves and now they beat us, kill us and put the blame on
us.''

all believe that the clashes were provoked by the regiment
commander, general mete sayar. thus they demand his discharge as a
condition for returning to their city. they also want the police
chief and governor fired and their homes rebuilt by the
government.

once inhabited by 20 thousand native kurds plus 10 thousand
troops, policemen and other security personnel and their families,
sirnak now seems a ghost city.

only military personnel, village guards and the public servants
stay there. the public servants come to work under the threat of
being fired but leave the city after work time.

some residents, interviewed in the park, say they have come to
collect their things and will leave the town for ever. ''we don't
want to live in fear,'' they told ips.

sirnak looks like a real war zone. while most of the private
houses have been demolished, those which have survived the heavy
bombing have bullet holes all over their walls.

the silence of death covers the city. the streets and  main roads
which were once full of 350 corpses of oxen, broken glasses and
cartridges, have been swept.

suleyman tatar, the chief of a village guard tribe with 250 armed
men told ips: "all i know is that we were attacked by terrorists."

many people from sirnak have taken refugee in cizre. more then 30
people try to survive in single rooms ten feet square. famine is
out of question, thanks to the hospitality of the people of cizre
who share their meager lot with their neighbors.

"we want nothing from that state anymore. we have lost all we
had. no shops, no cars, no houses", said a forty-year-old woman,
who lives with her married daughter in cizre.

her daughter pointed at the pit dug under the floor. "we are
digging our shelters. once they have started in sirnak, they will
continue here. the state will attack here too."

all the people of cizre are digging these shelters, which they
believe might save their lives. (ends/ips/nm/nm)


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Tue Sep 22 07:24:44 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1992 23:24:44 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: IPS/TURKEY/SEPTEMBER 1992
References: <APC.1.0.54efc659.d04@igc.apc.org>
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc667.62c@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: IPS/TURKEY/SEPTEMBER 1992

/* Written 12:17 am  Sep 21, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "TURKEY: Plea for PKK and government" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: TURKEY: Plea for PKK and government to sit down and talk


istanbul, sep 18 (ips) -- an urgent plea has been made for the
kurdish guerrilla movement and government to come to a ceasefire
agreement, but the two parties still seem a long way off from
putting down their guns and sitting around a negotiating table.

this week's appeal has come from turkish president turgut ozal
who was quoted in friday's daily 'hurriyet' as saying that the
shooting has got to ''cease for a while''.

''if the shooting comes to a halt, some progress can be made.
this is not meant to be a threat, but if the situation gets any
worse, something unexpected could take place...things could even
go beyond our control.''

but while ozal's words do have some influence, he and prime
minister suleyman demirel's government remain at loggerheads and
observers have thus expressed only cautious optimism that there
could be a peaceful solution in the eight year war between the
kurdistan workers party (pkk) and the turkish security forces.

so that while pkk leader abdullah ocalan had indicated a
willingness to meet with government, prime minister demirel had up
until late friday failed to respond. ocalan has insisted that
strict security would have to be place for such a historic meeting
to take place.

the pkk has been waging an armed struggle for self-determination
for turkey's four million kurds since 1984. nearly 5,000 people
have died in the fighting since 1984 -- mainly in the kurdish
populated areas in south-eastern turkey.

but with fighting escalating in recent months -- a whole village
of 20,000 fled their homes last month after bitter fighting in
sirnak -- the turkish population is anxious to have an end put to
the fighting.

according to a poll taken in istanbul last week, 63 of the city's
seven million people said they are against a military solution to
the dispute, although only 16 percent were in favour of granting
the kurds either autonomy or independence.

ozal's published appeal followed a meeting wednesday between the
president and three pro-kurdish peoples' labour party (hep)
members of parliament -- orhan dogan, selim sadak and mahmut
alinak.

in the article headlined ''ceasefire plea from ozal'', the
president said he would try to arrange a meeting with the prime
minister to discuss the problem. as president of turkey, ozal has
a number of executive powers, however, it is the prime minister
and his council of ministers who implement government policy.
(more/ips)

turkey: plea for pkk and government to sit down and talk(2-e)

turkey: plea (2)

dogan told ips that the president seemed ''sincere'' in his plea,
and added that they would meet with ozal again before arranging a
meeting with ocalan.

sadak also viewed the ozal meeting as a step in the right
direction, and called on the government to follow his lead.

but umit firat, a leading kurdish intellectual, pointed out that
ozal lacks the political backing to bring the parties to the
negotiating table, adding that ''the government generally does
just the opposite, which makes it hard to have faith in what ozal
says''.

noting that ozal was advocating a ''political solution'' to the
issue, editor of the 'hurriyet' oktay eksi, said this in itself
could be a stumbling block.

''what matters here is the fact that ozal is mentioning a
political solution, and thus elevating abdullah ocalan's status
from 'leader of a terrorist organisation' to 'leader of a force
waging a war for national independence'.''

in neither case, though, is ozal acknowledging the ''legitimacy''
of the pkk.

true path party mp melik firat, himself a kurd, put it this way.
''although ozal's initiative may be a good one, i don't trust him.
he's playing both ends against the middle.''

and while the human rights association of diyarbakir, a south-
eastern town, is pleased with the ozal initiative, it does not
expect much to come out of it.

''despite ozal's initiatives, i can't say i am hopeful when i
look at government's policies,'' said lawyer fevzi veznedaroglu,
chairman of the diyarbakir branch of the association, who stresses
that a ceasefire is a pre-condition for a political solution.

''the region is in a state of war. trying to solve this issue
with gunfire and violence won't get anybody anywhere,'' he
concluded.(end/ips/np/nm/cpg/92)


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Tue Sep  8 07:01:07 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Mon, 07 Sep 1992 23:01:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AF/ATS: Turkey massacres Kurds in S
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc65a.047@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AF/ATS: Turkey massacres Kurds in S

/* Written  1:17 pm  Sep  7, 1992 by aforum at moose.uvm.edu in cdp:misc.activism. */
/* ---------- "AF/ATS: Turkey massacres Kurds in S" ---------- */
posted by: AF/ATS

21 August 1992

URGENT

MASSACRE BY TURKISH STATE IN CITY OF SIRNAK CONTINUES

Since 18 August 1992 the Turkish military forces have been
massacring Kurdish civilians non stop. As in the terrible events
of Newroz, the Turkish government has claimed that the PKK had
occupied the city and they were forced to intervene. This was used
to legitimise the massacre they are committing. They claim the
guerrillas are still in the city and therefore "the conflict
between the army and guerrillas continues."

There is not one guerrilla in the city of Sirnak. This is merely
an excuse to kill Kurdish civilians. An inhabitant of Sirnak
managed to make a telephone call to the Human Rights Association
in Diyarbakir saying that the Turkish government was using
helicopters and German made Panzers to bombard the city and destroy
it. He also said "In the attack, which has now lasted more than 48
hours, more than half of the city has been destroyed. The house of
the mayor, and the shop underneath are burning. There are large
numbers of dead. The massacre is continuing. The international
media has to be informed."

Another inhabitant said:"Now the areas of Guzelyurt, Gazi,
Imetpasa, Cumhuriyet, are all burnt and destroyed. The soldiers are
pouring petrol on the shops and houses, then firing from 5 to 6
metres away and setting them on fire. Special counter insurgency
teams are now taking the electrical goods from the shops and
loading them on the military vehicles. A fridge which was too heavy
for them was destroyed by fire from M16 machine guns. For two days
there has been no water, no electricity, and no food."

We call on all progressive and democratic governments and peoples
to stop the massacre which is being perpetrated by the Turkish
government against the Kurdish people.

Kurdistan Committees in Europe


21 August 1992

LATEST NEWS FROM SIRNAK

Hundreds of civilians have been killed by the Turkish troops in
Sirnak. We cannot get exact numbers because of the information
embargo which has been put on the city. People are forbidden to
move in or out of the city centre, or leave their houses. Telephone
lines have been cut. No journalists have been permitted to enter
the city except for the Hurriyet (Turkish newspaper) correspondent.
Villagers living near Sirnak have informed the Human Rights
Association of Diyarbakir that the nearby villages of Hestan, Dehla
Biye and Zorova have been bombed. The Turkish troops have refused
to allow the injured to be moved to hospitals outside Sirnak, and
many of them are dying for lack of treatment. The Human Rights
Association is gravely concerned about the lack of water, food and
electricity in the city. Their latest bulletin lists terrible
scenes:

30 dead bodies of civilians dumped in the garden of the hospital

9 bodies buried by police this morning 

100 houses set on fire by police officers

All shops and cars destroyed by police

List of identified dead and wounded to date

Hezni Erkol
Zehra Koval
Halime Kurtel
Suleyman Kurtel
Mahmut Attaman - house destroyed, whole family mortally wounded
Salih Balik - house destroyed, whole family wounded
Salih Ozgur pinar - house destroyed

The Human Rights Association is calling on all journalists and all
who respect the right to life to take steps against this massacre
immediately and send delegations of foreign observers to the
region. The presence of foreign observers is absolutely vital as
it is the only way of deterring the Turkish army from continuing
their attack.


PRESS STATEMENT

NO GUERRILLA RAIDS ON SIRNAK - TURKISH STATE COMMITS MASSACRE

On 18 August 1992 Turkish forces claimed that the PKK had raided
the city of Sirnak. Sirnak was put under siege. All roads in and
out of Sirnak were blocked. The true events of the next three days
including their atrocities were covered up by the Turkish state.

The crime which was committed in Sirnak was not only committed
against Kurdish people but against all the people of the world,
because Kurdish people are fighting for human dignity, human
values, and to establish a republic in which these values are
respected. It is our duty to tell people the truth about what
happened in Sirnak.

Although no guerrilla unit raided the city of Sirnak on 18 August
the Turkish state used its media to tell the world that government
and military buildings in Sirnak had been raided by 1000-1500 PKK
guerrillas. The Turkish military used this as an excuse to attack
the city with Helicopters, tanks, Panzers, APCs, and counter
insurgency and commando forces. The areas where a majority of
Kurdish patriots live was totally destroyed. The commandos and
police shot at random at women, children, youths, elders, killing
and wounding them by the hundred. Houses of Kurdish patriots were
marked and inhabitants were dragged out and shot without attempt
at arrest or trial. The regional governor and Minister of the
Interior made a statement that the army was fired at from inside
the houses in order to legitimise their massacre.

We must stress that if there had been up to 1000 guerrillas in
Sirnak the regional governor and Minister of the Interior would
have had to think twice about flying in to Sirnak by helicopter.

An eyewitness reported:"The areas of Guzelyurt, Gazi, Imetpasa,
Cumhuriyet, have been destroyed. The soldiers are pouring petrol
on the houses, then firing form 5 to 6 metres away and setting them
on fire. Special counter insurgency teams are now taking the
electrical goods from the shops and loading them on the military
vehicles. For two days there has been no water, no electricity, and
no food."

WHY MASSACRE THE PEOPLE? WHY IN SIRNAK?

The Kurdish people have reached the stage where they are able to
govern themselves. With their leadership and guerrilla army they
will be able to live freely and independently, and to establish
their unity as a people. They are in the process to establish a
National Assembly and national army, and this means an end to the
Turkish state in Kurdistan. The massacres were committed by the
Turkish state to prevent this historical step.

They have tried the same trick twice in Sirnak, now and during
Newroz. It will never work. It can't stop the struggle of the
Kurdish people for freedom and independence.

There was a bloodbath in Sirnak. The press and independent
observers are still being prevented from seeing the inhabitants and
the damage done to the city. Houses are still full of the corpses
of innocent civilians and the streets are full of dead animals.
Seventy per cent of the city has been destroyed. The damage to the
city runs into millions of pounds. People have been left homeless
and in dire poverty.

We repeat the call made by the people of Sirnak to the
international governments and media to send independent observers
to the area to investigate.

ERNK EUROPEAN REPRESENTATIVE


--
                     Autonome Forum: aforum at moose.uvm.edu
                          "Solidarity is a Weapon!"
--

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Tue Sep  8 07:02:07 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Mon, 07 Sep 1992 23:02:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AF/ATS: Kurdish journalist murdered
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc65b.087@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AF/ATS: Kurdish journalist murdered

/* Written  1:17 pm  Sep  7, 1992 by aforum at moose.uvm.edu in cdp:misc.activism. */
/* ---------- "AF/ATS: Kurdish journalist murdered" ---------- */
posted by: AF/ATS

11 August 1992

PRESS RELEASE

WRITER HUSEYIN DENIZ HAS NOW BEEN MURDERED TOO!

Gundem newspaper correspondent, writer and member of International
PEN, Huseyin Deniz, resident of Ceylanpinar (the Kurdish province
of Urfa) was subject to an armed attack two days ago and died
yesterday. He was shot in the head from behind at close range. He
died in hospital.

Huseyin Deniz has been working as a journalist in the Kurdish
region for the past ten years and also researched on folklore
there. Along with writing a column in our paper and working as a
correspondent he reported for the National News Agency and
Cumhuriyet newspaper and his work was frequently published in books
and research papers from his post in Ceylanpinar.

The attack was the third attack on Gundem personnel within the last
ten days. Last week, Diyarbakir/Gercus correspondent Yahya Orhan
was killed and after that our Diyarbakir correspondent Burhan
Karadeniz was the victim of an armed attack in which he was
seriously wounded.

What is the reason for this slaughter of journalists?

For the past 3 months our daily newspaper has drawn attention to
reports concerning state terror, abuses and torture in the Kurdish
region along with the operations of the contra-guerrillas. As with
the murder of our colleague Hafiz Akdemir two months ago, the
perpetrators have not been identified. Moreover, government
spokesmen have not even considered it necessary to denounce these
attacks upon our members of the press. This increases our
suspicions that the killers are being protected. The official
inquiry into the Huseyin Deniz case raises these further. After the
event, relatives of Deniz who informed our paper stated that a
vehicle belonging to the civilian police had been stationed outside
the Viransehir office of our correspondent for a considerable
period and that those who came and went had been under
surveillance. Only prior to this morning's attack, no police were
seen anywhere near the workplace. Eye witnesses said that two
unknown youths ran from the scene of the attack for no apparent
reason. 

We call upon all members of the press worldwide who seek to report
the truth to take a stand against this slaughter of Kurdish
journalist.

Hasan Bildirici
Gundem Editor in Chief


--
                     Autonome Forum: aforum at moose.uvm.edu
                          "Solidarity is a Weapon!"
--

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Sat Sep 12 08:36:40 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1992 00:36:40 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Killing of Journalists in Turkey
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc65c.928@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: Killing of Journalists in Turkey

Subject: IPI concerned about murder of journalists in Turkey
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 9:23:30 PDT

	ANKARA, Turkey (UPI) -- International Press Institute director Peter
Galiner said Tuesday his organization was concerned about the killing of
eight journalists in southeastern Turkey in the past few months.
	Galiner, who was addressing a news conference after holding
discussions with Turkish officials, was referring to the killing of
eight journalists in southeastern Turkey since February.
	The murders occurred against a background of a bitter struggle
between the Turkish security forces and separatist guerrillas affiliated
to the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK.
	The IPI chief said ``the absence of any response (by the Turkish
authorities) to the numerous expressions of our concern has led to
avoidable misunderstanding.''
	However, he said, ``the IPI was relieved to record the categorical
statements made by Prime Minister Sulayman Demirel that his anguish
would be matched by a determination to bring the perpetrators of these
crimes of violence to justice.''
	During his stay in Turkey, Galiner held discussions with Demirel and
Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin, who assured him that steps were being
taken to bring the killers to justice.



From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Mon Sep 14 05:53:10 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1992 21:53:10 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: News
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc65d.d4a@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: News

/* Written  5:38 pm  Sep 13, 1992 by cs at matilda.vut.edu.au in cdp:soc.culture.tu */
/* ---------- "News" ---------- */



   From Melbourne 3EA radio Turkish news:

   Guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party ( PKK ) attacked
   Turkish Petroleum Camp at Sason and killed three workers.
   One geologist and two petroleum engineers.


   Name  'Workers Party' but killing unarmed workers!

   Coskun 

From hrcoord at igc.apc.org  Fri Sep 25 18:31:33 1992
From: hrcoord at igc.apc.org (hrcoord at igc.apc.org)
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1992 10:31:33 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: News
References: <APC.1.0.54efc65d.d4a@igc.apc.org>
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc669.7e1@igc.apc.org>

This week's issue of the New Yorker Magazine (9.28.92) has an
article on the Kurds and Kurdistan that is very well written (I
thought so anyway - others will certainly have their own opinion).

Debra Guzman

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Wed Sep 16 07:19:52 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 23:19:52 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AI EX074/92 TURKEY Fear of torture
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc65e.4f4@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI EX074/92 TURKEY Fear of torture

/* Written  8:22 pm  Sep 14, 1992 by gn:rmitchellai in cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI EX074/92 TURKEY Fear of torture" ---------- */
Subject: AI EX074/92 TURKEY Fear of torture

EXTERNAL (for general distribution)        AI Index: EUR 44/83/92
                                           Distr: UA/SC       

EXTRA 74/92            Fear of Torture     4 September 1992

TURKEY:                Diyadin Koc, electrician aged 30
										
										
			(cedilla on the c)

Amnesty International has recently learned that on 15 August 1992,
Diyadin Ko
, board member of the People's Labour Party (HEP) in
Diyarbakir, was detained. It is not known to Amnesty International
where in Diyarbakir he is being held in incommunicado detention. He
is said to have been severely tortured [presumably witnessed by
fellow-detainees who have been released meanwhile] and his family
fear for his life. Under current legislation he may be held until 15
September.  

   On and around 15 August, the anniversary of the day when the
Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) started its insurgency against the
security forces eight years ago, scores of people were detained in the
Kurdish provinces under State of Emergency.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Turkey has a Kurdish ethnic minority which is estimated to number
some 10 million people, living mainly in southeastern Turkey. Since
August 1984, when guerrillas of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK)
started armed attacks against the security forces, an alarming number
of reports of ill-treatment of detainees by the security forces have
come from the eastern and southeastern provinces. Furthermore, 
allegations of over 100 extrajudicial executions have been received
during the past 12 months. More than 4,000 lives have so far been lost
on both sides and among the civilian population in the context of the
continuing fighting. Emergency legislation is in force in 10 provinces in
the region and the Emergency Legislation Governor in Diyarbakir has
extraordinary powers over three additional provinces. 

   Turkey ratified the European Convention for the Prevention of
Torture on 25 February 1988 and the UN Convention Against Torture
on 2 August 1988. However, all information available to Amnesty
International indicates that torture is still widespread and systematic in
Turkey. Most allegations relate to ill-treatment of detainees in police
custody during their initial interrogation when they are usually denied
access to relatives or a lawyer. In August 1990, the government
derogated from Articles 5, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 13 of the European
Convention on Human Rights, all of which contain important
safeguards for human rights. Under current legislation the maximum
period a detainee may be held before being formally charged or
released is 24 hours; in cases involving three or more suspects or due
to the 'nature of the crime' it may be extended to 15 days. This period
may be extended to 30 days in areas under emergency legislation or
martial law. A State of Emergency is in force in Diyarbakir province.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and airmail letters:

- urging that Diyadin Koc is granted prompt access to his family and
lawyer;

- seeking assurances that he is not ill-treated while being held in
police custody;

- requesting to be informed of any charges brought against him.

APPEALS TO:

Emergency Legislation Governor:

Mr Unal Erkan                 [Salutation: Dear Governor]
Olaganustu Hal Valisi
Diyarbakir, Turkey
Telegrams:      Olaganustu Hal Valisi, Diyarbakir, Turkey
Telexes:  72110 OHVT TR; 72084 DYVA TR  
										
"please forward to the Governor"; 
          72090 JASY TR

Minister of the Interior:

Mr Ismet Sezgin               [Salutation: Dear Minister]
Icisleri Bakanligi
06644 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:      Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:  46369 ICSL TR
Faxes:    + 90 4 418 1795

Prime Minister:

Mr Suleyman Demirel           [Salutation: Dear Prime Minister]
Office of the Prime Minister 
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:      Prime Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:  44061/44062/44063 bbmt tr; 42099 basb tr; 42875 bbk tr
Faxes:    + 90 4 417 04 76 PRIME MINISTER; + 90 4 230 88 96 
          (attn: Prime Minister)

COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO: 

President of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission:

Insan Haklari Arastirma Komisyonu Baskani
TBMM
Ankara, Turkey

and to the diplomatic representative of Turkey in your country - see
the responses to this topic for further details.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. 

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Wed Sep 16 07:22:07 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 23:22:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AI UA279/92 TURKEY Killings
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc65f.587@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI UA279/92 TURKEY Killings

/* Written  8:36 pm  Sep 14, 1992 by gn:rmitchellai in cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI UA279/92 TURKEY Killings" ---------- */
Subject: AI UA279/92 TURKEY Killings

EXTERNAL (for general distribution)              AI Index: EUR 44/85/92
                                                 Distr: UA/SC       

UA 279/92  Killing and Wounding of Civilians/    4 September 1992
                  Fear of Torture

TURKEY:    Among those civilians killed were:

           Hezni Erkol            Guler Sokmen, aged 13
           Zehra Koval            Veysi Sokmen, aged 6
           Halime Kurtel          Sema Sokmen, aged 9
           Suleyman Kurtel        Kumru Gungen
           Abdulaziz Besin        Gulum Gungen, aged 6
           Haci Kilic             Menive Gungen, aged 14 
           Yusuf Vatan            Ibrahim Artuc
           Yusuf Yaman

           Among those wounded are:

Abdullah Atsiz            Gule Artuc, aged 1     Salih Altan
Ayse Artuc, aged 4        Ahmet Yildirim         Remziye Artuc, aged 10
Ahmet Vatan               Mehdi Artuc, aged 12   Abdurahman Balta
Vesile Artuc, aged 35     Fatma Balta            Kadriye Artuc, aged 6
Orhan Uysal               Haci Gungen            Abdurahman Dure
Saadet Gulec, aged 10     Suleyman ....          Meryem Beter, aged 65

Reportedly at least 15 civilians named above, including five children,
were killed by security forces in the Kurdish town of Sirnak in
southeastern Turkey between the night of Tuesday, 18 August 1992,
and noon on the following Friday 21 August. Four members of the
security forces were also killed. The exact circumstances in which the
killings took place are not known. Five hundred people were detained
in Sirnak by the security forces, many of whom have been released,
but around 140 remain in detention and there are fears that they may
be ill-treated during interrogation.

   Initially it was reported that government buildings in Sirnak were
attacked by large numbers of guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) on the night of 18 August and that the security forces
responded by bombing, heavy shelling and firing on houses and shops
over the next 48 hours. Subsequently, the PKK denied that they had
launched an attack. According to the newspaper Turkish Daily News of
24 August, journalists who arrived in Sirnak following a limited lifting
of the curfew which had been imposed after the events: " [R]eported
they were prevented from speaking to local political officials by the
police, and there was no way to get an objective account of what had
happened between last Tuesday night and Friday noon. Reportedly
those who managed to approach reporters in secrecy could only say
they were under fire for two days and claim that tanks and cannons
were used to hit buildings occupied by civilians."

   Thousands of people have fled Sirnak and are living in makeshift
accommodation. There have been further reports of attacks on civilians
in villages surrounding Sirnak.

On 26 August, Amnesty International called on the Turkish Prime
Minister, Suleyman Demirel, to initiate immediately an independent,
impartial inquiry into the events in Sirnak, especially the killings, and
to make the findings public. The organization also urged that all steps
were taken to ensure that no one was ill-treated in police custody.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Turkey has a Kurdish ethnic minority which is estimated to number
some 10 million people, living mainly in southeastern Turkey. Since
August 1984, when guerrillas of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK)
started armed attacks against the security forces, an alarming number
of reports of ill-treatment of detainees by the security forces have
come from the eastern and southeastern provinces. Furthermore, 
allegations of over 100 extrajudicial executions have been received
during the past 12 months. More than 4,000 lives have so far been lost
on both sides and among the civilian population in the context of the
continuing fighting. Emergency legislation is in force in 10 provinces in
the region and the Emergency Legislation Governor in Diyarbakir has
extraordinary powers over three additional provinces. 

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and airmail letters:

- calling for a thorough and impartial investigation to be carried out
without delay into the events in Sirnak between 18 and 21 August
1992, in particular all killings and wounding of civilians, including those
named above, by the security forces, and for its findings to be made
public;

- urging that all steps are taken to ensure that those held in police
custody are not ill-treated.

APPEALS TO:

Prime Minister:

Mr Suleyman Demirel       [Salutation: Dear Prime Minister]
Office of the Prime Minister 
Basbakanlik                         
06573 Ankara, Turkey                     
Telegrams:        Prime Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:   44061/44062/44063 bbmt tr; 42099 basb tr; 42875 bbk tr
Faxes:     + 90 4 417 04 76 PRIME MINISTER; + 90 4 230 88 96
(attn: Prime Minister)

Minister of the Interior:

Mr Ismet Sezgin           [Salutation: Dear Minister]
Icisleri Bakanligi
06644 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:        Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:   46369 ICSL TR
Faxes:     + 90 4 418 1795

Emergency Legislation Governor:

Mr nal Erkan             [Salutation: Dear Governor]
Olaganustu Hal Valisi
Diyarbakir, Turkey
Telegrams:        Olaganustu Hal Valisi, Diyarbakir, Turkey
Telexes:   72110 OHVT TR; 72084 DYVA TR  "please forward to the
Governor"; 72090 JASY TR

Governor of Sirnak Province:

Mr Mustafa Malay          [Salutation: Dear Governor]
Sirnak Valiligi
Sirnak, Turkey
Telegrams:        Sirnak Valisi, Sirnak, Turkey

COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:

President of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission:
Insan Haklari Arastirma Komisyonu Baskani
TBMM
Ankara, Turkey

and to the diplomatic representative for Turkey in your country - see 
the responses to this topic for further details.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. 

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Wed Sep 16 07:26:16 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 23:26:16 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: AI FI149/92 TURKEY Death threats
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc660.690@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: AI FI149/92 TURKEY Death threats

/* Written  9:20 pm  Sep 14, 1992 by gn:rmitchellai in cdp:ai.uan */
/* ---------- "AI FI149/92 TURKEY Death threats" ---------- */
EXTERNAL (for general distribution)        AI Index: EUR 44/88/92
                                           Distr: UA/SC       

                                           11 September 1992

Further information on UA 149/92 (EUR 44/44/92, 8
May 1992) and correction to EUR 44/44/92, 11 May
1992 - Death threats/Fear of Extrajudicial Execution

TURKEY:   Leyla Zana (female) [independent MP for Diyarbakir]
          Sedat Yurttas  [MP for Diyarbakir]
          Hatip Dicle [independent MP for Diyarbakir]
          Zubeyir Aydar [independent MP for Siirt]
          Dogu Perincek [Publisher]
          Yalcin Kucuk [Writer and publisher]
          Musa Anter [Writer]
          Mahmut Alinak [MP for Sirnak]
          Ahmet Turk [independent MP for Mardin]
          Sedat Edip Bucak [MP for Sanliurfa]
          Salih Sumer [MP for Diyarbakir]
          Mahmut Uyanik [MP for Diyarbakir]
          Sirri Sakik [MP for Mus]
          Muzaffer Arikan [MP for Mardin]
          Adnan Ekman [MP for Batman]
          Orhan Dogan [independent MP for Cizre]
          Selim Sadak [independent MP for Sirnak]
          Nizamettin Tonguc [independent MP for Batman]
          Abdulkerim Zilan [MP for Batman]
          Mehmet Sincar [independent MP for Mardin]
          Yavuz Binbay  [IHD president in Van]
          Cabbar Laygara, lawyer from Diyarbakir
          Sekvan Aytu [IHD President in Sirnak]
          Baris Mustakhan [correspondent for foreign newspaper]
          Hasim Hasimi [Mayor of Cizre]
          Faik Tunefan [IHD member, Istanbul]
          mer Hazar [IHD member, Istanbul]
          Dr Ata Soyer [Central Council member of the Union of
                        Turkish Doctors]

Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of Yavuz Binbay,
President of the Human Rights Association in Van, eastern Turkey
who has continued to receive numerous death threats since those
included in the leaflet purportedly issued by a group calling itself
"Islami Cihad-B (Islami Yumruk)" which means "Islamic Holy War-B
(Fist of Islam)". It threatened him and 27 other people named above,
as well as journalists of certain newspapers and the guerrillas of the
Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) with death. 

During incidents on the occasion of Newroz, the Kurdish New Year
which is celebrated on 21 March, Yavuz Binbay, a Kurd and human
rights activist, was beaten almost to death by security officers in front
of the local police chief who rescued him. He was taken to hospital
unconscious and treated in the intensive care unit for injuries to his
head and chest. He suffered six fractures to his skull and a crack in
the orbit of his eye as well as a series of heart attacks following the
assault. He still requires surgery to remove blood clots formed as a
consequence of the attack. His shop was reportedly destroyed. On 3
April he was arrested on charges of unlawful assembly and
demonstration, collective criminal damage, separatist propaganda and
resisting arrest and was sent from hospital to Elazig prison in a very
poor state of health. The trial in which he stands accused as one of 94
defendants, opened on 6 July in Diyarbakir State Security Court. After
the hearing he and all imprisoned defendants were released
conditionally. The trial continues.

While Yavuz Binbay was in prison, a police car reportedly smashed
into his wife's car and attempted to force it off the road. On the
evening of 29 August, Yavuz Binbay's car, parked in front of his
house, was heavily damaged by acid and by being struck with a hard
object. 

Although none of the 28 people named above has been killed, five
journalists and local correspondents working for the group of
newspapers specifically mentioned in the leaflet have been victims of
mysterious attacks since it was issued. Four have been killed by
unidentified assailants and one survived, paralysed by a shot in the
back of his neck (see UA 258/92, EUR 44/70/92 of 6 August 1992,
and UA 262/92, EUR 44/72/92 of 11 August 1992). No serious
investigations into the killings appear to be taking place and the
Turkish Prime Minister is reported to have commented on their deaths
by saying, "Those killed were not real journalists. They were militants
in the guise of journalists. They kill each other".

Yavuz Binbay continues to receive death threats by telephone and
there is grave concern for his safety.

FURTHER RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send
telegrams/telexes/faxes/express/airmail letters:

- expressing grave concern for the safety of human rights activist Yavuz
Binbay in view of continuing death threats;

- noting the fact that more than 100 people have been killed in the
Kurdish provinces this year in circumstances leading to allegations of
extrajudicial execution and that no serious investigations appear to
have been carried out into these unsolved murders;

- recommending that an independent commission is established to
investigate such allegations according to the United Nations Principles
on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal, Arbitrary
and Summary Executions;

- urging that all necessary steps are taken to prevent such further
killings.

APPEALS TO:

Minister of the Interior:

Mr Ismet Sezgin               [Salutation: Dear Minister]
Icisleri Bakanligi
06644 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:      Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:  46369 ICSL TR
Faxes:    + 90 4 418 1795

Prime Minister:

Mr Suleyman Demirel           [Salutation: Dear Prime Minister]
Office of the Prime Minister 
Basbakanlik
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams:      Prime Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes:  44061/44062/44063 bbmt tr; 42099 basb tr; 42875 bbk tr
Faxes:    + 90 4 417 04 76 PRIME MINISTER; + 90 4 230 88 96
(attn: Prime Minister)

COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:

General Dogan Gures
Chief of the Turkish General Staff
Bakanliklar
06100 Ankara, Turkey

and to the diplomatic representative for Turkey in your country - see 
the responses to this topic for further details.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.  

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Wed Sep 16 08:04:07 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1992 00:04:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Rafsanjani holds talks with Turkish
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc661.107@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: Rafsanjani holds talks with Turkish

/* Written  9:29 am  Sep 15, 1992 by mtaghavi at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu in cdp:soc.culture.ir */
/* ---------- "Rafsanjani holds talks with Turkish" ---------- */

	ATHENS, Greece (UPI) -- Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
held discussions in Tehran with Turkish Interior Minister Ismet Sezgin
Monday and the two sides stressed the need for closer cooperation in
regional affairs, Tehran radio said.
	Sezgin flew to Tehran last week to discuss security matters along the
two countries' common border, following reports that Kurdish rebels
recently infiltrated into Turkish territory from Iran.
	Tehran radio monitored in Athens did not mention discussions on
security matters, but said the Iranian president deplored ``baseless
rumors in sections of the (Turkish) media, and unsubstantiated claims
that harm cooperation.''
	Iran has denied it allows it territory to be used by guerrillas of
the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, an outlawed Turkisn rebel group
seeking to set up an independent state for the country's estimated 10
million Kurds.
	In Ankara, the Turkish Daily News quoted Sezgin as saying after talks
with other officials on the weekend that he sought Iran's help in
curbing the activities of the PKK.
	Last week, Turkish officials said Sezgin would suggest the two
countries carry out joint operations against rebel groups along their
common border.
	The Istanbul newspaper Hurriyet said Sezgin was accompanied by a team
of intelligence and security experts, with photographs, maps and other
material to prove PKK rebels entered Turkey from Iran to carry out
recent attacks near the border.
	During the weekend, Tehran radio quoted Iranian officials as saying
in talks with Sezgin the Islamic Republic would be ready to cooperate on
security affairs if Ankara stopped the activities of Iranian dissident
groups in Turkey.
	This wss an apparent reference to such Iranian dissidents as the
Mojahedin Khalq, or People's Holy Warrior group, which has a political
office in Turkey.
	The Turkish Daily News quoted Sezgin as saying he has promised
Turkish cooperation against the Mojahedin Khalq, in return for Iranian
cooperation against the PKK.
	The two sides have agreed on ``minimum common interests, including
branding the PKK a terrorist organization,'' the newspaper quoted Sezgin
as saying.
	Present at Sezgin's meeting with Rafsanjani was Iranian Interior
Minister Abdullah Noori, who is concerned with security affairs inside
Iran.
	Tehran radio said Turkish Prime Minister Sulayman Demirel planned to
visit Tehran next month, by which time a solution was expected to be
found to a dispute over a Cypriot ship seized in the Bosphorus strait
with a cargo of arms claimed by Iran.
	Turkey earlier said the arms were destined for PKK rebels, and had
not been declared to the Turkish coast guard before the vessel entered
the Bosphorus.


-- 
        (/          /////////         * *    * *            //    (M)  //
       (/          ((           (0)   (0)    //      ///////////////  //
 MY   (/            ///////     //////////////      //  * *          //
 TM   (///////////////////   ///                 ////               //

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Wed Sep 16 08:04:49 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1992 00:04:49 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Iran, Turkey agree to curb activiti
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc662.131@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: Iran, Turkey agree to curb activiti

/* Written  9:31 am  Sep 15, 1992 by mtaghavi at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu in cdp:soc.culture.ir */
/* ---------- "Iran, Turkey agree to curb activiti" ---------- */

	ATHENS, Greece (UPI) -- Iran and Turkey agreed Tuesday to curb the
activities of dissident groups of either country on the other's
territory, the official Islamic Republic News Agency said.
	The agreement came as Turkish Interior Minister Ismet Sezgin wound up
a five-day visit to Tehran for talks on joint border security following
reports that Kurdish separatist guerrillas recently launched attacks
inside Turkey from Iranian soil.
	An IRNA dispatch monitored in Athens said Sezgin and his Iranian
counterpart, Abdullah Noori, ``signed agreements on combatting terrorism
and drug trafficking'' along the border between the two countries.
	They also agreed to cooperate in safeguarding the security of border
posts, the news agency said.
	Tehran radio said the agreements were contained in a note of
understanding signed by the two interior ministers Tuesday, before
Sezgin left Tehran to return to Ankara.
	IRNA quoted Sezgin as saying ``his country would no longer allow
Iran's opposition to conduct counterrevolutionary activities from
Turkish soil.''
	But Sezgin denied that such Iranian rebel groups as the Komaleh
party, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, the Mojahedin Khalq
organization and supporters of the former Iranian Crown Prince Reza
Pahlavi were active against Iran on Turkish soil.
	He reportedly said that ``even if they have a base (in Turkey) and
engaged in activities against Iran, Turkey will stop them.''
	For his part, the Iranian interior minister denied that guerrillas of
the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, a Turkish rebel group, used Iranian
soil to launch attacks against targets in Turkey.
	Noori said Sezgin ``raised two cases in this regard but after
investigations it became evident that Iran had no part in them.''
	Before Sezgin left Ankara last week, Turkish officials said he would
propose joint operations with Iran on border security, but added the
proposal would be made if he found the atmosphere of the talks to be
suitable.
	Neither Sezgin nor Noori, who held a press conference together
Tuesday, made any reference to joint border oeprations.
	IRNA said the two sides agreed to set up a 10-member joint committee
``to examine regularly the issue of opposition groups in either country,
'' at meetings to be held once a month alternatively in Tehran and
Ankara.
	Last month, a group of about 500 PKK rebels attacked a border post at
Semdinli, near the point where the borders of Iran, Turkey and Iraq
meet.
	Reports in Ankara said that after the attack, the group was seen
fleeing across the border into Iranian territory, where they boarded
waiting trucks and got away.
	After the incident, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian
charge d'affaires and protested that Iran was allowing the PKK to use
its territory.
	The PKK is a Marxist guerrilla group seeking to set up an independent
Kurdish state on Turkish soil. As of March this year, the group has
sharply stepped up its attacks on the Turkish security forces.


-- 
        (/          /////////         * *    * *            //    (M)  //
       (/          ((           (0)   (0)    //      ///////////////  //
 MY   (/            ///////     //////////////      //  * *          //
 TM   (///////////////////   ///                 ////               //

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Thu Sep 17 07:12:21 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1992 23:12:21 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Turkish military launch big securit
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc663.315@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: Turkish military launch big securit

/* Written  9:37 am  Sep 16, 1992 by mtaghavi at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu in cdp:soc.culture.ir */
/* ---------- "Turkish military launch big securit" ---------- */

	ANKARA, Turkey (UPI) -- Army units backed by air force jets launched a
big security operation in the Mount Cudi area in southeastern Turkey for
the second time in two weeks Wednesday to clear the region of Kurdish
rebels, officials said.
	The operation came a day after Interior Minister Ismet Sezgin
returned from a five-day visit to Tehran where he signed an agreement in
which Iran and Turkey each pledged to curb the activities of dissident
groups of the other country on its soil.
	Military and Interior Ministry officials said the ground forces,
backed by air force jets, swept into the Tiket area of Mount Cudi, close
to the Iraqi border, blasting suspected hideouts of Kurdish rebels with
rocket fire.
	Officials said F-104s, F-4s and F-5s were used in the operations, but
casualty figures were not immediately available.
	The operation was aimed at flushing the area of guerrillas affiliated
with the outlawed Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, a Marxist group seeking
to set up an independent state and known to operate from hideouts on
Mount Cudi and from bases in Iraq.
	Wednesday's operation was the second in about two weeks. Similar
operations were also launched in the Mount Cudi area last fall.
	Regional Gov. Unal Erken, who enforces emergency rule in the
southeastern provinces where the PKK rebels have been active since 1984,
told reporters after the operation early this month that five PKK
hideouts were found in Mount Cudi area.
	Tuesday, Sezgin told reporters on his return from Iran that the
agreement he reached with Iranian Interior Minister Abdullah Noori
covered security problems on the common border between the two
countries.
	Sezgin also held discussions with Iranian President Hashemi
Rafsanjani during his five-day stay.
	He said the Tehran agreement was similar to a border security
protocol he signed with Syria in April, when he visited Damascus and
held talks with President Hafez Assad and Syrian Interior Minister
Mohammed Harba.


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From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Sun Sep 20 01:04:36 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1992 17:04:36 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: ARMENIA: Flirtation with Turkish Ku
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc664.124@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: ARMENIA: Flirtation with Turkish Ku

/* Written 12:13 am  Sep 17, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "ARMENIA: Flirtation with Turkish Ku" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: ARMENIA: Flirtation with Turkish Kurdish guerrillas


an inter press service feature

by james m. dorsey

yerevan, armenia, sep 14 (ips) -- in a clear message to turkey,
armenia has allowed anti-turkish kurdish guerrillas to visit
yerevan and seek support among the kurdish population of the
former soviet republic, say government officials and kurdish
sources.

last week's visit to armenia by three senior officials of the
kurdistan workers' party (pkk) -- aidin razgar, ali sipan and the
turkish kurdish singer shamdin -- came against the backdrop of
armenian frustration with turkey's rejection of its attempts to
establish economic and diplomatic relations.

a militant marxist-leninist group, the pkk has been waging a
guerrilla war in turkey for the past eight years which has left at
least 4,000 people dead.

the visit to armenia was one of several by officials of the pkk
since early this year, said amarike sardash, editor of ria taza
(the new way), the only kurdish-language newspaper in the former
soviet union published in yerevan.

''many turkish kurds come who are members of the pkk. their main
interest is in the life of our community,'' sardash said. an
estimated 60,000 kurds, mostly yezdis who worship the sun, live in
armenia.

although government officials deny they were aware of the one-
week visit before the arrival of the pkk representatives, the
guerrillas were allowed to organise and address a huge fund-
raising concert under the auspices of ria taza, according to
mhoian shakro, head of the kurdish department of the institute of
oriental studies of the armenian academy of sciences.

''the pkk reminded the armenians that kurds live on both sides of
the armenian-turkish border. during the concert they talked about
the need for cooperation between the armenians and the
kurds,''shakro said.

he added that inn his speech pkk leader aidin razgar said they
were prepared to sacrifice two-thirds of their people to achieve
their goal of an independent kurdish state.

he said an estimated 400 people attended the concert, the
proceeds of which went to the pkk. government officials said they
had refused to meet with the pkk, but did not seem upset with the
visit which was certain to provoke irritation in the corridors of
the ankara government.(more/ips)

armenia: flirtation with turkish kurdish guerrillas(2-e)

armenia: flirtation (2)

''we speak only with the representatives of turkish power,'' said
presidential spokesman ruben shugarian giving a detailed account
of failed armenian attempts to establish relations with turkey
blamed by armenian for the 1915 genocide in which 1.5 million
armenians are believed to have been killed.

mourad bodjolian, head of the armenian foreign ministry's turkish
desk, said the pkk representatives had come ''to give information
on their movement and hear our opinions. the fact that the
armenian government refused to meet them speaks for itself.''

while most armenian officials reject the notion of armenian
support for the kurdish armed struggle in turkey, armenia's chief
representative in moscow, feliks mamikonian, has warned that
turkish rejection of armenian overtures could lead to the fall of
the government of levon ter petrossian.

he said petrossian could be succeeded by someone more inclined
to allow the pkk to operate from armenian territory.

during their visit to yeravan, the pkk held talks with
dashnaktsutiun, the armenian party founded at the end of the last
century with branches among the armenian community worldwide which
seeks to restore armenia to its historic borders including those
parts in present day turkey's eastern anatolia.

''we met with the pkk several times in yerevan. we don't help
them but we cooperate. we reached an agreement to exchange
information...our aim is to realise our territorial claims,'' said
rouben hovespian a well-known armenian writer who heads
dshnaktsutiun's armenian branch.

turkish fears of an armenian-kurdish alliance date back to early
this century although armenians charge that kurds played a key
role in the 1915 massacring of their people. ''today's kurds are
not the mercenaries of the past. they are in the same situation as
armenians were during the genocide,'' hovespian said.

kurds reject the charge although they admit that individual
sheiks and kurdish gangs did have blood on their hands.

''today armenians and kurds believe that their survival and the
defence of their nations depends on cooperation. one must take
into account that the (armenian-turkish) border is mainly with the
kurds. there are also many kurds on the armenian side of the
border,'' shakro said.

with major kurdish concentrations in turkey, iraq and iran and
smaller communities in syria, lebanon and armenia, both western
and arab nations fear that kurdish independence would involve a
radical drawing of the middle eastern map.

giving expression to his dismay with western opposition to
kurdish aspirations, shakro quotes ziamanto, an armenian poet, who
wrote after the 1915 genocide: ''justice, let me spit in your
face.'' says shakro: ''it's like the jews saying: 'god died in
auschwitz.'''(end/ips/rp/jmd/cdm/92)


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Sun Sep 20 01:10:45 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1992 17:10:45 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: TURKEY/IRAN: More than nothing, les
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc665.2ad@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: TURKEY/IRAN: More than nothing, les

/* Written 12:11 am  Sep 18, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "TURKEY/IRAN: More than nothing, les" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: TURKEY/IRAN: More than nothing, less than hoped for from accord


istanbul, sep 15 (ips/nadire mater) -- turkey won agreement from
iran on a joint anti-terrorism protocol tuesday but not without
making concessions on a carefully drafted text -- designed to to
circumvent the wide differences between the two competing nations.

greeting the signing in teheran tuesday with smiles, turkey's
interior minister izmet sezgin said the cooperation deal would
bring peace to the region. ''we have condemned terrorism jointly''
he told journalists, though his iranian opposite number abdullah
nuri limited himself to saying there were no problems. ''we are
ready for cooperation,'' he added.

missing from the event were the kurdish guerrillas of the kurdish
workers party (pkk) whose reported operations against turkish
government targets from iranian bases drove ankara to seek a deal
with iran -- its prickly neighbour for several centuries.

in a concession to the iranians the pkk were not named once in
the 13 clause accord -- though they cast a long shadow over the
proceedings. late last month a reported force 500 pkk guerrillas
attacked a turkish base at alan on the iranian border -- some 43
ppk and 10 turkish troops were said by ankara to have died in the
ten hour firefight that followed.

ankara further claimed that the pkk used an iranian base on the
other side of the border during the attack. sezgin took to teheran
documents he said ''proved'' the pkk ran bases inside iran and
handed over a videotape of the interrogation of a pkk prisoner who
confirmed the claim -- adding for good measure than one camp was
commanded by osman ocalan, brother of pkk leader abdullah.

iran flatly denied all the claims -- a sticking point that
threatened to scupper the whole accord -- but from monday iranian
president hashemi rafsanjani and his chief aide hassan habibi were
telling sezgin that something should be done.

''should we not fight against terror, the blood of the victims
would be on our hands,'' said the iranian leader in a statement.
''it is not only that we have to fight against terror, we are
fated to fight against it.''

but identifying the targets by name was too much for both sides.
in spite of turkish insistence, the pkk was deleted by name from
the accord under iranian pressure; similarly the turkish anatolian
news agency reported that ankara had its own objections to naming
iranian political and military opponents.

they reported that in his meeting with sezgin, rafsanjani raised
the issue of iranian dissidents -- from the mujaheedin through to
members of the iranian kurdish democratic party and various pro-
shah groups -- still active in turkey. (more/ips)

turkey/iran: more than nothing, less than hoped for from accord(2-e)

turkey/iran: more than nothing (2)

iran requested that all ''anti-iranian'' activities being
conducted in turkey -- including democratic ones -- be stopped and
the dissidents expelled or returned to iran without conditions.

turkey cited its own constitution and said that they could only
ban the activities of groups advocating armed struggle -- to
which, as the anatolian news agency reported, the iranians advised
turkey to get a new constitution.

to circumvent this dispute, the two nations settled on a careful
wording to the effect that ''terrorist organisations and the
activities of dissident groups are evaluated within the framework
of the laws of the country in which they operate''.

agreement was in part motivated by iran's obsevance of turkish
cross-border military operations against the pkk in iraq, and the
much reported comments of turkish president turgut ozal that had
he been leading the troops defending the base at alan he would
have ordered his forces into iran in pursuit of the pkk attackers.

iran dislikes the idea of turkey establishing a regional
powerbase on their doorstep and competing with them for the hearts
and minds of the area's muslim nations. ankara's support for the
u.s. led military coalition against iraq in the gulf war also
rankled and worried teheran.

however the extent of iran's willingness to abide by the accord
is by no means certain. sezgin told journalists monday that habibi
had told him that iran was determined to fight terrorism, ''even
if we don't cooperate with you (turkey)''.

the accord signed tuesday, suggests differently, promising ''the
mutual precautions to encce border security''.

to underline the military implications, the commander of turkey's
paramilitary gendarmes esref bitlis, chief of staff of the
security forces yilmaz ergun and turkish intelligence joined
sezgin on his visit.

to follow up, turkish prime minister suleyman demirel is to visit
iran at the end of october and sezgin and nuri will meet again in
a fortnight in ankara to start up a joint ministerial committee to
exchange intelligence.

but despite this analysts here recalled sezgin's april visit  to
syria with a very similar entourage and a similar mission.

as with the iranian trip, sezgin said that all turkey's aims had
been achieved. but there are continued reports that the pkk
continue its operations in the syrian controlled bek'aa valley and
that its leader ocalan is in damascus. (end/ips/rp/nm/rj/92)


From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Sun Sep 20 01:16:29 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1992 17:16:29 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: TURKEY: School shortage forces 20,0
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc666.41d@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: TURKEY: School shortage forces 20,0

/* Written 12:12 am  Sep 19, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "TURKEY: School shortage forces 20,0" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: TURKEY: School shortage forces 20,000 students to stay home


an inter press service feature

by nadire mater

istanbul, sep 16 (ips) -- the bells tolled ominously this week for
thousands of schoolchildren in turkey with as many as 20,000
forced to stay at home simply because there is no space for them
in the country's overcrowded school system.

besides the overcrowding, there is also the question of security
in the south-eastern provinces of the country -- exacerbated by
the continued racist tension between the minority kurds and the
turkish government.

ips investigations have revealed that as many as 100 students
were squeezed into some classrooms when the september term began
earlier in the week -- a problem which government intends to
tackle by letting schools operate in shifts.

''there were 85 students last year in my class. i couldn't even
remember some of the children's names,'' says nursen idil, 30, a
teacher in bahcelievler, istanbul.

''overpopulated classes are neither good for the quality of the
education, nor for the teachers' working mood. if a student is
active, he/she can steal the whole show in the class, but a quiet
child can be totally forgotten in these overpopulated classes.''

acknowledging the problem, minister of education koksal toptan
has announced that government's solution would be to let the
schools work in three shifts, splitting some classes in two and
others in three to reduce their numbers. this will effectively
reduce the number of school hours for each pupil.

the children most affected by the lacking facilities are those in
the troubled south-eastern region, mainly populated by the kurds
who are also trying to get government to address another matter --
the issue of being taught in their own language.

''we shall establish independent kurdistan, we shall have our own
schools in kurdish, says saban, 10, of the sirnak province.

but the turkish government does not recognise the kurdish
identity and so kurdish students are required to participate, or
at the very least listen to the cry of turkish youths as they
religiously recite this oath at the beginning of every school day:
''i am turkish, i am righteous, i am industrious.''

half in jest, half in defiance, saban has altered the oath to
say: ''i am kurdish, i am righteous, i am industrious.''(more/ips)

turkey: school shortage forces 20,000 students to stay home(2-e)

turkey: school (2)

even though it is reported that 14,000 of the 16,500 teachers who
are scheduled to take up duty in the south-eastern region, it is
not uncommon for teachers to leave these posts after only a short
while on the job.

sociology graduate hacer donem, who was last year assigned to the
south-eastern province of hakkari, stressed that she had nothing
against the kurds. ''but i don't want to be killed in that dirty
war. there is no guarantee from any side not from the pkk
(kurdistan workers party) nor from the state. and the monthly
salary is so small.''

she is of the opinion that it is everyone's right to be taught in
their mother tongue. ''since i don't know any kurdish, why was i
being sent there?'' she asked, having turned down the posting and
opted instead to work in a supermarket in izmir.

teachers' unions generally agree that students should be allowed
tuition in their own language. ''education in one's mother tongue
is a human rights issue rather than an issue of education. the
constitution should be revised to reflect this,'' said niyazi
altunya, chairman of the egitim-is (educators' union).

with so many problems confronting the system educators are
worried about the declining standards of teaching, which is
reflected by the falling literacy rate.

twenty percent of turkey's 56 million population cannot read nor
write according to the latest official statistics. notably, this
figure is doubled in the south-eastern region where 43 percent of
the population is deemed illiterate.

only 20 percent of the four million kurds living in turkey have
actually graduated from primary school, while barely 1.1 percent
of those kurds living in the south-east have university education.

this situation is unlikely to improve with the upsurge of
violence in the region. only last month 20,000 residents from a
village in sirnak fled their homes to get away from the fighting
and as many as 150 schools here and in the surrounding districts
remain closed. in all, 670 schools in the south-east are yet to
open their doors.

for those who can afford it, they are passing up the free
education provided by the state and instead enlisting their
children in private schools, usually to take up foreign languages.
but this is an expensive exercise costing as much as 3,000 dollars
per pupil a year.

makbule fahir, a 35-year-old factory worker from istanbul can't
afford such costs, but he is concerned that his son is at a
disadvantage in the government programme.

''my son is in intermediate school. they don't have english,
maths and biology teachers. he is very happy about this because it
means that this will give him seven to eight hours of free classes
a week. but this means he won't be able to learn anything in that
basic course.'' (end/ips/ce/nm/cpg/92)


From c.jenner at cl-hh.comlink.apc.org  Thu Sep 24 13:46:37 1992
From: c.jenner at cl-hh.comlink.apc.org (c.jenner at cl-hh.comlink.apc.org)
Date: 24 Sep 1992 13:46:37
Subject: journalist musa anter murdered
Message-ID: <4mGARUBoeY@cl-hh.comlink.apc.org>

Istanbul, 20.09.92
oezguer guendem (free agenda)'s writer musa anter was murdered in diyarbakir

he is called for a festival on 15th september 1992 what is 
organized by diyarbakir providence (city).
he had been a speaker there. after that on the way to his 
friend orham miroglu'flat a group armed with automatic weapons shot him 
and they injured orhan miroglu too. 
he was dead when he was brought to ambulance.
he was a kurdish scientist, writer and journalist. he was 74 years old.
he was also one of the builders of the HEP (people's labour party).




--
** Carsten Jenner, Istanbul   C.JENNER at CL-HH.ZER
## CrossPoint v1.2 ##

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Fri Sep 25 06:35:29 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1992 22:35:29 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: journalist musa anter murdered
References: <4mGARUBoeY@cl-hh.comlink.apc.org>
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc668.8dd@igc.apc.org>

It's good to see this conference beginning to come alive again.
Is labour a strong component of
the movement and has it always been this way?
Are any of the groups I've seen mentioned, HEC, PKK, etc. allied or
getting any support from other governments or groups in other countries?
I see that Armenia is supporting the Kurds for their political reasons.
I find it really disturbing to see Turkey and Syria and Iran make pacts
of agreement in suppressing the Kurds. Perhaps others on this net can
fill me in better on this.

Jennifer Smith
(pnmideast at igc.apc.org)

From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Sat Sep 26 10:01:01 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1992 02:01:01 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Iraqi Kurdish refugees in Turkey re
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc66a.041@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: Iraqi Kurdish refugees in Turkey re

/* Written 11:52 am  Sep 24, 1992 by mtaghavi at magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu in cdp:soc.culture.ir */
/* ---------- "Iraqi Kurdish refugees in Turkey re" ---------- */

	ANKARA, Turkey (UPI) -- A group of 857 of the total 18,000 Iraqi Kurds
given shelter in Turkey since 1988 left Thursday to return home, John
McCallin, a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees said.
	This latest group ``is in addition to the 13,000 who have already
left Turkey for Northern Iraq since August this year,'' he said.
	Repatriation of about 18,000 Kurdish fighters, known as Peshmergas,
and their families ``is hoped to be complete by the end of this month,''
McCallin said.
	The Peshmergas and their families fled to Turkey four years ago to
escape chemical attacks by the Iraqi government forces and were settled
at refugee camps set up in several towns in the southeast.
	``UNHCR is giving cash for them to start a new life,'' McCallin said.
	He said although the amount was not much -- ``between $100 and $150''
-- the money could be used to buy tools and animals.
	About $2 million has been earmarked by UNHCR for the repatriation of
Peshmergas. The families will also be given aid once they reach northern
Iraq, McCallin said.
	UN officials there would provide timber, cement and other building
materials, to rebuild their houses, McCallin said.
	There are 3,743 refugees left in the camps in Turkey, most of whom
will leave in the next few days, Turkish officials said.
	The United States previously indicated it would accept about 1,000 of
them, some of whom have already left, officials said.
	``Canada and Australia will also take some of them, but not exceeding
at the most 1,000,'' they said.


-- 
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From pnmideast at igc.apc.org  Mon Sep 28 07:38:21 1992
From: pnmideast at igc.apc.org (PeaceNet Middle East Team)
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 23:38:21 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: DEMIREL'S STATEMENTS ON POSSIBLE MI
Message-ID: <APC.1.0.54efc66b.995@igc.apc.org>

From: <pnmideast>
Subject: DEMIREL'S STATEMENTS ON POSSIBLE MI

/* Written 11:09 am  Sep 25, 1992 by branis at sci.ccny.cuny.edu in cdp:soc.culture.tu */
/* ---------- "DEMIREL'S STATEMENTS ON POSSIBLE MI" ---------- */
ANKARA, Turkey (UPI) -- Turkish Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel
reacted strongly Friday to speculation about a military coup, saying
``democracy is not a Sunday outfit that you keep in the closet and take
out when you want.''
	Demirel in his monthly news conference was referring to coup
speculation that has appeared in the press recently as a solution for
what is called the ``government's incapability'' to overcome violence in
the country, especially in the southeast.
	``If you believe in democracy and freedom you don't even discuss such
scenarios,'' Demirel said, adding that his government was determined to
operate within the framework of law.
	``Turkey is a free country with all its democratic institutions
functioning. Military interventions are never solutions to any problems,
'' said Demirel.
	Defending Turkish military operations in the southeast against the
outlawedKurdish Workers Party, known by its Kurdish initials PKK, the
prime minister said that it would be a grave mistake to interpret what
is happening there as fighting between the Turks and the Kurds ``just
because the members of the terrorist organization are of Kurdish origin.
''
	``The state has no problem with its own people living there, it is
only there with its security forces to stop the attacks on the people,''
Demirel said.
	The PKK is a Marxist-Leninist group that has vowed to set up an
independent state for Turkey's estimated 10 million Kurdish population.



=====
Spiros