From kurdeng at aps.nl Mon Jun 26 23:20:43 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 26 Jun 1995 23:20:43 Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Radio Hour News References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Radio Hour News Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl HOLBROOKE AND HAAS DEFEND TURKEY VIGOROUSLY 06/23/95, MILLIYET--A Western European Union (WEU) seminar on "European Security" organized by the Atlantic Council in Turkey on Wednesday, displayed once again the contrasting perspectives that the US and some European allies have adopted in their approaches to Turkey's EU membership. Joergen Kosmo, Defence Minister of Norway, said during the panel discussion that Turkey has "many political, economic and cultural problems" and that it would not be proper for Turkey "to bring such problems to the EU". "It is my belief that EU membership will be open for Turkey in the future" Kosmo said, "if Turkey is growing in the right direction" that is, if she solves such problems first. He emphasized that they expected Turkey to solve those problems because "Turkey is a European country". Speaking after Kosmo, Richard Haas of the Council of Foreign Relations and Carnegie Endowment launched a strong defence of Turkey and attacked the EU's reluctance to admit Turkey as a full member with words like "shame" and "strategic shortsightedness". He said the EU was ignoring many areas in which Turkey has contributed to allied causes such as in the Gulf War, or Turkey's positon vis-a-vis Russia. "Obstracizing Turkey won't help" Haas said. He criticized the "unfortunate double standards" the EU was employing in stalling Turkey's application. "In the long run it is bad for the EU, it is bad for Turkey" he said. Richard Holbrooke, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, followed Haas with his characteristic support for Turkey as a "front-line state" which "replaced Germany". "Turkey is a part of Europe" he emphasized. He repeated his well-known views that Turkey is situated in a very rough neighbourhood, surrounded by tough adversaries. He recalled that "since Ataturk, Turkey has been a secular Western-oriented democracy". Reiterating the importance of Greece's withdrawal of its objection to Turkey's customs union membership, "the customs union must be approved by the European Parliament in Strasbourg" he said. He said that Turkey's customs union membership would constitute a "good step for the next terrian" that is, Cyprus' EU membership. He said a "federated Cyprus" with "both communities" should be a member of the EU. Turkey's joining the customs union will help solve the Cyprus issue too" he said. CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES GOING SLOWLY 06/23/95, MILLIYET--For over a week now, parliament has been agonizing over a number of vital constitutional changes that are part of the process that Turkey has to accept as the cost of moving into customs union with the European Union countries. So far only seven articles have been reviewed. Of these, only four have been accepted, three have been rejected. Even the simplist amendments are having a rough passage through parliament. The easiest change of all, reducing the voting age to eighteen only got a passing vote of 280 votes after a long uphill struggle. According to the experts, this alone indicates that the amendments package will fail to cross the threshold of 300 votes without a referendum. TURKEY'S DIPLOMATIC SUCCESS 06/23/95, HURRIYET--An "ultimatum" decision by the European Council Parliamentarians Assembly (ECPA) calling for a suspension in the Turkey-EU membership process in case democratic reforms are not realized by 26 June, as handed down by the European Council Ministers Committee has been disputed. Giving an answer to the ECPA, a committee representing the Foreign Ministers of 34 countries, stressed the importance of Turkey in the European Council by sending "friendly" messages, and stating that the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) was fully able to make its own decisions, sent a message to the ECPA requesting that the ECPA should avoid interfering in the work of other assemblies. TEHRAN ASSURES ANKARA ON FIGHT AGAINST PKK TERROR 06/22/95, TPR--Concerned about escalating attacks by the PKK terrorist organization from Iranian territory, Turkey has launched a series of diplomatic initiatives aimed at Tehran and has received a positive response. Iran has assured Ankara that it has the political will to fight against PKK terrorist acitivities, Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel said yesterday. Akbel told reporters that Mohammed Reza Bagheri, Iranian Ambassador in Ankara, had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry and had met with Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu on June 17, one day after two terrorist attacks hit Turkish troops on the Iran- Turkey border. TURKEY PLANS TO SEND AMBASSADOR BACK TO THE HAGUE 06/22/95, TRH--Foreign Ministry Spokesman Omer Akbel hinted that Ankara would soon send its ambassador back to The Hague, after being recalled home earlier in April over the convening of so-called "Kurdish Parliament-in-Exile" there. A Dutch delegation, which later came to Ankara, agreed to take concrete measures for fighting against terrorism, according to Akbel. BULGARIA PROMISES TO SUPPORT TURKEY AGAINST PKK 06/22/95, CUMHURIYET--Bekir Aksoy, Interior Ministry Undersecretary, said the Bulgarian government had promised to support Turkey against the PKK terrorist organization. Aksoy led the Turkish delegation in Sofia at a third meeting of the permanent joint commission established within the framework of the cooperation agreement on the "struggle against drug smuggling, terrorism and organized crimes" signed between Bulgaria and Turkey. Aksoy continued by saying that the PKK had made millions of dollars from drug smuggling acitivities in Europe, adding that the terrorist organization will pose a potential danger in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian government should certainly struggle against the PKK. JUPPE CALLS UPON TURKEY TO PARDON THE DEP DEPUTIES 06/22/95, TRH--It is reported that most of the questions asked Ciller while she was in Paris for a meeting of the Western European Union were about the situation of the former DEP [pro-Kurdish separatist party] deputies in prison. It is stated that French Prime Minister Alain Juppe requested Ciller to pardon the DEP deputies. In response, Ciller said that this issue was relevant to the independent judiciary and that constitutional reforms were on the way. CILLER DEFENDS TURKEY AGAINST EURO CRITICISM 06/21/95, CUMHURIYET-- Prime Minister Tansu Ciller yesterday defended Ankara's stance in the face of European criticism regarding the human rights situation and the Kurdish issue, admitting that Turkey lacks some elements of a true democracy, but pledging to remove several anti- democratic legislative articles. Addressing a Western European Union (WEU) assembly meeting in the French capital, Ciller urged Europeans to show no sympathy to the PKK, which she said was a violent terrorist organization. In a press statement, Ciller also reiterated Turkey's demand to become a full member of the WEU, saying this issue could be finalized during the process of a European review conference scheduled to begin in 1996. While in Paris for a meeting of the Western European Union (WEU), in her talks with French Prime Minister Alain Juppe, Prime Minister Ciller called upon the French government to lend more support to Turkey's efforts to join the European Union (EU). Noting that both Turkey and Europe were in fact part and parcel of the same democratic union, and always would be, Ciller drew attention to the unique role that Turkey played in the region as a stable, secular moslem country. During a two-hour dinner, Ciller and Juppe spoke about Turkey and democratization developments as they affected ties with Europe and the process of customs union with the EU. TURKEY, PALESTINE DISCUSS ECONOMIC AID, PEACE PROCESS 06/20/95, TPR--Palestinian President Yasser Arafat arrived in Ankara yesterday to pay his second official visit following the start of the Middle East peace process. Welcomed by Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu at Esenboga Airport, Arafat first visited Ataturk's mausoleum. He was welcomed with an official ceremony by President Demirel at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. Arafat and Demirel held a one-hour meeting and then meetings between delegations were held. Arafat and Turkish officials discussed ways to expedite an economic aid package Ankara had earlier pledged to extend to the Palestinian state to support several development projects in the newly autonomous areas. Arafat also briefed President Suleyman Demirel and other Turkish officials he met in Ankara on developments in the Middle East peace process and in particular the Palestinian-Israeli talks. At official talks following Arafat's arrival in Ankara yesterday morning, the Palestinian delegation also asked the Ankara government to encourage the Turkish private sector to do business in Palestine. "The Palestinian people have not forgotten and will not forget Turkey's assistance. They now need Turkey's help more than ever" Arafat said in a meeting with Demirel. Demirel said at a dinner he gave in Arafat's honour that Turkey would continue to do what it could to contribute to the economic and social development of the Palestinian people. Explaining the political and practical difficulties the Palestine administration faces, Arafat asked for Turkey's political support. He also requested observers from Turkey for the Gaza and Jericho elections and Turkish soldiers to participate in the international police force to be established. GERMAN CITIZENS OF TURKISH ORIGIN TO SET UP PARTY 06/20/95, AA--A group of German citizens of Turkish origin held their first meeting in Frankfurt to establish a new political party, the Democrat Party. A total of 45 people participated in the meeting. Sedat Sezgin, chairman of the party's committee, said their aim was to gain equal rights for foreigners in the country and to enter the German Parliament in three or four years time. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 2 19:03:37 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 02 Jun 1995 19:03:37 Subject: AI: Turkey bulletin References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: AI: Turkey bulletin Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 6966; Fri, 02 Jun 1995 19:12:03 -0800 +------------------------------------------------------+ + AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION BULLETIN + + Electronic distribution authorised + + This bulletin expires: 15 July 1995. + +------------------------------------------------------+ EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: EUR 44/62/95 Distr: UA/SC 1 June 1995 Further information on UA 81/95 (EUR 44/44/95, 28 March 1995) and follow-ups (EUR 44/47/95, 31 March; EUR 44/49/95, 6 April; EUR 44/62/95, 26 May) - Prisoner of conscience / Fear of torture / Fear for Safety TURKEY Eren Keskin (f), lawyer and member of Istanbul HRA Eren Keskin, secretary of the Istanbul Human Rights Association (HRA) branch, was arrested at 4.30 pm on 1 June 1995 at her lawyer's office in Istanbul. She has been taken to police headquarters in Gayrettepe district of Istanbul. On 10 March 1995, the Court of Appeal confirmed a fine of 5,000 and a sentence of two years and six months' imprisonment for Eren Keskin. She was charged with spreading "separatist propaganda" under Article 8 of the Anti- Terror Law after writing a press article in September 1994. Eren Keskin has been targetted due to her work defending human rights. In one particular case, she was arrested by police who repeatedly beat and insulted her. She has also been increasingly subject to death threats, including an anonymous telephone call from a man who told her, "We are measuring your coffin". This re-arrest puts Eren Keskin at further risk of torture. Amnesty International considers her to be a prisoner of conscience. From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu Jun 22 23:21:47 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 22 Jun 1995 23:21:47 Subject: AI: Turkey bulletin References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: AI: Turkey bulletin Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ---------- Forwarded from : Ray Mitchell ----------- +------------------------------------------------------+ + AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION BULLETIN + + Electronic distribution authorised + + This bulletin expires: 2 August 1995. + +------------------------------------------------------+ EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: EUR 44/69/95 Distr: UA/SC 16 June 1995 EXTRA 72/95 Fear of torture / Possible prisoners of conscience TURKEY Huseyin Umut, lawyer, secretary of Hakkari branch of the Turkish Human Rights Association Sukru Calli, former mayor of Hakkari In the afternoon of 15 June 1995, lawyer and human rights activist Huseyin Umut was detained in a caf in the centre of Hakkari in southeast Turkey. Later that day, in an apparently related operation, the former mayor of Hakkari Sukru Calli was also taken into detention. At 6.00pm the files of the Hakkari branch of the Turkish Human Rights Association (HRA) were removed from Huseyin Umut's office by uniformed and plainclothes police. The Chief Prosecutor for Hakkari have confirmed that the two men are in detention, but have not disclosed any allegations against them. Hakkari is one of the ten provinces in the southeast under emergency legislation. Under the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code, detainees in this area may be held incommunicado for up to 30 days without access in person or by telephone to their lawyer, family, or a doctor of their choice. Amnesty International believes that Huseyin Umut and Sukru Calli may be prisoners of conscience, and fears that they may be at risk of ill- treatment or torture. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The HRA continues its monitoring of human rights violations in the face of considerable pressure from the authorities. Officials of the organization report police harassment and threats. Board members of Diyarbakir HRA branch were detained in December and committed to prison (see UA 450/94, EUR 44/157/94, 22 December 1994, and follow-ups). The charges against them of membership of an illegal armed organization were based on statements which witnesses later retracted as having been extracted under torture. Two other board members taken into custody in February reported being tortured. The lawyer Sinan Tanrikulu said that he was sprayed with high pressure cold water and that his testicles were squeezed. He was threatened with further torture, such as hanging by the arms and electric shocks if he did not sign incriminating statements. All members of Diyarbakir HRA board were later released, but their trials continue. On 1 June the lawyer Eren Keskin started a two-year prison sentence for an article she had written calling for a cease-fire in the conflict between security forces and armed members of the Kurdish Workers' Party in southeast Turkey which has claimed 16,000 lives since 1984 (See UA 81/95, EUR 44/44/95, 28 March and follow-ups). On 15 May Atilay AyCin, president of the Turkish airport workers' union Hava-Is, began a 16-month prison sentence for a speech he made on 8 September 1991 at a meeting organized by Istanbul HRA on "Fundamental Rights and Freedoms" at the Abide-i Hurriyet [Freedom Memorial] Square in Istanbul. +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + Supporters of Amnesty International around the world are + + writing urgent appeals in response to the concerns + + described above. If you would like to join with them in + + this action or have any queries about the Urgent Action + + network or Amnesty International in general, please + + contact one of the following: + + + + Ray Mitchell, rmitchellai at gn.apc.org (UK) + + Scott Harrison, sharrison at igc.apc.org (USA) + + Guido Gabriel, ggabriel at amnesty.cl.sub.de (Germany) + + Marilyn McKim, aito at web.apc.org (Canada) + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat Jun 24 14:10:59 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 24 Jun 1995 14:10:59 Subject: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT ON TUR References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT ON TURKEY Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Amnesty International International Secretariat 1 Easton Street London WC1X 8DJ United Kingdom 14 January 1994 TURKEY: SECURITY OFFENSIVE CLOAKED BY INFORMATION BLACKOUT - TORTURE, "DISAPPEARANCE" AND EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION IN THE SOUTHEAST PROVINCE Amnesty International is gravely concerned that measures introduced by the Turkish Government in November 1993 are contributing to the appalling events currently taking place in Turkey. On 4 November 1993 the the Turkish Prime Minister Tansu"iller announced on TRT (Turkish Radio and Television) a series of measures, including intensified security operations, intended to deliver a fatal blow to Kurdish separatism and a propaganda offensive both "inside and outside the country". Reports indicate that the country's southeastern provinces and their mainly Kurdish population are the target of a collaborative effort by the government, the police and armed forces, and prosecutors and the courts to crush the illegal armed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) together with all manifestations of Kurdish separatism. It appears that the operations, which are of an unprecedented ferocity, have been timed in anticipation of the local elections scheduled for 27 March. It is possible that further electoral successes will then be achieved by the pro-Kurdish Democracy Party (DEP). Since many of DEP's stated aims echo those of the PKK, it is possible the authorities fear a big vote for DEP candidates would be perceived as a popular endorsement for the PKK. The military element of the offensive includes security raids on settlements which refuse to participate in the village guard system, a civil defence corps armed and paid by the government to fight the PKK guerrillas. Villagers are often reluctant to become village guards, because this would expose them to attacks by the PKK. However, refusal to participate means that the village will be subject to frequent security raids. There is considerable evidence that these raids involve flagrant human rights violations against the area's mainly Kurdish population. The Prime Minister called for a major reinforcement of the Special Teams, which are a heavily armed, highly mobile force attached to the police. The Special Teams are trained for close combat with guerrillas, but also participate in operations against villages, often masked, and have allegedly been involved in human rights violations, including extrajudicial execution. The Prime Minister stated that the new Special Team recruits would be trained to use methods resembling those of the guerrillas, although, as Amnesty International has reported in the past, the methods of PKK guerrillas have included the committing of atrocities. The first group of reinforcements went into action at the beginning of January. During raids, the village inhabitants are usually assembled and subjected to threats, insults, destruction of property and livestock, and in many cases torture. Men, and sometimes women and children too, are made to stand or lie down, often in subzero conditions, while searches are carried out. In recent months it appears to have been routine for all or most of the houses to be burned in what amounts to forcible eviction. There have also been many reports of extrajudicial executions and "disappearances". A typical operation is that which has been taking place into the area west of Eruh in Siirt province since 6 January. Following clashes between security forces and guerrillas, gendarmerie, village guards and Special Teams have raided the villages of Taskonak, Demirbogaz, Geliosman, etinkaya, elik and Payamli. According to reports from villagers who contacted Amnesty International, Hizni Yilmaz, brother of the head man of Taskonak, was taken from a cave in the village where he had taken refuge, summarily shot and his body thrown into the flames of a burning building. Mumtaz Kaar (f), a member of a nomad group tending flocks in the Taskonak district, reportedly attempted to intervene while the gendarmes were killing her animals, and was shot dead. A local shepherd, Mehmet Sait Timurtas was also killed in similar circumstances. "Disappearances" are now regularly reported in the context of such operations. Following a raid on 23 November on the village of Agilli (Kurdish name: Birik), near Bismil in Diyarbakir province, in which villagers were beaten and one shot dead, 16 villagers were detained and taken to the local gendarmerie headquarters for interrogation. zeyir Kurt, one of those taken, was never seen again and the authorities deny holding him. Ahmet akici "disappeared" reportedly after being detained in an operation at his village of itlibahe, near Hazro, in Diyarbakir province on 8 November 1993. Huseyin Ugurlu of the town of Altinova, near Mus, father of eight children who was beaten severely by gendarmerie, in front of dozens of townspeople, and then taken away for interrogation on 18 November 1993. Exhaustive efforts by his family have failed to establish his whereabouts, and it is feared that he may have died under torture. The freedom of the press to report on such atrocities has been under constant attack from the government. Journalists have to face torture, detention, prosecution and the confiscation of journals. zgr Gndem (Free Agenda) is almost the only newspaper which has consistently reported human rights violations in the State of Emergency provinces in the southeast. During the 18 months of its existence, six of the newspaper's journalists have been killed in circumstances that suggest security force involvement, and a female staff journalist has "disappeared" in Istanbul. Orders for the temporary closure of zgr Gndem on the grounds that it had published "separatist propaganda" were passed by Istanbul State Security Court in December and January but have not yet been confirmed by the Appeal Court. Any person who advocates separatism, even when they have in no way advocated violence may face prosecution under Article 8 of the Anti-Terror Law resulting in prison sentences of two to five years. Dozens of the newspaper's staff were detained in December and the General Publishing Manager Fahri Ferda etin alleges that while he was held in incommunicado detention at Istanbul Police Headquarters he was suspended by the arms, and given electric shocks to his sexual organs and feet, that his testicles were twisted and that he was hosed with ice-cold water. The Adana correspondent Haci etinkaya made similar allegations. Ten members of the newspaper's Diyarbakir staff were rearrested on 12 January - including Necmiye Aslanoglu who reported that, during detention in November, she had been stripped of her clothes and beaten, dragged by the hair and suspended by the arms while she was given electric shocks through her navel and toes during November. A further element of the propaganda offensive appears to be an attempt to inhibit the work of defence lawyers and human rights activists. Sixteen lawyers were detained in November and interrogated while being held incommunicado for four weeks in Diyarbakir Gendarmerie Headquarters. The lawyer Meral Danis Bestas, secretary of the Diyarbakir Branch of the Turkish Human Rights Association (HRA), reported that during interrogation she was slapped, kicked, subjected to crude sexual insults, stripped of her clothes and hosed with freezing cold water. Tahir Eli, a lawyer in Cizre who has represented local villagers in numerous official complaints concerning human rights violations, was also detained. He reported that the police told him that if he continued to report human rights violations and research the emptying of villages and "disappearances" he would be killed. He reported that he was stripped naked and that his testicles were twisted in Cizre Police Headquarters and later in Diyarbakir Gendarmerie Headquarters; another lawyer was present when he was being hosed for several hours with cold water. Seven of the lawyers were formally arrested for assisting the PKK, and possession of forbidden publications. Amnesty International, which is investigating the circumstances of their arrest, believes that the true reason for their imprisonment may be their activities as defence counsel and their work on human rights. Many human rights activists have fled the southeast after constant intimidation, threats, and killings of members and officials of the Human Rights Association (HRA). Only one of the 13 HRA branches in the area are working at full strength. Amnesty International is concerned that the drastic measures of the Turkish authorities' propaganda offensive are designed to achieve a blackout on information from the Emergency Region, so that security forces can pursue their activities uninhibited by scrutiny from lawyers, journalists and human rights workers. * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 30 05:44:19 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 30 Jun 1995 05:44:19 Subject: Turkey's Killing Machine: The Contr References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkey's Killing Machine: The Contra-Guerrilla Force (par) Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Turkey's Killing Machine: The Contra-Guerrilla Force (part B) From: David Davidian From: aforum at moose.uvm.edu (Arm the Spirit) Sender: news at emba.uvm.edu Organization: University of Vermont -- Division of EMBA Computer Facility Date: Tue, 1 Mar 1994 22:31:44 GMT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turkey's Killing Machine: The Contra-Guerrilla Force By Serdar Celik Special Warfare Department And Paramilitary MHP During the 1970s the struggle for democracy was developing in Turkey. In Kurdistan the struggle for national liberation was growing. With the help of the MHP (National Action Party), which was brought onto the scene in the 70s, hundreds of students, workers, intellectuals, trades unionists and educationalists were murdered: the president of DISK (the Federation of Revolutionary Trades Unions) Kemal Turkler, the journalist Abdi Ipekci, Professor Dr Bedri Karafakiroglu, professors Umit Doganay and Cavit Orhan Tutengil, Umit Kaftancioglu, State Counsel Dogan Oz, security chief Cevat Yurdakul, University Professor Orhan Yavuz, Bedrettin Comert, Server Tanilli (who survived but remained disabled), Chair Adana Chamber of Agricultural Engineers Akin Ozdemir and hundreds more. In 1974 in Maras they massacred inumerable Kurdish and Alevi people - children, women and old folk and men. This preplanned act of genocide opened the way for the military coup of September 12, 1980. It is know from the experiences of various countries that the CIA works together with the police to organize paramilitary groups in the tactics of irregular warfare. William Colby wrote: "To prevent Turkey from falling into the hands of the communists, the CIA gave support to anti-communist institutions". (13) Retired general Sezsi Orkunt, ex-chief of the General Staff said: "The Turkish armed forces were more worried about the Left than the Right. The Right was organised in the MHP and its leader Turkes was helped on his way". (14) When the MHP's Ankara headquarters were searched at the time of the 1980 coup, the "Contra-Guerrilla Assignment 31/15 on the Model Plan for Underground Cells" was found there. (15) The MHP had obtained this plan from Colonel Mehmet Alanyuva of the Agents Section of the Special Warfare Department, the MHP's militants, who were organised in accordance with this plan, went on to perpetuate a veritable massacre against innocent people from the opposition. The CIA also employed the MHP militants for terrorist plots on an international level. For example, the murderer of the journalist Abdi Ipekci was the same man who in 1991 carried out the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul. The MHP is also organised in Europe, and particularly in Germany. Until 1976 it was organised there under the same title. After that in Europe they took on the title Avrupa Ulkucu Dernekleri Federasyonu (Federation of National Associations in Europe). The MHP's organisation in Germany maintains connections with the German Secret Service. The journalist Ugur Mumcu, who was assassinated in 1993, wrote: "These connections were set up in Cologne by a German named Kannabin". (16) The MHP has another patron in Germany - Rudi Nazar. He is a CIA agent who was for many years active in Ankara and was later transferred to Bonn. Jurgen Roth went into this matter in detail in his book "Criminals Incorporated" and came to the conclusion, based on information from a president of one of the republics of the former Soviet Union, that the MHP is also involved in the heroin trade in Germany. General Haydar Saltik, one of those responsible for the September 12, 1980 coup, later left the army and became Consul in the Turkish consulate in Berne. He renewed his contacts with the Turkish nationalists and sent 15,000 officers and MHP militants, who came under the Special Warfare Department and had already had a hand in many attacks against the Armenians, to Azerbaijan. After their training, these militants were sent to Baku. The attacks on the Kurdish population in Antalya and other Turkish towns during the past year were also carried out by the MIT and the MHP. The MHP is still the paramilitary wing of the Special Warfare Department. This time, however, it was more effective, since the entire state with all its constituent parts has grown into an even more racist, anti-Kurdish and paramilitary organisation. The Operations Of The Turkish Contra-Guerrillas The bloody work of the Special Warfare Department is so wide- ranging that we can not go into everything here. We will, therefore, go straight over to Kurdistan, where the contra- guerrillas are employed in the front line against the national liberation struggle. First, however, we would like to recount some of the decisive points of the decisive points of the contra- guerrillas' activities prior to 1980: Agents from the Special Warfare Department threw a bomb into the house in Thessallonika in Greece which was used as the Mustafa Kemal Museum, and blamed this act on the Greek police. Consequently, on the 6 and 7 of September 1955, fanatical groups fired up by the contra-guerrillas wrecked Greek homes and businesses in Istanbul. The most important actions of the Special Warfare Department were the three military coups. This Department was responsible for the coup of May 27, 1967 and above all for the last two coups of the March 12, 1971 and September 12, 1980. The then Foreign Minister Ihsan Sabri Caglayangil, who was invited to Teheran a few days before March 12, 1971, learned from the Shah of Iran that there was going to be a coup in Turkey. (17) The then commander of the Turkish airforce, Muhsin Batur, went the the USA just before the coup of September 12, 1980. Again the then airforce commander Tahsin Sahinkaya flew to the USA and the coup took place two days after his return. Carter, who was at the opera when he heard about the coup, called Paul Henze, the CIA agent responsible for Turkey, and told him: " Your people have just made a coup". (18) The torture chambers which opened in 1971 gave the contra- guerrillas an important opportunity to gain practical experience. The contra-guerrilla generals who took people to the torture chambers in Ziverbay in Istanbul told their victims for the first time that they were prisoners of the contra-guerrillas. The interrogations were carried out by contra-guerrilla specialists called EBU (Correct Information Officers). A team of interrogation specialists called the DAL (Deep Investigation Laboratory) was set up by the political police in Ankara. These torture specialists murdered or caused permanent damage to hundreds of people. Later on, these teams were dispatched all over Turkey and especially Kurdistan. In 1971 the contra-guerrillas' torture was directed by General Faik Turun, Turgut Sonap and Memduh Unluturk. (*7) The invasion of Cyprus was an action of the Special Warfare Department. In 1955 the Department set up a secret organisation called the Turk Mukavemet Hareketi (Turkish Resistance Movement). This organisation carried out systematic provocations in Cyprus in order to prepare the conditions for the 1974 coup. To prepare for the occupation of Cyprus, teams directed by Hiram Abbas and the Special Warfare Department established themselves in Beirut, from where they could organise activities in Cyprus. The Cyprus invasion was organised by the then chief of the Special Warfare Department Kemal Yemek. Cyprus was the first serious test for the Turkish contra-guerrillas. After 1980 Kurdistan took the place of Cyprus in this respect. The State Security Courts are a product of the Special Warfare Department and they are assigned the task of restructuring the judicial process to fit the demands of the contra-guerrillas. In accordance with a directive of the contra-guerrillas, the the State Security Courts aim "not to condemn the defendants according to the punishments set out for the political crimes, but to administer punishments as severe as those set out for murder and other crimes against the person". (19) The detainees were severely tortured and then came before a contra-guerrilla court. Most of the judges have come from the military and are therefore tools of the Special Warfare Department. The murders and terrorist acts committed by the MHP were actions of the Special Warfare Department. Their purpose was to intimidate the opposition and prepare the conditions for a coup. The Special Warfare Department was successful in this task: on September 12, they carried out the military coup d'etat. This coup was the most important action of the contra-guerrillas. All arms of the state were reorganised on paramilitary lines. The Special Warfare Department gained control over the underworld (the Turkish mafia), the press, commerce, the judicial system, parliament, the universities and all other areas of society. All administrative organs and laws were restructured along the same lines. Sources: 1. Interview with the President of the Turkish General Staff Dogan Gures, "Milliyet" 5/6 September 1992 2. "Hurriyet" 26 November 1992 3. "Milliyet" 28 November 1990 4. "Cumhuriyet" 17 November 1990 5. "Directive ST 31/15 for Operations Against Irregular Forces" 6. "The Contra-Guerrillas and the MHP" Vol 1, Aydinlik Yayinlari, p19 and Talat Turhan "The Contra-Guerrilla Republic", p19 7. "The Contra-Guerrillas and the MHP", p16 8. " The American Military Doctrine, Report of the Rockerfeller Foundation", p356 9. "The Age of Imperialism", Harry Magdorff (translated by M. Emin Doger., "CIA, Contra-Guerrillas and Turkey"), p104 10. ibid. p122 11. McNamara, 1967 (US State Department of Defense) 12. Franco Salinas, "State of Emergency", pp82-88 13. "Cumhuriyet" 21 November 1990 14. "Hurriyet" 19 November 1990 15. "Gunes" 17 November 1990 16. Ugur Mumcu "Pope-Mafia-Agca" p143 17. Cuneyit Arcayurek "Coups and the Secret Services" p160 18. ibid. p190 19. "Directive ST 31/15 for Operations Against Irregular Forces" Notes: *1 The "Super-NATO" organisation was set up under the control of the CIA in all the NATO countries. The headquarters of this organisation was in Brussels and was named the Allied Coordination Committee (ACC). Secret meetings were held annually in which delegates from all the member countries took part. The official purpose of the organisation is "to organise resistance using irregular warfare methods in case of a communist occupation". The organisation has at its disposal special funds and weapons depots. It is not answerable for its activities under the laws of the individual member states. The organisation's branch in Italy was called "Gladio", in Germany "Anti-Communist Assault Unit", in Greece " Hide of the Red Buck", in Belgium "Glavia". The "Super- NATO" also set up branch organisations in non-NATO countries such as Austria and Switzerland. *2 Referring to contra-guerrilla warfare conducted by the USA, former U.S. Secretary of State McNamara explained that "partisan wars call for a change in our understanding of warfare. In regions where partisan war has broken out, what is needed is not a great number of military units and weapons, but rather small units who have been well trained in guerrilla and counter-guerrilla tactics and armed with special weapons".(8) The American Delta Forces, the British Special Air Service (SAS), the Italian Special Forces Section and the German GSG-9 are units of this type. The former U.S. President Johnson declared in 1964 that 344 contra-guerrilla units had been trained by the USA in 49 countries of the world. *3 In the 70s the following persons, among others, who still occupy important positions today, were members of the Turkish police and secret service: Sekru Balci, Ilgaz Aykutlu, Kenan Koc, Umit Erdal, Hiram Abbas (who was killed in 1990 [by militants of the armed communist organization Devrimci Sol, was in the 70s one of the three most influential persons in the MIT), Mehmet Aymur (Abbas' right-hand man in the MIT), Hayri Kozakcioglu (who was trained by Scotland Yard and in 1987 made Governor with Special Powers), Unal Erkan (at that time Kozakcioglu's successor as "Supergovernor" in diyarbakir). *4 Divided among the 55 million people of the Turkish and Kurdish population, this means 949 Turkish Lira per head that every Turk and Kurd have to pay in order to finance the "work" of spying, torture and murder of this gang of killers. *5 Professors Abdulhaluk Cay, Ibrahim Kafescioglu, Bahattin Ogel, Ertugrul Zekai Okte, Aydin Yalcin, among others. *6 "In 1967 the CIA's budget for the funding of 'useful friends and elements' abroad was raised to 10 million U.S. dollars per year. Most of these funds flowed through our trade unions, student unions and special institutions into foreign institutions. The use of our trade unions and associations as a sort of screen prevented it from becoming known that the source of these funds was in reality the CIA". (Fron the book "CIA, Secret Services and Democracy" by the former CIA chief Stanfield Turner). *7 Faik Turun became an MP for the AP (Justice Party) in 1977. Turgut Sunalp became a minister in parliament in 1982 as a member of the MDP (National Democratic Party). The retired Memduh Unluturk was killed by militants of the organization Devrimci Sol --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu Jun 22 23:20:42 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 22 Jun 1995 23:20:42 Subject: Mainstream news References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Mainstream news Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ANKARA, June 19 (Reuter) - These are the leading stories in the Turkish press on Monday. Reuters has not verified these reports and in no way vouches for their accuracy. SABAH -- President Suleyman Demirel visits army post on Iranian border where 15 soldiers were killed by raiding Kurdish rebels. Foreign ministry sources say this is strong message to Iran to deal with rebels on its territory or Turkey will. MILLIYET -- Decision to strike three zeros from the Turkish lira to be taken today. A new name is also to be selected for the national currency from among three alternatives. -- Former president Kenan Evren, leader of a 1980 coup and three years of military rule, says no concessions should be given to the RP by scrapping constitution article 24 stressing the secular nature of the state. -- Women's associations launch campaign to force resignation or dismissal of Ayvaz Gokdemir, the cabinet minister who refered to three women Euro-MPs as prostitites. HURRIYET -- Tens of thousands of civil servants from across the country end a 48-hour sit-in in central Ankara to back demands for right to strike. Government workers will go on a wildcat strike from Tuesday. CUMHURIYET -- Civil servants are determined to strike from Wednesday after four days of protest action fails to produce government concessions on their demands for the right to stirke. -- Separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) owns U.S.-made land-to-air and heat-sensitive Stinger missiles. YENI YUZYIL -- The referendum duel. The issue of constitutional amendments moves towards a nationwide political quarrel. -- Coalition partner Republican People's Party MPs to decide whether to back government decree to extend mandate for Western force based in the south to protect Iraqi Kurds from Baghdad. YENI POLITIKA -- Western European Union meets to discuss autonomy for Kurds. Ciller is to have a hard time at the WEU meeting where she will make an address. ZAMAN -- Politicans warn against Moslem Alevi community falling into the terrorism trap after incidents in which Alevi-origin militants figured. Civil Servants Conduct Illegal Strike By Sibel Akbay ANKARA, June 19 (Reuter) - Turkey's biggest civil servants' union has called a nationwide work stoppage for Tuesday to protest against the government's refusal to grant them the right to strike and collective bargaining. ``We call on all civil servants, not only the unionised ones, to take part in our action. We have to come together on the labour front to get what we want,'' Yildirim Kaya, chairman of the Civil Servants' Union (KCSKK), told Reuters on Monday. Turkey has about 1,900,000 public employees. The call followed a four-day sit-down protest by civil servants in Ankara's Kizilay business district. Union chiefs and employees gathered in Kizilay on Thursday to urge the government to give them the right to strike and bargain collectively. Musical bands and theatre troupes joined the estimated 120,000-150,000 demonstrators in support of their cause. The Turkish constitution currently bans civil servants from holding strikes or seeking wage increases through collective bargaining. The KCSKK says the ban is a direct violation of the International Labour Organisation conventions that Turkey has signed and ratified. An amendment now before parliament enables civil servants to participate in budget planning and wage negotiations. Turkish civil servants are badly paid, with chunks of their pay packets consumed by 82.4 percent annual inflation. The average monthly salary runs at seven million Turkish lira ($160), compared to more than 10 million lira (about $232) for a unionised state worker with the right to strike. Union chiefs held talks with Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin on Sunday but could reach no accord and now they were talking to no one. ``We cannot find anyone to negotiate with. They do not want to hear our voice,'' he said. French Groups Urge Pressure on Ciller Over Kurds PARIS (Reuter) - On the eve of a Paris visit by Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller, nine union and human rights groups asked the French government Monday to press her to achieve a peaceful settlement with militant Kurds. They said Turkish forces and Kurdish separatists were locked in one of the world's bloodiest conflicts, killing 30 people daily, and asked France to suspend arms sales to Ankara. The groups, including the Human Rights League and the France-Libertes group headed by France's former first lady Danielle Mitterrand, protested against French plans to sell 20 Cougar helicopters to Turkey. They asked Paris to make Turkish progress toward democracy, a release of political prisoners and dialogue on a peaceful Kurd settlement conditions of any financial aid or political support to Ankara. Ciller is due to have talks Tuesday with President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Alain Juppe and address the parliamentary assembly of the Western European Union defense group of which Turkey is an associate member. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu Jun 8 19:05:27 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 08 Jun 1995 19:05:27 Subject: TURKISH PRESS REVIEW References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TURKISH PRESS REVIEW Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl JUNE 2, 1995 Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning. WASHINGTON: "TURKEY HAS THE RIGHT TO USE US-MILITARY EQUIPMENT AGAINST TERRORISM" The Clinton administration told Congress on Thursday that military equipment of US-origin had been used in Turkish military operations against the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) separatists but it added that the Turkish government had the right to use this equipment in its internal struggle against the PKK, has been labelled "a ruthless terrorist group," the semi-official Anatolian agency said. The U.S. State Department report stated that the Ankara government's military approach in combating PKK "terrorism" had in some cases deepened political division. It said the military approach alone "cannot succeed" and needed to be combined with civil means. In announcing publication of the report, State Department spokeswoman Christine Shelly said Washington put great importance on Turkish moves to expand democracy. "Enhancement of democracy for all Turkish citizens will significantly improve the human rights situation in Turkey," she told reporters. The report said Turkey confronted the most serious threats to its integrity and well-being of any Western ally. "Continuing U.S. support for Turkey's security is essential," it said. Its called the PKK "a ruthless terrorist group which receives support from Syria, Iran and some sources in Europe" and said its guerrillas were trained in Lebanon's Syrian-controlled Bekaa Valley. The report said the PKK presented a major threat to Turkey's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also said that during Turkish-military operations in northern Iraq against PKK separatists, Turkey exerted the utmost care not to harm civilians. 45 PKK MILITANTS KILLED In clashes between the security forces and the PKK terrorist organization in Kars Kagizman, Sarikamis, Tunceli Nazimiye, Siirt Eruh, Hakkari Cukurca, Diyarbakir Hani and Mardin Nusaybin, a total of 45 PKK terrorists have been killed. In Siirt, a security personnel was martyred. /Milliyet/ GOLHAN LEAVES FOR PARIS TODAY Turkish Defence Minister Mehmet Golhan will travel to Paris today to attend a meeting of defence ministers from EU and NATO countries which have deployed armed forces in former Yugoslavia, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Recent developments in the former Yugoslavia will be discused at the meeting, to be held tomorrow. Defence ministers from France, Britain, the US, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy and Turkey will participate in the meeting. Golhan will return to Turkey on Sunday. An "urgent intervention force" is envisaged to pressurize the Serbs to release their hostages and to help the UN peacekeepers. The idea was put forward following diplomatic consultations held in London, Paris and Washington. French Prime Minister Alain Juppe made the respective annoucement. /Milliyet/ THE WEU REPORT CAUSES REACTION In the draft report of the Western European Union (WEU) which is a EU branch of defence, suggestion of autonomy for Kurds in Turkey and a "Turkish minority" reference regarding Turks in Western Thrace has caused reaction of in both Turkey and Greece. The 100-page report prepared for considering security and defence issues in Eastern Mediterranean and accepted by the WEU Assembly Defence Commission on 24 May will be voted on in the WEU Assembly General Council on 19 June in Paris. Officials from the Turkish Foreign Ministry have stated that although this report was prepared for clarifying defence and security issues, it digresses from the subject by referring to the Kurdish problem and this could not be accepted. They also added that statements regarding the Turkish minority in Macedonia, Albania and Western Thrace would also bother Greece. /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet/ THE CFE AGREEMENT INSPECTION IN ANKARA Turkey informed the US that all the articles of the agreement of Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) should be abided by and no other formula could be accepted. A delegation to deal with the CFE agreement has also been added to the delegation traffic, presently on the increase from the US to Turkey. A delegation including a group of generals headed by Susan Koch, the US deputy assistant defence secretary discussed issues regarding Russia's activities in the Caucasus, general security problems in the Caucasus and the CFE agreement, with officials from the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the General Staff. Turkey has expressed her anxiety on Russia's activities in the Caucasus. The country had its intention announced to establish a base for the 58th division in the Caucasus. Meanwhile, Turkey has reiterated her stand whereby the CFE Agreement is not to be changed. Turkey has informed the US delegation on the necessity of all member countries to the CFE agreement limiting their weapons to the specified level in the five conventional weapon category before 17 November as specified in the agreement. /Cumhuriyet/ --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 2 20:53:56 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 02 Jun 1995 20:53:56 Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl TURKISH PRESS REVIEW JUN 1, 1995 ANKARA URGES IRAQI KURDS TO MAINTAIN CEASEFIRE Turkey has renewed its call to the two main northern Iraqi Kurdish groups to solve their problems through dialogue rather than violence. Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Nurettin Nurkan said in his weekly press conference that Ankara had told delegations from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to extend the present ceasefire between them. "If the armed struggle between the two sides resumes, it would be impossible to maintain the security in the region. Such fighting would not only harm the northern Iraqi people but would be exploited by terrorist groups" Nurkan said, in a clear indication of Turkish fear that the PKK terrorist organization, whose bases were eradicated by a Turkish operation into the region, would reestablish itself there. /Cumhuriyet/ SACEUR COMMANDER VISITS TURKEY Gen.George Joulwan, Head of NATO's Supreme Allied Command in Europe (SACEUR), arrived in Ankara on Tuesday on an official visit to Gen.Ismail Hakki Karadayi, the Chief of General Staff. Karadayi, Gen.Ahmet Corekci, Deputy Chief of General Staff, and Gen.Hursit Tolon, General Secretary of the General Staff, participated in a military ceremony which was held in honour of Joulwan at the headquarters of the Chief of General Staff. Joulwan said military issues and Serbian attacks in Bosnia were discussed during his visit to Karadayi. /Hurriyet/ SOUTHEAST AID PROJECT LAUNCHED FOR TERRORISM VICTIMS An project has been launched by the government to aid the victims of terrorism in the southeastern province of Tunceli, the Anatolia news agency has reported. Quoting the Tunceli Governor's office, Anatolia said that those who had to leave their houses or whose houses were destroyed during terrorist attacks would be supplied with the materials and land to build a new home for themselves. DENMARK IN "RED LIST" Denmark has joined a series of Western countries in imposing an arms embargo against its NATO-ally Turkey, protesting against an incursion by Turkish troops into northern Iraq. In retaliation, Turkey has included Denmark in a "red list" of countries, ruling out any future participation of this state in Turkey's defence industry projects, Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Nurettin Nurkan said yesterday. Nurkan said at a weekly press briefing that Danish Foreign Minister Niels Helveg Petersen told a parliamentary session in late March, following the Turkish incursion, that arms deliveries to Turkey would not be permitted. Denmark has not changed its attitude after the Turkish operation in N.Iraq ended on May 2, prompting retaliation by Ankara, Nurkan said. "Denmark has lost its credibility as a reliable partner in military procurements... From now on no weapons or military equipment will be brought from Denmark and that country will be barred from entering Turkey's all future biddings in the defence industry field" he said. Nurkan also protested the recent opening of a Copenhagen office by the ERNK, the political wing of the PKK terrorist organization. /Cumhuriyet/ TURKEY SHRUGS OFF LACK OF INVITATION TO EU SUMMIT Turkey shrugged off not being invited to a EU summit in Cannes in June, saying it was the 1996 intergovernmental conference which had priority in Turkey. "What is important for us at this point is to complete our obligations and realize the customs union, which provides a cornerstone in our aim of full membership, and there-by join in the 1996 conference, where important decisions will be taken" Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Nurettin Nurkan said yesterday. France, currently president of the EU, asked Greek Cypriots and 10 other states seeking EU membership to attend a summit in Cannes on June 26-27. Turkish Cypriots and Ankara say Greek Cypriots cannot speak for the breakaway Turkish state in the north and object to any unilateral admission for the south into the EU. /All papers/ THANKS TO CILLER FROM CLINTON US President Bill Clinton sent a letter to Prime Minister Tansu Ciller thanking her for ending the northern Iraqi operation and withdrawing from the region in accordance with promise. Clinton stated in his letter that the US supports Turkey in the customs union issue with Europe. The President also emphasized that he was pleased with the discussions during Prime Minister Tansu Ciller visit to the US in April. /Hurriyet/ US SUPPORT FOR CUSTOMS UNION The US extends strong support on the customs union issue to enable Turkey to integrate with the European Union (EU). A concrete example of this is the visit of Turkey by the US Permanent Representative of the EU, Stuart Eizenstat. A top level Foreign Ministry official said that the US has given the biggest support ever for the customs union issue. The official added that the US was making extraordinary efforts and was bringing great pressure to bear on the EU countries. /Hurriyet/ --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 2 14:20:09 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 02 Jun 1995 14:20:09 Subject: Turkish Press Review References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish Press Review Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl TURKISH PRESS REVIEW MAY 31, 1995 Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning. DENMARK ON TURKEY'S RED LIST Following Denmark's permission for the opening of an ERNK bureau in Copenhagen, Turkey has put the country on the "red list". Stating that companies from Denmark would be excluded from bidding for any military contracts from now on an official said: "Turkey's putting Denmark on her "red list" after Holland is a proof of her determination in the struggle against terrorism. Turkey hopes that this attitude will also serve as an example for other European countries and that they will understand her attitude in not making concessions regarding this issue." Trade in the military field between Turkey and Denmark is not developed but the officials note that this determined attitude of the Ankara government was a warning to another countries which deal intensively with Turkey in this sector. The number of countries with which Turkey suspended trading in arms has increased to seven with Denmark. Turkey has put Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Holland and South Africa on her "red list". Meanwhile it has been ascertained that Germany which has imposed weapons embargo on Turkey has softened its stand. Stating that the German Foreign Ministry has decided to lift the embargo, an official said: "Germany is trying to prepare her own public opinion for this and will lift the embargo at the first suitable moment." Germany is on Turkey's "yellow list" which encompasses countries that are "risky to deal with in matters of defense". /Hurriyet/. CILLER INVITED TO THE WEU Prime Minister Tansu Ciller has been invited to the general committee meeting of the Western European Union Parliamentarians Assembly to be held between 19-21 June in Paris. Giving rights to Turkish deputies to vote in the general committee will be presented for approval. The right to vote has not been given to Turkish deputies attending the Assembly on the grounds that Turkey was only an associate member to the WEU. Upon the boycott of the Turkish deputies, the right to vote has been decided upon in the meeting of the WEU Regulations Commission last week. The final decision will be given in the General Assembly in Paris next month. An absolute majority is needed for the approval. Officials however have pointed out that the voting in favour of Turkey would not be easy as the Assembly members were the same as in the European Parliamentarian Assembly. Ciller has been invited to make a speech at the session of the General Council during the Eastern Mediterranean Report which deals primarily with Turkey will be discussed. Ciller has not as yet given her decision to attend this meeting. /Milliyet/ US ASKS GREECE INFORMATION ON THE PKK The US Administration anxious concerned over the possibility that the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) and other terrorist organization will open offices in Athens and Salonica, has started a wide research in Athens. Councilor of the US Embassy in Athens and second man, Thomas Miller, has officially asked for information on the PKK office in Athens from the Greek Foreign Ministry. The US attitude regarding PKK's activities in Athens has caused unease in Athens. /Hurriyet/ A NEW MODEL FOR IRAQ Turkey pointed out that a de facto Baghdad administration in northern Iraq did not mean that "it was neccessarily a Saddam domination". Diplomatic sources noted that Turkey insists that the territorial integrity of northern Iraq and the self-determination right of the Iraqi people be preserved. Sazad Saib, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Celal Talabani, said that during the meetings Turkey was for a solution through dialogue with central on a long term basis. Saib added that Turkey noted that the northern Iraqi problem must be solved within the framework of Article 688 of the UN Security Council. It was pointed out that the two warring sides in the region, the PUK of Celal Talabani and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Mesut Barzani, reached a concensus on a federal system being established in Iraq in which the "Provide Comfort" forces would act as a guarantor in the region should an agreement be reached with the Baghdad administration. /Cumhuriyet/ --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Mon Jun 12 11:08:31 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 12 Jun 1995 11:08:31 Subject: Turkish Press Review References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish Press Review Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl TURKISH PRESS REVIEW JUN 9, 1995 DEMIREL: "IF EUROPE UNDERSTANDS US, THEN THERE IS NO PROBLEM" President Suleyman Demirel told a businessmen's delegation yesterday that if Europe can understand Turkey's terrorism problem, then there is no problem between Turkey and Europe. Demirel, who received the delegation, which included Kemal Sahin, Chairman of the Turkish Businessmen's and Industrialists' Association, at the presidential palace, also said that Turkey is a peaceful country and that Europe needs to understand Turkey well. Demirel said that Turkey is working hard to improve ties but that unfortunately there are enemies of Turkey in Europe, an apparent reference to the presence of the PKK terrorist organization, which is fighting a separatist war in southeastern Turkey. Demirel added that on the other hand, most people in Europe know about Turkey's importance. Demirel said, in a reference to recent European criticism, that Turkey has no problem of democracy because there is a Parliament in Turkey which was elected and there is a president who was elected by the Parliament. He added that Turkey is a secular, democratic and stable country and will always be one with Europe. /Cumhuriyet/ INONU SAYS TERRORISM HAS DELAYED REFORMS Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu was quoted yesterday as saying that separatist terrorism against the Turkish state has caused a delay in government-planned democratization reforms. In an interview with the Brussels-based daily France Liberation, Inonu said Turkey was, however, determined to realize the reforms, adding he believed major steps would be taken before the end of June. Turkey and the EU agreed in principle in March for Ankara's planned customs union with the EU next year. But the European Parliament, the body which will take a final decision on the issue, urges Turkey to democratize its regime first. Inonu also said Turkey was using military methods only against the PKK terrorist organization, not targeting civilians in the country's troubled southeast where the PKK is waging a separatist war. /Cumhuriyet/ SEVEN VILLAGERS KILLED IN TERRORIST ATTACKS Militants of the PKK terrorist organization have killed seven villagers in raids in southeastern Turkey. Security officials said a group of militants attacked Doseme village near Egil town in Diyarbakir province on Wednesday night and killed five villagers, injured four soldiers and two village guards. Diyarbakir Governor Dogan Hatipoglu said that military operations are continuing to catch militants in the region. Two more villagers were killed in attacks on Tasgedik and Ikipinar villages in Mardin's Omerli district. Unal Erkan, governor of the state of emergency, went to Doseme village to investigate the attacks. PKK militants often attack villages whose men have joined the ranks of government-paid village guards. They say the guards, also local Kurds, are traitors to the separatist cause. /All papers/ FOURTEEN MILITANTS KILLED IN SOUTHEAST Fourteen militants of the PKK terrorist organization were killed during the operations in Sirnak, Bingol, Mardin and Batman. Officials in the state of emergency region said that eight militants were killed in Sirnak's Guclukonak district, three in Bingol's Genc district, two in Mardin's Derik district and one in Batman's Sason district. Sixteen automatic guns, two bazookas, 8 mines, 4 hand grenades, bullets and two tons of food were confiscated during military operations in Adiyaman, Bitlis, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Hakkari and Sirnak. /Cumhuriyet/ MILITARY EXERCISE BEGINS IN BLACK SEA The military execise "Cooperative Rescue '95" started in Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Four NATO member countries, Greece, Turkey, the Netherlands and Italy, as well as Romania and Bulgaria, are taking part in the operation. "Cooperative '95" will continue for six days and a total of 1,200 soldiers will participate, the agency reported. MOGULTAY: "TURKEY WILL REACH ILO STANDARDS" Justice Minister Mehmet Mogultay, who has been appointed Acting Labour and Social Security Minister, said at a meeting of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva that Turkey will reach international labour standards, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Mogultay also met with Michel Hansenne, general director of the ILO and relations between Turkey and the ILO were discussed at the meeting. CUSTOMS UNION AUTHORITY The Turkish government is working to bring into full effect new laws that will pave the way for Turkey's full customs union with the European Union (EU) in October this year. The Council of Ministers will then be able to make changes in the patent laws, geographical signs, industrial projects, trade in fresh vegetables and fruit, wholesale markets, Chambers of Trade and Industry, Chambers of Commerce, Chambers of Industry, Chambers of Maritime Trade, Turkish Union of Chambers and Stock Exchanges, Agricultural Credits Cooperative Stores and Unions and matters relating with food and the application of Turkish Commercial Law, Capital Market, Turkish Union of Hotel Management and Tourism Administrators and the Customs Law. Prime Minister Ciller also attended the negotiations regarding these new laws in the General Council yesterday. /Hurriyet/ JUNE 8, 1995 INONU IN BRUSSELS Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu is continuing with making contact with leading European Union (EU) officials. One of the main points that he is making is that Turkey "is already a European country." During his visit to Brussels, Inonu is detailing Turkey's fight against PKK terrorism and seeking a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem among the EU politicians. However, the biggest issue confronting Inonu and his EU counterparts is the question of whether or not Turkey really will make it into full customs union with the EU member countries this coming October. Forign Minister Inonu is being constantly bom- barded with questions on this issue by all the parties represented in the EU parliament, especially in regard to the reforms that the EU wants to see the Turkish government make prior to the final formalities. Inonu has told his questioners that "we are optimistic" that the desired reforms will be made in time. /Milliyet-Cumhuriyet/ OFFICIAL SAYS "LABOR CIRCLES" HAVE ULTERIOR MOTIVES Kubilay Atasayar, secretary general of the Turkish Employers Union, who is in Switzerland to attend the 82nd general assembly of the International Labour Organization (ILO), said that several labour circles were trying to exploit the ILO meeting for personal gain. Atasayar claimed that these "circles," without naming them, would fail in their attempt. /All papers/ AUSTRIAN DEPUTIES ARRIVE TO DISCUSS HUMAN RIGHT ISSUES A delegation of six Austrian deputies arrived in Ankara yesterday to hold talks on and investigate the human rights situation in Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported. The delegation paid a visit to the deputies of the now-defunct pro Kurdish Democracy Party (DEP) in jail. The Austrian deputies, who were later received by Parliament Speaker Husamettin Cindoruk, are also to visit the southeastern province of Diyarbakir. In an other development, a German delegation, headed by the German Social Democrat Party, Ludwig Fellermeier, was received by the deputy chairman of Republican People's Party (CHP), Ertoz Vahit Suicmez. Fellermeier said they were in favour of Turkey's acceptance into the EU customs union but that Turkey should make progress as regards democratization and its human rights record. The delegation will hold a press conference in Ankara today. /Cumhuriyet/ SEVEN MILITANTS KILLED, TWO CAPTURED, ONE SURRENDERED Seven militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were killed, two militants were captured and one surrendered in the Southeast, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Officials from the state of emergency said that four militants had been killed in the Sirnak's Guneycam district and one militant had been killed in Diyarbakir's Kulp district, one in Mardin's Nusaybin district and one in Hakkari's Alanduz district. Two militants were captured in Tunceli, and the Bitlis Tatvan district, and one militant surrendered in Sirnak's Cizre district, the agency reported. TERRORISTS KILLED IN IRAN News from Tehran says that four PKK terrorists crossing from Turkey into Iran were killed by Iranian security forces sometime during Wednesday evening. /Sabah/ 75,000 PART-TIME GUERRILLAS SUPPORT PKK In the US government "1995 Global Terrorism Report" commenting on 1994, it is stated that besides approximately 15,000 members, 75,000 part-time guerillas give support to the PKK terrorist organization. It is also stated that Iran, Syria and Iraq are "free zones" for the PKK. Iran's position as the country giving the most support to the extreme Islamic and Palestinian groups by providing them with money, weapons and training facilities is stressed in the terrorism report. PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is reported as living in Syria at least during certain times. Thousands of PKK members are shown to be active in Turkey. The report says there is no clue regarding the direct participation of Syrian officials in the planning and realization of terrorist attacks since 1986. Although giving support to terrorist organizations including the PKK, Syria has promised to participate in the Middle East peace process and has taken some measures to limit the international activities of terrorist organizations. The PKK terrorist organization is apparently continuing training activities in the Bekaa Valley. Iran, by not agreeing to conciliation with Israel, is also thought to be forming connections with terrorist organizations like the Hamas and Hizbullah groups against the agreement signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Iran is also reported to be continuing to allow the PKK to use Tehran as a free zone, and giving logistic support to many terrorist organizations. Iraqi terrorist activities in northern Iraq are discussed at length in the report. Stressing that there were many international terrorist incidents in Greece last year, the unstable attitude of Greece regarding terrorism is als [TRKNWS-L editor's note: We are aware of the fact that the end of this file is missing, that is the way it was transmitted to us.] --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue Jun 13 23:23:14 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 13 Jun 1995 23:23:14 Subject: Turkish Press Review References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish Press Review Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl TURKISH PRESS REVIEW JUNE 12, 1995 TURKEY REPORTS BIG SUCCESS AGAINST SEPARATISTS Security forces killed 35 Kurdish separatists yesterday in clashes throughout southeastern Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported, quoting local officials in the provincial centre of Diyarbakir. Five soldiers reportedly died in the fighting. The agency also said 26 other rebels were captured in the area, including two militants sought for the bombing of a bus stop in Batman last week that killed 11 people and wounded 18. The latest figures for losses by the PKK terrorist organization are 141 killed and 167 captured since the start of the month, Interior Minister Nahit Mentese told the Anatolia news agency. Mentese said the successes of the security forces over the past two years have helped to disperse the atmosphere of gloom over the country. The PKK has been fighting for an independent Kurdish state covering parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran Syria since 1984. Some 16,000 people, including rebels, policemen, soldiers and civilians have died in the fighting. TOP TURKISH COUNCIL ADVISES EXTENSION OF PROVIDE COMFORT The Turkish National Security Council yesterday recommended the extension of the mandate of an allied strike force stationed in Turkey to protect Iraqi Kurds. A statement issued after the monthly meeting of the council chaired by President Suleyman Demirel said the task force, named Operation Provide Comfort, should continue to be based in Turkey. The council also proposed the extension, for another four months from June 19, of a state of emergency in 10 southeastern Turkish provinces to fight against the PKK terrorist organization. Parliament will have the final say when it votes on both issues later this month. Deputy Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin yesterday also attended the meeting held at the Cankaya Palace with members of the National Security Council (NSC). Following discussion of terrorist actions throughout Turkey, measures to be taken against attempts for establishing a "Kurdish government in-exile" were considered. The NSC also supported the Turkish government's efforts to block moves by some European countries to support attempts by groups to establish the so-called parliament in exile. The PKK terrorist organization's attempts to penetrate the Mediterranean tourist regions, discussed in previous meetings, were again reviewed and a decision to increase security measures in the region was unanimously accepted. The Turkish government will also make a four-month extension to the state of emergency rule obtaining in the southeastern regions of the country, and a six-month extension to the Provide Comfort mandate. /All papers/ EUROPEAN POLICE CHIEFS MEET IN DUBLIN Ankara Police Chief Orhan Tasanlar is to join the "17th European Capitals Police Services Conference" in Dublin today, the Anatolia news agency reported. Tasanlar, who will be one of the 30 European police chiefs at the event, is expected to discuss "the drug ties of the PKK terrorist organization". The police chiefs will be received by Irish President Mary Robinson on June 16. TURKEY WARNS IRAN ABOUT SUPPORTING PKK Interior Minister Nahit Mentese has warned Iran about allowing the PKK terrorist organization to set up temporary camps along the Iran-Iraq border. The camps have been set up to shelter PKK terrorists filtering across the border from Iraq. In a telephone message, Iranian officials have been told that Turkey is not happy about the news that the camps have been set up for the benefit of the PKK. Acording to some reports, some camps have been set up just across the border from Dogubeyazit and Baskale. Turkish security has been stepped up in the region to prevent PKK terrorists filtering into Turkey through the Van and Hakkari regions. Turkish military representatives have declared that Turkish forces are ready to clean out the terrorist camps. In the meantime, the fight against the PKK within the borders of Turkey seems to be going against the terrorists. Reports given to the government claim that PKK mountain forces have suffered some deadly blows and that the PKK has lost much of its strength as a result. In clashes over the weekend in the Tunceli, Sirnak, Hakkari, Diyarbakir, Bingol, Bitlis and Mardin regions, 35 terrorists have been reported killed. /All papers/ NO TERRORISM IN TOURIST AREAS During a conference held over the weekend at the Antalya- Kemer "Magic World" holiday village, foreign ambassadors and other officials were assured that terrorism has not penetrated the holiday areas along the southern coasts of Turkey. Ambassadors and others representing 27 countries were briefed on security arrangements and were given a guarantee that measures taken were sufficient to deal with any eventuality. After the meeting, the participants were taken on a tour of the region. /Sabah/ --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue Jun 13 23:23:52 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 13 Jun 1995 23:23:52 Subject: Turkish Press Review References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish Press Review Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl TURKISH PRESS REVIEW JUN 9, 1995 DEMIREL: "IF EUROPE UNDERSTANDS US, THEN THERE IS NO PROBLEM" President Suleyman Demirel told a businessmen's delegation yesterday that if Europe can understand Turkey's terrorism problem, then there is no problem between Turkey and Europe. Demirel, who received the delegation, which included Kemal Sahin, Chairman of the Turkish Businessmen's and Industrialists' Association, at the presidential palace, also said that Turkey is a peaceful country and that Europe needs to understand Turkey well. Demirel said that Turkey is working hard to improve ties but that unfortunately there are enemies of Turkey in Europe, an apparent reference to the presence of the PKK terrorist organization, which is fighting a separatist war in southeastern Turkey. Demirel added that on the other hand, most people in Europe know about Turkey's importance. Demirel said, in a reference to recent European criticism, that Turkey has no problem of democracy because there is a Parliament in Turkey which was elected and there is a president who was elected by the Parliament. He added that Turkey is a secular, democratic and stable country and will always be one with Europe. /Cumhuriyet/ INONU SAYS TERRORISM HAS DELAYED REFORMS Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu was quoted yesterday as saying that separatist terrorism against the Turkish state has caused a delay in government-planned democratization reforms. In an interview with the Brussels-based daily France Liberation, Inonu said Turkey was, however, determined to realize the reforms, adding he believed major steps would be taken before the end of June. Turkey and the EU agreed in principle in March for Ankara's planned customs union with the EU next year. But the European Parliament, the body which will take a final decision on the issue, urges Turkey to democratize its regime first. Inonu also said Turkey was using military methods only against the PKK terrorist organization, not targeting civilians in the country's troubled southeast where the PKK is waging a separatist war. /Cumhuriyet/ SEVEN VILLAGERS KILLED IN TERRORIST ATTACKS Militants of the PKK terrorist organization have killed seven villagers in raids in southeastern Turkey. Security officials said a group of militants attacked Doseme village near Egil town in Diyarbakir province on Wednesday night and killed five villagers, injured four soldiers and two village guards. Diyarbakir Governor Dogan Hatipoglu said that military operations are continuing to catch militants in the region. Two more villagers were killed in attacks on Tasgedik and Ikipinar villages in Mardin's Omerli district. Unal Erkan, governor of the state of emergency, went to Doseme village to investigate the attacks. PKK militants often attack villages whose men have joined the ranks of government-paid village guards. They say the guards, also local Kurds, are traitors to the separatist cause. /All papers/ FOURTEEN MILITANTS KILLED IN SOUTHEAST Fourteen militants of the PKK terrorist organization were killed during the operations in Sirnak, Bingol, Mardin and Batman. Officials in the state of emergency region said that eight militants were killed in Sirnak's Guclukonak district, three in Bingol's Genc district, two in Mardin's Derik district and one in Batman's Sason district. Sixteen automatic guns, two bazookas, 8 mines, 4 hand grenades, bullets and two tons of food were confiscated during military operations in Adiyaman, Bitlis, Diyarbakir, Mardin, Hakkari and Sirnak. /Cumhuriyet/ MILITARY EXERCISE BEGINS IN BLACK SEA The military execise "Cooperative Rescue '95" started in Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Four NATO member countries, Greece, Turkey, the Netherlands and Italy, as well as Romania and Bulgaria, are taking part in the operation. "Cooperative '95" will continue for six days and a total of 1,200 soldiers will participate, the agency reported. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed Jun 14 11:06:23 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 14 Jun 1995 11:06:23 Subject: Turkish Press Review References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish Press Review Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl TURKISH PRESS REVIEW JUNE 12, 1995 TURKEY REPORTS BIG SUCCESS AGAINST SEPARATISTS Security forces killed 35 Kurdish separatists yesterday in clashes throughout southeastern Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported, quoting local officials in the provincial centre of Diyarbakir. Five soldiers reportedly died in the fighting. The agency also said 26 other rebels were captured in the area, including two militants sought for the bombing of a bus stop in Batman last week that killed 11 people and wounded 18. The latest figures for losses by the PKK terrorist organization are 141 killed and 167 captured since the start of the month, Interior Minister Nahit Mentese told the Anatolia news agency. Mentese said the successes of the security forces over the past two years have helped to disperse the atmosphere of gloom over the country. The PKK has been fighting for an independent Kurdish state covering parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran Syria since 1984. Some 16,000 people, including rebels, policemen, soldiers and civilians have died in the fighting. TOP TURKISH COUNCIL ADVISES EXTENSION OF PROVIDE COMFORT The Turkish National Security Council yesterday recommended the extension of the mandate of an allied strike force stationed in Turkey to protect Iraqi Kurds. A statement issued after the monthly meeting of the council chaired by President Suleyman Demirel said the task force, named Operation Provide Comfort, should continue to be based in Turkey. The council also proposed the extension, for another four months from June 19, of a state of emergency in 10 southeastern Turkish provinces to fight against the PKK terrorist organization. Parliament will have the final say when it votes on both issues later this month. Deputy Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin yesterday also attended the meeting held at the Cankaya Palace with members of the National Security Council (NSC). Following discussion of terrorist actions throughout Turkey, measures to be taken against attempts for establishing a "Kurdish government in-exile" were considered. The NSC also supported the Turkish government's efforts to block moves by some European countries to support attempts by groups to establish the so-called parliament in exile. The PKK terrorist organization's attempts to penetrate the Mediterranean tourist regions, discussed in previous meetings, were again reviewed and a decision to increase security measures in the region was unanimously accepted. The Turkish government will also make a four-month extension to the state of emergency rule obtaining in the southeastern regions of the country, and a six-month extension to the Provide Comfort mandate. /All papers/ TURKEY WARNS IRAN ABOUT SUPPORTING PKK Interior Minister Nahit Mentese has warned Iran about allowing the PKK terrorist organization to set up temporary camps along the Iran-Iraq border. The camps have been set up to shelter PKK terrorists filtering across the border from Iraq. In a telephone message, Iranian officials have been told that Turkey is not happy about the news that the camps have been set up for the benefit of the PKK. Acording to some reports, some camps have been set up just across the border from Dogubeyazit and Baskale. Turkish security has been stepped up in the region to prevent PKK terrorists filtering into Turkey through the Van and Hakkari regions. Turkish military representatives have declared that Turkish forces are ready to clean out the terrorist camps. In the meantime, the fight against the PKK within the borders of Turkey seems to be going against the terrorists. Reports given to the government claim that PKK mountain forces have suffered some deadly blows and that the PKK has lost much of its strength as a result. In clashes over the weekend in the Tunceli, Sirnak, Hakkari, Diyarbakir, Bingol, Bitlis and Mardin regions, 35 terrorists have been reported killed. /All papers/ NO TERRORISM IN TOURIST AREAS During a conference held over the weekend at the Antalya- Kemer "Magic World" holiday village, foreign ambassadors and other officials were assured that terrorism has not penetrated the holiday areas along the southern coasts of Turkey. Ambassadors and others representing 27 countries were briefed on security arrangements and were given a guarantee that measures taken were sufficient to deal with any eventuality. After the meeting, the participants were taken on a tour of the region. /Sabah/ * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 23 05:43:22 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 23 Jun 1995 05:43:22 Subject: Turkish Press Review References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish Press Review Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl TURKISH PRESS REVIEW JUNE 20, 1995 TEST FOR CILLER Prime Minister Tansu Ciller flew to Paris yesterday to attend the Western European Union (WEU) Parliamentarians Assembly meeting in which report calling for autonomy for the Kurds will be approved. Ciller, who will have to pass a difficult "examination" on customs union, will make a speech during the meeting today and will talk with French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Alain Juppe. A delegation of deputies including Deniz Baykal, Engin Guner, Selcuk Maruflu, Coskun Kirca is also attending the General Council meetings under the presidency of Sait Kemal Mimaroplu, the Ankara deputy of the True Path Party (TPP). A report regarding security in the Eastern Mediterranean, which proposes autonomy for the Kurdish people in Turkey will be discussed in the meeting. Ciller has already noted that she will stress the injustice of some critics and their suggestions in her speech. Ciller said: "Turkey does not close her ears to the voices coming from Europe of which she is a part nor she will close her ears in the future, but it is also our right to distinguish whether these voices are friendly and just or not." Diplomatic circles are saying that Ciller's speech was very important for being the first confrontation with European public opinion before the Customs Union. It is also expected that Ciller will send out a message, saying that the democratization process has begun and that the Constitutional amendments are subject to the approval of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. CANNES LOBBY It has been noted that Ciller will lobby in her talks with Chirac and Juppe in Paris to have Turkey invited to the Cannes EU summit in France at the end of this month. Same sources have suggested that Ciller will stress the importance of Turkey's presence in the EU summit emphasizing that Turkey now has a different status following the signing of the Customs Union agreement on 6 March. Meanwhile, making a surprise gesture to Turkey, Italy also proposed Turkey's participation in the summit. It has been said that this proposal from Italy is supported by France, Britain and Germany. /Hurriyet-Milliyet/ TURKEY, PALESTINE DISCUSS ECONOMIC AID, PEACE PROCESS Palestinian President Yasser Arafat arrived in Ankara yesterday to pay his second official visit following the start of the Middle East peace process. Welcomed by Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu at Esenboga Airport, Arafat first visited Ataturk's mausoleum. He was welcomed with an official ceremony by President Demirel at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. Arafat and Demirel held a one-hour meeting and then meetings between delegations were held. Arafat and Turkish officials discussed ways to expedite an economic aid package Ankara had earlier pledged to extend to the Palestinian state to support several development projects in the newly autonomous areas. Arafat also briefed President Suleyman Demirel and other Turkish officials he met in Ankara on developments in the Middle East peace process and in particular the Palestinian-Israeli talks. At official talks following Arafat's arrival in Ankara yesterday morning, the Palestinian delegation also asked the Ankara government to encourage the Turkish private sector to do business in Palestine. "The Palestinian people have not forgotten and will not forget Turkey's assistance. They now need Turkey's help more than ever" Arafat said in a meeting with Demirel. Demirel said at a dinner he gave in Arafat's honour that Turkey would continue to do what it could to contribute to the economic and social development of the Palestinian people. Explaining the political and practical difficulties the Palestine administration faces, Arafat asked for Turkey's political support. He also requested observers from Turkey for the Gaza and Jericho elections and Turkish soldiers to participate in the international police force to be established. Arafat and Prime Minister Tansu Ciller spoke on the phone and briefly discussed the peace process before Ciller flew to Paris yesterday afternoon to attend a Western European Union meeting. Arafat will meet Turkish party and union leaders and receive an honorary doctorate at Ankara's Gazi University today before leaving Turkey later in the day. /All papers/ A CRITICAL MEETING FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) Constitution Commission will hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss again the amendments in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 17th and 22nd articles of the Constitution. /Milliyet/ 13 PKK MILITANTS KILLED IN SOUTHEAST Ten militants of the PKK terrorist organization were killed during military operations in the Southeast. Officials from the state of emergency said that four militants were killed at Mount Dugun located in the west of Sirnak, four in the towns of Dargecit and Nusaybin in Mardin, one in the town of Adakli in Bingol and another in the town of Ovancilar in Elazig. Three militants were killed by the security forces yesterday morning at Mount Ziyaret in Agri. Five other militants, of whom one is a woman, who abandoned the separatist organization to benefit from the Repentance law turned themselves over to the security forces. Meanwhile, 29 members of the PKK who were arrested during operations, were detained by the court after interrogation by the police was completed. /Milliyet/ GERMAN CITIZENS OF TURKISH ORIGIN TO SET UP PARTY A group of German citizens of Turkish origin held their first meeting in Frankfurt to establish a new political party, the Democrat Party, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. A total of 45 people participated in the meeting. Sedat Sezgin, chairman of the party's committee, said their aim was to gain equal rights for foreigners in the country and to enter the German Parliament in three or four years time, Anatolia said. TURKISH TOURISM GETS "TOP MARK" IN LONDON A "Congress Tourism Fair '95" organised by the Promotion Council was held in London on Saturday, June 16, the aim of which is to increase tourism ties between Turkey and England. Some 21 firms which came from Turkey, interacted with about 300 British firms. Representatives of the British firms said that Turkey should be thought of as more than just a "summer holiday" place. They added that Turkey's potential as a convention and exhibition venue should not be overlooked. Mustafa Turkmen, Turkey's Promotion Counsellor in London, stressing that the Fair which was taking place for the fifth time this year, collected increasing interest every year, said Turkey's success in the field of congress fairs has been proven. "We are proudly exhibiting Turkey's facilities in London, the world capital for congress tourism", said he. In his statement given to the Travel TV Channel broadcasting to west Europe, he said that Turkey was one of the most attractive countries for British tourists. Answering a question Turkmen said: "A tourist is still regarded as a 'guest' in Turkey and a 'a guest' is most respected visitor. In addition, Turkey is one of the most secure countries for tourists." At a reception given at the end of the convention, Ozdem Sanberk, the new Turkish ambassador in London, said that he was pleased with the flow of British tourists to Turkey. Company- sponsored tourism, which began with international organizations awarding their employees by sending them abroad on touristic trips that are paid for by the company, was mentioned during the convention as one form of tourism that is increasingly profitable for the host country. RUSSIAN SUPPORT FOR TURKISH TOURISM A TOBB Commission (Turkish Union of Chambers and Exchange Commodities) consisting of approximately 80 businessmen and bureaucrats, chaired by Yalim Erez completed its contacts in Tatarstan two days ago and went on to Moscow yesterday. Russian Chairman of the Trade and Industry, Alexandrowid Smirnov, who addressed the Turkish commission said that "Turkey will get ahead of Greece and Spain in tourism. The support of Russian tourists to Turkish tourism will eventually be superfluous." The Turkish commission began meetings with Russian officials yesterday morning. TOBB Chairman Erez said that they wanted the Black Sea to be "sea of cooperation" and said that "consolidation of relations between our countries will not only increase prosperity between our countries but in each country of the Commonwealth of Independent States as well. Common initiatives should be a field where Turkey and Russia can evaluate their comparative advantages." /Hurriyet/ END --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 23 05:45:58 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 23 Jun 1995 05:45:58 Subject: Turkish Press Review References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish Press Review Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl TURKISH PRESS REVIEW JUNE 21, 1995 Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning. CILLER DEFENDS TURKEY AGAINST EURO CRITICISM Prime Minister Tansu Ciller yesterday defended Ankara's stance in the face of European criticism regarding the human rights situation and the Kurdish issue, admitting that Turkey lacks some elements of a true democracy, but pledging to remove several anti-democratic legislative articles. Addressing a Western European Union (WEU) assembly meeting in the French capital, Ciller urged Europeans to show no sympathy to the PKK, which she said was a violent terrorist organization. Replying to questions by members of the WEU assembly after her speech, Ciller said Iraqi President Saddam Huseyin's administration supported the PKK in retaliation for Turkey's firm backing to the US-led multinational movement against Baghdad during the Gulf crisis. In a press statement, Ciller also reiterated Turkey's demand to become a full member of the WEU, saying this issue could be finalized during the process of a European review conference scheduled to begin in 1996. While in Paris for a meeting of the Western European Union (WEU), in her talks with French Prime Minister Alain Juppe, Prime Minister Ciller called upon the French government to lend more support to Turkey's efforts to join the European Union (EU). Noting that both Turkey and Europe were in fact part and parcel of the same democratic union, and always would be, Ciller drew attention to the unique role that Turkey played in the region as a stable, secular moslem country. During a two-hour dinner, Ciller and Juppe spoke about Turkey and democratization developments as they affected ties with Europe and the process of customs union with the EU. /Cumhuriyet/ ARAFAT: "NO SIMILARITY BETWEEN PKK AND PLO" Turkish officials and party leaders gave visiting Palestinian President Yasser Arafat confirmation that Turkey will continue to support Palestine and the Middle East peace process. Meeting the Parliament Speaker and party leaders yesterday, the second day of his official visit to Turkey, Arafat reiterated that Turkey, a respected country in the region, has big responsibilities in terms of the realization of a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East and, "Turkey's contribution in all fields is needed". In a press meeting held before his return to his own country, answering a question about his comment on now the PKK was taking the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as an example, Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian President, said: "Palestine neither exports nor imports her ideas. The PKK and the PLO have no similarities. There are great differences between them". It has been stated that Arafat has gained power in his struggle against peace process opponents by winning "every kind of support" from Turkish officials in Ankara. Stating that Israel was not keeping her promises, Arafat asked Turkey to persuade Israel to stick to peace process agreements. Turkish officials have stated that they will exert every possible effort but have noted that a mediator role was not being considered. The Palestinian leader said that his administration was expecting the Turkish government to encourage Turkish businessmen to seek a share in the construction of houses and port facilities. A promise of support has been given to Arafat regarding these projects. Saying that Western countries were not giving support to Palestine, Arafat asked Turkey to negotiate new credit facilities with the Western countries. Turkish officials said that they were continuing initiatives regarding this issue. Arafat also asked Turkey to organize a joint project regarding $50 million Eximbank credit promised by Turkey which remains unused because of the lack of suitable projects. /Hurriyet/ US: "CUSTOMS UNION MUST BE REALIZED" A US State Department Spokesman, Nick Burns, reaffirmed US support for Turkish membership in the EU and said Washington had no intention of indexing Turkey's EU membership to progress in resolving the Cyprus issue. "There can be no connection between the Cyprus issue and US-Turkey relations. Turkey is an ally of the US and very important from the strategic stand point. We stand by our attempts to try to convince our European partners to integrate Turkey into the EU eventually, and certainly to facilitate the Customs Union agreement. Turkey will remain one of the most important countries in all of Europe to the US, and our policy is based upon that fundamental fact" he said. Burns said that Turkey-EU ties were discussed at the recent G-7 summit in Halifax, Canada. "Turkey and the EU should work to create a close relationship and that there should, we hope, be an agreement between Turkey and the EU on a customs agreement" Burns added. He emphasized Turkey's importance for European stability and security. "We believe that the process of Turkey's integration with the West through economic institutions and political relationships is a very important process for the future of Turkey. And we also believe that the foundation that Turkey provides, a stable foundation in its part of the world, which is a troubled part of the world, is a very important factor in European security and that the European countries have to take account of that when they develop their polticies toward Turkey" Burns said. /Hurriyet-Sabah/ VURAL'S APPOINTMENT TO BONN FORMALIZED The appointment of Volkan Vural, former advisor to Prime Minister Tansu Ciller, as Turkey's new ambassador to Bonn was published in the Official Gazette yesterday. Vural, who was among the candidates for Foreign Ministry Undersecretary, replaces Onur Oymen, the ministry's new undersecretary. COMMANDER OF NATO'S DEFENCE COLLEGE IN TURKEY Gen.Richard J.Evraire, the commander of NATO's Defence College, yesterday visited Defence Minister Mehmet Golhan and Gen.Ahmet Corekci, deputy chief of general staff in Ankara, the Anatolia news agency reported. Golhan reportedly said in the meeting that, in view of increasing regional clashes, NATO had an important security role to play. Gen.Corekci said that Gen.Evraire was briefed about the Turkish Armed Forces, the agency reported. SIX MILITANTS AND A SOLDIER KILLED IN THE SOUTHEAST Six militants of the PKK terrorist organization and a soldier were killed during military operations in the Southeast. Officials from the state of emergency region said that three militants were killed in Hakkari's Semdinli district, two in Sirnak's Namazdagi district and another in Elazig and their weapons were confiscated. A soldier was killed in action during the clashes. 1,560 PKK MILITANTS RENDERED INEFFECTIVE IN 1995 Unal Erkan, governor of the state of emergency region, said yesterday that 1,560 Kurdish separatists had been rendered "ineffective" in the first five months of 1995, the Anatolia news agency reported. Erkan said during a press conference that military operations are continuing against the PKK militants, but that terrorist attacks in the region had decreased from a year ago. Erkan said that a total of 113 people -72 men, 20 women, 21 children- had been killed and 142 people had been injured by PKK militants in the first five months of 1995. The governor also reported that 1,289 PKK militants had been killed, 15 were injured, 130 were captured and 141 had surrendered in the region over the same period in 1995. GERMANY SAYS NO LEGAL STATUS FOR KURDISH PARLIAMENT Germany said on Monday that the so-called Kurdish Parliament had no legal status and that cooperation with the parliament was out of the question. The German government said it called for a peaceful solution to the problem in the region. SECOND WARNING TO IRAN President Suleyman Demirel has again warned Iran about allowing PKK terrorist groups to filter across the border between Turkey and Iran. Demirel has again made it known that Turkey wants Iran to be far more aware of what the PKK is doing and take action against border activity that endangers Turkish domestic security. Demirel has in fact, spoken extensively with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Alaaddin Brucerdi, who after his talks with Demirel said that relations between his country and Turkey were cordial, and that it was the hope of the Iranian government that more cooperation between Ankara and Tehran would lead to a solution of the border problem. But according to Defence Minister Mehmet Golhan, there is every evidence that the PKK is still using the border with Iran to get into Turkey. Recent attacks against Turkish border police stations were carried out by terrorists coming over from from Iran, say military representatives. In the meantime, Turkish security forces in the region around Van have been taking measures against PKK infiltration. President Demirel has been briefed a number of times on regional developments. /All papers/ PRAISE FOR TURKEY FROM SINGAPORE Singapore has been full of praise for a "Turkish Week" arranged by Turkish Airlines (THY) to promote Turkey in the towns and cities of Singapore. The special week of promotion was tied in with new THY flights between Istanbul and Singapore. With a "Cafe Turk" and other attractions including folk dancing and exhibitions by the whirling Dervishes, the people of Singapore enjoyed a special kind of week. /Hurriyet/ TURKISH PARLIAMENTARIANS GET RIGHT TO VOTE Following a proposal by Britain's Lord Finsberg at the Paris sessions of the Western European Union (WEU), European parliamentarians agreed that Turkish parliamentarians could vote in the WEU. Turkish parliamentarians will thus be able to vote in committee meetings and similar functions of the WEU. Noting that Turkey was not yet a full member of the WEU, Spanish representative Martinez was critical of the Finsberg proposals and said that it was too early to gove the right to vote to Turkish representatives. /Cumhuriyet/ PKK TERRORISTS KILL TWO CHILDREN Two ten-year old shepherd girls were killed by PKK terrorists in the province of Batman yesterday. The children's relatives, hearing the sound of gunfire, rushed into the surrounding fields and were themselves wounded by a PKK mine. One of those wounded later died in the hospital. /Sabah/ TURKEY THE BEST EUROPEAN HOLIDAY DESTINATION According to research made by the noted German magazine Focus, Turkey is much better for European tourists than Italy, Greece and Spain. Focus magazine commissioned the Munich-based European Research and Information Agency "Ectrotrans" to find out which were the preferred European coasts during the 1995 summer season. Importance was to be given to environmental protection, environmental cleanliness of the coasts and sea water, and entertainment facilities were some factors taken into consideration in the research. Marmaris, Side and Kemer were the first three chosen out of 100 European cities in 16 countries. Research was carried out by international experts between March and May. Turkey won the highest scores with her coasts free of seaweed, clean waters and unspoiled nature. According to the research, it was shown that Italy, Spain and Greece although famous for being "tourism paradises" were not deserving this fame, and it was noted that it was very difficult for the holiday resorts of these countries to maintain their former high standards. Concretization, pollution caused by industrialization and irresponsibility have spelt an end to these continental centres. /Sabah/ END --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed Jun 28 17:04:05 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 28 Jun 1995 17:04:05 Subject: Turkish Press Review References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish Press Review Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl TURKISH PRESS REVIEW JUNE 27, 1995 DEMIREL: "TURKEY IS ALREADY A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY" President Suleyman Demirel said yesterday that Turkey was not seeking to become a democratic country, because democracy was already in effect in Turkey, the Anatolia news agency reported. Receiving foreign journalists in Turkey as the guests of the Environment Ministry, Demirel said that European countries misunderstood Turkey and that the latter failed to express herself well. Demirel noted that Turkey had an independent judiciary system, thus it would be an undemocratic action to release the pro-Kurdish deputies merely upon the wish of European countries. Noting that the EU seemed to be readying to accept former eastern bloc-countries as members, Demirel said he doubted whether these countries were more democratic than Turkey. Demirel, who also spoke of environmental issues, said an international treaty should be created to stop global pollution. Demirel and Environment Minister Riza Akcali received journalists from the US, France, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Russia and Azerbaijan. Replying to a question on whether strengthening of the Islamic religion would pressurize the state system, Demirel said: "Turkey is a secular country. There is religious freedom and there is no pressure. Secularism guarantees religious freedom. I think that the Turkish nation likes the state order set up by Ataturk". /Sabah/ PM'S OFFICE: 19,000 DEAD IN 11-YEAR PKK CONFLICT More than 19,000 people have died, over half of them Kurdish separatist militants, in almost 11 years of government fighting against the PKK terrorist organization, the Prime Minister's office said in a statement yesterday. The statement said that 19,560 people have been killed in the fight led by the PKK since the group took up arms in 1984. More than 11,000 PKK members have been killed since then, and 3,825 members of the security forces, the statement said. A total of 4,727 civilians have died, it added. Meanwhile, fourteen PKK militants were killed in operations in Hakkari, Bitlis and Sirnak, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. Seven PKK militants surrendered to Turkish security forces to take advantage of the Repentance Law. Separatist militants killed three people and wounded four others on the Olukbasi plateau in Adana's Osmaniye district. GREEK SUPPORT FOR KURDISH LEADER Following the visit of the Greek parliamentarians to PKK terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan, the news from Athens today is Greek support for leader of the so-called Kurdish Parliament in-exile, Yasar Kaya. Within the framework of the Greek "any enemy of Turkey is our friend" policy, Yasar Kaya is being given the full treatment by the Greeks with ceremonies and visits to parliament. Greek government spokesmen however, and other officials, are still avoiding giving a clear answer to just what they hope to achieve by buttering-up to these individuals. /All papers/ EU COUNCIL "WATCHING TURKEY CLOSELY" According to Spanish EU parliamentarian Miguel Martinez, the Council of EU Parliamentarians is watching developments in Turkey "closely." He has noted that there have some positive steps forward, among them the quick withdrawal of Turkish military forces from northern Iraq following operations against PKK terrorists. The Council is now waiting to see progress on constitutional and legal system reforms including human rights issues. Turkey's current situation in relation to membership in the EU is already being reviewed by sub-committees attached to the Council. Again, according to Martinez, Turkey is meeting up to the expectations of the EU Council. The signals from Europe are thus described as being "more positive." /All papers/ MORE LOBBYING FOR CUSTOMS UNION The Turkish Association of Businessmen and Industrialists will host ten EU parliamentarians in Antalya at the start of next month. The association feels that there are a lot of gaps in the present promotion programme, and wants to lobby for customs union with the EU on its own terms. Association members are attaching a lot of importance to the meetings and lobby plans, and add that they want to make up the deficiences they have seen in Turkish promotion campaigns. /Milliyet/ GROSSMAN IN DIYARBAKIR Marc Grossman, US Ambassador to Turkey, went to Diyarbakir yesterday to provide details about the Southeast Education, Health and Economy project. After being briefed about the problems of the city, Grossman said that Turkey had taken important steps forward in the economy and democracy issues. He added: "Turkey is a democratic country. I support Turkey on every international platform where I am present. The Turkish economy is developing. I will start initiatives to ensure that US businesses invest in Turkey." /Milliyet/ POPE SUPPORTS TURKEY'S EUROPEAN UNION MEMBERSHIP Pope Jean Paul II said that he supported the full membership of Turkey in the European Union (EU). The Pope stressed that Turkey which holds a special position between West and East, also has taken upon itself the important role of building bridges between different cultures within the structure of Europe and forming positive relations amongst the people living in critical regions. The Pope declared during a meeting with Turkish Ambassador Semih Belen, appointed to the Vatican, that "Turkey's full membership in the EU will be a heartening development stemming from forming economic and political institutions which will make contributions to the material and moral prosperity of our societies." /Hurriyet/ --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 2 14:21:00 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 02 Jun 1995 14:21:00 Subject: Turkey Urges Kurds to Prolong Cease Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkey Urges Kurds to Prolong Ceasefire Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Turkey Urges Kurds to Prolong Ceasefire ANKARA, May 31 (Reuter) - Turkey on Wednesday urged two feuding Iraqi Kurdish groups to extend their ceasefire, which is due to expire on June 1, to ensure stability in northern Iraq. ``If clashes resume, even the seeming quiet in the region will become impossible to preserve... We see the benefits of extending the current ceasefire,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Nurettin Nurkan told a news briefing. ``We call on the leaders of both groups to heed our assessment and refrain from acts to jeopardise security and stability in northern Iraq,'' Nurkan said. A bitter conflict which broke out between the KDP and PUK in December has cost dozens of lives on both sides. The dispute all but demolished their de facto administration which is protected by a Western allied force stationed in southern Turkey since the end of the Gulf War from possible attacks by Baghdad. Nurkan said Iraqi Kurdish civilians stood to lose first from a breakdown of the ceasefire declared in April. Turkish officials met spokesmen of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Ankara this month to enlist their support against Turkey's separatist Kurdish rebels. ``Other undesirable elements,'' namely the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), would benefit from the turmoil, he said. Turkey has a vested interest in stability in northern Iraq where PKK guerrillas have established bases they use for cross-border forays inside Turkey. For six weeks from March 20, Turkish forces drove into northern Iraq to smash the bases. The campaign which officials say has cleared rebel presence for the time being, cost Turkey heavily in terms of criticism from its Western allies. KDP leader Massoud Barzani and PUK chief Jalal Talabani are expected to visit Ankara separately but no date has been set. Ankara Puts Denmark on Military Blacklist ANKARA, May 31 (Reuter) - Turkey said on Wednesday it had banned arms and military equipment purchases from NATO-ally Denmark after Copenhagen halted sales to Ankara. ``Denmark... has lost the quality of being a reliable partner in military procurements. Turkey has decided to place Denmark on its red list,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Nurettin Nurkan said. Denmark stopped the sales this month because of Turkey's six-week-long military operation in northern Iraq against separatist rebel Kurds. Turkey ended the incursion on May 2. Nurkan said Danish armament firms would not be allowed to bid in Turkish military tenders. Military trade between the two countries was not significant he added, but gave no details. Nurkan also said Ankara was incensed at Denmark for allowing the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to open an office in Copenhagen recently. ``It is unacceptable that Denmark has permitted the opening of a bureau in Copenhagen of the terrorist PKK's so-called political wing despite...the violation of international law this act constitutes,'' he said. Turkey recently placed the Netherlands and South Africa on its ``red list'' of undesirable arms procurers after both stopped sales in reaction to the northern Iraqi operation. Its major supplier Germany has also suspended military sales following the cross-border campaign but Ankara has not placed it on the boycott list. Norway also banned arms sales to Turkey. More than 16,000 people have died in the PKK insurgency which began in 1984 for a Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 2 14:21:51 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 02 Jun 1995 14:21:51 Subject: Kurdistan Report #17 - February/Mar Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Kurdistan Report #17 - February/March 1994 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Kurdistan Report #17 - February/March 1994 Editorial The Kurdish people are confident that 1994 will be a year in which they take significant steps towards achieving their legitimate rights. January 1994, the billboards are full of advertisements for holidays in Turkey. "Paradise of Infinite Colours" runs the blurb. The same slogan can be seen on buses and television commercials. Turkey seems an attractive destination for a summer holiday - beaches, historical sites, mountains - and cheap! However there is a war going on in Turkey, a dirty war, in 1993 thousands of people lost their lives in this war. According to official government figures, 4,000, according to the opposition pro-Kurdish daily Ozgur Gundem, 7,280 people, men, women and children were killed in this conflict. This war is covered, if at all, in the British press, as a conflict between the Turkish army and the PKK with the Kurdish people suffering as a result. The reality, that hundreds of villages, 874 according to the annual report published by the Turkish Human Rights Association, were destroyed in 1993 and the inhabitants, forced to flee, has been, generally speaking, ignored. The Turkish chief of staff and Prime Minister have vowed to "finish off the PKK by March 1994" but in fact the Turkish authorities have intensified their oppression of democratic opposition and press, raiding the offices of the daily Ozgur Gundem on December 10, 1994, International Human Rights Day, and arresting the whole staff. On November 18, 1994, the United Nations Committee Against Torture condemned Turkey for "widespread, habitual, deliberate and systematic torture", however a week later the German government raised ghosts from its recent past by banning the PKK and other Kurdish organizations in Germany. While neo-Nazi organizations operate freely the PKK flag and publications have been declared illegal, 5,000 copies of the monthly Serxwebun were confiscated recently. Kurdish community centres were raided and closed down. However, the Kurdish people responded by demonstrating their support for the PKK and the national liberation struggle being waged in Kurdistan by holding protest demonstrations and occupying their own community centres, forcing the German authorities to permit them to reopen. France also banned the PKK and arrested some Kurdish activists but Turkey's efforts to ban the PKK in other European states have been successful. The other governments presumably either have more sense or less draconian laws than those at Germany's disposal. In January the PKK thanked 374, 740 Kurdish people in Europe for contributing to the fund-raising campaign. This once again proves the mass support for the struggle being waged in Kurdistan. In the middle of January 1994 a delegation comprising Ahmet Turk, the Mardin DEP (Democracy Party) MP, the DEP mayor of Kozluk, Abdullah Kaya and Turkish journalist, Ragip Duran were in London. Their visit was part of a European-wide campaign by the DEP to voice its concerns over the situation in Northwest Kurdistan (southeast Turkey) and fears regarding the Kurdish New Year (Newroz) of March 21 and the local elections scheduled for March 27, 1994. Ahmet Turk stressed that his party intended to contest the elections but if the DEP felt the Kurdish people were in serious danger they would withdraw and recommend a boycott. Mr. Turk emphasised that it was the Turkish state that was the source of the violence in Kurdistan and that it was his party's aim to secure the conditions in Turkey where the Kurdish question could be freely debated. In Turkey there has been widespread protest against a decision to suspend demobilisation of conscripts for 3 months, a decision which was followed be reports of desertions and protests by soldiers. This decision was taken after reports of there being at least 250,000 draft-dodgers in Turkey. The state of morale in the Turkish army can be gauged by the letter below which was published in singer-cum-commentator Zulfu Livaneli's column in the daily Sabah newspaper on January 12, 1994: "We are 700 primary school teachers who were called up in November 1993 as conscript teachers. As we were called up without prior notice we were unable to make arrangements to pay our instalments so our families were left in a difficult situation. We expected to do two months military service but now they tell us we have to do 15 months. Please tell us, where is the justice? The teaching profession determines the future of country. I ask you: what can a country that does not value its teachers expect from the future? This is not all. They selected us all for commando training. Now 700 teachers aged 28 to 35 are receiving commando training. After our basic training we are to be sent to the southeast to fight the PKK. We are as patriotic as anyone and are prepared to sacrifice our lives for our country, but I ask you Zulfu, is there no one else in this country? Has terror reached such a level that they are closing down schools and calling teachers to the front line?" It is clear from the above letter that the morale of such Turkish soldiers will not be conducive to waging a counter- insurgency campaign against the PKK guerrillas or to burning the houses of Kurdish villagers and mistreating the people. The first signs of war weariness are beginning to be seen in Turkish cities. The number of conscientious objectors is rising and a nascent peace movement is in the process of being established. On January 17, 1994, 3 million leaflets calling for a democratic solution to the conflict in the country were distributed by the "Democracy Platform" in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities. The "Democracy Platform" consists of trade unions, the Human Rights Association and professional bodies. The Kurdish people are confident that 1994 will be a year in which they take significant steps toward achieving their legitimate rights. They are more aware than ever before that it is only the success of the guerrilla fighters in resisting the might of the Turkish army which has brought them this far. In spring 1994, the PKK has stated it aims to have 30,000 guerrillas operating in Kurdistan. There is no way a demoralised Turkish army made up of unwilling conscripts will be able to achieve military success in such circumstances. We are concerned that the Turkish army may take revenge on the Kurdish population by perpetrating the kind of massacres Saddam Hussein carried out in Halabja in 1988. The continued support of the West for the Turkish regime means there is a strong likelihood of such massacres taking place. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Fri Jun 2 15:14:42 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 02 Jun 1995 15:14:42 Subject: ERNK: Canada Against The Kurds? Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: ERNK: Canada Against The Kurds? National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) Press Release 28 Is Canada After A Political Blackmail Against The Kurds? The information reaching our office indicates that the Canadian authorities, together with Turkey and some other countries, are preparing a political trial against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). This is done in the person of a 17-year-old Kurdish girl who tried to enter Canada illegally last year. The trial is set for June 5, 1995. The prosecutor is making its case on the premise that "the Kurdish girl is a member of the PKK and hence a threat to the cause of humanity". This ought to be the most interesting logic that the prosecuting team will put forward. We regard it as a political gaffe and a travesty of law to boot. We do that for the following reasons: 1. The young Kurdish girl, the subject of this trial, is neither a member of the PKK not its high level official. To even think of such a claim is ludicrous. She, like many other Kurdish youngsters and their families, could be a sympathizer. 2. To argue that a member of the PKK or its high level official is tantamount to a crime against humanity is an absurd proposition. That is because, other than the Turkish government, neither a state nor a court of law has ever made such an allegation to date. 3. To even consider this young girl for these accusations is a blight on the values that we hold as members of the human family. Kurdish refugees do go to the far corners of the world and some are caught in the process. But, in none of the countries where they have looked for refugee status has the host government sought to affiliate them with being a member of a particular party or a nation in terms of their reception into that country. Even if she, as an individual, were to be found guilty of some wrongdoing, the people she comes from could never be put on trial with her. Let us, since it seems to warrant, make ourselves clear. We are a national liberation movement. We are on record to abide by the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their relevant sections that proscribe the rules of war. On our own land, we are waging a struggle for self defense. The whole world has come to accept us as such. Millions of Kurds have invested their hopes and aspirations in our work. Only the Kurdish people can be the judge of our party. If the Canadian government wishes to take over the work of the Turkish fascist courts, the task is going to be a heavy one. Let it also be clear that the PKK is on record for dissuading the Kurdish people from leaving their homeland and has even undertaken campaigns to call on the Kurdish people to return home. This young Kurdish girl, it looks like to us, is being used as a test for larger designs against our people. The Kurds, who were oppressed for too long and who are now facing massacres, are in the midst of a life and death struggle. Neither they nor their party, the PKK, has a bone of contention with the Canadian government. To proceed with this trial with its stated aims and to invite experts from America and other countries to substantiate the accusations will lead to nowhere. We trust that neither the Canadian government nor its judiciary branch will commit themselves to this wrong. Ali Sapan, ERNK European Spokesperson, June 2, 1995 ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com ----- From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 2 20:58:13 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 02 Jun 1995 20:58:13 Subject: ERNK: Canada Against The Kurds? References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: ERNK: Canada Against The Kurds? Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) Press Release 28 Is Canada After A Political Blackmail Against The Kurds? The information reaching our office indicates that the Canadian authorities, together with Turkey and some other countries, are preparing a political trial against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). This is done in the person of a 17-year-old Kurdish girl who tried to enter Canada illegally last year. The trial is set for June 5, 1995. The prosecutor is making its case on the premise that "the Kurdish girl is a member of the PKK and hence a threat to the cause of humanity". This ought to be the most interesting logic that the prosecuting team will put forward. We regard it as a political gaffe and a travesty of law to boot. We do that for the following reasons: 1. The young Kurdish girl, the subject of this trial, is neither a member of the PKK not its high level official. To even think of such a claim is ludicrous. She, like many other Kurdish youngsters and their families, could be a sympathizer. 2. To argue that a member of the PKK or its high level official is tantamount to a crime against humanity is an absurd proposition. That is because, other than the Turkish government, neither a state nor a court of law has ever made such an allegation to date. 3. To even consider this young girl for these accusations is a blight on the values that we hold as members of the human family. Kurdish refugees do go to the far corners of the world and some are caught in the process. But, in none of the countries where they have looked for refugee status has the host government sought to affiliate them with being a member of a particular party or a nation in terms of their reception into that country. Even if she, as an individual, were to be found guilty of some wrongdoing, the people she comes from could never be put on trial with her. Let us, since it seems to warrant, make ourselves clear. We are a national liberation movement. We are on record to abide by the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their relevant sections that proscribe the rules of war. On our own land, we are waging a struggle for self defense. The whole world has come to accept us as such. Millions of Kurds have invested their hopes and aspirations in our work. Only the Kurdish people can be the judge of our party. If the Canadian government wishes to take over the work of the Turkish fascist courts, the task is going to be a heavy one. Let it also be clear that the PKK is on record for dissuading the Kurdish people from leaving their homeland and has even undertaken campaigns to call on the Kurdish people to return home. This young Kurdish girl, it looks like to us, is being used as a test for larger designs against our people. The Kurds, who were oppressed for too long and who are now facing massacres, are in the midst of a life and death struggle. Neither they nor their party, the PKK, has a bone of contention with the Canadian government. To proceed with this trial with its stated aims and to invite experts from America and other countries to substantiate the accusations will lead to nowhere. We trust that neither the Canadian government nor its judiciary branch will commit themselves to this wrong. Ali Sapan, ERNK European Spokesperson, June 2, 1995 ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com ----- ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 2 20:56:18 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 02 Jun 1995 20:56:18 Subject: Turkish-l news Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish-l news Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 7035; Fri, 02 Jun 1995 20:31:24 -0800 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Turkish troops committed human rights violations with the help of U.S. military equipment in a campaign against separatist rebels, the State Department said Thursday. Summarizing the report, department spokeswoman Christine Shelly it was ``highly likely'' that the equipment was used ``in support of the evacuation and-or destruction of villages in southeastern Turkey.'' She noted that Turkey faces ``a major threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity'' from the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, which the Clinton administration describes as a terrorist organization. The report was mandated by Congress following allegations of rights abuses by the Turkish military. Congress also ordered the withholding of 10 percent of Turkey's military aid of $364.5 million pending release of the report. In the meantime, however, Turkey said it would not accept conditioned aid and refused to accept the 10 percent even if the Congress gave the green light for it. Shelly said the report concludes there is no evidence that verifies reports of torture or ``mystery killings'' involving U.S. equipment. The study does not deal with Turkey's dispatch of troops in March into northern Iraq to attack bases used by Kurdish rebels to carry out raids inside Turkey. Given Turkey's role as a secular Islamic democracy in a region marked by turmoil, the administration has been eager to maintain close ties with Ankara, a longtime ally, a point reaffirmed in the report. Shelly said the administration does not believe that the report will alter in any way the basic nature of the U.S. relationship with Turkey. The study notes that the Turkish government has recognized the need to improve its human rights situation. It cites proposals, which if adopted and implemented, ``could lead to important and positive changes in the situation in the southeast,'' she said. ``We ascribe great importance to the Turkish government's democratization initiative,'' she said. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 2 20:57:25 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 02 Jun 1995 20:57:25 Subject: : TRKNWS-L NEWS Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: : TRKNWS-L NEWS Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Turkey's Human Rights Leaders Discuss Issues WASHINGTON, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The Helsinki Commission and International Human Rights Law Group will host a briefing by leaders of Turkey's foremost human rights monitoring organizations, Akin Birdal and Yavuz Onen, leaders of the Human Rights Association and Human Rights Foundation, respectively, will be in Washington, D.C. to accept awards on behalf of their groups at the Law Group's 1995 Awards Dinner. Members of Congress, their staff, the press and public are invited to attend the briefing and pose questions. The briefing will take place on: TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 1995 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. 2200 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING The human rights situation in Turkey remains perilous. Violence by extremists, terrorists and Turkish security forces exacts a growing toll of innocent lives and increasingly threatens internal stability. Over 1000 Kurdish villages have been destroyed or forcibly evacuated and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Human rights activists routinely face harassment, arrest, detention or have been victims of unsolved murders. Restrictions on free expression are vigorously enforced, and scores of journalists, academics, other intellectuals and even Turkey's most well-known author are imprisoned or face charges for expressing views deemed unacceptable by authorities. Appearing at the briefing will be: YAVUZ ONEN is President of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey. The Foundation, established in 1990, compiles printed and video documentation and prepares daily human rights reports on subjects including torture, extrajudicial killings, freedom of expression and issues concerning Turkey's Kurdish citizens. The Foundation publishes reports and advocates for human rights throughout Turkey. The Foundation also runs four centers for the rehabilitation of torture victims. AKIN BIRDAL is Chairman of the Human Rights Association of Turkey. The Association, founded in 1986, has over 60 branches throughout Turkey. It is Turkey's largest and oldest human rights monitoring organization. The group investigates reports of human rights abuses throughout Turkey, organizes conferences, issues reports and plays a leading role in grass roots human rights education. CO: Helsinki Commission; Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe Kurdish Ceasefire Extended for Limited Period ANKARA, June 1 (Reuter) - An Iraqi Kurd party has extended its unilateral ceasefire with a rival faction for six weeks from Thursday, a party leader said. ``In order to provide another opportunity for reaching a just political solution of the crisis and to safeguard the harvest season and give the students the chance to finalise their exams, we have extended the ceasefire truce until 15 July 1995,'' said Massoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The KDP announced a unilateral ceasefire on April 7 for two weeks, which was extended until June 1. ``Over the past two months it has been relatively quiet and there have been no major clashes,'' KDP Ankara representative Saffeen Dizayee told Reuters. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the rival Iraqi Kurdish militia with which the KDP shares power in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, has not formally responded to the truce, but says it welcomes all efforts to stop fighting. ``We do not feel the need for a reaction now, as from the beginning we have said that the ceasefire should be indefinite,'' said Shazad Saib, PUK spokesman in Ankara. He said the PUK still held the northern Iraqi city of Arbil, which it took in March after fierce fighting. The KDP demands it demilitarise the city, which housed the Kurdish parliament. The Kurds stook a small step towards ending months of dispute on Saturday by agreeing to extend the mandate of the Iraqi Kurdish parliament for a year from June 4, when it was due to end. That was the first time the asssembly had met in more than five months. KDP-PUK fighting has also stymied election plans. Dizayee said the two parties still had to reach a lasting settlement and elections could help ease the situation. ``I believe elections would be a way out although it would not be able to resolve all problems,'' he said, adding polls were the only alternative to the current ``gun rule.'' A Western allied force based in southern Turkey shields the Iraqi Kurds, who broke away from Baghdad after the 1991 Gulf War, from possible attack by government troops. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Tue Jun 6 09:37:47 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 06 Jun 1995 09:37:47 Subject: German Police Raid Kurdish Publishi Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: German Police Raid Kurdish Publishing House On June 1, German police raided and banned the Agri Verlag publishing house in Cologne, Germany. The following statement is a response from the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) which was faxed to us from the KURD-A news agency. The German Authorities Must Cease Their Attacks Against The Kurds! On June 1, German authorities attacked the Agri Verlag publishing house which produces books and publications about the Kurdish people. The attack on Agri Verlag is part of the campaign which has been launched in Germany against the Kurds and their associations and institutions. Ever since the attack on a Kurdish cultural gathering in Mainz a few weeks ago, these attacks on Kurdish associations, institutions, and houses have been increasing. People are being observed, Kurds are being arrested, and police prevent Kurdish cultural events from taking place. Kurds are being put under great pressure to become informants. But for us Kurds, such scenes are nothing new. We experience it all the time under the terrorist Turkish state, which is backed by German weapons. But the interesting thing we must also endure such things in Germany, a country which likes to think of itself as "democratic and law abiding". The Turkish state has made it illegal for the Kurdish people to prepare and publish materials in their own language; it bans freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. In the last three years, 25 Kurdish journalists and writers have been killed and hundreds more intellectuals have been imprisoned for their ideas. The German authorities are now following this same course by banning newspapers, books, and publications. Now the Agri Verlag has been attacked and 15 tons of books have been confiscated and banned. Such conduct brings back memories of Nazi book burnings. In a period when the Turkish state is carrying out horrible massacres in Kurdistan, terrorizing villages and destroying nature, kidnapping people and executing them, and imprisoning Kurdish members of parliament, police attacks in Germany will only serve to provoke the Kurdish people. Such conduct shows that the German state believes that military violence is an acceptable manner in which to solve the Kurdish problem. By doing so, the German state is bringing the bloody Kurdish question onto its own soil. As pressure on Turkey is increasing to find a political solution to the Kurdish question, the German state's role as Turkey's partner is hindering the search for a peaceful solution. It's not a solution to stand against the PKK and the Kurdish people, rather that only makes the problems worse. Stop your attacks and cease using state initiatives in order to criminalize the Kurdish people. ERNK European Representation June 1, 1995 ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com ----- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Tue Jun 6 21:17:39 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 06 Jun 1995 21:17:39 Subject: ERNK: To The German Public Opinion Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: ERNK: To The German Public Opinion National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) Press Release 29 For The German Public Opinion The people of Kurdistan have been subjected to a policy of oppression and persecution tantamount to genocide in Turkey. This unhindered state sanctioned terror, supported by Germany, is consuming lives with every passing day. Internationally, pressure on Turkey is mounting for a political solution, but Turkey still insists on its military option. The peace overtures made by the Chair of the PKK, Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, are disregarded; the calls for dialogue are rebuffed. Lately, one can see a similar attitude on the part of the German authorities relative to this question. A proof of this new German policy was offered last week by the German ambassador to Turkey. He noted that his government was prepared to defend Turkey's interests. As the ambassador was making his statement, civilians Kurds were being killed and the villages set on fire by members of the Turkish armed forces. They were able to do these deeds thanks to their well-supplied German weapons which are in Turkish arsenals. As if these wrongs against the Kurds in their homeland were not enough, the German authorities have now begun to attack the Kurds in Germany as well. The police are now licensed to ban Kurdish symbols at will. Raids are conducted on legal Kurdish organizations; homes belonging to Kurds are searched. Other Kurds are urged to work for the police. German jails now have a high ratio of Kurds. There is a new twist to this policy of oppression against the Kurds. On June 1, 1995, police raided a Kurdish-Turkish printing house, Agri Verlag, and confiscated some 15 tons of books. This was another way of saying we do not respect freedom of expression. Not long ago, a similar practice of banning books was employed by Hitler and his thugs; today, in Turkey, a similar practice is carried out by the Turkish military against the Kurds. We consider these acts a provocation, especially considering the fact that just last month the Chair of the PKK, Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, made another call for peace in an exclusive interview with the Reuters news agency. We realize that there are various opinions circulating at the highest levels in the German government as to what is the best way to deal with the Kurds. What is in effect now is another way of saying: "We are behind you, Turkey!" To insist on this policy is to provoke the Kurds. Those who want these policies in force will be responsible for the acts that may ensue. ERNK European Representation June 5, 1995 From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Thu Jun 8 08:46:27 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 08 Jun 1995 08:46:27 Subject: KCC Web Page Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: KCC Web Page We now a home page on the WWW. Although there are no cool graphics yet, there is up to date news from Kurdistan and articles on the Kurdish national liberation struggle. http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com ----- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Thu Jun 8 08:46:29 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 08 Jun 1995 08:46:29 Subject: Yeni Politika Weekly Briefs Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: Yeni Politika Weekly Briefs Weekly Briefs -- News from Kurdistan -- 4 May 29, 1995 / Istanbul -- The families of the prisoners in Erzurum jail have gone on hunger strike in Istanbul at the headquarters of New Democracy Movement (YDH). They want to draw the attention of the authorities to the deteriorating conditions of their loved ones. Reports coming out of the prison note worsening conditions since August 15, 1994, forcing some of the prisoners to commit suicide. One such person, Selami Zoro, committed suicide on August 30, 1994. May 29, 1995 / Mardin -- 20 houses were set on fire in Mesken (Camyurt in Turkish) village in the Midyat district of Mardin province. Sehmuz Altekin, an uprooted villager, noted that, "We were asked to be village guards or face the prospects of migration and the destruction of our homes." May 29, 1995 / Mardin -- The village of Cinato Miho (Buyukkardes in Turkish) is under a quarantine by the Turkish soldiers. For a week now, no one has been allowed to enter the village or leave his or her house. It is assumed by the people in the region that the residents of Cinato Miho are being tortured so as to become village guards. May 29, 1995 / Mardin -- Suleyman Kaplan, a civil servant at the Turkish Ministry of Construction in Midyat, a town in Mardin province, was kidnapped yesterday. Eye witnesses note that he was taken away at about 5:30 PM by four men who were driving a white Renault car. His bullet ridden body was found 20 kilometres away from his home at a place known as Kayapinar. He was a well-known activist with pro-Kurdish sentiments. May 29, 1995 / Dersim (Tunceli in Turkish) -- A Republican Populist Party (CHP) deputy, Sinan Yerlikaya , made a well-known confession today. He said that the government had no prior knowledge of Turkish military operations against Kurdish villages. May 31, 1995 / Ankara -- the Turkish Ministry of Culture revoked the licenses of 7 music studios that were specializing in Kurdish music. These were Ozdemir Plak, Stran Plak, Sevkan Ticaret, Kaya Plak, Ataman Plak, Diyar Music, and Mazlum Plak. June 1, 1995 / Istanbul -- Ridvan Karakoc, a 34-year-old alleged PKK sympathizer, was apprehended by the police on February 15, 1995. To date, the authorities have not accounted for him. His loved ones and their lawyers found his grave where the "unknowns " are buried in Istanbul. Records show that his tortured and dead body was first found at a forest near Beykoz town in Istanbul. About two weeks ago, the grave of Hasan Ocak, another political activist, was found at the same "unknowns" grave site with a similar story matching that of Mr. Karakoc. June 1, 1995 / Sivas -- Salih Doganturk, a student at the University of Cumhuriyet is Sivas, was apprehended by police. He was later taken to Urfa where he was interrogated about enlisting men to the ranks of the PKK. His family fears for his life. June 1, 1995 / Sirnak -- Two village guards from the village of Bilbis (Pinarbasi in Turkish) at Beytusebab town in Sirnak province were sent to jail yesterday. They were accused of aiding Kurdish fighters. June 2, 1995 / Mardin -- Masked contra-guerrillas raided Kineke village at Nusaybin in Mardin province. Numbering some 15 armed men, they warned the villagers to stay away from PKK fighters. They then grabbed Suleyman Yalcin and murdered him before leaving the village. June 3, 1995 / Diyarbakir -- Muhittin Olmaz, a resident of Bismil in Diyarbakir province, was taken into police custody in early February 1995. He has not been heard of since. His family is fearing for his life. June 3, 1995 / Mardin -- Abdulaziz Turan, a former resident of Kuruke village (Yavrukoy in Turkish) in Nusaybin, Mardin province, has been missing since May 10, 1995. Mr. Turan, who now resides in Izmir, had gone to Stile (Akarsu in Turkish) to visit his relatives. He was taken away by Turkish soldiers and no one knows anything of his whereabouts. June 3, 1995 / Siirt - A bus full of visitors on its way to the tomb of Veysel Karani was machine gunned by Turkish soldiers yesterday. 3 people were killed and many others were injured, according to bus driver Metin Cetin. The Turkish authorities have said that the attackers were members of "separatist forces". June 3, 1995 / Dersim (Tunceli in Turkish) -- The villagers who have been forced to seek refuge in Dersim were offered conditional help yesterday by Turkish officials, that is, if they sign a petition distributed by the Governor's office noting that because they were village guards they had to seek refuge in the city to escape from PKK pressure. (Translated by the Comite du Kurdistan in Brussels from the pro- Kurdish daily newspaper Yeni Politika.) From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu Jun 8 21:31:43 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 08 Jun 1995 21:31:43 Subject: THE TURKISH STATE AND RACIST VIOLEN Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: THE TURKISH STATE AND RACIST VIOLENCE Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl The following text is a scan from chapter 13 of: Racist Violence in Europe Edited by Tore Bjorgo Researeh Fellow Norwegian Institute of International Affairs Oslo, Norway and Rob Witte Researcher Willem Pompe Institute for Criminal Law University of Utrecht, the Netherlands St. Martins's Press all text originaly in italics are in big letters DOUBLE STANDARD: THE TURKISH STATE AND RACIST VIOLENCE Yucel Yerilgoz In present-day societies, racism and racist violence appear on the public agenda with increasing frequency. In the past, Europeans associated these terms with victim groups such as Jews and gypsies. Today, as a result of labour migration in Western Europe, other groups such as Turks and North Africans are added to this list, in addition to refugees. In some countries, the Turkish population is among the groups under racist attack. The environment in Europe is not sufficiently safe to allow Turks and other minorities to live a quiet life without worrying about racist attacks. What does it mean to be 'a potential target' and 'to live with fear'? What do the people living with these feelings understand about the racism that threatens them? Do they oppose racism as an ideology or are they 'anti-racist' because it threatens them? What does Turkey as a country, whose citizens abroad live with these feelings, understand about racism? Individual members of groups which are the potential victims of racist violence, are often by definition perceived as being anti-racist themselves. Many times racism places groups of people in a hierarchy based on skin colour, religion, and cultural, national or ethnic origin. Racist violence is inflicted on those groups who find themselves in the 'lowest' ranks of this hierarchy. However, this does not necessarily mean that these victims of racist violence cannot themselves advocate racist beliefs and ideologies. This should not be taken as a matter of 'blaming the victim'. Racist violence should always be combated as such, regardless of the person on whom it is inf'icted. And it should be fought wherever it occurs, if necessary, within the very groups who are victimised by racist violence. This chapter deals with the Turkish state, and with the Turkish people who live all over Europe. Two questions are considered: on the one hand, how do the Turkish people respond to, and what is their role in violence directed against minorities within Turkey itself and abroad? And on the other hand, what is their response to violence against Turkish minorities in the countries of Western Europe? First, a few remarks are needed about the ideological structure of the Turkish state without which Turkish policy and behaviour cannot be properly understood. Second, an explanation is given of the Turkish influence on the everyday life of Turkish people living abroad. Third, examples of the response to the violence against Turkish minorities in Europe that appeared in the Turkish press and were published all over Europe are presented. KEMALISM: THE IDEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF THE TURKISH STATE No idea can be upheld against the interests of the Turkish nation, the foundation of the indivisibility of the Turkish existence with its state, its country, its history and moral values, Ataturk's nationalism [Kemalism], principles, revolutions and civilisation. This statement is from a section of the Constitution of the Turkish republic, which was ratifed in 1982. It not only proves that Kemalism still prevails in Turkey, but also means that Turkish law will not accept any idea that is in conflict with the interests of the Turkish nation and Turkish nationalism. Kemalism, presented in Turkey as an ideology, is named after Mustafa Kemal (1881-1938), founder of the Turkish Republic. In 1923, Kemal declared republican rule over the countries remaining of the Ottoman Empire in 1923. Up to the time of his death, he continued to assume total control of Turkey's destiny. In Turkish history, this period of time is known as the 'one-party period' or the 'one-party dictatorship'. Kemal, later named Ataturk ('father of the Turks') and 'Chief for Eternity', launched a series of reforms concerning a great variety of matters, ranging from clothing to the alphabet. In these reforms, Western norms were adapted to Turkish conditions. At the same time, he began activities to create a state based on 'being Turkish'. Since the turn of the century, there has been evidence of attempts to create a state structure based on 'being Turkish'. An organisation, first known as the 'Young Turks', and later called the 'Committee of Union and Progress', was actively committed to this issue. The main goal of this Committee was to prevent the division of the Ottoman Empire. This Committee was represented in the main administration of this Empire after the announcement of the Constitutional Government in 1908. This continued until 1918 (see Tunaya, 1984, and Haniolu, 1985). The national and cultural requirements of non-Turkish elements, which were unknown because of previous oppression, began to surface after the Constitutional government was formed. 'Union and Progress' governed according to a dual policy. It oppressed non-Muslim elements and tried to make all Muslim groups Turkish. Albania, Macedonia and Yemen took their share of this oppression, which was aimed against nationalist movements. In 1915, this period drew to a close with the holocaust of 1.5 million Armenians. Although there was a Kurdish group among the founders of this Committee, they were unable to prevent these policies developing towards Turkish national- ism based ultimately on notions such as 'Turan' - the idea of realising the 'Great Turkish Empire' in the place of the Ottoman Empire.(1) The Kurds were deported to different parts of the country under the Deportation Law of 27 May 1915 (Besikci, 1977). The founders of the Republic (1923) were part of this Committee. Of course, these ideas were developed by the 'Union and Progress'. But during the years that followed, Kemal made a definitive distinction between the unionists and himself. During the 1930s, in particular, he began efforts to create a new Turkish nationalist ideology. From that time onward, there was no 'race' in Turkey other than the Turkish 'race', and no language was allowed but Turkish. There were 'One Party', 'One Nation', and 'One Leader' in the country. Ideological theories were formulated in the magazine, Kadro, first published in 1932, and banned by M. Kemal in 1935. The main goal was the creation of a 'coalescence nation without classes or privileges' (2) The famous Turkish sociologist, Ismail Besikci, observed that Mussolini's ideas were very influential in determining this ideology, and established that there were significant parallels to be drawn (Besikici, 1990). In the same period, M. Kemal ordered that scientific conferences be held. At one of these conferences, a theory (the 'Son-Language Theory') was accepted following 'scientific' discussions. According to this theory the Turkish language was 'the mother of all languages'. The 'Turkish history thesis' was accepted at another conference. According to this theory 'the superior Turkish race' was the 'mother of all civilisations and races' (Besiksi, 1977). The Turkish Janissary Corps (TURK OCAKLARI) was responsibIe for the organisation of these conferences. In one of his speeches at a ceremony on 23 April 1930, the President of the Turkish Janissary Corps, Abdullah Suphi Tanriover, made the following statement establishing the parallel between Fascism in Italy and the developments in Turkey: A form of nationalism, also known as Fascism, has appeared in Italy after a very difficult struggle. We see some of our own political and social ideas as being similar to aspects of this movement. Fascism concerns economic, political and social harmony based on the ideal of the 'motherland'. Like the Fascist youth, nationalist Turkish youth will also take up arms and will defend the Turkish revolution against anything that threatens it. We see both our past and our future in the enthusiasm of Fascism. (3) While this ideology was created within Turkey, friends and enemies were also identifed according to TURK'UN TURK'TEN BASKA DOSTU YOKTUR (The only friends of Turks are Turks). Internal enemies were identifed as communists, socialists, Muslim fundamentalists, Kurds and other ethnic minorities such as Armenians, Lazes, Greeks and Suryanis. (4) Attacks were launched against these groups. Anybody who opposed these ideas was immediately removed. As a result of the assimilation policy, anybody who did not speak Turkish was punished. BIR TURK DUNYAYA BEDELDIR (One Turk is worth all the world) and NE MUTLU TURK'UM DIYENE (What a happiness to say that I am Turkish) became the slogans of the day. After the death of M. Kemal in 1938, his colleague and close friend, Ismet Inonu, succeeded him. During the Party Congress on 26 December 1938 he was given the title of 'National Chief' and was proclaimed the irreplaceable leader of the Party. It was decided that Kemalism would continue to be the country's sole ideology. Although Turkey had a non-biased policy during the Second World War, the government interned people who were close to the Hitler regime. Many people, most of whom were scientists fleeing the regime in Germany, were accepted as refugees in Turkey. However, according to documents which were discovered recently, some people, including Turkish citizens, were handed over to the Nazis and killed in Nazi concentration camps.(5 Representatives of the Hitler regime had organised their supporters, especiaily within the army. In December 1942, the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs sent 5 million German Gold Marks to their Ambassador in Ankara, Franz von Papen, for their 'Turkish friends'. In documents found later, Alparslan Turkes is named as one of the people who had connections with the German Fascists (Soytemiz, 1988). Turkes, also known as BASBUG ('Fuhrer'), frequently appears in the recent political history of Turkey. After the defeat of Germany, Turkes and his friends were arrested and tried. Not because they had established relationships with Nazis, but because they had formed a 'Turanist' organisation in 1944. They were found not guilty by the Court in 1947 because 'an organisation, based on an idea which is not considered to be criminal, is not a crime either'. In 1950 Turkey embarked on a multiparty regime. To this day, this regime is a multiparty regime that is peculiar to Turkey. The groups that had been identified as internal enemies during the 1930s, were not given the right of political organisation. All parties had to follow Ataturk's route. The Democratic Party, which had started as the opposition movement within the Republican People's Party, won the 1950 election with an outright victory. Their policy was 'to follow Ataturk's route' and to maintain close ties with the USA. On 27 May 1960, the government was overthrown by a military coup that was motivated by the assumption that the government no longer followed Ataturk's route. Prime Minister Adnan Menderes was executed. The coup was directed against the reactionary attitude of the government and was Kemalist and progressive. Its spokesman was Colonel Alparslan Turkes, who had been a sympathiser of Hitler in the 1940s. Later, this man was to lead the extreme Right and his name was mentioned in relation to numerous murders committed by his organisation, known in the West as 'The Grey Wolves'. The government of the lustice Party, formed to replace the Democratic Party, faced another military coup in 1971. The reason for this coup was again the assumption that the Republic had moved away from Ataturk's route and that the Muslim fundamentalists, leftist and Kurdish movements were gaining power. They had already been identified as 'enemy forces' during the 1930s and were seen to threaten Turkish democracy. The last military coup occurred on 12 September 1980. The reason for army interference was again the assumed move away from 'Atatark's route' and the increasing number of terrorist activities. The daily newspaper with the largest circulation, Hurriyet, announced that the new policy to be followed was a 'continuation of'Ataturk's route'. All movements and opinions have the right to be organised as a political party in Turkey. Yet, no party can be created which opposes the state's unity with its nation, its country, and secular republican principles, or which depends on classes (Constitution, para.68). This means that the Constitution, which was ratified in 1981, still supports the notion of 'enemy forces' identified in 1930, such as communists, Muslim fundamentalists and Kurds. Any political party which opposes this law is prohibited. Although some parties, which did not follow official ideology, have existed in Turkish political history from time to time, they were all banned later on. So too, the Muslim fundamentaIist National Regularity Party and the Turkish Workers Party which indicated in their programmes that they are nationalist, were banned after the 1971 coup although they had elected representatives in parliament. Again, the motivation was that they did not follow Kemalism. In 1992, the Socialist Party which mentioned the existence of the Kurds in Turkey, was banned by the ANAYASA MAHKEMESI (Constitutional Court) for this reason. Within the context of the right- wing and left-wing ideas that are allowed in Turkey, this automatically means: Kemalist right-wing and Kemalist left-wing parties. They all have to have one point in common - to be a better Kemalist. As a matter of fact, the present-day structure is like this. With one exception, ali the parties in Parliament have stated in their programmes that they are 'nationalist'. After the Republican People's Party, founded by Ataturk, was banned together with the other political parties by the I980 military coup, the Social Democratic People's Party was created to replace it as a left wing party which accepted as its tenets the six main principies, identlfied by M. Kemai in the i930s. This party is currentiy ied by Erdal Inonu, the son of the 'National Chief', Ismet Inonu. The HALKIN EMEK PARTISI (People's Labour Party), which takes its place as a more left-wing party and which is outside the Kemalist context, is known as a pro-Kurdish party. The lawsuit to ban this party still continues at the Constitutionai Court. The right-wing parties which continue to exist compete for the status of the 'most nationaiist' party. OFFICIAL UNDERSTANDING OF RACISM IN TURKEY Turkey is one of the countries which signed the United Nations Internationai Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Dlscrimination' (1965), but this has not been ratified by Parliament The 'International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid' (1973) has been neither signed nor ratified by the Turkish state. Yet racism is prohibited by Turkish law. But this does not include 'Turkish racism'. Minorities, who oppose this and identify themselves as non-Turkish, are activeiy being portrayed as racist, and there are various legal measures directed against these 'racists'. In the Constitution of the Turkish republic, the following phrase is mentioned thirty-three times: 'Anybody who opposes the indivisibility of the Turkish Republic with its nation and its country, will be deprived of their basic human rights and freedoms.' In addition to this, and according to the Turkish Criminal Law (para.125), the Anti-Terror Law (para.8) and a number of other laws, anyone who tries to divide the country, who says that there is more than one nation in Turkey, who acts on or organises on the basis of this matter, can be punished by various penalties, including imprisonment and execution. It is also a crime to say 'Hurray to the Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood.' The Kurdish deputies who added this statement to their pledges at the opening ceremony of Parliament in November 1991 were first beaten and then taken to court for attempting to divide the country. To have Turkish nationalism accepted by the people, all institutions, especially in the field of education, are held responsible for its propaganda. In elementary schools, all pupils have to rise when their teacher enters the classroom and have to respond to his 'Good Morning' with 'Thank You'. And then they have to recite a long text starting with the phrase 'I am Turkish, I am honourable, I work hard.' This text ends with 'I give my existence as a present to the Turkish existence.' This is not only the case in elementary schools, but also in High Schools. In all universities, academies and colleges Turkish Revolution History is a mandatory course. The objective of the main textbook is to explain Ataturk's revolutions. This book shows that these revolutions were based on nationalism and that they secured Turkey's place in the world (Eroglu, 1974). Turkey's largest educational institution, Turkey's Teachers Association, campaigned to remove the chauvinistic elements from the educational system. After the 1980 coup, this Association was banned by the military court for 'conducting activities to divide Turkey' and its leaders were given sentences of up to 8 years imprisonment. The slogans, which were identifed in the 1930s are not only valid in schools, but are also widely accepted by the population. It is not difficult to activate the people. In order to 'help' themselves with their socio-economic problems, government offcials have, on numerous occasions, manipulated the feelings of the people. In 1955, for example, the Cyprus problem was the most important 'national issue'. At the end of August a conference was arranged in London, with Greece and the United Kingdom - the other parties involved - to determine the status of Cyprus. Turkey planned an activity to demonstrate the sensitivity of this problem within the Turkish community. The newspaper, ISTANBUI EXPRESS (6 September 1955), published the news of the bombing of Ataturk's birthplace in Selanik, Greece. Student protests started the same day. It developed into a nationwide response and within two days, shops, cemeteries and churches belonging to Greeks were destroyed and properties were plundered. Police, who had initially supported the violence, had to use force to stop it once they realised that they could no longer control it. Martial law was announced in Istanbul. The government declared that the communists were responsible for the violence. Many people known to be leftist, were placed under police supervision. Later, it was discovered that the events had been planned by the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) and that the bomb had been planted by Oktay Engin, an MIT agent who, in 1992, was Governor of Nevsehir, a Turkish province. (6) When we look at some of the recent attacks against the Kurds living on the west coast of Turkey, we see that the 'September 1955' violence is not an 'historical incident'. Especially at the funerals of soldiers who died in combat in Kurdistan, cities outside Kurdistan staged massive and violent anti-Kurd protests. This was not a nationwide, public response. Government officials organised these protests and still do. Fethiye is a town on the west coast. Besides Turks, Kurds who have moved to the west live here. After a funeral in 1992, shops owned by Kurds were attacked. A newspaper journalist reported: 'Kurd hunt in Fethiye ... The houses were identified, trucks full of people started to drive around shooting, houses were destroyed, people were forced to move ...''(7) Human rights organisations, and the People's Labour Party organisation in Fethiye, claimed that the events had been organised by the Mayor (a Social Democrat) and other government officials.(8) 'Forty-five houses and shops belonging to Kurds were bombed and guns were fired in Alanya.(9) Some measures were taken to force the Kurds to move from the west to the east. People were told that they would be punished if they rented houses or shops to Kurds, and that this was a decision that had been taken by the city councils in western Turkey. (10) Various slogans were written in big letters, not only on visible places in the cities, but also in the high mountains surrounding the cities in Kurdistan - slogans such as: 'What a happiness to say that I am Turkish', 'One Turk is worth all the world', etc. Broadcasting or publishing the Kurdish language was prohibited, as was education in the Kurdish language. Kemal's words: 'Peace in the country, peace in the world' are repeated continuously during official speeches. Yet it is generally believed that each internal enemy is supported by outsiders. Efforts to seek out this external support depend on the position of the people or groups involved within the Kemalist context, and on the attributes of the enemies. According to left-wing Kemalists, the Kurds are a problem created by Western imperialists. Muslim fundamentalism is a problem that was exported to Turkey by the reactionary Arab countries and, more recently, by lran. According to right-wing Kemalists, Turkey is opposing a world that is against the development of Turks and Muslims and that wants Turkey to become a communist country. Both groups are governed by one feeling: 'Turks do not have any friends but Turks themselves.' The whole world is afrald of the Turks and their development. In addition to this, Turkey is surrounded by enemies. According to the Turkish press, Western European anti-racists are called 'Friends of Turkey', and racists are 'People who see Turks as their enemies'. The 'Ataturk Peace Award', which has been awarded since 1984, was awarded to Nelson Mandela in 1992 for being anti-racist and a hero. When he refused the award because of the oppression of the Kurds, he was called 'an insolent African', 'an ugly African' and 'the terrorist Mandela'(12) 'Turan' is still a dream. But realising this dream is not so easy in the world of today. On the contrary, it is easier to aim at being the leader of the Turks in the world. The disintegration of the former USSR created great opportunities for Turkey to reach this goal. Wide-ranging campaigns have been launched to spread the feeling of being Turkish in the originally Turkish Republics of the former USSR. Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel added Alparslan Tukers, the 'Fuhrer' of the nationalists, to the group that visited these countries. During meetings held with the leaders of the nationalist fronts in Azerbaijan, security was provided by guards who wore T-shirts with 'Grey Wolf' pictures(12) The 'Grey Wolves' are an armed and extreme-right group, labelled as 'Fascist' in Western Europe, and banned in several European countries (Amnesty International, 1979 and 'Nederlands Centrum Buitenlanders', 1980). TURKlSH IMMIGRANTS IN WESTERN EUROPE During the 1960s, many Turkish people moved to Western European countries as migrant workers. Turkey was interested in these people for two reasons. First, the currency sent back home substantially supported the Turkish economy. Second, it wanted to make sure that these people did not forget their nationality. The mother-tongue education provided the means for achieving this. Special nationalist teachers were sent to the various countries - Germany, for example - and Turkey was able to decide who to send. Research has shown that the teaching materials used for this mother-tongue education are no different from those used in Turkey itselful (13) Another example of this policy by the Turkish state involves the military service for Turkish youths living outside Turkey. They have the choice either to accept this service in Turkey for 16 months or to pay 10 000 German Marks and to accept one month of military training. This training is meant to 'make a real Turk' of the youngsters. During this month Turkish youth are 'overfed' with nationalistic slogans, like 'I am glad that I am Turkish' and 'A Turk is worth all the world' in a way that some speak of as 'a month of brainwashing'.(14) Even if one of the basic goals of the Kemalist ideology is to become 'Westernized', the adaptation of people who moved to the European countries was not seen as a positive development. Being 'Westernized' should only be achieved by Kemalist intellectuals. This would provide them with privileges and make them different from the rest. Thus, they would gain rights to 'protect the others from dangers' and would act as leaders. Various right-wing and left-wing movements began to develop among these migrant workers. The state responded to these organisations according to its official ideology. Nationalists (left-wing and right-wing) and the Muslim organisations controlled by the state were supported. The state officially requested governments of the host countries to prohibit or ban other organisations. However, they did not succeed in going beyond the 'walls of the Western democracies'. The National Intelligence Agency (MIT) was involved in the organisation of the Turkish extreme right in Germany. It is known that Enver Altayli has been an MIT agent since 1968. At the end of the 1970s, Alparslan Turkers appointed him leader of the organisation in Germany of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) with which the 'Grey Wolves' were associated (Mumcu, 1988). In the same article, by letters written to Turkes, the President of the Party, the author proves that Enver Altayli was also connected with Die Bundesnachrichtendienst (German Secret Intelligence Agency). His successor was Musa Serdar Celebi, who was tried together with Mehmet Ali Agca, for the attempted assassination of Pope John II. He was found not guilty. The Turkish right-wing extremists do not only have relations with the German Intelligence Service. The group also established close relations with the German CSU and with neo-Nazi groups. The president of the party, Alparslan Turkes, wrote a letter on 28 July 1977 to his associates, stating: our party is developing in Turkey. It is required to reflect the same developments to our citizens living in Germany and to speed up the work of getting organised. In order to achieve the desired results, it is necessary to improve the relations with the NATIONAL SOZIALISTICHER PARTEI DEUTSCHLANDS (the German National Socialist Party, NSPD) and to benefit from their experiences and methods.(15) A report published by Amnesty International (1979) indicates that the European organisations of MHP had connections with other right- wing extremist organisations outside Germany. Another example is the French ORDRE NOUVEAU. From time to time, right-wing extremist Turks have been known to be organised together with Muslim fundamental- ists or to be supported by people belonging to Islamic groups. Right-wing and left-wing Turkish organisations in Europe have done everything possible to exclude or marginalise organisations that do not fit in with Kemalism. Their greatest supporters in this are the media, broadcasting in Turkish all over the continent. With respect to these organisations, two examples can be given. Professor Dr Faruk Sen, director of the Turkey Research Centre in Germany, has written (in his column in MILLIYET) an article entitled 'Never-ending Pain, Kurdish Reality' in which he stated: the subject of the Kurds which we have excluded until today, has begun to take on a relatively important place in our day-to-day life here in Germany. Everyone, from the taxi driver to the German we meet in a restaurant, from our German doctor to the German postman, is reproachful about this matter. The author asks Kurds to help to change this situation and continues his article stating: the Kurdish intellectual is also responsible. The approach used by Kurdish intellectuals to solve this problem by creating pressure on Turkey through German politicians, journaljsts and bureaucrats, but not solving it with the people with whom they live together in the same country, offends the people living in Turkey. In this matter, Kurdish intellectuals also have to take positive steps. The director of the Turkish Research Centre is in effect asking the Kurds in Europe to remain silent about the oppression of Kurds in Turkey and not to conduct any studies in Europe related to the Kurds. Another example of the work of Turkish organisations in Western Europe in line with Kemalism, concerns the Turkish Consultancy Council in the Netherlands. This Council, which is an institution on a level above the Turkish federations organised throughout the country, advises the Dutch government with respect to various issues. It does not accept the inclusion of Kurds and Alawiis (Sener, 1989), who are not officially recognised in Turkey but who are organised on their own throughout the Netherlands. At the time that I decided to write this chapter, the neo-Nazi attack in Molln had not yet occurred. The plan had been to evaluate the ideas of Turkish people living in Western Europe with respect to racist violence by analysing the Turkish press. However, the broadcasts, advertisements, offilcial statements, etc., in the aftermath of the murders in Molln can provide a general summary. Special attention shouId be paid to the HURRIYET newspaper, because this newspaper is read by the vast majority of the Turkish population both inside and outside Turkey (for instance, NOS, 1986). Both leftist and rightist people publish in this newspaper, such as the chief editor of the newspaper, Oktay Eksi, who is also the elected president of the Turkish Press Council, and Mumtaz Soysal, who writes daily articles in this newspaper and is also a member of Parliament for the Social Democratic People's Party. Soysal also chairs delegations which represent Parliament at various international meetings in Europe.(16) In the upper left corner of the 'liberal' HURRIYET there is a Turkish flag and printed above it is a picture of Ataturk. Underneath the picture is written: 'Turkey belongs to the Turks.' After the Molln murders, HURRIYET (25 November 1992) published the news under the heading: 'Humanity is assassinated in Molln. Condolences to us all.' The article invites people to send letters to Chancellor Kohl of Germany and it publishes the text for such a letter. In its edition on 27 November Hurriyet states: 'We are Turkish, we are not afraid, we are proud of being Turkish and we are not going anywhere.' On 29 November, almost the complete front page is dedicated to the funeral ceremonies in Germany. At the top of the front page the next headline reads: 'Magnificent Turk.' At the same time there is a warning for Turkish immigrant workers in Western Europe: Turkish immigrant workers became the darlings of the world. This created a very favourable base in the international platform for our Turkey. Officials are warning our citizens against the 'dividers and instigators' to avoid the reversal of this situation. The newspaper is asking the Turks to beware of the Kurds, whom it refers to as 'dividers', in order to protect the prestige of Turkey. The newspaper states that this prestige has been increasing because of the Molln murders. There is another title next to this news: 'The divider creates an event.' It reports on a big demonstration march where Turks replied to the dividers, who had opened up PKK flags(17), by singing the Turkish national anthem. Seven people were injured during the resulting fights. In its edition on 30 November 1992, the front page has the headline: 'A message to the World.' A subtitle of the news articles, for example is: 'Turkish resistance to Nazi savageness has been a wonderful message to humanity.' At the bottom other news is given, showing a picture of how 'the dividers' who opened up PKK flags were beaten by the Turks. In Carsamba, the Turkish town where the three bodies of the murdered women were buried, government officials gave speeches criticising racism everywhere in Europe, especially in Ger- many. With respect to the events during the demonstration, CUMHURIYET (a left-wing Kemalist newspaper) reported on 29 November 1992 that a group, provoked by idealists (the legal name used by the 'Grey Wolves') attacked the Kurds. The event took place as follows: a group of Turks with 'Grey Wolf' rosettes and Turkish flags joined the demonstration march. When the Kurds saw this they opened the Kurdish flag, which is seen as the PKK flag by Turkish authorities, and they shouted the slogan 'Kurdistan will become the grave of Fascism.' After this, the 'Grey Wolves' provoked the others and they all started to attack the Kurds. Germans interfered and the fight was suppressed before it escalated. After the Molln violence, Turkey's authorities started firm diplomat- ic efforts to protest against Germany, and demanded that active measures be taken against racism. The Turkish Parliament also sent its own committee to Germany to investigate the events in Molln and the increasing racist violence against Turkish people in Germany. It should be noted that, just one month earlier, a German delegation, representing the VEREIN DER BUNDESDEUTSCHEN ANWALTE (the German Association of Lawyers) and the DEUTSCHE PRESSEGEWERKSCHAFT (the German Union of Journalists) had visited Turkey for two weeks to investigate the situation on human rights in Kurdistan.(18) Yet, parallel to this campaign, another effort by Turkey can be observed: the demand by Turkish authorities that Germany should prohibit the Kurdish organisations that are active in Germany. Onur Oymen, the Turkish Ambassador in Germany, visited the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and requested the prohibition of 'these terrorist organisations, including those which were founded by Turkish people' (meaning Kurdish organisations). This request is supported by the seventeen different Turkish organisations which published an advertisement in TERCUMAN (a Turkish newspaper) on 28 November 1992. Some of these organisations are known to support the extreme Right publicly. Taking advantage of the mood, organisations working against the infringement of the human rights in Turkey are also criticized. MILLIYET (28 November 1992) asks 'Where are you? Organi- zations, such as Amnesty International, which see Turks as an enemy, will be held accountable to history.' HURRIYET (30 November 1992) broadens this even more: 'Humanity saw the danger of the Nazis. Recognised the guilty party. Protected the Turks who are away from home. With the only exception of institutions using the label of "human rights". They have preferred to be "human injustice organisa- tions".' The summary of Turkey's approach to this event can be found in the statements by the Prime Minister, Suleyman Demirel: 'When portray- ing foreigners as enemies turns into portraying Turks as enemies, this is embarrassing, I am protesting against this' (all Turkish newspapers, 27 November 1992). CONCLUSIONS Turkey is the mother-country of many people living all over Europe. These people constitute minorities in their host societies and are increasingly under racist attack. With the increase of racist violence in Europe, the Turkish minorities live with a growing feeling of insecurity in everyday life. The Turkish state responds to these developments with harsh statements and strong demands on the governments of these host societies actively to fight racism and racist violence against Turks. On the other hand racist violence and racism are part of everyday life in Turkey itself. Often, this is supported, or even directly or indirectly organised, by state authorities themselves. Minorities are portrayed as 'threats to the Turkish society' and treated correspondingly. On the same line one can also see Turkey's involve- ment in ethnic violence in the 'new Republics' which were created after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Racism is prohibited in Turkey and abroad by the Turkish state. Racism is defined and portrayed as being identical to anti-Turkish sentiment. This kind of racism is combated. All other kinds of racism, especially those directed against minorities in Turkey itself, are neglected or even supported. Certainly, we may speak here of a double standard. NOTES 1. The boundaries of this empire are determined by Turkish language and culture. 2. KADRO (magazine) January 1932 (first edition), and November 1932 (eleventh edition) pp. 17-18. 3 AYIN TARIHI (magazine) May 1930 (74th edition) pp. 6201-6215. 4. The SURYANIS (Christians who use Syriac as a liturgical language) are still among the oppressed minorities within Turkey. ln connection with this oppression and the violence against them they started a hunger strike in the Netherlands in January 1993. 5. NOKTA (a Turkish weekly magazine), vol. 10, no 27 (4 July 1992) pp. 12-17, and an article written by Bulent Tarakcioglu, in Nokta, 6 September 1992, pp 46-47. 6. OZGUR GUNDEM 6-7 September 1992. 7. Ravali, A. in TEMPO (weekly magazine) no 43, pp. 66-71. 8. OZGUR GUNDEM (daily newspaper), KURDEN RAUS in Fethiye', 5 October 1992. 9. MILLIYET (daily newspaper) 9 November 1992. 10. YENI ULKE (weekly newspaper) 1-7 November 1992, pp. 12. 11. MILLIYET, TURKIYE and SABAH (newspapers) 19 and 20 May 1992. 12. NOKTA (weekly magazine) no 20, 17 May 1992. 13. See Yesilgoz, in NRC HANDELSBLAD (daily newspaper) 21 March 1989 and Aslan and Braam, in VRIJ NEDERLAND (weekly magazine) 24 March 1990. 14. CASABLANCA (a Dutch/Belgian monthly magazine) no 2, 1993, p. 23. 15. 2000'e DOGRU (weekly magazine) sixth year, 49th edition, 6 December 1992. 16. A professor in Constitutional Law who attended the CSCE meeting on Tolerance in Warsaw from 16 to 20 November 1992 as the Head of the Turkish Delegation and who presented an article explaining the tolerance of the Ottoman Empire and Turkey towards minorities. 17. The PKK is the Kurdish Workers Party, which is illegal in Turkey. 18. At a press conference on 16 October 1992 this delegation stated that 320 murder cases in Kurdistan had been committed, including the murder of nine journalists. See YENI ULKE (weekly magazine) 18-24 October 1992. ----------------------------------------------- \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ aps at aps.nl [ \\\ [ [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ Activists Press Service [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ [\\\\ [ BBS: ##-31-206842147 [\[ [\[ [\[ [\\\\\[ info: info at aps.nl From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Fri Jun 9 04:13:59 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 09 Jun 1995 04:13:59 Subject: THE TURKISH STATE AND RACIST VIOLEN References: Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: THE TURKISH STATE AND RACIST VIOLENCE The following text is a scan from chapter 13 of: Racist Violence in Europe Edited by Tore Bjorgo Researeh Fellow Norwegian Institute of International Affairs Oslo, Norway and Rob Witte Researcher Willem Pompe Institute for Criminal Law University of Utrecht, the Netherlands St. Martins's Press all text originaly in italics are in big letters DOUBLE STANDARD: THE TURKISH STATE AND RACIST VIOLENCE Yucel Yerilgoz In present-day societies, racism and racist violence appear on the public agenda with increasing frequency. In the past, Europeans associated these terms with victim groups such as Jews and gypsies. Today, as a result of labour migration in Western Europe, other groups such as Turks and North Africans are added to this list, in addition to refugees. In some countries, the Turkish population is among the groups under racist attack. The environment in Europe is not sufficiently safe to allow Turks and other minorities to live a quiet life without worrying about racist attacks. What does it mean to be 'a potential target' and 'to live with fear'? What do the people living with these feelings understand about the racism that threatens them? Do they oppose racism as an ideology or are they 'anti-racist' because it threatens them? What does Turkey as a country, whose citizens abroad live with these feelings, understand about racism? Individual members of groups which are the potential victims of racist violence, are often by definition perceived as being anti-racist themselves. Many times racism places groups of people in a hierarchy based on skin colour, religion, and cultural, national or ethnic origin. Racist violence is inflicted on those groups who find themselves in the 'lowest' ranks of this hierarchy. However, this does not necessarily mean that these victims of racist violence cannot themselves advocate racist beliefs and ideologies. This should not be taken as a matter of 'blaming the victim'. Racist violence should always be combated as such, regardless of the person on whom it is inf'icted. And it should be fought wherever it occurs, if necessary, within the very groups who are victimised by racist violence. This chapter deals with the Turkish state, and with the Turkish people who live all over Europe. Two questions are considered: on the one hand, how do the Turkish people respond to, and what is their role in violence directed against minorities within Turkey itself and abroad? And on the other hand, what is their response to violence against Turkish minorities in the countries of Western Europe? First, a few remarks are needed about the ideological structure of the Turkish state without which Turkish policy and behaviour cannot be properly understood. Second, an explanation is given of the Turkish influence on the everyday life of Turkish people living abroad. Third, examples of the response to the violence against Turkish minorities in Europe that appeared in the Turkish press and were published all over Europe are presented. KEMALISM: THE IDEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF THE TURKISH STATE No idea can be upheld against the interests of the Turkish nation, the foundation of the indivisibility of the Turkish existence with its state, its country, its history and moral values, Ataturk's nationalism [Kemalism], principles, revolutions and civilisation. This statement is from a section of the Constitution of the Turkish republic, which was ratifed in 1982. It not only proves that Kemalism still prevails in Turkey, but also means that Turkish law will not accept any idea that is in conflict with the interests of the Turkish nation and Turkish nationalism. Kemalism, presented in Turkey as an ideology, is named after Mustafa Kemal (1881-1938), founder of the Turkish Republic. In 1923, Kemal declared republican rule over the countries remaining of the Ottoman Empire in 1923. Up to the time of his death, he continued to assume total control of Turkey's destiny. In Turkish history, this period of time is known as the 'one-party period' or the 'one-party dictatorship'. Kemal, later named Ataturk ('father of the Turks') and 'Chief for Eternity', launched a series of reforms concerning a great variety of matters, ranging from clothing to the alphabet. In these reforms, Western norms were adapted to Turkish conditions. At the same time, he began activities to create a state based on 'being Turkish'. Since the turn of the century, there has been evidence of attempts to create a state structure based on 'being Turkish'. An organisation, first known as the 'Young Turks', and later called the 'Committee of Union and Progress', was actively committed to this issue. The main goal of this Committee was to prevent the division of the Ottoman Empire. This Committee was represented in the main administration of this Empire after the announcement of the Constitutional Government in 1908. This continued until 1918 (see Tunaya, 1984, and Haniolu, 1985). The national and cultural requirements of non-Turkish elements, which were unknown because of previous oppression, began to surface after the Constitutional government was formed. 'Union and Progress' governed according to a dual policy. It oppressed non-Muslim elements and tried to make all Muslim groups Turkish. Albania, Macedonia and Yemen took their share of this oppression, which was aimed against nationalist movements. In 1915, this period drew to a close with the holocaust of 1.5 million Armenians. Although there was a Kurdish group among the founders of this Committee, they were unable to prevent these policies developing towards Turkish national- ism based ultimately on notions such as 'Turan' - the idea of realising the 'Great Turkish Empire' in the place of the Ottoman Empire.(1) The Kurds were deported to different parts of the country under the Deportation Law of 27 May 1915 (Besikci, 1977). The founders of the Republic (1923) were part of this Committee. Of course, these ideas were developed by the 'Union and Progress'. But during the years that followed, Kemal made a definitive distinction between the unionists and himself. During the 1930s, in particular, he began efforts to create a new Turkish nationalist ideology. From that time onward, there was no 'race' in Turkey other than the Turkish 'race', and no language was allowed but Turkish. There were 'One Party', 'One Nation', and 'One Leader' in the country. Ideological theories were formulated in the magazine, Kadro, first published in 1932, and banned by M. Kemal in 1935. The main goal was the creation of a 'coalescence nation without classes or privileges' (2) The famous Turkish sociologist, Ismail Besikci, observed that Mussolini's ideas were very influential in determining this ideology, and established that there were significant parallels to be drawn (Besikici, 1990). In the same period, M. Kemal ordered that scientific conferences be held. At one of these conferences, a theory (the 'Son-Language Theory') was accepted following 'scientific' discussions. According to this theory the Turkish language was 'the mother of all languages'. The 'Turkish history thesis' was accepted at another conference. According to this theory 'the superior Turkish race' was the 'mother of all civilisations and races' (Besiksi, 1977). The Turkish Janissary Corps (TURK OCAKLARI) was responsibIe for the organisation of these conferences. In one of his speeches at a ceremony on 23 April 1930, the President of the Turkish Janissary Corps, Abdullah Suphi Tanriover, made the following statement establishing the parallel between Fascism in Italy and the developments in Turkey: A form of nationalism, also known as Fascism, has appeared in Italy after a very difficult struggle. We see some of our own political and social ideas as being similar to aspects of this movement. Fascism concerns economic, political and social harmony based on the ideal of the 'motherland'. Like the Fascist youth, nationalist Turkish youth will also take up arms and will defend the Turkish revolution against anything that threatens it. We see both our past and our future in the enthusiasm of Fascism. (3) While this ideology was created within Turkey, friends and enemies were also identifed according to TURK'UN TURK'TEN BASKA DOSTU YOKTUR (The only friends of Turks are Turks). Internal enemies were identifed as communists, socialists, Muslim fundamentalists, Kurds and other ethnic minorities such as Armenians, Lazes, Greeks and Suryanis. (4) Attacks were launched against these groups. Anybody who opposed these ideas was immediately removed. As a result of the assimilation policy, anybody who did not speak Turkish was punished. BIR TURK DUNYAYA BEDELDIR (One Turk is worth all the world) and NE MUTLU TURK'UM DIYENE (What a happiness to say that I am Turkish) became the slogans of the day. After the death of M. Kemal in 1938, his colleague and close friend, Ismet Inonu, succeeded him. During the Party Congress on 26 December 1938 he was given the title of 'National Chief' and was proclaimed the irreplaceable leader of the Party. It was decided that Kemalism would continue to be the country's sole ideology. Although Turkey had a non-biased policy during the Second World War, the government interned people who were close to the Hitler regime. Many people, most of whom were scientists fleeing the regime in Germany, were accepted as refugees in Turkey. However, according to documents which were discovered recently, some people, including Turkish citizens, were handed over to the Nazis and killed in Nazi concentration camps.(5 Representatives of the Hitler regime had organised their supporters, especiaily within the army. In December 1942, the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs sent 5 million German Gold Marks to their Ambassador in Ankara, Franz von Papen, for their 'Turkish friends'. In documents found later, Alparslan Turkes is named as one of the people who had connections with the German Fascists (Soytemiz, 1988). Turkes, also known as BASBUG ('Fuhrer'), frequently appears in the recent political history of Turkey. After the defeat of Germany, Turkes and his friends were arrested and tried. Not because they had established relationships with Nazis, but because they had formed a 'Turanist' organisation in 1944. They were found not guilty by the Court in 1947 because 'an organisation, based on an idea which is not considered to be criminal, is not a crime either'. In 1950 Turkey embarked on a multiparty regime. To this day, this regime is a multiparty regime that is peculiar to Turkey. The groups that had been identified as internal enemies during the 1930s, were not given the right of political organisation. All parties had to follow Ataturk's route. The Democratic Party, which had started as the opposition movement within the Republican People's Party, won the 1950 election with an outright victory. Their policy was 'to follow Ataturk's route' and to maintain close ties with the USA. On 27 May 1960, the government was overthrown by a military coup that was motivated by the assumption that the government no longer followed Ataturk's route. Prime Minister Adnan Menderes was executed. The coup was directed against the reactionary attitude of the government and was Kemalist and progressive. Its spokesman was Colonel Alparslan Turkes, who had been a sympathiser of Hitler in the 1940s. Later, this man was to lead the extreme Right and his name was mentioned in relation to numerous murders committed by his organisation, known in the West as 'The Grey Wolves'. The government of the lustice Party, formed to replace the Democratic Party, faced another military coup in 1971. The reason for this coup was again the assumption that the Republic had moved away from Ataturk's route and that the Muslim fundamentalists, leftist and Kurdish movements were gaining power. They had already been identified as 'enemy forces' during the 1930s and were seen to threaten Turkish democracy. The last military coup occurred on 12 September 1980. The reason for army interference was again the assumed move away from 'Atatark's route' and the increasing number of terrorist activities. The daily newspaper with the largest circulation, Hurriyet, announced that the new policy to be followed was a 'continuation of'Ataturk's route'. All movements and opinions have the right to be organised as a political party in Turkey. Yet, no party can be created which opposes the state's unity with its nation, its country, and secular republican principles, or which depends on classes (Constitution, para.68). This means that the Constitution, which was ratified in 1981, still supports the notion of 'enemy forces' identified in 1930, such as communists, Muslim fundamentalists and Kurds. Any political party which opposes this law is prohibited. Although some parties, which did not follow official ideology, have existed in Turkish political history from time to time, they were all banned later on. So too, the Muslim fundamentaIist National Regularity Party and the Turkish Workers Party which indicated in their programmes that they are nationalist, were banned after the 1971 coup although they had elected representatives in parliament. Again, the motivation was that they did not follow Kemalism. In 1992, the Socialist Party which mentioned the existence of the Kurds in Turkey, was banned by the ANAYASA MAHKEMESI (Constitutional Court) for this reason. Within the context of the right- wing and left-wing ideas that are allowed in Turkey, this automatically means: Kemalist right-wing and Kemalist left-wing parties. They all have to have one point in common - to be a better Kemalist. As a matter of fact, the present-day structure is like this. With one exception, ali the parties in Parliament have stated in their programmes that they are 'nationalist'. After the Republican People's Party, founded by Ataturk, was banned together with the other political parties by the I980 military coup, the Social Democratic People's Party was created to replace it as a left wing party which accepted as its tenets the six main principies, identlfied by M. Kemai in the i930s. This party is currentiy ied by Erdal Inonu, the son of the 'National Chief', Ismet Inonu. The HALKIN EMEK PARTISI (People's Labour Party), which takes its place as a more left-wing party and which is outside the Kemalist context, is known as a pro-Kurdish party. The lawsuit to ban this party still continues at the Constitutionai Court. The right-wing parties which continue to exist compete for the status of the 'most nationaiist' party. OFFICIAL UNDERSTANDING OF RACISM IN TURKEY Turkey is one of the countries which signed the United Nations Internationai Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Dlscrimination' (1965), but this has not been ratified by Parliament The 'International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid' (1973) has been neither signed nor ratified by the Turkish state. Yet racism is prohibited by Turkish law. But this does not include 'Turkish racism'. Minorities, who oppose this and identify themselves as non-Turkish, are activeiy being portrayed as racist, and there are various legal measures directed against these 'racists'. In the Constitution of the Turkish republic, the following phrase is mentioned thirty-three times: 'Anybody who opposes the indivisibility of the Turkish Republic with its nation and its country, will be deprived of their basic human rights and freedoms.' In addition to this, and according to the Turkish Criminal Law (para.125), the Anti-Terror Law (para.8) and a number of other laws, anyone who tries to divide the country, who says that there is more than one nation in Turkey, who acts on or organises on the basis of this matter, can be punished by various penalties, including imprisonment and execution. It is also a crime to say 'Hurray to the Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood.' The Kurdish deputies who added this statement to their pledges at the opening ceremony of Parliament in November 1991 were first beaten and then taken to court for attempting to divide the country. To have Turkish nationalism accepted by the people, all institutions, especially in the field of education, are held responsible for its propaganda. In elementary schools, all pupils have to rise when their teacher enters the classroom and have to respond to his 'Good Morning' with 'Thank You'. And then they have to recite a long text starting with the phrase 'I am Turkish, I am honourable, I work hard.' This text ends with 'I give my existence as a present to the Turkish existence.' This is not only the case in elementary schools, but also in High Schools. In all universities, academies and colleges Turkish Revolution History is a mandatory course. The objective of the main textbook is to explain Ataturk's revolutions. This book shows that these revolutions were based on nationalism and that they secured Turkey's place in the world (Eroglu, 1974). Turkey's largest educational institution, Turkey's Teachers Association, campaigned to remove the chauvinistic elements from the educational system. After the 1980 coup, this Association was banned by the military court for 'conducting activities to divide Turkey' and its leaders were given sentences of up to 8 years imprisonment. The slogans, which were identifed in the 1930s are not only valid in schools, but are also widely accepted by the population. It is not difficult to activate the people. In order to 'help' themselves with their socio-economic problems, government offcials have, on numerous occasions, manipulated the feelings of the people. In 1955, for example, the Cyprus problem was the most important 'national issue'. At the end of August a conference was arranged in London, with Greece and the United Kingdom - the other parties involved - to determine the status of Cyprus. Turkey planned an activity to demonstrate the sensitivity of this problem within the Turkish community. The newspaper, ISTANBUI EXPRESS (6 September 1955), published the news of the bombing of Ataturk's birthplace in Selanik, Greece. Student protests started the same day. It developed into a nationwide response and within two days, shops, cemeteries and churches belonging to Greeks were destroyed and properties were plundered. Police, who had initially supported the violence, had to use force to stop it once they realised that they could no longer control it. Martial law was announced in Istanbul. The government declared that the communists were responsible for the violence. Many people known to be leftist, were placed under police supervision. Later, it was discovered that the events had been planned by the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) and that the bomb had been planted by Oktay Engin, an MIT agent who, in 1992, was Governor of Nevsehir, a Turkish province. (6) When we look at some of the recent attacks against the Kurds living on the west coast of Turkey, we see that the 'September 1955' violence is not an 'historical incident'. Especially at the funerals of soldiers who died in combat in Kurdistan, cities outside Kurdistan staged massive and violent anti-Kurd protests. This was not a nationwide, public response. Government officials organised these protests and still do. Fethiye is a town on the west coast. Besides Turks, Kurds who have moved to the west live here. After a funeral in 1992, shops owned by Kurds were attacked. A newspaper journalist reported: 'Kurd hunt in Fethiye ... The houses were identified, trucks full of people started to drive around shooting, houses were destroyed, people were forced to move ...''(7) Human rights organisations, and the People's Labour Party organisation in Fethiye, claimed that the events had been organised by the Mayor (a Social Democrat) and other government officials.(8) 'Forty-five houses and shops belonging to Kurds were bombed and guns were fired in Alanya.(9) Some measures were taken to force the Kurds to move from the west to the east. People were told that they would be punished if they rented houses or shops to Kurds, and that this was a decision that had been taken by the city councils in western Turkey. (10) Various slogans were written in big letters, not only on visible places in the cities, but also in the high mountains surrounding the cities in Kurdistan - slogans such as: 'What a happiness to say that I am Turkish', 'One Turk is worth all the world', etc. Broadcasting or publishing the Kurdish language was prohibited, as was education in the Kurdish language. Kemal's words: 'Peace in the country, peace in the world' are repeated continuously during official speeches. Yet it is generally believed that each internal enemy is supported by outsiders. Efforts to seek out this external support depend on the position of the people or groups involved within the Kemalist context, and on the attributes of the enemies. According to left-wing Kemalists, the Kurds are a problem created by Western imperialists. Muslim fundamentalism is a problem that was exported to Turkey by the reactionary Arab countries and, more recently, by lran. According to right-wing Kemalists, Turkey is opposing a world that is against the development of Turks and Muslims and that wants Turkey to become a communist country. Both groups are governed by one feeling: 'Turks do not have any friends but Turks themselves.' The whole world is afrald of the Turks and their development. In addition to this, Turkey is surrounded by enemies. According to the Turkish press, Western European anti-racists are called 'Friends of Turkey', and racists are 'People who see Turks as their enemies'. The 'Ataturk Peace Award', which has been awarded since 1984, was awarded to Nelson Mandela in 1992 for being anti-racist and a hero. When he refused the award because of the oppression of the Kurds, he was called 'an insolent African', 'an ugly African' and 'the terrorist Mandela'(12) 'Turan' is still a dream. But realising this dream is not so easy in the world of today. On the contrary, it is easier to aim at being the leader of the Turks in the world. The disintegration of the former USSR created great opportunities for Turkey to reach this goal. Wide-ranging campaigns have been launched to spread the feeling of being Turkish in the originally Turkish Republics of the former USSR. Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel added Alparslan Tukers, the 'Fuhrer' of the nationalists, to the group that visited these countries. During meetings held with the leaders of the nationalist fronts in Azerbaijan, security was provided by guards who wore T-shirts with 'Grey Wolf' pictures(12) The 'Grey Wolves' are an armed and extreme-right group, labelled as 'Fascist' in Western Europe, and banned in several European countries (Amnesty International, 1979 and 'Nederlands Centrum Buitenlanders', 1980). TURKlSH IMMIGRANTS IN WESTERN EUROPE During the 1960s, many Turkish people moved to Western European countries as migrant workers. Turkey was interested in these people for two reasons. First, the currency sent back home substantially supported the Turkish economy. Second, it wanted to make sure that these people did not forget their nationality. The mother-tongue education provided the means for achieving this. Special nationalist teachers were sent to the various countries - Germany, for example - and Turkey was able to decide who to send. Research has shown that the teaching materials used for this mother-tongue education are no different from those used in Turkey itselful (13) Another example of this policy by the Turkish state involves the military service for Turkish youths living outside Turkey. They have the choice either to accept this service in Turkey for 16 months or to pay 10 000 German Marks and to accept one month of military training. This training is meant to 'make a real Turk' of the youngsters. During this month Turkish youth are 'overfed' with nationalistic slogans, like 'I am glad that I am Turkish' and 'A Turk is worth all the world' in a way that some speak of as 'a month of brainwashing'.(14) Even if one of the basic goals of the Kemalist ideology is to become 'Westernized', the adaptation of people who moved to the European countries was not seen as a positive development. Being 'Westernized' should only be achieved by Kemalist intellectuals. This would provide them with privileges and make them different from the rest. Thus, they would gain rights to 'protect the others from dangers' and would act as leaders. Various right-wing and left-wing movements began to develop among these migrant workers. The state responded to these organisations according to its official ideology. Nationalists (left-wing and right-wing) and the Muslim organisations controlled by the state were supported. The state officially requested governments of the host countries to prohibit or ban other organisations. However, they did not succeed in going beyond the 'walls of the Western democracies'. The National Intelligence Agency (MIT) was involved in the organisation of the Turkish extreme right in Germany. It is known that Enver Altayli has been an MIT agent since 1968. At the end of the 1970s, Alparslan Turkers appointed him leader of the organisation in Germany of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) with which the 'Grey Wolves' were associated (Mumcu, 1988). In the same article, by letters written to Turkes, the President of the Party, the author proves that Enver Altayli was also connected with Die Bundesnachrichtendienst (German Secret Intelligence Agency). His successor was Musa Serdar Celebi, who was tried together with Mehmet Ali Agca, for the attempted assassination of Pope John II. He was found not guilty. The Turkish right-wing extremists do not only have relations with the German Intelligence Service. The group also established close relations with the German CSU and with neo-Nazi groups. The president of the party, Alparslan Turkes, wrote a letter on 28 July 1977 to his associates, stating: our party is developing in Turkey. It is required to reflect the same developments to our citizens living in Germany and to speed up the work of getting organised. In order to achieve the desired results, it is necessary to improve the relations with the NATIONAL SOZIALISTICHER PARTEI DEUTSCHLANDS (the German National Socialist Party, NSPD) and to benefit from their experiences and methods.(15) A report published by Amnesty International (1979) indicates that the European organisations of MHP had connections with other right- wing extremist organisations outside Germany. Another example is the French ORDRE NOUVEAU. From time to time, right-wing extremist Turks have been known to be organised together with Muslim fundamental- ists or to be supported by people belonging to Islamic groups. Right-wing and left-wing Turkish organisations in Europe have done everything possible to exclude or marginalise organisations that do not fit in with Kemalism. Their greatest supporters in this are the media, broadcasting in Turkish all over the continent. With respect to these organisations, two examples can be given. Professor Dr Faruk Sen, director of the Turkey Research Centre in Germany, has written (in his column in MILLIYET) an article entitled 'Never-ending Pain, Kurdish Reality' in which he stated: the subject of the Kurds which we have excluded until today, has begun to take on a relatively important place in our day-to-day life here in Germany. Everyone, from the taxi driver to the German we meet in a restaurant, from our German doctor to the German postman, is reproachful about this matter. The author asks Kurds to help to change this situation and continues his article stating: the Kurdish intellectual is also responsible. The approach used by Kurdish intellectuals to solve this problem by creating pressure on Turkey through German politicians, journaljsts and bureaucrats, but not solving it with the people with whom they live together in the same country, offends the people living in Turkey. In this matter, Kurdish intellectuals also have to take positive steps. The director of the Turkish Research Centre is in effect asking the Kurds in Europe to remain silent about the oppression of Kurds in Turkey and not to conduct any studies in Europe related to the Kurds. Another example of the work of Turkish organisations in Western Europe in line with Kemalism, concerns the Turkish Consultancy Council in the Netherlands. This Council, which is an institution on a level above the Turkish federations organised throughout the country, advises the Dutch government with respect to various issues. It does not accept the inclusion of Kurds and Alawiis (Sener, 1989), who are not officially recognised in Turkey but who are organised on their own throughout the Netherlands. At the time that I decided to write this chapter, the neo-Nazi attack in Molln had not yet occurred. The plan had been to evaluate the ideas of Turkish people living in Western Europe with respect to racist violence by analysing the Turkish press. However, the broadcasts, advertisements, offilcial statements, etc., in the aftermath of the murders in Molln can provide a general summary. Special attention shouId be paid to the HURRIYET newspaper, because this newspaper is read by the vast majority of the Turkish population both inside and outside Turkey (for instance, NOS, 1986). Both leftist and rightist people publish in this newspaper, such as the chief editor of the newspaper, Oktay Eksi, who is also the elected president of the Turkish Press Council, and Mumtaz Soysal, who writes daily articles in this newspaper and is also a member of Parliament for the Social Democratic People's Party. Soysal also chairs delegations which represent Parliament at various international meetings in Europe.(16) In the upper left corner of the 'liberal' HURRIYET there is a Turkish flag and printed above it is a picture of Ataturk. Underneath the picture is written: 'Turkey belongs to the Turks.' After the Molln murders, HURRIYET (25 November 1992) published the news under the heading: 'Humanity is assassinated in Molln. Condolences to us all.' The article invites people to send letters to Chancellor Kohl of Germany and it publishes the text for such a letter. In its edition on 27 November Hurriyet states: 'We are Turkish, we are not afraid, we are proud of being Turkish and we are not going anywhere.' On 29 November, almost the complete front page is dedicated to the funeral ceremonies in Germany. At the top of the front page the next headline reads: 'Magnificent Turk.' At the same time there is a warning for Turkish immigrant workers in Western Europe: Turkish immigrant workers became the darlings of the world. This created a very favourable base in the international platform for our Turkey. Officials are warning our citizens against the 'dividers and instigators' to avoid the reversal of this situation. The newspaper is asking the Turks to beware of the Kurds, whom it refers to as 'dividers', in order to protect the prestige of Turkey. The newspaper states that this prestige has been increasing because of the Molln murders. There is another title next to this news: 'The divider creates an event.' It reports on a big demonstration march where Turks replied to the dividers, who had opened up PKK flags(17), by singing the Turkish national anthem. Seven people were injured during the resulting fights. In its edition on 30 November 1992, the front page has the headline: 'A message to the World.' A subtitle of the news articles, for example is: 'Turkish resistance to Nazi savageness has been a wonderful message to humanity.' At the bottom other news is given, showing a picture of how 'the dividers' who opened up PKK flags were beaten by the Turks. In Carsamba, the Turkish town where the three bodies of the murdered women were buried, government officials gave speeches criticising racism everywhere in Europe, especially in Ger- many. With respect to the events during the demonstration, CUMHURIYET (a left-wing Kemalist newspaper) reported on 29 November 1992 that a group, provoked by idealists (the legal name used by the 'Grey Wolves') attacked the Kurds. The event took place as follows: a group of Turks with 'Grey Wolf' rosettes and Turkish flags joined the demonstration march. When the Kurds saw this they opened the Kurdish flag, which is seen as the PKK flag by Turkish authorities, and they shouted the slogan 'Kurdistan will become the grave of Fascism.' After this, the 'Grey Wolves' provoked the others and they all started to attack the Kurds. Germans interfered and the fight was suppressed before it escalated. After the Molln violence, Turkey's authorities started firm diplomat- ic efforts to protest against Germany, and demanded that active measures be taken against racism. The Turkish Parliament also sent its own committee to Germany to investigate the events in Molln and the increasing racist violence against Turkish people in Germany. It should be noted that, just one month earlier, a German delegation, representing the VEREIN DER BUNDESDEUTSCHEN ANWALTE (the German Association of Lawyers) and the DEUTSCHE PRESSEGEWERKSCHAFT (the German Union of Journalists) had visited Turkey for two weeks to investigate the situation on human rights in Kurdistan.(18) Yet, parallel to this campaign, another effort by Turkey can be observed: the demand by Turkish authorities that Germany should prohibit the Kurdish organisations that are active in Germany. Onur Oymen, the Turkish Ambassador in Germany, visited the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and requested the prohibition of 'these terrorist organisations, including those which were founded by Turkish people' (meaning Kurdish organisations). This request is supported by the seventeen different Turkish organisations which published an advertisement in TERCUMAN (a Turkish newspaper) on 28 November 1992. Some of these organisations are known to support the extreme Right publicly. Taking advantage of the mood, organisations working against the infringement of the human rights in Turkey are also criticized. MILLIYET (28 November 1992) asks 'Where are you? Organi- zations, such as Amnesty International, which see Turks as an enemy, will be held accountable to history.' HURRIYET (30 November 1992) broadens this even more: 'Humanity saw the danger of the Nazis. Recognised the guilty party. Protected the Turks who are away from home. With the only exception of institutions using the label of "human rights". They have preferred to be "human injustice organisa- tions".' The summary of Turkey's approach to this event can be found in the statements by the Prime Minister, Suleyman Demirel: 'When portray- ing foreigners as enemies turns into portraying Turks as enemies, this is embarrassing, I am protesting against this' (all Turkish newspapers, 27 November 1992). CONCLUSIONS Turkey is the mother-country of many people living all over Europe. These people constitute minorities in their host societies and are increasingly under racist attack. With the increase of racist violence in Europe, the Turkish minorities live with a growing feeling of insecurity in everyday life. The Turkish state responds to these developments with harsh statements and strong demands on the governments of these host societies actively to fight racism and racist violence against Turks. On the other hand racist violence and racism are part of everyday life in Turkey itself. Often, this is supported, or even directly or indirectly organised, by state authorities themselves. Minorities are portrayed as 'threats to the Turkish society' and treated correspondingly. On the same line one can also see Turkey's involve- ment in ethnic violence in the 'new Republics' which were created after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Racism is prohibited in Turkey and abroad by the Turkish state. Racism is defined and portrayed as being identical to anti-Turkish sentiment. This kind of racism is combated. All other kinds of racism, especially those directed against minorities in Turkey itself, are neglected or even supported. Certainly, we may speak here of a double standard. NOTES 1. The boundaries of this empire are determined by Turkish language and culture. 2. KADRO (magazine) January 1932 (first edition), and November 1932 (eleventh edition) pp. 17-18. 3 AYIN TARIHI (magazine) May 1930 (74th edition) pp. 6201-6215. 4. The SURYANIS (Christians who use Syriac as a liturgical language) are still among the oppressed minorities within Turkey. ln connection with this oppression and the violence against them they started a hunger strike in the Netherlands in January 1993. 5. NOKTA (a Turkish weekly magazine), vol. 10, no 27 (4 July 1992) pp. 12-17, and an article written by Bulent Tarakcioglu, in Nokta, 6 September 1992, pp 46-47. 6. OZGUR GUNDEM 6-7 September 1992. 7. Ravali, A. in TEMPO (weekly magazine) no 43, pp. 66-71. 8. OZGUR GUNDEM (daily newspaper), KURDEN RAUS in Fethiye', 5 October 1992. 9. MILLIYET (daily newspaper) 9 November 1992. 10. YENI ULKE (weekly newspaper) 1-7 November 1992, pp. 12. 11. MILLIYET, TURKIYE and SABAH (newspapers) 19 and 20 May 1992. 12. NOKTA (weekly magazine) no 20, 17 May 1992. 13. See Yesilgoz, in NRC HANDELSBLAD (daily newspaper) 21 March 1989 and Aslan and Braam, in VRIJ NEDERLAND (weekly magazine) 24 March 1990. 14. CASABLANCA (a Dutch/Belgian monthly magazine) no 2, 1993, p. 23. 15. 2000'e DOGRU (weekly magazine) sixth year, 49th edition, 6 December 1992. 16. A professor in Constitutional Law who attended the CSCE meeting on Tolerance in Warsaw from 16 to 20 November 1992 as the Head of the Turkish Delegation and who presented an article explaining the tolerance of the Ottoman Empire and Turkey towards minorities. 17. The PKK is the Kurdish Workers Party, which is illegal in Turkey. 18. At a press conference on 16 October 1992 this delegation stated that 320 murder cases in Kurdistan had been committed, including the murder of nine journalists. See YENI ULKE (weekly magazine) 18-24 October 1992. ----------------------------------------------- \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ aps at aps.nl [ \\\ [ [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ Activists Press Service [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ [\\\\ [ BBS: ##-31-206842147 [\[ [\[ [\[ [\\\\\[ info: info at aps.nl From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Fri Jun 9 15:04:26 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 09 Jun 1995 15:04:26 Subject: June 17 Demonstration in Bonn, Germ Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: June 17 Demonstration in Bonn, Germany Demonstration For A Political Solution In Kurdistan The Kurdish civilian population has been the target of the Turkish state's policies of destruction for more than ten years now. With the aim of making the Kurdish region uninhabitable, the Turkish army has destroyed and burned the Kurdish population's necessities of life. 3,000 villages have been bombed, thousands of hectares of forest have been set on fire, more than 30,000 people have been killed, and more than 5 million people have fled from the Turkish army's attacks and bombardments, many seeking refuge in major cities. Because the German government is on the side of the Turkish government, and because all forms of political expression by Kurds have been criminalized, all people who believe in democracy and peace must now show that they will not accept the Turkish government's conduct. It is the task of world public opinion to make it clear to the Turkish government that this conflict cannot be solved with military means. We call on all democratic and progressive people in the world, who are conscious of their historic responsibility, to support a political solution in Kurdistan. This war must end! Date: June 17, 1995 Time: 10:00 AM The demonstration will begin at three locations in Bonn: Josephohe, Sudfriedhof, and Schlacthof, and they will join together in Hofgarten, where there will be a rally with music, folklore, and various speakers. Please distribute and support this call for solidarity! Send a signed copy of this statement to the Kurdistan Informations- Zentrum in Cologne, Germany at the following fax number: +49-221-13-00-424. NAME/ADDRESS........................................... Telephone/Fax Number................................... From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Fri Jun 9 15:09:31 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 09 Jun 1995 15:09:31 Subject: ARGK: War Totals For May 1995 Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: ARGK: War Totals For May 1995 Press Release June 8, 1995 The following figures from the ARGK for the civil war in Kurdistan were faxed to us from the Comite du Kurdistan in Brussels. The War In Kurdistan: Balance Sheet For The Month Of May In the month of May, our forces engaged the enemy forces 303 times. Of these encounters, the enemy fell into our traps 94 times; we attacked them at 41 different places; we fought in close encounters 51 times; in 30 different places, our suicide teams targeted enemy installations; 18 times we penetrated enemy lines; 19 times we subjected them to artillery fire; we have committed acts of sabotage; we set up roadblocks 17 times; and the enemy stepped on mines 30 times. We know the results of 171 of these encounters. The enemy losses for this period total 550 persons. Of these losses, 7 were officers, 446 were soldiers, 59 were mercenaries, and 38 were members of the contra-guerrilla. In addition, 141 enemy forces were injured. The loss of enemy equipment was as follows: 1 helicopter, 2 armoured vehicles, 19 military vehicles, and 16 non-military vehicles. In addition, 1 helicopter, 1 tank, 2 armoured vehicles, and 19 military vehicles have been seriously damaged. In the course of the month, 23 relatives of mercenaries, 28 suspected enemy collaborators, 4 civil servants acting as collaborators, 1 enemy agent, and 1 correspondent have been apprehended. Some of these have been released; no decision has been reached in the other cases as of yet. A considerable amount of enemy goods have also been confiscated. These are: 37 machine guns, 5 MG-3s, 40 hand grenades, 5 cluster bombs, 1 mortar, 40 mortar rockets, 3 B-7 rockets, 2 Karnas guns, 2 walkie talkies, 2 detectors, 6 binoculars, 4,933 rounds of ammunition, 14 tents, and 20 backpacks. In addition, we have the custody of one dead Turkish solider. The enemy has, as usual, increased its air attacks on civilians. It has undertaken 49 operations, bombing Kurdish villages from the air 9 times. As a result, 26 villages have been destroyed and 27 villagers have been killed. Our losses stand at 99 fighters killed in action. Of these, 32 died in Botan, 17 in Zagros, 4 in Mardin, 15 in Amed, 6 in Garzan, 10 in Dersim, 12 in Erzurum, and 2 in Serhat region. In addition, 4 of our fighters were captured by the enemy because of their injuries. The figure for our injured fighters stands at 36. People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 9 17:06:44 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 09 Jun 1995 17:06:44 Subject: The European Superstate & the "terr Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: The European Superstate & the "terrorist" myth: criminaliss Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl The European Superstate & the "terrorist" myth: criminalising the Kurds "Why is the Kurdish community, in common with many other refugee communitIes throughout Europe... being criminalised.. stereotypes are being created and used as the justification for policing measures, immigration measures which violate fundamental human rIghts, which undermine Western Europe's claim to be democratic... Racism in Europe today is not based so much on colour as it used to be but rather on poverty and wealth... So it's nothing to do with terrorism and it is nothing to do with keeping Europe safe..." (Lawyer Francis Webber. Campaign Against Racism & FascLsm. 18/2/95) Extensive links being built up around Europe through an emerging Europol and computer databases are being used to exclude asylum seekers and to deport others who may be deemed a "threat to internal security". Webber (ibid) goes on to express grave concern that a "Fortress Europe is being developed by completely unaccountable meetings of ministers: inter-governmental agreements that do not go through the European Parliament or the European Court of Justice..." Kani Yilmaz and the diaspora Kurds are being used to test out a new network of repression across Europe. In 1991 Germany, as a first step towards the creation of a European Federal State had proposed the establishment of a Europol incorporated into the Maastricht Treaty as a kind of pan-European FBI with powers to act across and within EU member states, though Britain preferred a more decentralised structure. A programme to criminalise Kurds and Turks in Europe who express opposition to the Turkish regime is now being coordinated by British and German police and military intelligence, together with their Turkish counterparts, including the Turkish secret intelligence agency MIT. There is a long history of collusion with these foreign intelligence agencies. The programme includes mobilisation of sections of the media and the establishment of special police units to survey and attack the Kurdish communities who overwhelmingly support the PKK-led struggle for national rights. In Autumn 1993 when Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller visited Germany, she said she aimed to destroy the so-called Kurdish separatist movement within the year and asked for the help of Western European governments. Help was not slow in coming. Shortly afterwards the PKK and allegedly related organisations were outlawed in Germany and France. Police raids across both countries in December arrested hundreds of Kurds, seized documents, money and froze bank accounts. In one German state 600 officers raided homes in 19 cities. In French police raided offices of Kurdish solidarity groups describing them as terrorists, and arrested a number of Kurdish activists. In Austria people who went on a demonstration against Mrs.Ciller were arrested. In Switzerland and The Netherlands there were immediate expulsions of people suspected of being Kurdish activists. The British government has demonstrated by its action against Kani Yilmaz that it intends to play a major role in this campaign. His arrest is a serious blow to the democratic rights of all people in Britain and it also reveals the sinister workings of a new and unaccountable European police force which is coordinating its actions across Europe in support of Turkey's dirty war against the Kurds. This programme of criminalising Kurdish communities was devised by the TREVI group, set up in 1976, TREVI was an acronym for Terrorism Radicalism Extremism and VIolence: and consisted of European Home Office Ministers, senior police and intelligence officers. It was unaccountable to any European body or parliament. The programme is implemented through the European Liaison Section of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch at Scotland Yard, which coordinates information distribution between the European Union police and intelligence organisations and seeks to function as a central component of a European police force for combating 'terrorism'. TREVI' s replacement, the new K4 Committee, is ostensibly accountable to the Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers, but what remain secret and unaccountable are the 1979 Police Working Group on Terrorism, the 1986 TREVI Secure Fax Network, now extended to an E-Mail Network, and the ELSMPSB itself. All the information the future Europol holds will be available to internal security services. On current practice, selected foreign agencies will also access to this. Until Europol is fully-functional, the European drugs unit, has been extended to cover car crime, nuclear crime and immigration and the group assigned to liaise with it- the National Criminal Intelligence Service- is yet one more unaccountable body. "...when I see that people are fighting here against this government... or many other parts of Europe then I say that they are doing their duty to liberate me from the kind of oppressIon that I fought In my country... " (Mike Rahinan. Nat Union of Refugee Organisations, ARA. 18/2/94) 11. DEFEND THE KURDS- DEFEND HUMAN & CIVIL RIGHTS IN BRITAIN & EUROPE. TEL:## 44-171 586 5892 Page 15 ----------------------------------------------- \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ aps at aps.nl [ \\\ [ [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ Activists Press Service [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ [\\\\ [ BBS: ##-31-206842147 [\[ [\[ [\[ [\\\\\[ info: info at aps.nl From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 9 17:07:26 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 09 Jun 1995 17:07:26 Subject: The Kani Yilmaz Case: Background in Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: The Kani Yilmaz Case: Background information Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Context: What was happening in Kurdistan at the time of Yilmaz's arrest? Balance sheet of Kurdish villages burnt down and emptied up until October 1994 The Turkish state is continuing its relentless attack on the Kurdish people and their environment everywhere. Every day innocent people are murdered in public by contraguerrillas; people in custody are tortured to death and their bodies are dumped on a roadside or in a river; people 'disappear'; political prisoners are brutally attacked; villages are bombed and destroyed, adding thousands more to the million displaced Kurds already in shanty towns, camps and make-shift homes or barren mountain slopes. The systematic burning of villages and forests (a depressingly recurrent feature of the Kurdish country-side since 1990) has escalated recently. Estimates of numbers of burnt down and emptied villages vary: ranging from 900 (Murat Karayalcin, SHP Leader & Deputy PM who said: "We are faced with scenes from Bangladesh..." Milliyet 6/10/94): to 550 villages and 750 hamlets (ANAP party); to 1,284 by September 1994 (IHD, Human Rights Association) but the number is certainly higher. "We can confirm that 1284 vittages in the Kurdish region have been burnt or empried until today. The governmenr is watching the situation and not lifting a finger. As a result, 2 million people have been forced to become refugees in their own counrry. The refugees have food, accommodarion and health problems. We are calling on the Grand Turkish National Assembly to do its duty. The inhumane actions have to be stopped immediately. We want everybody to pay heed to the screams rising from Tunceli and the rest of the region." IHD. Ozgur Ulke. 8/10/94) Between 27 September - 7 October 1994 the press published a total of 57 villages and harnlets destroyed; 25 villages were given a deadline of between 7-10 days to evacuate or the houses would be burnt together with their occupants and 132 villages had been subjected to a food embargo since August '94. These barbarous actions provoked shock, outrage and disbelief amongst the people of Kurdistan: "Tunceli is absolutely seething, citizens are disgusted and in a desperate situarion" (SHP MP from Tunceli Sinan Yerlikaya. Ozgur Ulke 30/9/94) "Dersim is being depopulated. The state is getting ready to perpetrate a genocide similar to the one carried our in Dersim in 1938 (where more than 150,000 peopte were slaughrered between 1937-1938 to crush the Kurdish uprising). Not far from us a massacre is going on, children are being killed, villages and forests are being burnt. Please listen to the Kurdish people and don't leave them alone" ( Press statement of 13 arts centres, cultural, peace & legal associations & 16 artists. Ozgur Ulke 7/10/94.) " I can't stop the burning down of villages. I don't know who to get in touch with. I don't know how many heads this state has. This is not managing a state: it is managing a bandit group. I have spoken to the Chief of Staff on the telephone. He said to me 'The PKK is burning down the villages' but the PKK never burnt an ordinary village before: why should they start to do so now? Clearly security forces are entering a village from one side and coming our of it the other side by burning it. " (SHP MP from Tunceli & deputy of Grand Turkish National Assembly Kamer Genc. Ozgur Ulke 8/10/94) "The PKK is not burning our viiiages. Soldiers are doing it. We are inviting the Ministre and Chief of Staff to come to the area and investigate the siruation. Let them come and see the truth for themselves." (village headmen, later arrested, on TV news report.7/10/94) "Today I came from Ovacik. The Governor and military officials I spoke to in Tuniceii said that the viiiages were burnt by the PKK. But when I asked the head of the village and the villagers themselves, whose houses were burnt, I was told that the soldiers have burnt them down. I have got a list of 27 villages that were burnt in Ovacik. At the moment in Ovacik there are 1228 people in need of food and accommodation. If it rains they do not even have a tent." (Azimet Kayluoglu, Minister responsible for Human Rights. Live TV interview. 8/10/94) "Half of Ovacik's villages are burnt and emptied. The situation is the same in Hozat, Nazimiye, Pulumur and Mazgirt. People there are facing death every day. People are slaughtered under different scenarios and the environment is destroyed in the region. People who say that they are against the destruction of the environment are silent... The dead are unknown, nobody knows which of their relatives is dead... Peopie who call themselves human beings should not be indifferent to rtis savagery." (Selman Yesilgoz, Chair of Tuncelians Assoc. Istanbul. Ozgur Ulke 8/10/94) "Villages are being burnt with flame-throwers. People are being dragged our of their houses withour allowing them to take any food or clothing. Peopie are left to freeze, exposed to the elements and to wild animals. " (Yalicin Dogan. Milliyet. 7/10/94) ----------------------------------------------- \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ aps at aps.nl [ \\\ [ [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ Activists Press Service [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ [\\\\ [ BBS: ##-31-206842147 [\[ [\[ [\[ [\\\\\[ info: info at aps.nl From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Sat Jun 10 00:20:24 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 10 Jun 1995 00:20:24 Subject: Context: Background Info On The Kan Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Arm The Spirit Subject: Context: Background Info On The Kani Yilmaz Case The Kani Yilmaz Case: Background Information Context: What was happening in Kurdistan at the time of Yilmaz's arrest? Balance sheet of Kurdish villages burnt down and emptied up until October 1994 The Turkish state is continuing its relentless attack on the Kurdish people and their environment everywhere. Every day innocent people are murdered in public by contraguerrillas; people in custody are tortured to death and their bodies are dumped on a roadside or in a river; people 'disappear'; political prisoners are brutally attacked; villages are bombed and destroyed, adding thousands more to the million displaced Kurds already in shanty towns, camps and make-shift homes or barren mountain slopes. The systematic burning of villages and forests (a depressingly recurrent feature of the Kurdish country-side since 1990) has escalated recently. Estimates of numbers of burnt down and emptied villages vary: ranging from 900 (Murat Karayalcin, SHP Leader & Deputy PM who said: "We are faced with scenes from Bangladesh..." Milliyet 6/10/94): to 550 villages and 750 hamlets (ANAP party); to 1,284 by September 1994 (IHD, Human Rights Association) but the number is certainly higher. "We can confirm that 1284 vittages in the Kurdish region have been burnt or empried until today. The governmenr is watching the situation and not lifting a finger. As a result, 2 million people have been forced to become refugees in their own counrry. The refugees have food, accommodarion and health problems. We are calling on the Grand Turkish National Assembly to do its duty. The inhumane actions have to be stopped immediately. We want everybody to pay heed to the screams rising from Tunceli and the rest of the region." IHD. Ozgur Ulke. 8/10/94) Between 27 September - 7 October 1994 the press published a total of 57 villages and harnlets destroyed; 25 villages were given a deadline of between 7-10 days to evacuate or the houses would be burnt together with their occupants and 132 villages had been subjected to a food embargo since August '94. These barbarous actions provoked shock, outrage and disbelief amongst the people of Kurdistan: "Tunceli is absolutely seething, citizens are disgusted and in a desperate situarion" (SHP MP from Tunceli Sinan Yerlikaya. Ozgur Ulke 30/9/94) "Dersim is being depopulated. The state is getting ready to perpetrate a genocide similar to the one carried our in Dersim in 1938 (where more than 150,000 peopte were slaughrered between 1937-1938 to crush the Kurdish uprising). Not far from us a massacre is going on, children are being killed, villages and forests are being burnt. Please listen to the Kurdish people and don't leave them alone" ( Press statement of 13 arts centres, cultural, peace & legal associations & 16 artists. Ozgur Ulke 7/10/94.) " I can't stop the burning down of villages. I don't know who to get in touch with. I don't know how many heads this state has. This is not managing a state: it is managing a bandit group. I have spoken to the Chief of Staff on the telephone. He said to me 'The PKK is burning down the villages' but the PKK never burnt an ordinary village before: why should they start to do so now? Clearly security forces are entering a village from one side and coming our of it the other side by burning it. " (SHP MP from Tunceli & deputy of Grand Turkish National Assembly Kamer Genc. Ozgur Ulke 8/10/94) "The PKK is not burning our viiiages. Soldiers are doing it. We are inviting the Ministre and Chief of Staff to come to the area and investigate the siruation. Let them come and see the truth for themselves." (village headmen, later arrested, on TV news report.7/10/94) "Today I came from Ovacik. The Governor and military officials I spoke to in Tuniceii said that the viiiages were burnt by the PKK. But when I asked the head of the village and the villagers themselves, whose houses were burnt, I was told that the soldiers have burnt them down. I have got a list of 27 villages that were burnt in Ovacik. At the moment in Ovacik there are 1228 people in need of food and accommodation. If it rains they do not even have a tent." (Azimet Kayluoglu, Minister responsible for Human Rights. Live TV interview. 8/10/94) "Half of Ovacik's villages are burnt and emptied. The situation is the same in Hozat, Nazimiye, Pulumur and Mazgirt. People there are facing death every day. People are slaughtered under different scenarios and the environment is destroyed in the region. People who say that they are against the destruction of the environment are silent... The dead are unknown, nobody knows which of their relatives is dead... Peopie who call themselves human beings should not be indifferent to rtis savagery." (Selman Yesilgoz, Chair of Tuncelians Assoc. Istanbul. Ozgur Ulke 8/10/94) "Villages are being burnt with flame-throwers. People are being dragged our of their houses withour allowing them to take any food or clothing. Peopie are left to freeze, exposed to the elements and to wild animals. " (Yalicin Dogan. Milliyet. 7/10/94) ----------------------------------------------- \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ aps at aps.nl [ \\\ [ [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ Activists Press Service [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ [\\\\ [ BBS: ##-31-206842147 [\[ [\[ [\[ [\\\\\[ info: info at aps.nl +++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++== Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist collective based in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide variety of material, including political prisoners, national liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, the fight against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our writings, research, and translation materials in our magazine and bulletins called Arm The Spirit. For more information, contact: Arm The Spirit P.O. Box 6326, Stn. A Toronto, Ontario M5W 1P7 Canada E-mail: ats at etext.org WWW: gopher://locust.cic.net:70/11/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit FTP: ftp.etext.org --> /pub/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit +++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++== From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Sat Jun 10 00:22:45 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 10 Jun 1995 00:22:45 Subject: The European Superstate And The "Te Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Arm The Spirit Subject: The European Superstate And The "Terrorist" Myth The European Superstate & The "Terrorist" Myth: Criminalising the Kurds "Why is the Kurdish community, in common with many other refugee communities throughout Europe... being criminalised.. stereotypes are being created and used as the justification for policing measures, immigration measures which violate fundamental human rights, which undermine Western Europe's claim to be democratic... Racism in Europe today is not based so much on colour as it used to be but rather on poverty and wealth... So it's nothing to do with terrorism and it is nothing to do with keeping Europe safe..." (Lawyer Francis Webber. Campaign Against Racism & Fascism. 18/2/95) Extensive links being built up around Europe through an emerging Europol and computer databases are being used to exclude asylum seekers and to deport others who may be deemed a "threat to internal security". Webber (ibid) goes on to express grave concern that a "Fortress Europe is being developed by completely unaccountable meetings of ministers: inter-governmental agreements that do not go through the European Parliament or the European Court of Justice..." Kani Yilmaz and the diaspora Kurds are being used to test out a new network of repression across Europe. In 1991 Germany, as a first step towards the creation of a European Federal State had proposed the establishment of a Europol incorporated into the Maastricht Treaty as a kind of pan-European FBI with powers to act across and within EU member states, though Britain preferred a more decentralised structure. A programme to criminalise Kurds and Turks in Europe who express opposition to the Turkish regime is now being coordinated by British and German police and military intelligence, together with their Turkish counterparts, including the Turkish secret intelligence agency MIT. There is a long history of collusion with these foreign intelligence agencies. The programme includes mobilisation of sections of the media and the establishment of special police units to survey and attack the Kurdish communities who overwhelmingly support the PKK-led struggle for national rights. In Autumn 1993 when Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller visited Germany, she said she aimed to destroy the so-called Kurdish separatist movement within the year and asked for the help of Western European governments. Help was not slow in coming. Shortly afterwards the PKK and allegedly related organisations were outlawed in Germany and France. Police raids across both countries in December arrested hundreds of Kurds, seized documents, money and froze bank accounts. In one German state 600 officers raided homes in 19 cities. In French police raided offices of Kurdish solidarity groups describing them as terrorists, and arrested a number of Kurdish activists. In Austria people who went on a demonstration against Mrs.Ciller were arrested. In Switzerland and The Netherlands there were immediate expulsions of people suspected of being Kurdish activists. The British government has demonstrated by its action against Kani Yilmaz that it intends to play a major role in this campaign. His arrest is a serious blow to the democratic rights of all people in Britain and it also reveals the sinister workings of a new and unaccountable European police force which is coordinating its actions across Europe in support of Turkey's dirty war against the Kurds. This programme of criminalising Kurdish communities was devised by the TREVI group, set up in 1976, TREVI was an acronym for Terrorism Radicalism Extremism and VIolence: and consisted of European Home Office Ministers, senior police and intelligence officers. It was unaccountable to any European body or parliament. The programme is implemented through the European Liaison Section of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch at Scotland Yard, which coordinates information distribution between the European Union police and intelligence organisations and seeks to function as a central component of a European police force for combating 'terrorism'. TREVI' s replacement, the new K4 Committee, is ostensibly accountable to the Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers, but what remain secret and unaccountable are the 1979 Police Working Group on Terrorism, the 1986 TREVI Secure Fax Network, now extended to an E-Mail Network, and the ELSMPSB itself. All the information the future Europol holds will be available to internal security services. On current practice, selected foreign agencies will also access to this. Until Europol is fully-functional, the European drugs unit, has been extended to cover car crime, nuclear crime and immigration and the group assigned to liaise with it- the National Criminal Intelligence Service- is yet one more unaccountable body. "...when I see that people are fighting here against this government... or many other parts of Europe then I say that they are doing their duty to liberate me from the kind of oppressIon that I fought In my country... " (Mike Rahinan. Nat Union of Refugee Organisations, ARA. 18/2/94) 11. DEFEND THE KURDS- DEFEND HUMAN & CIVIL RIGHTS IN BRITAIN & EUROPE. TEL:## 44-171 586 5892 Page 15 ----------------------------------------------- \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ aps at aps.nl [ \\\ [ [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ Activists Press Service [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ [\\\\ [ BBS: ##-31-206842147 [\[ [\[ [\[ [\\\\\[ info: info at aps.nl +++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++== Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist collective based in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide variety of material, including political prisoners, national liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, the fight against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our writings, research, and translation materials in our magazine and bulletins called Arm The Spirit. For more information, contact: Arm The Spirit P.O. Box 6326, Stn. A Toronto, Ontario M5W 1P7 Canada E-mail: ats at etext.org WWW: gopher://locust.cic.net:70/11/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit FTP: ftp.etext.org --> /pub/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit +++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++== From kurdeng at aps.nl Mon Jun 12 11:07:32 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 12 Jun 1995 11:07:32 Subject: US Urges Turkey and European Union Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: US Urges Turkey and European Union to Make Deal Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 12 Jun 1995 10:34:13 -0800 US Urges Turkey and European Union to Make Deal ANKARA, June 5 (Reuter) - Washington's ambassador to the European Union, wrapping up a five-day visit to Turkey, on Monday urged Ankara and its European trade partners to conclude a customs union without delay. Stuart Eizenstat, reinforcing the U.S. campaign to shepherd Turkey deeper into the Western fold, told a news conference that economic and trade ties had replaced military links as the key to future cooperation. ``Both the European Union and Turkey must do everything necessary to secure the customs union,'' Eizenstat said. ``Delay only helps the opponents of Turkey's deeper integration with the West.'' The customs accord, set to take effect from January 1, 1996, must win final approval from the European Parliament. However, legislators have said Ankara must first make progress on a slew of commercial and political reforms. These include easing limits on free expression, such as Article 8 of the Anti-Terror Law. The clause has been used to jail intellectuals and journalists discussing the state's relationship to its Kurdish citizens. In recent months, Washington has also voiced support for Turkey's plans for a lucrative Transcaucasus oil pipeline and strongly backed its armed campaign against separatist Kurdish rebels. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue Jun 13 17:03:23 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 13 Jun 1995 17:03:23 Subject: The Kani Yilmaz case: Turkish State Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: The Kani Yilmaz case: Turkish State terrorism in England Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl TURKISH STATE TERRORISM IN UK: MIT ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS IN LONDON: Turkish Embassy PKK Briefing Notes A briefing sent by the UK Turkish Embassy, to the newspaper The Big Issue this February, makes a pitiful attempt to persuade the press and public that the PKK is a "ruthless movement aimed at establishing a Marxist- Leninist state which uses systematic murder and terrorism as its main weapons on the way to this goal" . The document presents the stock list of alleged PKK "terrorist" activities in "SE Turkey" and Europe without quoting so much as a single piece of supporting evidence, least of all from any independent source. This is hardly surprising, since these tired accusations are taken so much out of context, are so manifestly unfounded and have long since been refuted by the overwhelming majority of reliable research. If the PKK was engaging in such a catalogue of atrocities, why is it that the Turkish state seals off the entire Kurdish region from foreign scrutiny? The Embassy complains that: "the Western media often seems to view the PKK campaign as a human rights issue, assuming that it is a freedom-fighting movement." It protests in vain since it is no longer possible for Turkey to hide the enormous scale of its atrocities and perhaps the Western press sees the PKK as a legitimate movement fighting for human rights because that is precisely what it is. It is widely-acknowledged that it is Turkey itself which is employing terrorist tactics: that incidents of state-sponsored violence, torture, bombings, forced evacuation of villages, extrajudicial detentions and 'disappearances'are not isolated, but endemic, systematic and widespread. Yet Turkey holds itself wholly unaccountable for the loss of the "11,000 lives in ten years" or for 2 million displaced and destitute villagers, the many thousands fled into the misery of S. Kurdistan or the millions in exile. The briefing alleges: "In the UK, the PKK is in controll of the Halkevi in Stoke Newington, the Kurdistan Workers' Association in Haringey, the Kurdistan Information Centre in the Barbican and the Kurdistan Human Rights Project in Regent Street." (cf. p.27) despite the legal and independent status of these associations. It is chilling to read Turkey is extending its jurisdiction to Britain: "Halting the murders depends on breaking the chain of international criminal activities which begins on the streets of London and other large European cities.. the PKK... has become a threat, not only to the Republic of Turkey, but to any law-abiding state within whose frontiers it operates..." TURKISH EMBASSY OFFICIALS AND DEATH SQUADS THREATEN UK KURDISH COMMUNITY An open letter protesting Kani Yilmaz's arrest from Kurdistan Committees and Information Centres in 17 countries including Australia, Russia and the US outlines who the real terrorists are: "This incident has angered the Kurdfsh communiy, particulary the reference to 'terrorism' which is an insult. One should understand the following: About 2,000 villages have been burnt down and totally destroyed; 30 civillians are being killed every day; people are being forced to flee from their villages. All this is being done by state forces. And everywhere in the world any actions by kurds is being suppressed, even to the extent of trying to prohibit meetings. The Turkish state is trying to depopulate Kurdistan. So we ask: Is the Turkish state terrorist or are the people who are raising the Kurdistan question and tryfng to show the world what is going on to be called terrorist? The attitude of the British state shows clearly that it is assisting the Turkfsh state- this means it is helping with the massacre in Kurdistan. Kani Yilmaz should be immediately released." It is clear that Ankara is taking seriously the threat that the PKK is slowly being recognsed as an authentic and legitimate political force. Not content to subject Turks and Kurds alike to terror within its own borders, Turkey has sent its death squads into Europe to target Kurds and their supporters and even its Embassy Officials out into the UK Kurdish communities to threaten and intimidate the inhabitants. Last Autumn 1994 MIT-sponsored in Britain were increasingly violent, with attacks on prisoner Cafer Kovayacin, photojournalist Richard Wayman and Turkish Chair of the Halkevi Centre Nafiz Bostanci. It is believed that all of these attacks, of which there was plenty of advance warning from the Turkish pro-state media, are an extension of the war in Kurdistan onto British soil. They are positive proof of the activity of maurading Turkish hit squads operating under a centrally-coordinated plan. Does Britain condemn these genuinely terrorist actions, and protest against Turkey's gross violation of British sovereignty? The very obvious question arises: what are the British security forces, and indeed the Home Office, which have been so zealous in persecuting Kurdish activists going about their lawful business, doing about these violent attacks on British citizens and Turkish and Kurdish refugees on British soil? Or do we have to wait for somehing even more serious to happen? ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF PRO-KURDISH ACTIVIST NAFIZ BOSTANCI. LONDON 29/12/94 "Over 15,000 Kurdish refugees have come to London since the late Eighties, fleeing from the widely condemned Turkish regime which has outlawed pro-Kurdish activity, even imprisoning MPs who express support for Kurdish autonomy. Kurdish activists in London said the persecution had been exported to refugee communities around Europe through the Turkish secret police, MIT... The refugees' claims were backed by leading parliamentary human rights group activists. Liberal Democrat Lord Avebury said, 'Whilst it's nearly impossible to prove a link to the Turkish it wouldn't surprise me at all; there is a lot of evidence showing thay they carry out extra judicial executions. '" (The Big Issue) On 29 December 1994 at about 10.00 pm a young Turkish refugee, Ali Ozturk was shot through his back and seriously wounded while walking out of an East London greengrocers shop. The Turkish state is held directly responsible for this attack: the actual target is believed to have been Nafiz Bostanci, a respected and prominent Londons Turkish community leader who has campaigned all his life for the Kurds and trade union rights in Turkey. Bostanci, a political refugee from Sapanca near Istanbul, helped found the Halkevi Kurdish and Turkish Community Centre in Stoke Newington, N. London. In Turkey he had been a member of the banned Turkish trade union organisation DISK, and was jailed and tortured for his union activities in the early 1980's, accused of being a member of the Turkish Communist Party and stripped of his nationality. He escaped to England 12 years ago. He appeared in 1988 on the BBC2 Open Space programme to protest about civil rights abuses in Turkey and the torture of political prisoners. Bostanci had been warned by British police two months earlier that he was a probable assassination target because of his involvement in the Kurdish cause. He is convinced that the threat comes from MIT (Turkish secret intelligence) which has recently dispatched 160 agents to Western European countries to disrupt pro-Kurdish campaigns and fund-raising movements. He has good reason for this. Bostanci had been approached directly by a Turkish-Cypriot man who admitted to having been offered 25,000 and a kilo of heroin to kill him, but had refused. Later another two men were found to carry out the shooting. This information was passed to police, who offered protection which Bostanci declined: "l continue my normal life..." because to stop any of his activities would be to offer a victory to his enemies. "TURKISH GOVERNMENT AGENT TO BE CHARGED WITH MURDER ATTEMPT IN DALSTON. Cuneyt Sigdeniz will be charged with conspiracy to murder Nafiz Bostanci, Chair of the Halkevi Kurdish and Turkish Association, at Old Street Magistrate's Court on 2/2/95. Police sources are linking the planned assassination directlly to Turkish Special lntelligence (MIT). Sigdeniz was allegedly found in possession of the .45 callibre gun believed to have been used on 29/12/94, narrowly missing Bostanci, hurting instead Ali Ozturk a young refugee. Police sources allege that after the failure of this attempt plans were made to eliminate Mr Bostanci by remote control bomb. At the remand hearing last Friday the prosecution said Mr Bostanci was a "prominent figure in the local Turkish community, known for his support of the Kurdish people and against the Turkish government". Yesterday Mr Bostanci said, 'This is the first the evidence will be heard in court that the Turkish government is organising the assassination of its opponents. That the Turkish government is prepared to kill its opponents in Britain is an outrage. Sadly it is all too common in Turkey."' (Press release Halkevi Centre.13/2/95) "Will the Councill advise the Turkish Government that it will not tolerate agents of a foreign government committing extra-judicial killings within the EC?" (Alf Lomas MEP Question to the Council of the European Communities 22/2/95) Cuneyt Sigdeniz was formally charged with conspiracy to murder Bostanci and now awaits trial. The case of Nafiz Bostanci is a strong weapon against the Turldsh state and its collaborators. According to Alf Lomas MEP, in a letter to the Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller (16/2/95): " Detectives from Hackney Police Station informed Mr Bostanci's sollicitors that they are linkuing the attack to Hasan Aydosdu from MIT (Turkish special intelligence) in Istanbul.. The police recendy arrested Cuneyt Sigdeniz and are looking for a further four or five men. One, Muhamet Sigdeniz, has fled to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. According to sources in the Cypriot community in London, Muhamet Sigdeniz has links with TIT, a right-wing organisation which receives orders from MIT.... lt is a matter of Ihe gravest concern that the agents of a foreign government could even consider, let alone try to implement, murder of citizens resident in the UK. It is even more serious when the government in question is a NATO ally. I seek your urgent and personal assurances that all MIT agents at home and abroad are instructed not to carry out any further attacks and that you will ensure no other government agency plans or carries out assassination attempts in the future.. " TURKISH HIT SQUAD ATTACKS BRITTISH PHOTOGRAPHER IN LONDON: RICHARD WAYMAN REPORTS ON HIS NIGHTMARE EXPERIENCE OF 17/1104 (KURDISTANREPORT 20) "It had been a good evening - Thursdays often are - as The European had just gone to bed and staff felt more relaxed. I had been doing some freelance work at the paper and had been invited for a drink at the Old Monk pub in Gray's Inn Road, close to the office. The pub was full, mostly business people and journalists from the lTN building. Just after 10pm I decided to leave and David, a friend from the picture desk, said he would also as we could get the same bus home. We headed south down Gray's Inn Road and waited to cross at the junction with Clerkenwell Road. Suddenly I felt someone push me from behind into the road and the traffic. Fortunately the traffic was slow and I did not fall over completely. Turning around I saw two men in suits - one smiling. In the darkness I noticed that he was of a Mediterranean complexion: I think the other man was European. I remember starting to say "What are you doing?" or something like that before passing out. I came to in an ambulance to see a man leaning over me with an oxygen mask. David, who had not been hurt at all, told me what had happened: As I had turned round, one of them had hit me full in the face with (what the hospital confirmed was) a knuckle-duster. Simultaneously the other man had hit me on the side of my head. I had collapsed to the ground with blood pouring from my mouth and nose. David lunged for one of them but was kicked aside as they ran off west up the Clerkenwell Road. Curiously David said that there had been three men - one who had not got involved but stood back and watched. He was casually dressed and looked European he also ran off. Later, friends still in the pub said that three men fitting David's description had followed us out as we left. My injuries were as follows: broken nose, displaced and broken teeth, punctured upper lip, whiplash injury and deep grazing around my face. So who is responsible? The CID officer on the case, DC Edwards of Holbom Police Station, has done nothing - despite the fact that I told her I suspected a political motive and gave her 'evidence' to that effect. All she has done is say: 'lf you see them again, call us.' The police at Paddington Green station and at other Kurdish protests which I have attended, all know my name and the fact that my press-card was authorised by The European." When weeks later Wayman's home was broken into and only his mobile telephone with its numbers in memory was stolen, again no action was taken. TURKISH EMBASSY OFFICIAL THREATENS TURKISH-CYPRIOT HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST "Some time in July or August last year an official from the Turkish Embassy approached the Chair of the Council of Turkish Cypriot Organisations, asking if he knew me and had any information about me. The Cypriot replied, 'Yes, we know hun very weLL. He Is a good chap. He helps a lot of people- Turks, Kurds, Greeks..." The Turkish official then asked, 'Did you know he is involved with the PKK- a terrorist organisation?' to which the Cypriot replied that he did not believe I was a terrorist or supported any terrorist organisations. The Turkish official insisted I was and added, 'We will take him out" which I suppose was a threat to kill me or otherwise silence me. The Cypriot was very concerned about me. We have worked together for a long time and have great respect for each other but even so, he avoided speaking to me directly and instead asked a mutual friend to let me know what had happened and tell me that if I were involved I should stop. I am personally against all violence - committed by the state or orgarlisations - except when it is applied in self-defence. It is still important to ask: When does protection become violence? When does the ownership of the violence change? I myself went through the Cypriot struggle as a soldier but I am not a terrorist. I was not politically conscious at the time. I was simply protecting my community, my land. Similarly the Kurds. I support peace, a peaceful solution. I do not want to see Turkisish soldiers die or Kurdish guerillas, or any Kurdish children, men and women. I saw people die in their thousands in Angola and Vietnam. I hate to see any human being die. I am not qualified to pass comment about the PKK or ERNK but I respond as a Cypriot with sympahy for the Kurds. This is an instinctive human feeling: when I see a people pinned down, I just want to help. Bluntly, my priority is Cyprus - my country is divided and has enough problems of its own - but of course as a democrat and human being it is important to be aware of what is going on next door. A peaceful solution to Kurdistan will affect my socalled green island." DEFEND THE KURDS- DEFEMD HUMAN dt CIVIL RIGHTS IN BRlTAIN & EUROPE. TEL: ## 44 (0)171 586 5892 From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue Jun 13 23:22:26 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 13 Jun 1995 23:22:26 Subject: Iraqi Kurds Present Proposals Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Iraqi Kurds Present Proposals Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 13 Jun 1995 23:49:57 -0800 Iraqi Kurds Present Proposals Sun, 11 Jun 95 ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Two Iraqi Kurdish groups that have fought for control of northern Iraq for more than a year presented plans Sunday to end their dispute. The proposals, issued separately by the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, carried similar conditions. Both groups called for a permanent cease-fire, the demilitarization of their de facto capital city of Irbil, reopening of the Kurdish Parliament and the formation of a regional government, according to the proposals. The groups have maintained a cease-fire since April 7. The draft plans call for an agreement within six weeks, but it was not immediately clear when the parties would begin formal negotiations. The U.S. and Turkish governments are pressuring the Kurds to maintain peace and stability in northern Iraq, which has been controlled by Iraqi Kurds under the protection of a U.S.-led allied air force since the end of the Persian Gulf War. Under the mission, known as Provide Comfort, Western planes from a southern Turkish base make daily reconnaissance flights in the no-fly zone in northern Iraq to deter any possible Iraqi attacks. The Turkish National Security Council said Sunday that the U.S.-led force should stay on after its mandate expires at the end of June. Parliament will vote on the issue in the coming weeks. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu Jun 15 05:36:51 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 15 Jun 1995 05:36:51 Subject: TURKEY TO EXPEL 11 GERMANS Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TURKEY TO EXPEL 11 GERMANS Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 01:57:08 -0800 ======== Newsgroups: soc.culture.kurdish Subject: TURKEY TO EXPEL 11 GERMANS From: S978072 at UMSLVMA.UMSL.EDU Date: Tue, 13 Jun 95 19:15:43 CDT A Turkish court has ordered 11 Germans to be deported for taking part in an illegal proKurdish demonstration in Silvan, south-east Turkey. Western human rights activists had gone to to the town to monitor the trial of four members of Turkey's Human Rights Association charged with separatism, who face up to 17 years in jail. ( The Times) Libyan Leader Muhammed Gaddafi said that Kurds were oppressed and had the right to an independent homeland, the Libyan news agency JANA reported. (Reuters) From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu Jun 15 05:37:39 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 15 Jun 1995 05:37:39 Subject: SUMMARY EXECUTIONS HAVE BECOME DAIL Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: SUMMARY EXECUTIONS HAVE BECOME DAILY OCCURANCES Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 57:13 -0800 ======== Newsgroups: soc.culture.kurdish Subject: From: S978072 at UMSLVMA.UMSL.EDU Date: Tue, 13 Jun 95 19:51:26 CDT Turkey's justice minister admitted in an interview with the German magazine Stern yesterday that human rights violations and summary executions are daily events in the country. Asked if the police killed any people, Mehmet Mogultay, a member of the Social Democratic Republican Party replied that "some sad things have been taking place lately". ( Daily Telegraph) From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu Jun 15 05:38:18 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 15 Jun 1995 05:38:18 Subject: TURKEY PROTESTS AS KURDS BEAM TV FR Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TURKEY PROTESTS AS KURDS BEAM TV FROM BRITAIN Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 995 01:57:17 -0800 ======== Newsgroups: soc.culture.kurdish Subject: TURKEY PROTESTS AS KURDS BEAM TV FROM BRITAIN From: S978072 at UMSLVMA.UMSL.EDU Date: Tue, 13 Jun 95 19:01:55 CDT MED-TV, the first international Kurdish language channel, has received a rapturous welcome from Kurds in Turkey, where radio and TV programmes in their own language are banned. But the Turkish authorities are furious about the station, which began scheduled broadcasting on Monday to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The programming includes the uncensured news from the south-east(North Kurdistan). In Turkey, in the mainly south-east, security forces have smashed at least 30 satellite dishes in Batman and Diyarbakir provinces, according to Ahmet Akkaya, a spokeman for MED-TV, but Kurdish communities still wait eagerly for the three hours of programmes that begin at 7pm each day. Shops in the south-east report that sales of stallete dishes have rocketed since the station started up. "This is a dream come true" said Besbine Urper, a Kurdish housewife from the eastern province of Kars> They cannot stop us from watching television in our own language anymore. (The Daily Telegraph, 24 May) From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Fri Jun 16 15:24:35 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 16 Jun 1995 15:24:35 Subject: Massive Raids Against Leftists In G Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Arm The Spirit Subject: Massive Raids Against Leftists In Germany Major Police Raids Against Leftists In Germany On Tuesday, June 13, 1995, 50 left-wing collective homes, private flats, and infoshops all over Germany were the target of a large-scale raid by the police. In eight states special units and officers of the State Offices of Criminal Investigation (LKA) and of the Federal Office of Criminal Investigation (BKA) stormed the houses and political centers early in the morning. The orders for the operation were given by the Office of the Federal Attorney (BAW) in Karlsruhe, which, as its speaker Rolf Hannich said, ordered the raid in connection with present preliminary proceedings against "left-wing extremist and left-wing terrorist groupings". During the whole day the BAW imposed a news ban on the details and the background of the big raid. Also the BAW didn't want to confirm reports that the police operation was aimed at the Anti-Imperialist Cell (AIZ). Concrete proceedings were only rarely mentioned in the search warrants. The main excuse: Supporting a terrorist organization and distribution of the autonomist underground magazine Radikal. In Berlin, three collective houses and one private flat were raided. The operation was legitimized with the suspicion of the distribution of Radikal. In two houses the police also searched for two men who are wanted in connection with the failed car bomb attack on the deportation prison under construction in Berlin-Grunau. For that reason they broke open the flats at six in the morning, with tracker dogs, and detained the inhabitants until midday. In response to the question of whether the proceedings in connection with Grunau were also making up the reason for the raids in other towns, the spokesman for the BAW, Hannich, didn't want to say anything. In Hamburg, besides several private flats, a printshop was raided. Police seized flyers and a stereotype of a flyer for the "Anti-Racist Telephone". This flyer contained a call for reminder vigils because of racist attacks by police officers in police stations in Hamburg (which happened - and became public! - in several other towns as well). Also the inhabitants of four flats in the Schanzenviertel in Hamburg were woken up by SEK special units. The excuse: Again, the production and distribution of Radikal. Probably nine people were arrested, but released shortly afterwards. That may mean that also their arrest was just an excuse and not the aim of the raids. In Schleswig-Holstein (a northern state in Germany), police in Rendsburg and Lubeck arrested two men, and the warrant against them, issued for "suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization", gave the excuse for the searching of several flats and two political centers in Lubeck. A member of the group ID- Schleswig-Holstein (Information Service Schleswig-Holstein) reported to the daily newspaper Junge Welt that at least one of two men arrested has already been transported to Karlsruhe for interrogation. The search for one of them also was the excuse for the searching of the infoshop in Neumunster. According to the BAW he allegedly has been a regular visitor. During the raid, police seized all the material in the offices of ID-Schleswig-Holstein, everything from the archives to the computers. By order of the BAW, eleven raids were conducted in the state of North Rhein-Westphalia, in Duisburg, Munster, and Cologne. In these cases the operations were not aimed at specified persons, and arrests only happened because of "resistance against the police". In Cologne the police raided two former squats, one flat, and the infoshop. Here, too, the officers excused their entrance with the search for proof for the production of Radikal. Altogether the reasons for the raid seem to be constructed. The house in Berlin-Kreuzberg had already been turned upside down in May in connection with the search for the suspects from Grunau. The magazine Radikal, which is less and less important in the autonomist scene, has existed for 20 years and has already been used often as an excuse for repressive operations by the state security agencies. Obviously the aim of the BAW is a different one. After the police appeared several times before the public with proceedings against right-wing extremists, proof of efficiency also against the radical-left was overdue. The last "success" in this direction, the arrest of one alleged RAF-member, Birgit Hogefeld, and the shooting of another, Wolfgang Grams, is two years old, and that actually backfired on the BAW. What probably is going to be sold as "an effective strike against left-wing terrorism" is no more than an hyped attempt to intimidate, made up for the benefit of the media. (Mainly based on an article in Junge Welt, June 14, 1995, by Elke Spanner and Ivo Bozic. Translated by SpinnenNetz Berlin.) +++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++== Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist collective based in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide variety of material, including political prisoners, national liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, the fight against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our writings, research, and translation materials in our magazine and bulletins called Arm The Spirit. For more information, contact: Arm The Spirit P.O. Box 6326, Stn. A Toronto, Ontario M5W 1P7 Canada E-mail: ats at etext.org WWW: gopher://locust.cic.net:70/11/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit FTP: ftp.etext.org --> /pub/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit +++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++== From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Fri Jun 16 15:25:02 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 16 Jun 1995 15:25:02 Subject: Massive Raids Against Leftists In G References: Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Arm The Spirit Subject: Massive Raids Against Leftists In Germany Major Police Raids Against Leftists In Germany On Tuesday, June 13, 1995, 50 left-wing collective homes, private flats, and infoshops all over Germany were the target of a large-scale raid by the police. In eight states special units and officers of the State Offices of Criminal Investigation (LKA) and of the Federal Office of Criminal Investigation (BKA) stormed the houses and political centers early in the morning. The orders for the operation were given by the Office of the Federal Attorney (BAW) in Karlsruhe, which, as its speaker Rolf Hannich said, ordered the raid in connection with present preliminary proceedings against "left-wing extremist and left-wing terrorist groupings". During the whole day the BAW imposed a news ban on the details and the background of the big raid. Also the BAW didn't want to confirm reports that the police operation was aimed at the Anti-Imperialist Cell (AIZ). Concrete proceedings were only rarely mentioned in the search warrants. The main excuse: Supporting a terrorist organization and distribution of the autonomist underground magazine Radikal. In Berlin, three collective houses and one private flat were raided. The operation was legitimized with the suspicion of the distribution of Radikal. In two houses the police also searched for two men who are wanted in connection with the failed car bomb attack on the deportation prison under construction in Berlin-Grunau. For that reason they broke open the flats at six in the morning, with tracker dogs, and detained the inhabitants until midday. In response to the question of whether the proceedings in connection with Grunau were also making up the reason for the raids in other towns, the spokesman for the BAW, Hannich, didn't want to say anything. In Hamburg, besides several private flats, a printshop was raided. Police seized flyers and a stereotype of a flyer for the "Anti-Racist Telephone". This flyer contained a call for reminder vigils because of racist attacks by police officers in police stations in Hamburg (which happened - and became public! - in several other towns as well). Also the inhabitants of four flats in the Schanzenviertel in Hamburg were woken up by SEK special units. The excuse: Again, the production and distribution of Radikal. Probably nine people were arrested, but released shortly afterwards. That may mean that also their arrest was just an excuse and not the aim of the raids. In Schleswig-Holstein (a northern state in Germany), police in Rendsburg and Lubeck arrested two men, and the warrant against them, issued for "suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization", gave the excuse for the searching of several flats and two political centers in Lubeck. A member of the group ID- Schleswig-Holstein (Information Service Schleswig-Holstein) reported to the daily newspaper Junge Welt that at least one of two men arrested has already been transported to Karlsruhe for interrogation. The search for one of them also was the excuse for the searching of the infoshop in Neumunster. According to the BAW he allegedly has been a regular visitor. During the raid, police seized all the material in the offices of ID-Schleswig-Holstein, everything from the archives to the computers. By order of the BAW, eleven raids were conducted in the state of North Rhein-Westphalia, in Duisburg, Munster, and Cologne. In these cases the operations were not aimed at specified persons, and arrests only happened because of "resistance against the police". In Cologne the police raided two former squats, one flat, and the infoshop. Here, too, the officers excused their entrance with the search for proof for the production of Radikal. Altogether the reasons for the raid seem to be constructed. The house in Berlin-Kreuzberg had already been turned upside down in May in connection with the search for the suspects from Grunau. The magazine Radikal, which is less and less important in the autonomist scene, has existed for 20 years and has already been used often as an excuse for repressive operations by the state security agencies. Obviously the aim of the BAW is a different one. After the police appeared several times before the public with proceedings against right-wing extremists, proof of efficiency also against the radical-left was overdue. The last "success" in this direction, the arrest of one alleged RAF-member, Birgit Hogefeld, and the shooting of another, Wolfgang Grams, is two years old, and that actually backfired on the BAW. What probably is going to be sold as "an effective strike against left-wing terrorism" is no more than an hyped attempt to intimidate, made up for the benefit of the media. (Mainly based on an article in Junge Welt, June 14, 1995, by Elke Spanner and Ivo Bozic. Translated by SpinnenNetz Berlin.) +++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++== Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist collective based in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide variety of material, including political prisoners, national liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, the fight against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our writings, research, and translation materials in our magazine and bulletins called Arm The Spirit. For more information, contact: Arm The Spirit P.O. Box 6326, Stn. A Toronto, Ontario M5W 1P7 Canada E-mail: ats at etext.org WWW: gopher://locust.cic.net:70/11/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit FTP: ftp.etext.org --> /pub/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit +++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++== From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat Jun 17 17:22:21 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 17 Jun 1995 17:22:21 Subject: Transcript of speech by u.s. ambass Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Transcript of speech by u.s. ambassador to the EU Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Pres Review -- washington-stuart eizenstat, u.s. ambassador to the european union, spoke at a press conference in ankara on june 5. following is a transcript of his remarks. he is introduced by marc grossman, u.s. ambassador to turkey. ....... today i am completing a five day visit to your beautiful and wonderful country. i can honestly say that it has been extremely interesting and enlightening, both professionally and personally. in turkey, with the enormous effort of ambassador grossman and his staff, i have met with a wide range of people in both istanbul and ankara. turkish business leaders, representatives of wide range of human rights organizations, foreign minister inonu and senior members of the foreign minister's representatives of the prime minister's office and the president's office, members of the grand national assembly (including senior members of the major governing and opposition parties--the dyp, chp, and anap), and the president of the grand national assembly, mr. cindoruk. i have focused on one subject, which is the theme of my visit here, that is the interest of the united states, the very strong interest, in encouraging the european union and turkey. i have greatly appreciated these discussions and learned a great deal from them. and i have, in turn, tried to express my own thoughts on the steps that need to be addressed, both here and in brussels, which can help ease turkey's entry this fall into the customs union. i would like to make several important points: first, the united states strongly supports turkey's accession into the customs union and we also support turkey's eventual accession as a full member of the eu. we see the customs union as a historic measure to integrate turkey economically and politically with europe and the west in the post-cold war era, as turkey did so successfully militarily in nato throughout the cold war era and since. second, we know that if the customs union is to happen, it will occur only if both turkey and the eu recognize the importance of this historic opportunity and invest their efforts with the necessary urgency to bring it about this year. both the european union and turkey must do everything that is necessary to secure passage of the customs union. it is important to put partisanship aside. this is in the highest security interest of both europe and turkey and, we believe, the united states. i came to turkey to convey a clear message that l have gotten in a series of extensive meeting with senior members of the european union and a cross-section of members of the european parliament, which must vote this fall on the turkey customs union. the european parliament understands turkey's increased geo- political importance, knows the economic advantages to european businesses of the customs union, and appreciates the very special internal security threat which turkey faces from the pkk, which they -- as well as the united states -- consider a murders terrorist organization bent on dismembering turkey, a turkey whose territorial integrity both europe and the united states strongly support. i believe the european parliament wants to find a way to approve the customs union, but has made it clear that it will do so only if turkey both makes its competition, intellectual property, consumer and other economic laws compatible with those of the eu and if there is continued, demonstrable progress in deepening the democratic process, respect for individual rights and individual expression and the rule of law. in so doing, they are not singling out turkey, since all trade agreements which the european union has negotiated with every country since 1992 has express human rights clauses. i go back to brussels after this five day visit cautiously to brussels after this five day visit cautiously optimistic, but with a recognition that there is much work that needs to be done in a short period of time. delay only helps the opponents of turkey's deeper integration with the west. my reasons for being encouraged, but tempered with realism, are as follows : a) all the major political parties and leaders in turkey support the customs union with the eu, recognize it as a major step in integrating turkey and europe, feel that it will help turkey become more competitive, export more to a 350 million person market in europe, and become an even more attractive place than it already is for job-creating foreign investment. b) i was struck by the cooperation of the governing parties and the opposition motherland party in passing a strong set of constitutional amendments out of committee recently, which will be ready next week for plenary debate. this was done in a bipartisan way and, if approved by the full grand assembly, will greatly broaden political participation and democracy in an already viable, democratic turkey. this broad-bade political cooperation and collaboration can serve as a model for other difficult legislation, such as changes in article 8 of the anti terror law. there is a recognition in turkey, as i have seen, of the need to deal with article 8, and a knowledge of the symbolic importance attached to it throughout europe. c) moreover, there is a clear understanding of the steps that need to be taken to pass all necessary economic legislation to meet the october deadline when the eu-turkish association council must decide if turkey is economically ready to enter the disciplines of the customs union. d) in addition, a broad array of public and private leaders in turkey recognize that strengthening the already strong and sturdy roots of democracy, free expression and individual rights is not in any way incompatible with fighting terrorism and is not something being imposed by europe or by the united states. rather, it is something which turks believe will improve the quality of their own lives and their country's. after all, turkey has itself agreed to international norms and the government proposed a "democracy" package in march. i cannot stress this enough! this is not something turkey should do because of the united states or for the european union or for the european parliament. rather, as the government's own admirable package underscores, it is something turkey will be doing for itself because the benefits of even stronger projection of individual rights will benefit all of the citizens of turkey. e) i was also given a message of realism -- hope, but no guarantees. the issues are difficult and they are sensitive at a time of continued pkk terrorism. much progress is being made, but much work remains, with little time to do it. we hope that this historic opportunity to integrate the future of europe and turkey in the new po t-cold war era will be grasp.ed both by the european union and by turkey. in the end, turkey must make the decisions based on its own needs and on its own vision for the future of the turkish republic and the people of turkey. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat Jun 17 17:30:16 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 17 Jun 1995 17:30:16 Subject: Rebel Kurds kill 18 Turkish soldier Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Rebel Kurds kill 18 Turkish soldiers in ambush Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl VT8339; Sat, 17 Jun 1995 17:23:35 -0800 Rebel Kurds kill 18 Turkish soldiers in ambush Mon, 12 Jun 95 ANKARA, Turkey (Reuter) - Separatist Kurdish rebels killed at least 18 Turkish soldiers in a pre-dawn ambush in the rugged eastern province of Tunceli Monday, officials said. Unconfirmed reports put the toll at 22 dead and two missing in the attack in a deep gorge. It marked the heaviest loss by government forces in a single action in nearly three months. Security officials in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, the center of security operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, said at least three guerrillas were confirmed killed in a clash which followed the ambush. But army sources in Tunceli said 16 rebels had died. The rebels struck near the village of Saritas in the Ahvanoz gorge, a narrow valley densely covered with trees providing natural cover to the ambushers. Ahvanoz is part of the Munzur mountain range, spanning the north of the province. Saritas, some four miles from the gorge, is one of the deserted villages of Tunceli where scores of settlements were forcibly evacuated by soldiers as potential PKK shelters. Only a military post and some elderly villagers remain in Saritas. Frequent clashes are reported from the southeast border region, manned since May by extra troops withdrawn from northern Iraq after a six-week incursion to destroy PKK bases there. The operation, criticized by the European Union, was designed to set back the PKK in the area which it uses as a springboard to launch attacks and reinforce its men inside Turkey. The government, which refuses to deal with the PKK it brands as ``terrorist,'' rejected a call for a cease-fire and a political solution from PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan on May 23. Ankara said it would not give up the fight against the PKK. Turkey's Western allies sympathize with its stance against the PKK but slam Ankara for reported human rights violations involving Kurds, many for non-violent political activity. More than 16,000 people have been killed since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat Jun 17 17:34:41 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 17 Jun 1995 17:34:41 Subject: 20 KILLED IN TURKISH FIGHTING Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: 20 KILLED IN TURKISH FIGHTING Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 17 Jun 1995 17:23:40 -0800 20 Killed in Turkish fighting Date: 06 Mar 94 17:48:59 EST AP 03/06 09:08 EST V0497 Copyright 1994. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. ERZURUM, Turkey (AP) -- Intensified fighting between security forces and separatist Kurdish guerrillas claimed 20 lives Sunday, including four soldiers, the Anatolia agency said. In three separate clashes in this eastern province, troops killed 11 Kurdish rebels, the news agency said. Further east, the troops killed five guerrillas on the fourth day of an anti-rebel operation on Mount Ararat. Four soldiers were killed. The troops have been launching land and air operations against Kurdish rebel bases on the mountain since Thursday. Mount Ararat, believed to have been the site of the biblical Noah's ark, is located in the area where the borders of Iran and Armenia meet. Sunday's clashes raised the number of guerillas killed in the last three days to 44. Kurdish guerrillas have been launching hit-and-run attacks from their bases in Iran, Armenia and northern Iraq. The guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), have been fighting for autonomy mostly in the southeast since 1984. The fighting has claimed more than 11,000 lives. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat Jun 17 17:42:15 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 17 Jun 1995 17:42:15 Subject: US military equipment used for huma Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: US military equipment used for human right violations Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 8353; Sat, 17 Jun 1995 17:23:44 -0800 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Turkish troops committed human rights violations with the help of U.S. military equipment in a campaign against separatist rebels, the State Department said Thursday. Summarizing the report, department spokeswoman Christine Shelly it was ``highly likely'' that the equipment was used ``in support of the evacuation and-or destruction of villages in southeastern Turkey.'' She noted that Turkey faces ``a major threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity'' from the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, which the Clinton administration describes as a terrorist organization. The report was mandated by Congress following allegations of rights abuses by the Turkish military. Congress also ordered the withholding of 10 percent of Turkey's military aid of $364.5 million pending release of the report. In the meantime, however, Turkey said it would not accept conditioned aid and refused to accept the 10 percent even if the Congress gave the green light for it. Shelly said the report concludes there is no evidence that verifies reports of torture or ``mystery killings'' involving U.S. equipment. The study does not deal with Turkey's dispatch of troops in March into northern Iraq to attack bases used by Kurdish rebels to carry out raids inside Turkey. Given Turkey's role as a secular Islamic democracy in a region marked by turmoil, the administration has been eager to maintain close ties with Ankara, a longtime ally, a point reaffirmed in the report. Shelly said the administration does not believe that the report will alter in any way the basic nature of the U.S. relationship with Turkey. The study notes that the Turkish government has recognized the need to improve its human rights situation. It cites proposals, which if adopted and implemented, ``could lead to important and positive changes in the situation in the southeast,'' she said. ``We ascribe great importance to the Turkish government's democratization initiative,'' she said. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Mon Jun 19 14:02:34 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 19 Jun 1995 14:02:34 Subject: Turkish press June 16 Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish press June 16 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl r 2.20) id VT8568; Mon, 19 Jun 1995 14:31:34 -0800 ANKARA, June 16 (Reuter) - These are the leading stories in the Turkish press on Friday. Reuters has not verified these reports and in no way vouches for their accuracy. SABAH -- Dissidents in Prime Minister Tansu Ciller's True Path Party (DYP) and main opposition Motheland Party obstruct progress in constitutional amendments. Sponsors withdraw articles for fear of losing in separate balloting. -- Recent syndicated loans and favourable interest rates secured by Turkish banks conflict with Turkey's international credit rating of B. MILLIYET -- Constitutional changes unlikely to pass. A referendum may be called. An alliance of five parties weakens as support votes dwindle and votes against increase with each balloting. -- Former Prime Minister and Democratic Left Party leader Bulent Ecevit voices concern that the minority Islamist Welfare Party (RP), blocking the constititional changes, may defeat the DYP and Motherland, the big rightwing parties in parliament. -- Yasar Kaya, ex-leader of the pro-Kurdish Democracy Party (DEP) banned for separatism, says a Kurd ``exile parliament is not an organ in the shadow of the Kurdistan Workers Party but the PKK itself.'' HURRIYET -- Behold the civilian parliament! Parties of the elected civilian parliament can't even put together 300 votes to wipe out traces of a 1980 military coup from the constitution. -- Government plans to allot part of 100 extra parliament seats to be established under planned constitutional amendments, to expatriate Turks to be elected by votes of workers abroad. CUMHURIYET -- Chairmen of 31 civil servant unions representing 400,000 members begin sit-in in an Ankara park to back demands for constitutional right to hold collective bargaining and strike. -- Ministers of coalition partner Republican People's Party (CHP) warn Ciller they will not be mollified as long as Istanbul police chief who criticised them remains in office. YENI POLITIKA -- Kurdish deputies pave the way for a referendum by voting against constitutional changes debated in parliament. CHP deputy of Kurdish origin says he voted against with four others and 16 CHP MPs abstained when a ``racist'' text was introduced into the constitution's preamble. -- Police detain 200 demonstrators as Istanbul court begins to try case of policemen accused of ``executing'' three Dev-Sol (Revolutionary Left) urban guerrillas in a gunbattle in 1992. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Mon Jun 19 23:17:33 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 19 Jun 1995 23:17:33 Subject: TRKNWS-L Press Summary Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TRKNWS-L Press Summary Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl -- constitutional changes clear first hurdle, battles ahead the parliament on wednesday allowed the package of constitutional amendments to clear the crucial first hurdle, agreeing to debate individually the 21 articles the governing coalition and several opposition parties jointly want to be changed. but the upcoming rounds of debates still threatened to upset the precarious political balances with the islamists remaining committed to obstruct the package unless the clauses guarding the country's secularism were also changed. ciller's true path party (dyp) and the government partner republican people's party (chp) also had unresolved differences on labor rights. the 21-article package based on a shaky compromise between the government partners and the main opposition motherland party (anap), begets a crisis literally by the hour as its backers, under pressure from their respective in-party rebels, advance new conditions or dig in their heels. although the advocates of the upgrade carried the day, the result did not leave room for too much jubilation as the number of the yes votes fell short of the required 300 necessary for the eventual passage of the amendments, confirming fears that the opponents can still doom the package. -- ankara raps euro-parliament resolution on ex-dep deputies turkey, rapping a resolution of the euro-parliament linking the release of jailed kurdish deputies with ratification of the customs union, maintained that linking the lucrative deal with other factors would not benefit any of the sides. "it is sad that the european parliament keeps this issue on the agenda despite our repeated statements that under the principle of separation of powers, neither the (turkish) parliament nor the government can influence the judiciary," foreign ministry spokesman omer akbel said. the european parliament, which previously froze its joint parliamentary committee with turkey, passed a resolution late on thursday saying it would oppose the trade deal if their terms were not met. -- turkey signals rapprochement with amsterdam turkey and the netherlands, whose ties have been strained for months due to the meeting of the so-called kurdish "parliament in-exile" in the hague, are taking steps to improve relations, the foreign ministry said on wednesday. "we have said, from the very beginning, that we maintained the principle of dialogue in order to improve our relations with the netherlands, "foreign ministry spokesman omer akbel said in the first press conference after his appointment. "now we see that the contacts we have had between the two countries have yielded some progress." while akbel did not specify the diplomatic contacts that had taken place, he did say that a technical delegation - which included security personnel - would meet in ankara this week. "this technical level meeting aims at effective action against the kurdistan workers' party in the netherlands. we envisage a step up in our cooperation against terrorism," akbel said. however, the new spokesman appeared reluctant to give a timetable on when its ambassador to the netherlands, zeki celikkol, called back to ankara for consultations after the so called kurdish parliament in exile, will return to the hague. omer akbel also expressed concern over what he called "lack of coordination and cooperation" among turkey's european allies. "we have seen that some countries, who do not see themselves as direct targets of terrorist organizations, display a hesitant attitude in taking precautions against terrorism," he said. he said that turkey differentiated between countries "which showed the necessary sensitivity and determination in fighting terrorism and those who did not." "it is also obvious that these two attitudes will have a reflection on their bilateral relations with turkey... it is obvious that this will be an important point of consideration in cooperation in any field with those countries," he said. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 23 05:44:47 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 23 Jun 1995 05:44:47 Subject: Press Summary Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Press Summary Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl -- turkish-dutch relations gradually on the mend having overcome the effects of harsh words exchanged over the kurdish parliament-in-exile' issue and the coolness that appeared ready to pervade their relations for some time to come, turkey and the netherlands have been engaging in some quiet "fence-mending diplomacy" recently which officials on both sides say is bearing results. but it is clear that neither side is willing to go public with statements that would represent "backtracking" from the public positions they have taken on this issue. ankara still considers it unacceptable that holland should have allowed the establishment of the parliament-in-exile in the hague on april 12, and still retains its hope that the "depth of its feeling on this score has been understood by officials in the dutch capital." in other words, turkish officials have not changed their view that this was a great concession to the kurdistan workers' party (pkk), which is banned in turkey where it is fighting a bloody separatist war, and say holland, which is such a close ally, should never have allowed "such a concession to terrorism." holland, for its part, still rejects this argument and maintains its position that its constitution and laws do not permit it to ban peaceful meetings such as the april 12 gathering of kurdish groups, even if allegiance may have been expressed to the pkk by some of those attending. realizing the slippery diplomatic slope that maintaining such a line represented, turkish foreign minister erdal inonu and his dutch counterpart hans van mierlo used the occasion of western european union meeting in lisbon in may to lay the groundwork for improving the damaged relations. while the talks between the two countries are said to be continuing, foreign ministry sources told the turkish daily news that "progress in the right direction is being marked" and that the prospects for a normalization of ties are discernible. "we believe that holland will come around to a greater understanding of how important this whole pkk issue is for us, and will be better informed about the activities of this organization as a result of greater dialogue and cooperation with us on this matter," one senior source told the tdn. -- turkey, palestine discuss economic aid, peace process visiting palestinian president yasser arafat and turkish officials discussed on monday ways to expedite an economic aid package ankara had earlier pledged to extend to the fledgling palestinian state to support several development projects in the newly autonomous areas, sources said. arafat also briefed president suleyman demirel and other turkish officials he met in ankara developments in the middle east peace process and in particular the palestinian-israeli talks. ankara last year pledged 52 million dollars in aid to the autonomous areas of gaza and jericho in the west bank. but only 2 million dollars of this has so far been made available to palestine. at official talks following arafat's arrival in ankara on monday morning, the palestinian delegation also asked the ankara government to encourage the turkish private sector to do business in palestine. "the palestinian people have not forgotten and will not forget turkey's assistance. they now need turkey's help more than ever," arafat said in a meeting with demirel. in response, demirel, who is hosting arafat in could to contribute to the economic and social development of the palestinian people. "in addition to our government's aid (to palestine), we also encourage the turkish private sector to take up more initiatives in activities in gaza and eriha (jericho)," demirel said at a dinner he gave in arafat's honor. demirel, recalling that turkey has traditionally followed balanced policies which take into account the legitimate rights and interests of all related sides regarding the palestinian problem and arab-israeli disputes, said only peace in the middle east could pave the way for welfare and stability in the region. arafat and prime minister tansu ciller spoke on the phone and briefly discussed the peace process before ciller flew to paris on monday afternoon to attend a western european union meeting. arafat will meet turkish party and union leaders and receive an honorary doctorate at ankara's gazi university today before leaving turkey later in the day. ciller became the first turkish leader to visit the palestinian self-rule areas when she met arafat in gaza in november last year. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri Jun 23 14:03:27 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 23 Jun 1995 14:03:27 Subject: KDP-TURKEY Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: KDP-TURKEY Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 2.20) id VT9058; Fri, 23 Jun 1995 14:04:08 -0800 PARTIYA DEMOKRATA KURDISTAN/BAKUR KURDISTAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY/NORTH PRESS RELEASE The dictatorial Turkish State is increasing its aggression policy against dissident voices and pro-democratic movements. The recent cases of disappearances under custody which increased now in the metropolitan area as well as Kurdistan is a clear enough indicator of this aggressive behaviour by the blood-thirsty Turkish regime. Turkish regime has also started on an impolite, immoral and irrational ill-treatment behaviour against the international mission delegation of exports, MEPs, NGOs, and monitoring bodies who have been trying to observe the human rights violations in Turkey and Kurdistan. The researcher at Turkish desk of Amnesty International Mr. Jonathan Sugden, was banned of entry to Turkey since last Autumn. The reason according to them is:  Jonathan Sugden has links with terrorists Turkish regime has made another record of ridiculous accusation last week and deported Mr. Helmut Oberdiek, the former researcher at the Turkish desk of Amnesty International Mr. Oberdiek was accused of  involving in terrorist activities in Turkey  while he was carrying out a survey on human rights violations in southern city Adana. His personal documents and professional equipments including interview records were all confiscated by the police and still withheld. PDK-BAKUR strongly condemns this inhuman and unfair treatment against Mr. Oberdiek and calls upon the Turkish regime to give an end to this aggressive policy. Our party also condemns the shameful insult by state minister Ayvas Gvkdomir against a delegation of women MEPs led by Mrs Pauline Green MEP, leader of the Socialist group, and Mrs. C. Roth MEP, leader of the Green group, while they were paying visits to governmental bodies and NGOs to negotiate the situation of human rights in Turkey, minister Ayvas Gvkdemir made a statement in a public appearance in the township of Kilis, in the presence of media including national Anatolian Agency. Gvkdemir said that the MEPs ..are three prostitutes and they ...should leave Turkey. Turkey 4s former foreign minister Prof. M|mtaz Soysal also wrote in his column in daily Hurriyet on 12 June 12 1995 that the above insulting statement was witnessed also by journalist Oya Berberoglu. Mrs Green was also targeted by a campaign spread by Turkish extreme nationalists because of her activities on the solution of the question of Cyprus. Another example of intolerant discrimination attitude by Turkish regime on Kurdish people and its culture has been shown by the Department of Religious Affairs. A kurdish translation of the holly Qoran was submitted to the Department for publication by the translator Abdullah Varli but his enquiry was rejected immediately. The proof copies of this Kurdish Qoran was confiscated at the printing house three months ago.. This is a clear evidence that Turkish regime is intolerant and will not give even the freedom of religious activities in their own language to the Kurdish people. Our party strongly condemns this lingual and religious chauvinism by Turkish regime. pdk-bakur appeals the entire global community, including governments, NGOs and the pressure groups, to campaign and lobby against Turkish state, urging it to give an end to the oppression and massacre policy against Kurdish people, demanding the regime to tolerate the democratisation process. We appeal the global community to be in co-operation and solidarity with Kurdish and with our party in our initiatives and struggle. London, 13 June 1995 PDK-BAKUR UK-SECTION P.O. BOX 155 LONDON WCTX From kurdeng at aps.nl Mon Jun 26 14:06:40 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 26 Jun 1995 14:06:40 Subject: WORKERS AROUND THE WORLD 6/29/9 Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: WORKERS AROUND THE WORLD 6/29/95 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 9180; Mon, 26 Jun 1995 14:51:24 -0800 ------------------------ Via Workers World Service Reprinted from the June 29, 1995, issue of Workers World newspaper ----------------------- WORKERS AROUND THE WORLD TURKEY: CIVIL SERVANTS AND KURDISH MPS The struggle by Turkish civil servants for the right to strike and collective bargaining continues to escalate. On June 15, over 150,000 demonstrators filled Ankara's business district to support the civil servants. The Civil Servants' Union (KCSKK) is calling for a nationwide one-day strike on June 20 to press its demands. "We call on all civil servants, not only the unionized ones, to take part in our action," said Yildirim Kaya of the KCSKK. "We have to come together on the labor front to get what we want." Civil servants in Turkey earn about $160 a month. Large parts of their pay are consumed by an annual inflation of over 80 percent. In other news, three of eight Kurdish members of parliament--arrested and serving jail terms on charges of "separatism"--may be released. Turkey's chief prosecutor admits that the three were "improperly charged." The Kurdish people, led by the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), have been fighting for an independent Kurdistan. They have faced an intense extermination campaign by the U.S.-backed Turkish government. (Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if source is cited. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: ww at wwp.blythe.org. For subscription info send message to: ww-info at wwp.blythe.org.) ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Mon Jun 26 17:53:01 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 26 Jun 1995 17:53:01 Subject: K.O.M.I.T.E.E. Attack Foiled In Ber Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Arm The Spirit Subject: K.O.M.I.T.E.E. Attack Foiled In Berlin K.O.M.I.T.E.E. Attack Foiled In Berlin On April 10/95, police foiled an attempted attack by four militants against a newly constructed deportation prison in the Grunau section of Berlin. A total of 120kg of explosives had been disguised as fire extinguishers and were designed to destroy the new prison before it could be opened. However, ever since the spectacular RAF commando attack which completely destroyed a new high-tech prison in Weiterstadt in March of 1993, German authorities have greatly increased their surveillance of prison construction sights. Although police foiled the attack, all four persons were able to flee. Since then, however, one woman (Beate) has been arrested, but three men (Bernhard, Thomas, and Peter) are still on the run. All three were active in the autonomist scene in the Kreuzberg section of Berlin, according to police. During the foiled attack, police also claim to have found the communique for the action, signed by a group called "Das K.O.M.I.T.E.E.". This group had previously carried out an attack on an abandoned army barracks in Bad Freienwalde in East Germany in November of 1994. This action, which caused 200,000 DM in damage, was done in solidarity with the Kurdish national liberation struggle and to protest German arms sales to Turkey. Below is the communique from an action against the company responsible for building the deportation prison in Berlin-Grunau. If we receive any updates about the Grunau incident, we publish them. In the meantime, however, we send greetings of solidarity to the three comrades still on the run. - Arm The Spirit, June 9/95 ----- Terrorists Are Those People Who Build Deportation Prisons, Not Those That Blow Them Up! Stop The German State's Racist Asylum And Deportation Policies! On the night of Wednesday/Thursday, June 7/8, 1995, we detonated several containers full of flammable mixtures under three vehicles belonging to the ALLROUND construction firm, because they are involved in the construction of the deportation prison in Grunau and therefore are partly responsible for the deportation of countless refugees and immigrants to regions of war, crisis, and poverty. This company earns money by constructing a place where people will be caged up for weeks, just for exercising their right to demand their fair share of the world's wealth. For refugees, deportation doesn't just mean poverty and sorrow, but also torture, prison, and death. On Monday, 22.5.95, a Kurdish woman named Havva Koc was deported from Berlin-Schonefeld to Istanbul, where she was immediately arrested by plainclothes police. Her present whereabouts are unknown. As of June 12, the moratorium on the deportation of Kurds will be lifted. In Kurdistan, the Turkish military has been waging war for years, not just against armed ERNK units of the PKK, but also against the Kurdish civilian population and all those who strive for independence. According to the 1994 annual report of the Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD), more than 2,000 villages have been destroyed, writers and journalists were sentenced to a total of some 500-600 years in prison, more than 100 unions, parties, associations, and organizations were banned, and more than 100 publications were confiscated or forced to close down (Ozgur Gundem, Ozgur Ulke, etc.). Through its weapons sales to NATO partner Turkey, Germany is a party in this dirty war: first send in weapons to fight against the Kurds, earns lots of money in the process, and then send back all those who flee from this war. The German state is responsible for this cycle of death! "Today, some two years after the right to asylum (Art. 16 GG) was practically abolished, politicians celebrating the 50th anniversary of the defeat of fascism speak of peace and reconciliation. But such words are meaningless, as Roma peoples are being deported to Rumania where today they still face persecution, discrimination, and pogroms. They speak of peace, and yet people are still being shipped back to the former Yugoslavia: deserters, who, through their decision to avoid military service, are actively resisting the war, raped women, elderly people, sick and mistreated children. (...) Threatened expansion and tightening of laws regulating asylum seekers, overflowing deportation prisons, the accompaniment of so- called security personnel from the refugee's home country to assist in the deportation process, and the planned "chip card", which would record an asylum seeker's every move - all of this shows that the interior ministers' racist repertoire is still replete." (from a leaflet for the demonstration against the Interior Ministers' Conference in Berlin, May 1995) We demand that all refugees and immigrants be given the right to stay here. Not only because Germany, through its imperialist policies in the Three Continents (the so-called Third World), has created the root causes of flight (poverty, war, etc.), but also because we envision a society where it doesn't matter in the least whether someone is green, black, white, or purple, whether they have a passport from this or that country, whether they speak one language or the other. We don't give a shit about any of these things! Everyone has the right to live here. Period! On 7.5.95, 2,000 people took part in a demonstration in the Westphalian city of Buren sponsored by more than 40 refugee groups and organizations against the deportation prison located in that city. "This prison in Buren, which holds 600 people, is exemplary of the legal, state practice of German racism", according to one speaker at the demo. On 18.5.95, another 2,000 people demonstrated against the Interior Ministers' Conference in Berlin to protest the deportation of refugees. Today, no one can claim that they weren't aware of things. The division of labor is clear. Some people pass racist laws, others transport refugees like freight, and still others build deportation prisons - like the ALLROUND firm! The prison in Grunau, when it's finished, will hold 400 people. Unfortunately, the planned attack by K.O.M.I.T.E.E. was foiled by the cops at the last minute. When right becomes wrong, resistance is a must! And when words go unheard, the language of violence must be spoken! Open borders for all! Solidarity with the Kurdish liberation struggle! We wish Bernhard, Thomas, and Peter lots of fun, strength, and love as they run from the cops! You can live and struggle anywhere! For the immediate release of Beate K.! And, of course, for Mumia Abu-Jamal! Greetings of solidarity to Das K.O.M.I.T.E.E.! Bye for now, until the next time, Das K.O.L.L.E.K.T.I.V. Berlin, June 7/8, 1995 +++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++== Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist collective based in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide variety of material, including political prisoners, national liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, the fight against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our writings, research, and translation materials in our magazine and bulletins called Arm The Spirit. For more information, contact: Arm The Spirit P.O. Box 6326, Stn. A Toronto, Ontario M5W 1P7 Canada E-mail: ats at etext.org WWW: gopher://locust.cic.net:70/11/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit FTP: ftp.etext.org --> /pub/Politics/Arm.The.Spirit +++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++== From kurdeng at aps.nl Mon Jun 26 23:19:39 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 26 Jun 1995 23:19:39 Subject: TRKNWS-L NEWS Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TRKNWS-L NEWS Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 9252; Mon, 26 Jun 1995 21:03:33 -0800 Turks Remove Netherlands From "Red List" ANKARA, June 23 (Reuter) - Turkey said on Friday it had taken the Netherlands off its ``red list'' of countries from which it does not buy military equipment. Turkey had stopped all new military purchases from its NATO ally in April after the Dutch government allowed a Kurdish parliament-in-exile to be set up in The Hague. ``Holland has been removed from the red list to the yellow list,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Omer Akbel said. ``You can take this as an indication of improvement in the situation.'' Countries on the yellow list, which include Finland, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg, may be considered on a case-by-case basis for participation in military tenders and procurements, he said. Akbel said he also expected the imminent return to the Dutch capital of the Turkish ambassador, who had been recalled in April in the Kurdish parliament row. The announcements follow a series of technical meetings between Turkish and Dutch delegations to increase cooperation in combating the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla group which is fighting for a Kurdish state in southeast Turkey. Turkey says the parliament-in-exile, which includes representatives from the PKK, is a propaganda tool for the guerrillas. More than 16,000 people have been killed in the PKK's 11-year insurgency. Turkey bought military goods worth about $22 million, mainly parts for tanks, from the Netherlands between 1987 and 1994. The red list now comprises of Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, South Africa and Denmark. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue Jun 27 11:04:19 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 27 Jun 1995 11:04:19 Subject: Turkish rights activists protes Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: Turkish rights activists protest `"disappearances" Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ue, 27 Jun 1995 10:29:36 -0800 -------------- Forwarded from : nytmx at mit.xs4all.nl (NY Transfer) -------------- Turkish rights activists protest ``disappearances ANKARA, June 24 (Reuter) - Turkish human rights activists protesting alleged disappearances in police custody left dozens of shoes in an Ankara park on Saturday after police blocked them from approaching the Interior Ministry, activists said. Husnu Ondul, general secretary of the Human Rights Association (HRA), told Reuters by telephone police stopped the activists four times and refused them permission to go to the Interior Ministry building. ``Instead we left the shoes in the park, where the families of those missing called for the return of their children,'' Ondul said. According to the HRA, 328 people allegedly disappeared in police custody last year, compared with 23 in 1993. Some of these people -- often leftists or Kurdish activists -- later turn up mysteriously murdered. Reut09:20 06-24-95 Reuter N:Copyright 1995, Reuters News Service From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Tue Jun 27 13:21:59 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 27 Jun 1995 13:21:59 Subject: Yeni Politika: June 5-12, 1995 Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: Yeni Politika: June 5-12, 1995 Weekly News Briefs From Kurdistan June 5, 1995 / Diyarbakir -- Turkish forces raided the Kurdish villages of Cirik (Tokluca in Turkish), Kinyat (Koprubag), Cekuyan (Cukurkaynak), Dida (Yesilbahce), and Kuresa (Sanlikoy) in the Silvan district of Diyarbakir province on May 29. June 6, 1995 / Batman -- Turkish police raided a house in Batman on June 2. When the occupant of the house refused to open the door, the police detonated a bomb in front of the door to force their way into the house. They then arrested 3 people who were in the residence. June 6, 1995 / Hakkari -- Turkish commandos stationed in the Yuksekova district of Hakkari province had town residents on edge on June 2. At about 8:00 PM the commandos took to the streets and machine gunned houses at random. On April 17, the same units had attacked local residents and Hatice Soydan, a 12-year-old girl, was killed. June 7, 1995 -- A major scientific conference which was supposed to be held in Turkey in 2001 was recently cancelled due to human rights concerns. Professor Dr. Ridvan Ege, speaking on behalf of the Surgeons Federation, expressed his dismay over the dismal human rights record in the country. June 7, 1995 / Batman -- Ahmet Yetisen was last seen on November 14, 1994, when he was taken into custody by police in the city of Batman. His loved ones have expressed their concerns to Super Governor Unal Erkan, who has control over the city and the region. To date, the authorities have denied the charge that they have the custody of Mr. Yetisen. June 8, 1995 / Izmir -- Officials from the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) have been the subject of a hunt by Turkish police in recent days. Seyfettin Oncu, Selahattin Oncu, Hamdullah Guven, Mehmet Turan, Zeki Silli, Ali Silli, Medine Tekin, Selami Gul, Selahattin Tekin, Ali Dag, Mehmet Yalcin, Abdurrahman Yalcin, Sevim Demir, Halil Demir, Fehime Demir, Mecit Demir, Fikri Demir, Celebi Demir, Musa Demir, Munir Adibelli, Ali Adibelli, Zeynep Yuksel, Kazim Yuksel, Feyzullah Kaymaz, Ali Kaymaz, Medine Eroglu, Alaadin Ablay, and Fikret Cetin have been taken into custody for questioning. Mr. Cevdet Turgut, a spokesperson for HADEP in Izmir, noted that the authorities are disturbed by the party's activities in the city and hence carried out the recent wave of arrests against HADEP activists. He condemned the move and urged the authorities to the release the party functionaries. June 8, 1995 / Diyarbakir -- The village of Cikse (Agacli in Turkish) in the Kulp district of Diyarbakir province has had its food rationed for about a year now. Some 200 families are facing malnutrition. Village residents were urged to become village guards last December. Because they refused to take up arms, they have been subjected to a policy of harassment. June 9, 1995 -- Helmut Oberdiek, an Amnesty International representative, was declared persona non grata by the Turkish authorities. He was put on a plane and sent back to Europe. June 10, 1995 -- Besra Akdeniz, who lives in the Barbaros district of Adana, had her daughter's name "Beritan" rejected by the authorities because it was not a proper Turkish name. The Turkish authorities named Mrs. Akdeniz's daughter themselves. They gave her a proper Turkish name: "Gizem". June 11, 1995 / Istanbul -- Wednesdays are becoming days of solidarity. The families of disappeared persons keep meeting at Kadikoy Altiyol Meydani in Istanbul for symbolic candle lighting vigils. They call themselves the Democratic Struggle Platform. They carry banners reading "Turkey Will Not Be Another Argentina". Last Wednesday they were kept company by Koma Denge Azadi, who sang them songs of solidarity and resistance to oppression. June 11, 1995 / Diyarbakir -- Five tea shops have been ordered closed in the city of Diyarbakir because their television sets were showing the MED-TV channel. The owners of the tea shops were fined and told that they could not open their shops for 15 days. June 12, 1995 / Diyarbakir -- A People's Democracy Party (HADEP) convoy was machine gunned on the way to Batman near the town of Silvan in Diyarbakir province. The chair of HADEP, Mr. Murat Bozlak, was among those in the convoy. June 12, 1995 / Hakkari -- Villages in the border region are being evacuated by the Turkish authorities. In the last two months, 11 villages in Cukurca district and 4 villages in Semdinli district have had their residents forced out by Turkish soldiers. (Translated from Yeni Politika by the Comite du Kurdistan.) ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue Jun 27 17:03:44 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 27 Jun 1995 17:03:44 Subject: Yeni Politika: June 5-12, 1995 References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Yeni Politika: June 5-12, 1995 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Weekly News Briefs From Kurdistan June 5, 1995 / Diyarbakir -- Turkish forces raided the Kurdish villages of Cirik (Tokluca in Turkish), Kinyat (Koprubag), Cekuyan (Cukurkaynak), Dida (Yesilbahce), and Kuresa (Sanlikoy) in the Silvan district of Diyarbakir province on May 29. June 6, 1995 / Batman -- Turkish police raided a house in Batman on June 2. When the occupant of the house refused to open the door, the police detonated a bomb in front of the door to force their way into the house. They then arrested 3 people who were in the residence. June 6, 1995 / Hakkari -- Turkish commandos stationed in the Yuksekova district of Hakkari province had town residents on edge on June 2. At about 8:00 PM the commandos took to the streets and machine gunned houses at random. On April 17, the same units had attacked local residents and Hatice Soydan, a 12-year-old girl, was killed. June 7, 1995 -- A major scientific conference which was supposed to be held in Turkey in 2001 was recently cancelled due to human rights concerns. Professor Dr. Ridvan Ege, speaking on behalf of the Surgeons Federation, expressed his dismay over the dismal human rights record in the country. June 7, 1995 / Batman -- Ahmet Yetisen was last seen on November 14, 1994, when he was taken into custody by police in the city of Batman. His loved ones have expressed their concerns to Super Governor Unal Erkan, who has control over the city and the region. To date, the authorities have denied the charge that they have the custody of Mr. Yetisen. June 8, 1995 / Izmir -- Officials from the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) have been the subject of a hunt by Turkish police in recent days. Seyfettin Oncu, Selahattin Oncu, Hamdullah Guven, Mehmet Turan, Zeki Silli, Ali Silli, Medine Tekin, Selami Gul, Selahattin Tekin, Ali Dag, Mehmet Yalcin, Abdurrahman Yalcin, Sevim Demir, Halil Demir, Fehime Demir, Mecit Demir, Fikri Demir, Celebi Demir, Musa Demir, Munir Adibelli, Ali Adibelli, Zeynep Yuksel, Kazim Yuksel, Feyzullah Kaymaz, Ali Kaymaz, Medine Eroglu, Alaadin Ablay, and Fikret Cetin have been taken into custody for questioning. Mr. Cevdet Turgut, a spokesperson for HADEP in Izmir, noted that the authorities are disturbed by the party's activities in the city and hence carried out the recent wave of arrests against HADEP activists. He condemned the move and urged the authorities to the release the party functionaries. June 8, 1995 / Diyarbakir -- The village of Cikse (Agacli in Turkish) in the Kulp district of Diyarbakir province has had its food rationed for about a year now. Some 200 families are facing malnutrition. Village residents were urged to become village guards last December. Because they refused to take up arms, they have been subjected to a policy of harassment. June 9, 1995 -- Helmut Oberdiek, an Amnesty International representative, was declared persona non grata by the Turkish authorities. He was put on a plane and sent back to Europe. June 10, 1995 -- Besra Akdeniz, who lives in the Barbaros district of Adana, had her daughter's name "Beritan" rejected by the authorities because it was not a proper Turkish name. The Turkish authorities named Mrs. Akdeniz's daughter themselves. They gave her a proper Turkish name: "Gizem". June 11, 1995 / Istanbul -- Wednesdays are becoming days of solidarity. The families of disappeared persons keep meeting at Kadikoy Altiyol Meydani in Istanbul for symbolic candle lighting vigils. They call themselves the Democratic Struggle Platform. They carry banners reading "Turkey Will Not Be Another Argentina". Last Wednesday they were kept company by Koma Denge Azadi, who sang them songs of solidarity and resistance to oppression. June 11, 1995 / Diyarbakir -- Five tea shops have been ordered closed in the city of Diyarbakir because their television sets were showing the MED-TV channel. The owners of the tea shops were fined and told that they could not open their shops for 15 days. June 12, 1995 / Diyarbakir -- A People's Democracy Party (HADEP) convoy was machine gunned on the way to Batman near the town of Silvan in Diyarbakir province. The chair of HADEP, Mr. Murat Bozlak, was among those in the convoy. June 12, 1995 / Hakkari -- Villages in the border region are being evacuated by the Turkish authorities. In the last two months, 11 villages in Cukurca district and 4 villages in Semdinli district have had their residents forced out by Turkish soldiers. (Translated from Yeni Politika by the Comite du Kurdistan.) ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Tue Jun 27 14:52:04 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 27 Jun 1995 14:52:04 Subject: 200,000 Demonstrate In Bonn Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: 200,000 Demonstrate In Bonn 200,000 Demonstrate In Bonn On Saturday, June 17, supporters of the Kurdish national liberation movement organized the biggest demonstration ever in support of a political solution to the dirty war in Kurdistan. The march was held in Bonn, Germany and 200,000 people took part. There were ERNK flags and huge pictures of Abdullah Ocalan everywhere (despite being banned in Germany) as people chanted "Biji PKK!" and "Long Live International Solidarity!". In addition to Kurdish groups in Europe, the demonstration was also supported by various progressive and socialist organizations, and even some European MPs joined in. The demonstration was a clear sign to the world that Turkey must be called upon to stop its dirty war against the Kurdish people. Also, any political solution to this question must involve the representatives of the Kurdish liberation movement. In the words of one German police official: "The PKK cannot be stopped." Freedom for Kurdistan! ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue Jun 27 19:48:35 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 27 Jun 1995 19:48:35 Subject: 200,000 Demonstrate In Bonn References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: 200,000 Demonstrate In Bonn Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl e, 27 Jun 1995 18:54:49 -0800 -------- Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) --------- 200,000 Demonstrate In Bonn On Saturday, June 17, supporters of the Kurdish national liberation movement organized the biggest demonstration ever in support of a political solution to the dirty war in Kurdistan. The march was held in Bonn, Germany and 200,000 people took part. There were ERNK flags and huge pictures of Abdullah Ocalan everywhere (despite being banned in Germany) as people chanted "Biji PKK!" and "Long Live International Solidarity!". In addition to Kurdish groups in Europe, the demonstration was also supported by various progressive and socialist organizations, and even some European MPs joined in. The demonstration was a clear sign to the world that Turkey must be called upon to stop its dirty war against the Kurdish people. Also, any political solution to this question must involve the representatives of the Kurdish liberation movement. In the words of one German police official: "The PKK cannot be stopped." Freedom for Kurdistan! ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Tue Jun 27 22:51:29 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 27 Jun 1995 22:51:29 Subject: Women In The Trade Union Movement Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: Women In The Trade Union Movement Women In The Trade Union Movement Kezban Oral has several years of experience in trade union work. She was born in 1960 in Gerze in the region of Sinop. She has worked for 13 years and has been a union official for 5. Oral attended primary school and is married with one child. She spoke to Berfin Sayli about her union activities and about the general problems which women face. What problems have you encountered doing union work? Kezban Oral: Both the union officials as well as the employers seem to view unions as man's work. At first, they didn't take us very seriously and they thought we were weak. As women in the trade unions, we first had to struggle against this. And then there was the predominant attitude as far as class positions and the unions' mass organizing was concerned. But our actions and the strength which the base gave to us enabled us to move forward. For several years, you were union secretary for Local 1 of the 'Tek Gida-Is' food workers union. Could you tell us what difficulties you experienced with the union leadership? Kezban Oral: The year I became union secretary, we made a proposal to celebrate March 8th in the union hall. They did not allow this. So we instead celebrated March 8th on our own as Local 1 of the 'Tek Gida-Is'. The 'Tek Gida-Is' is very bureaucratic, its leadership is loyal to the state, and it does not allow its local bracnhes much autonomy. In the end, the locals which were formed in subsequent years suffered from repression because we took part in political platforms. You were jailed for participating in May Day activities, you lost your post as union secretary, and you were fired from your job. Could you tell us something about that time? Kezban Oral: May 1990 was an important step towards the legalization of May Day. At that time, we as a platform decided to hold actions outside of all the businesses. In line with this decision, we held an action outside a Cola factory. We were arrested along with 300 workers. I myself was arrested along with a female worker from the Cola plant and imprisoned in Bayrampasa. The state decided to punish us, but even the leadership of 'Tek Gida-Is' did not remained inactive. They expelled the Cola representative from our local. But even that wasn't enough for them. They revoked the right of Local 1 to negotiate wage contracts. Only after massive pressure from the workers did they take back this decision. And when the workers voted for a strike, they were not supported by the leadership. This once again illustrated that the union leadership were opposed to all forms of economic and democratic struggle. During this time, the chair of our union local removed me from my position. Once again, the workers applied pressure, and I was reinstated. But since I wasn't a central union secretary, when I was arrested I also lost my job. I am convinced that the union leadership played a role in having me lose my job, because they didn't lift a finger to try and have me reinstated. After I was convicted in court, the union leadership officially denounced me in front of the governor and for the first time they gave me written confirmation that I had lost my union post. You are now a working woman. Could you tell us about some of the difficulties you face? Kezban Oral: I don't have much time to develop myself, to read or go to school. I usually get up quite early, so that I have a little time to do some reading. I don't even have enough time to spend with my child. Housework is a big problem. Why haven't women played a more active role in workplace committees or in the unions, although they are always on the front lines during mass actions? Why are they so reluctant to take on positions of responsibility? Kezban Oral: That's because women haven't been able to develop their own identity. The situation of women must be seen within the condition of society as a whole. In society, the status of women is determined by tradition and religion, things which hinder development. The participation of women in actions is a first step towards development, but they need to overcome their uncertainties so as to be able to occupy leadership positions as well. But that is dependent upon class consciousness. Is there a women's movement in Turkey? Kezban Oral: We can't really call it a women's movement. I don't separate the struggle of women from the struggle of the working class. There is a weak women's movement in Turkey, but as long it fails to integrate working women into this movement it will not be able to fulfil its mission. Recently, the EKB (Unity of Working Women) was formed within the women's movement in order to reach out to working women. With what means can these problems be overcome? Kezban Oral: Women must struggle in all areas they find themselves in. Women's associations need to be formed, particularly of women workers. Just as the workers are the vanguard in the society, so too are women workers the vanguard of the masses of women. We have to act based on this reality. (Translated from Kurdistan-Rundbrief 5/95) ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Wed Jun 28 15:22:54 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 28 Jun 1995 15:22:54 Subject: PKK: Resolution On Dialogue Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: PKK: Resolution On Dialogue PKK 5th Party Congress Resolution On Political Dialogue Today, our national liberation struggle, in so far as it has become a large and decisive organizational, military, and political power with respect to the masses, is a problem, not just for Turkey, but for all countries in the Middle and Near East and it also greatly concerns other states in the rest of the world. At this point in time, the people of Kurdistan and their leadership are a force which can no longer be denied. No power can have any success in denying the existence of Kurdistan; the PKK will play a decisive role in the solution of the Kurdistan problem. For this reason, every search for a solution to the Kurdistan problem and all wishes to come into contact with the PKK are positive developments. Those forces which demand stability in the Near East and Kurdistan all send delegations to solve the problem, direct or indirect missions, and thereby have some influence on the situation. For this reason, in the coming period, those who wish to seek a solution to the Kurdistan problem, not merely idealistic hopes but rather practical initiatives, will most likely seek to come into contact with the PKK. The PKK, a fighting force which is struggling for independence for its country and freedom for its people, is prepared to accept proposals for dialogue from states and institutions, on the condition that these are based on the ideals of the equality, independence, and solidarity of peoples and don't contradict the line of our party. Today, just like yesterday, the PKK is ready for any dialogue which recognizes the freedom of our nation and people. This was made clear by the cease-fire announced in March 1993, and by the letter from our party's General Secretary in November 1994 concerning a political solution to the Kurdistan problem, which was sent to the appropriate persons and institutions and which again stressed the demands made at the Brussels Conference. But the Turkish Republic responded to all of these requests with more war; Turkey has shown that it seeks to solve the Kurdistan problem through destruction and ignorance. Despite everything, our party has maintained its aim of continuing the armed struggle until our freedom is secured, but we do not exclude non-violent methods or means of solution. In light of this, our 5th Congress has decided: 1. To empower the party presidents and the central committee to respond to all political requests for dialogue and to work to bring about political negotiations; 2. To empower the party presidents and the central committee to name representatives or to form delegations who can carry out political requests for dialogue or engage in political negotiations; 3. That all political requests for dialogue and all negotiations must be acknowledged and considered by the party presidents. ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu Jun 29 06:20:33 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 29 Jun 1995 06:20:33 Subject: PKK: Resolution On Dialogue References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: PKK: Resolution On Dialogue Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl r 2.20) id VT9709; Thu, 29 Jun 1995 04:05:56 -0800 ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- PKK 5th Party Congress Resolution On Political Dialogue Today, our national liberation struggle, in so far as it has become a large and decisive organizational, military, and political power with respect to the masses, is a problem, not just for Turkey, but for all countries in the Middle and Near East and it also greatly concerns other states in the rest of the world. At this point in time, the people of Kurdistan and their leadership are a force which can no longer be denied. No power can have any success in denying the existence of Kurdistan; the PKK will play a decisive role in the solution of the Kurdistan problem. For this reason, every search for a solution to the Kurdistan problem and all wishes to come into contact with the PKK are positive developments. Those forces which demand stability in the Near East and Kurdistan all send delegations to solve the problem, direct or indirect missions, and thereby have some influence on the situation. For this reason, in the coming period, those who wish to seek a solution to the Kurdistan problem, not merely idealistic hopes but rather practical initiatives, will most likely seek to come into contact with the PKK. The PKK, a fighting force which is struggling for independence for its country and freedom for its people, is prepared to accept proposals for dialogue from states and institutions, on the condition that these are based on the ideals of the equality, independence, and solidarity of peoples and don't contradict the line of our party. Today, just like yesterday, the PKK is ready for any dialogue which recognizes the freedom of our nation and people. This was made clear by the cease-fire announced in March 1993, and by the letter from our party's General Secretary in November 1994 concerning a political solution to the Kurdistan problem, which was sent to the appropriate persons and institutions and which again stressed the demands made at the Brussels Conference. But the Turkish Republic responded to all of these requests with more war; Turkey has shown that it seeks to solve the Kurdistan problem through destruction and ignorance. Despite everything, our party has maintained its aim of continuing the armed struggle until our freedom is secured, but we do not exclude non-violent methods or means of solution. In light of this, our 5th Congress has decided: 1. To empower the party presidents and the central committee to respond to all political requests for dialogue and to work to bring about political negotiations; 2. To empower the party presidents and the central committee to name representatives or to form delegations who can carry out political requests for dialogue or engage in political negotiations; 3. That all political requests for dialogue and all negotiations must be acknowledged and considered by the party presidents. ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Wed Jun 28 15:51:37 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 28 Jun 1995 15:51:37 Subject: PKK: Resolution On Internationalism Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: PKK: Resolution On Internationalism PKK 5th Party Congress Resolution On The Function Of Internationalism Some of the social developments which have come into being through the influence of human development -- those which are universally accepted as being turning points in the history of civilization (such as Christianity, Islam, or the French Revolution) -- possess the character of internationalism, even if not in a universal form. Even the leaders who organized these developments came up with ideological-organizational forms and forms of struggle in order to bring this international spirit closer to home and closer to all of humanity. The new class of the proletariat -- through the consciousness of all of human history which came about as a result of the development of fundamental experiences and authority -- has attempted via scientific socialism, which arose from the ripe social system of humanity, to solve the problem of comprehensive human representation, bearing in the mind the realization of its organizational line through the three forms of internationalism which had developed throughout the course of the history of the workers' movement from the 19th century to the October Revolution. Both the problems and helplessness experienced today show that it is urgent that answers be found to questions like how socialism can come to power or develop to an international level. The lessons learned from the praxis of real-existing socialism can help us to solve these problems. In this sense, Kurdistan is a prime candidate for internationalism, considering its division into four parts, its relations to other peoples in the region, even if these are fundamentally false, and many other questions of living together. The reality of Kurdish national liberation has made scientific socialism the guiding ideology of the PKK. In today's world, which assumes that socialism is dead while at the same time an increasingly rabid imperialism is on the rise, the PKK, by effectively arguing in favor of socialism and by spreading socialist ideals to the people of the region, is the vanguard of the global socialist movement, even though the party hasn't yet come to power. While the advance of the revolutionary struggle in Kurdistan is a necessary prerequisite of internationalist duties, while at the same time aiding in the development of socialism, bearing in mind the present situation, history demands that we offer solidarity. This solidarity will advance the revolution in Kurdistan, while at the same time helping us to fulfil our socialist duties. In our present situation, the main problem we face is building a central organization for humanity, one which can prevent the splintering of the workers and other oppressed peoples by the exploiters and oppressors. For the founding and functioning of a new International, it is important to pay attention the social and historical characteristics which are specific to different continents, regions, and countries, in addition to concluding which fundamental problems must be solved. In light of this, the 5th Congress has decided to: 1. Represent the revolutionary spirit of scientific socialism, to defend it against all attacks, to carry out all activities according to it, and to represent it in all international platforms so as to help socialism to become a potent political force; 2. Take the necessary steps to found a Revolutionary Socialist International and to assume the leadership of this movement; 3. Not limit the problem to the Revolutionary Socialist International: a) While working together on the basis of regional, continental, and national differences is necessary, we will also cooperate with environmental organizations, humanistic movements, and radical-religious associations in order to carry out global actions which will have international influence and which will counteract anti-progressive tendencies and their effects; b) Against the background of the human dimension of our national liberation and its contribution to humanity, we are calling out to all independent-democratic and socialist forces which wish to support our revolution and the socialist cause and we will make the mountains of our country available to them; c) We will cultivate relations with revolutionary-democratic forces in our region, forge new relations, and offer mutual support and assistance, not simply seek to further our own goals. ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu Jun 29 06:22:54 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 29 Jun 1995 06:22:54 Subject: PKK: Resolution On Internationalism References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: PKK: Resolution On Internationalism Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- PKK 5th Party Congress Resolution On The Function Of Internationalism Some of the social developments which have come into being through the influence of human development -- those which are universally accepted as being turning points in the history of civilization (such as Christianity, Islam, or the French Revolution) -- possess the character of internationalism, even if not in a universal form. Even the leaders who organized these developments came up with ideological-organizational forms and forms of struggle in order to bring this international spirit closer to home and closer to all of humanity. The new class of the proletariat -- through the consciousness of all of human history which came about as a result of the development of fundamental experiences and authority -- has attempted via scientific socialism, which arose from the ripe social system of humanity, to solve the problem of comprehensive human representation, bearing in the mind the realization of its organizational line through the three forms of internationalism which had developed throughout the course of the history of the workers' movement from the 19th century to the October Revolution. Both the problems and helplessness experienced today show that it is urgent that answers be found to questions like how socialism can come to power or develop to an international level. The lessons learned from the praxis of real-existing socialism can help us to solve these problems. In this sense, Kurdistan is a prime candidate for internationalism, considering its division into four parts, its relations to other peoples in the region, even if these are fundamentally false, and many other questions of living together. The reality of Kurdish national liberation has made scientific socialism the guiding ideology of the PKK. In today's world, which assumes that socialism is dead while at the same time an increasingly rabid imperialism is on the rise, the PKK, by effectively arguing in favor of socialism and by spreading socialist ideals to the people of the region, is the vanguard of the global socialist movement, even though the party hasn't yet come to power. While the advance of the revolutionary struggle in Kurdistan is a necessary prerequisite of internationalist duties, while at the same time aiding in the development of socialism, bearing in mind the present situation, history demands that we offer solidarity. This solidarity will advance the revolution in Kurdistan, while at the same time helping us to fulfil our socialist duties. In our present situation, the main problem we face is building a central organization for humanity, one which can prevent the splintering of the workers and other oppressed peoples by the exploiters and oppressors. For the founding and functioning of a new International, it is important to pay attention the social and historical characteristics which are specific to different continents, regions, and countries, in addition to concluding which fundamental problems must be solved. In light of this, the 5th Congress has decided to: 1. Represent the revolutionary spirit of scientific socialism, to defend it against all attacks, to carry out all activities according to it, and to represent it in all international platforms so as to help socialism to become a potent political force; 2. Take the necessary steps to found a Revolutionary Socialist International and to assume the leadership of this movement; 3. Not limit the problem to the Revolutionary Socialist International: a) While working together on the basis of regional, continental, and national differences is necessary, we will also cooperate with environmental organizations, humanistic movements, and radical-religious associations in order to carry out global actions which will have international influence and which will counteract anti-progressive tendencies and their effects; b) Against the background of the human dimension of our national liberation and its contribution to humanity, we are calling out to all independent-democratic and socialist forces which wish to support our revolution and the socialist cause and we will make the mountains of our country available to them; c) We will cultivate relations with revolutionary-democratic forces in our region, forge new relations, and offer mutual support and assistance, not simply seek to further our own goals. ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Wed Jun 28 15:51:38 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 28 Jun 1995 15:51:38 Subject: PKK: Central Committee Statement Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: PKK: Central Committee Statement 5th Congress Of The PKK Is A Guarantee Of Success And Victory! After a long period of preparation, the 5th Congress of the PKK was held in the free lands of Kurdistan from January 8-27, 1995. A total of 317 delegates participated, 231 of them having the right to speak and vote and 86 of them having only the right to speak. All the provinces of the Kurdish region were represented, as were all the work regions abroad. A lot of valuable information was brought forward during the 20 days of intense work. It updated all the basic existing problems pertaining to the world and to Kurdistan. It has been the biggest and most extensive peak in the 20-year history of our Party to discuss and create clear solutions to our problems. In the four years from the last congress to today, our 5th Congress has come to value the great military and political developments which have emerged for the first time in the history of Kurdistan and the deep-rooted changes which have taken place in the world. It determined the truth, contrary to the demagogic assertions of imperialist and reactionary forces which have artificially decided the direction of developments in the world. The struggle of humanity for equality and freedom will advance in the future and will continue to mature, and once revitalized will bring into action its great potential. The reality of the 5th Congress of our party is proof of this. On this basis, the congress stressed the deep international content and impact of Kurdistan's revolution on mankind. The 5th Congress of the PKK called attention to the importance of ideology in the life of people and society. It determined that imperialist efforts to rid humanity of structured ideology and the Soviet socialists' depoliticized and dogmatic ruling tactics in turn have added to the downfall of humanity in mainstream society. On this basis, it emphasized that Soviet socialism was a kind of deviation, describing it as a "rough and wild phase of socialism". It determined that the PKK's approach to socialism is scientific and creative, despite the contrary actions of the world, and that the creation of a great revolutionary rebellion in a backwards Kurdish society is the result of this approach. The 5th Congress of our party has been a process of reform and modernization for our party. The party program was reviewed and various outstanding sections were renewed on the basis of the great ideological, political, and organizational developments gained by the 20-year struggle while taking into consideration changes in the world. Former party regulations, which were accepted during the party's founding congress, which was initiated by a small group of people with limited and general judgements, were updated. A new regulation which defines the conditions for membership in the party, as well as the structure and operation of the organization, was prepared and approved. The party program and regulations created by our 5th Congress systematized the scientific and creative comprehension of our party. It evaluated the situation in the world and in Kurdistan, as well as the fate of humanity. The conclusion led to a written document outlining that which goes beyond the practices of other socialist organizations in the world and the abstract ideas of the petty bourgeoisie. The 5th Congress of our party gathered after the extensive and brutal attacks of Turkish special warfare with its plan "We will definitely finish them off!" in 1994. In spite of its savage persistence, the total war of the Turkish Republic failed and instead lead to an escalation of the war, which caused severe conditions of economic and political bankruptcy. It determined this truth and evaluated the practices of the last 4 years of war. It determined that the Turkish Republic will use any means in order to survive, and this continuation is an attempt at the total domination of Kurdistan. Our national liberation struggle has entered into the period of victory and for the first time in the history of Kurdistan the Kurdish struggle is prevailing. Our 5th Congress came to the conclusion that our national liberation struggle in North-West Kurdistan has affected the whole of Kurdistan and all Kurdish people while becoming the leading force in the liberation of Kurdistan. It emphasized that the existing struggle in South Kurdistan has emerged from the direct impact of the struggle in North-West Kurdistan and will need the development of definitive special methods in order to combat imperialist, colonialist, and reactionary forces. Our party's 5th Congress scrutinized the great struggle of the past 4 years and revolutionary practices in their respective areas. It distinguished between what is revolutionary and progressive and what is faulty and impeding. It evaluated the report of every work region one by one with the report of the General Secretary as submitted extensively to the Congress. Our 5th Congress hailed the political, organizational, and military developments of the past 4 years as unique developments in the history of Kurdistan. On this basis, it underlined the guerrilla warfare having been dispersed everywhere in Kurdistan and has reached its climax in the strength of a guerrilla army. Peoples uprisings throughout Kurdistan have spread fear throughout the colonialist enemy. The struggle has eliminated in the minds of Kurdish people the physical and emotional boundaries which divide Kurdistan. The unprecedented leadership of our party in the Kurdistan national liberation struggle, which has created and directed this struggle, has become certain, and on this basis a magnificent development has achieved a revolutionary nation from a historically backwards society. A main goal stressed was to follow straight in the line of leadership which is leading to such successes and revolutionary gains, otherwise deviation of attitudes to the right and left will cause heavy casualties, this being the reason for a lack of success in the past. The notion of coming to power quickly by means of individuals spread throughout the party's organs like an illness. This understanding caused opportunistic individuals from the middle-class to dominate the party's organs. When these people were not permitted to do so, however, it gravely led to either committing suicide or collaborating with the enemy. However, it was determined on the basis of examining concrete practices that all sorts of fanatical, hypocritical, and aghaish approaches were widespread in the past and that these attitudes had eroded the vanguard of the party and prevented the growth of the party. Again, these were the main reasons for not previously establishing an adequate army and the lack of evaluation of popular uprisings. The 5th Congress of our party condemned all of these overwhelmingly and brought to light the most prominent inadequacies in personality and in thought from the most grave examples by examining the party's practice in every area. It has decided to commence with a main project of obtaining membership in the party in the upcoming year. On the basis of such evaluation, the 5th Congress of the PKK has been a great judgement and justice congress. It brought to light mistaken and faulty attitudes and items which are considered to be criminal within the extensive discussion period and tried to determine those who are responsible with great patience and care. It condemned most of them on the basis of extensive criticism and self-criticism. As a result it also determined some mistaken punishments in the past struggle and gave the victims their prestige back. It also brought to light and condemned conduct which is deemed detrimental to the people. It decided that those who are responsible must account for that. On the basis of this analysis, the 5th Congress of our party was a congress of justice. The congress, which gathered and worked under the motto of "Creating People's Power", examined and judged the past in detail. It drew the future of the Kurdistan revolution and people with extensive decisions. It cautiously planned and decided various works in order to carry out the duty of the leadership of our party perfectly, to improve internal education and life in the party, to develop the leadership of our party which has a great impact on our people and our revolution. It called attention to the immediate future, which will be the greatest warring period, focusing on the expansion of the army's methods. It determined to establish a national army which is comprised of organized units aside from the already-established guerrilla units. Insistence on discipline and respect for regulations was emphasized, which in turn ensures the establishment of strength in the fighting units. The 5th Congress of our party plainly expressed the truth that the mere existence and means of life of our people depends on a revolutionary war. It determined the war tactics appropriate to the revolutionary war policy of our party on the basis of the prepared war plan. Our congress emphasized once again that the Turkish colonialists are the ones insisting on the war and there are no limits to their barbarity. It decided to continue the war of liberation against the Turkish Special War Department as long as Turkey insists on the war, but to emphasize and be open to dialogue. It authorized the General Presidency of the party and the Central Committee to carry out such a political solution. Our 5th Congress came to the decision to create centralization in the party and the army and to establish preparatory committees with the aim of forming people's institutions. This includes assemblies and administrations of the people at the local, regional, and provincial level and to carry out the national struggle on this basis. Other important tasks are to promptly organize the Kurdistan National Assembly and to proclaim a revolutionary government, to centralize all works carried out in the areas of the life of the people and the national struggle, to reach a democratic popular rule and present it to the party as a duty. It decided to carry out extensive works in every area and to form relations between the ERNK and other Kurdish forces with the aim of coming to power. The 5th Congress of our party was a clear expression of the mature level of our party and it had a great revolutionary perspective. It has been the first congress in which women have made such a great contribution and the representation of 63 women delegates presented a detailed report to the congress concerning the women's issue. It discussed the women's issue on the basis of a revolutionary socialist point of view. It expressed clearly the importance of the free women's movement in the popular revolution, the victory of our revolution, and the role of the participation of women and it reached detailed decisions including a plan to convene a Women's Congress. The congress also focused on the position of the Kurdistan national liberation struggle on the international political agenda and the international impact of the Kurdistan revolution. It discussed extensively and came to decisions on foreign affairs and the importance of alliances. It concluded with remorse the situation of Turkish people, who are poor and under disorganized leadership, and it made them the closet and most strategic ally of the Kurdish people. It decided to make efforts as much as possible to develop the democratic and revolutionary movement of Turkey with a variety of approaches and to support the democratic and revolutionary popular forces of Turkey more than before. It valued the relations with the democratic and progressive forces in the environmentalist, liberal, and social justice organizations and the participation in international institutions and pledged to work to develop a revolutionary socialist international alliance. The 5th Congress of our party hailed the prison resistance movement and evaluated the current situation in the jails, reconfirming the leaders of heroic martyrdom in our struggle who number in the thousands. It convened with the elections of the Central Committee and the Central Discipline Committee and the oath of success and victory. The 5th Congress of our party brought to light and overwhelmingly condemned every fault and insufficiency in attitude and conduct committed in the past. It commenced with the new improved movement in the party and new regulations for becoming a member of the party. The congress calls on all militants and members to renew themselves in the reality of the 5th Congress and to make progress in the line of the leadership in the revolutionary practice. The 5th Congress of the party condemned and corrected all the contradictory attitudes of the past in a just judicial forum. The coming days will focus on the accomplishment of a people's government. This call to our people who live in Kurdistan and elsewhere in the world is a call to defeat the enemy through democratic advocacy. To our people around the world, stress the education, enlightenment, and truth of our 5th Congress, organize and unite en masse, and join our national revolutionary struggle with its final force to overthrow the domination of the colonialist enemy and formally establish the people's government. Furthermore, we call on the Turkish people, who suffer the most harm, to see the reality and not to support the genocidal war, not to be deceived by the propaganda and lies of the fascist, colonialist, dominating class, to comprehend and accept the national liberation struggle that is being carried out by our party, and to struggle and fight alongside the Kurdish people in solidarity against the fascist regime. The 5th Congress of the PKK disclosed and clarified the guilt of the imperialist supporting forces behind Turkish colonialism. This congress is a warning for the imperialist forces and a call for a firm stand from democratic people. We call on all governments not to support the genocidal tactics of Turkish colonialism. Everybody who is a democrat must recognize the reality and power of the Kurdish nation! Based on the leadership and conduct of the unyielding PKK, conduct yourselves as militants of the new conquest march of Mesopotamia, which was initiated by our 5th Congress in the name of humanity! Victory will come to our people who adhere to the reality of the 5th Congress of the PKK! Down with Turkish fascism, colonialism, imperialism, and all reactionary forces! Long live the 5th Victory Congress of our party! Central Committee of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) February 1995 ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu Jun 29 06:24:15 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 29 Jun 1995 06:24:15 Subject: PKK: Central Committee Statement References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: PKK: Central Committee Statement Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- 5th Congress Of The PKK Is A Guarantee Of Success And Victory! After a long period of preparation, the 5th Congress of the PKK was held in the free lands of Kurdistan from January 8-27, 1995. A total of 317 delegates participated, 231 of them having the right to speak and vote and 86 of them having only the right to speak. All the provinces of the Kurdish region were represented, as were all the work regions abroad. A lot of valuable information was brought forward during the 20 days of intense work. It updated all the basic existing problems pertaining to the world and to Kurdistan. It has been the biggest and most extensive peak in the 20-year history of our Party to discuss and create clear solutions to our problems. In the four years from the last congress to today, our 5th Congress has come to value the great military and political developments which have emerged for the first time in the history of Kurdistan and the deep-rooted changes which have taken place in the world. It determined the truth, contrary to the demagogic assertions of imperialist and reactionary forces which have artificially decided the direction of developments in the world. The struggle of humanity for equality and freedom will advance in the future and will continue to mature, and once revitalized will bring into action its great potential. The reality of the 5th Congress of our party is proof of this. On this basis, the congress stressed the deep international content and impact of Kurdistan's revolution on mankind. The 5th Congress of the PKK called attention to the importance of ideology in the life of people and society. It determined that imperialist efforts to rid humanity of structured ideology and the Soviet socialists' depoliticized and dogmatic ruling tactics in turn have added to the downfall of humanity in mainstream society. On this basis, it emphasized that Soviet socialism was a kind of deviation, describing it as a "rough and wild phase of socialism". It determined that the PKK's approach to socialism is scientific and creative, despite the contrary actions of the world, and that the creation of a great revolutionary rebellion in a backwards Kurdish society is the result of this approach. The 5th Congress of our party has been a process of reform and modernization for our party. The party program was reviewed and various outstanding sections were renewed on the basis of the great ideological, political, and organizational developments gained by the 20-year struggle while taking into consideration changes in the world. Former party regulations, which were accepted during the party's founding congress, which was initiated by a small group of people with limited and general judgements, were updated. A new regulation which defines the conditions for membership in the party, as well as the structure and operation of the organization, was prepared and approved. The party program and regulations created by our 5th Congress systematized the scientific and creative comprehension of our party. It evaluated the situation in the world and in Kurdistan, as well as the fate of humanity. The conclusion led to a written document outlining that which goes beyond the practices of other socialist organizations in the world and the abstract ideas of the petty bourgeoisie. The 5th Congress of our party gathered after the extensive and brutal attacks of Turkish special warfare with its plan "We will definitely finish them off!" in 1994. In spite of its savage persistence, the total war of the Turkish Republic failed and instead lead to an escalation of the war, which caused severe conditions of economic and political bankruptcy. It determined this truth and evaluated the practices of the last 4 years of war. It determined that the Turkish Republic will use any means in order to survive, and this continuation is an attempt at the total domination of Kurdistan. Our national liberation struggle has entered into the period of victory and for the first time in the history of Kurdistan the Kurdish struggle is prevailing. Our 5th Congress came to the conclusion that our national liberation struggle in North-West Kurdistan has affected the whole of Kurdistan and all Kurdish people while becoming the leading force in the liberation of Kurdistan. It emphasized that the existing struggle in South Kurdistan has emerged from the direct impact of the struggle in North-West Kurdistan and will need the development of definitive special methods in order to combat imperialist, colonialist, and reactionary forces. Our party's 5th Congress scrutinized the great struggle of the past 4 years and revolutionary practices in their respective areas. It distinguished between what is revolutionary and progressive and what is faulty and impeding. It evaluated the report of every work region one by one with the report of the General Secretary as submitted extensively to the Congress. Our 5th Congress hailed the political, organizational, and military developments of the past 4 years as unique developments in the history of Kurdistan. On this basis, it underlined the guerrilla warfare having been dispersed everywhere in Kurdistan and has reached its climax in the strength of a guerrilla army. Peoples uprisings throughout Kurdistan have spread fear throughout the colonialist enemy. The struggle has eliminated in the minds of Kurdish people the physical and emotional boundaries which divide Kurdistan. The unprecedented leadership of our party in the Kurdistan national liberation struggle, which has created and directed this struggle, has become certain, and on this basis a magnificent development has achieved a revolutionary nation from a historically backwards society. A main goal stressed was to follow straight in the line of leadership which is leading to such successes and revolutionary gains, otherwise deviation of attitudes to the right and left will cause heavy casualties, this being the reason for a lack of success in the past. The notion of coming to power quickly by means of individuals spread throughout the party's organs like an illness. This understanding caused opportunistic individuals from the middle-class to dominate the party's organs. When these people were not permitted to do so, however, it gravely led to either committing suicide or collaborating with the enemy. However, it was determined on the basis of examining concrete practices that all sorts of fanatical, hypocritical, and aghaish approaches were widespread in the past and that these attitudes had eroded the vanguard of the party and prevented the growth of the party. Again, these were the main reasons for not previously establishing an adequate army and the lack of evaluation of popular uprisings. The 5th Congress of our party condemned all of these overwhelmingly and brought to light the most prominent inadequacies in personality and in thought from the most grave examples by examining the party's practice in every area. It has decided to commence with a main project of obtaining membership in the party in the upcoming year. On the basis of such evaluation, the 5th Congress of the PKK has been a great judgement and justice congress. It brought to light mistaken and faulty attitudes and items which are considered to be criminal within the extensive discussion period and tried to determine those who are responsible with great patience and care. It condemned most of them on the basis of extensive criticism and self-criticism. As a result it also determined some mistaken punishments in the past struggle and gave the victims their prestige back. It also brought to light and condemned conduct which is deemed detrimental to the people. It decided that those who are responsible must account for that. On the basis of this analysis, the 5th Congress of our party was a congress of justice. The congress, which gathered and worked under the motto of "Creating People's Power", examined and judged the past in detail. It drew the future of the Kurdistan revolution and people with extensive decisions. It cautiously planned and decided various works in order to carry out the duty of the leadership of our party perfectly, to improve internal education and life in the party, to develop the leadership of our party which has a great impact on our people and our revolution. It called attention to the immediate future, which will be the greatest warring period, focusing on the expansion of the army's methods. It determined to establish a national army which is comprised of organized units aside from the already-established guerrilla units. Insistence on discipline and respect for regulations was emphasized, which in turn ensures the establishment of strength in the fighting units. The 5th Congress of our party plainly expressed the truth that the mere existence and means of life of our people depends on a revolutionary war. It determined the war tactics appropriate to the revolutionary war policy of our party on the basis of the prepared war plan. Our congress emphasized once again that the Turkish colonialists are the ones insisting on the war and there are no limits to their barbarity. It decided to continue the war of liberation against the Turkish Special War Department as long as Turkey insists on the war, but to emphasize and be open to dialogue. It authorized the General Presidency of the party and the Central Committee to carry out such a political solution. Our 5th Congress came to the decision to create centralization in the party and the army and to establish preparatory committees with the aim of forming people's institutions. This includes assemblies and administrations of the people at the local, regional, and provincial level and to carry out the national struggle on this basis. Other important tasks are to promptly organize the Kurdistan National Assembly and to proclaim a revolutionary government, to centralize all works carried out in the areas of the life of the people and the national struggle, to reach a democratic popular rule and present it to the party as a duty. It decided to carry out extensive works in every area and to form relations between the ERNK and other Kurdish forces with the aim of coming to power. The 5th Congress of our party was a clear expression of the mature level of our party and it had a great revolutionary perspective. It has been the first congress in which women have made such a great contribution and the representation of 63 women delegates presented a detailed report to the congress concerning the women's issue. It discussed the women's issue on the basis of a revolutionary socialist point of view. It expressed clearly the importance of the free women's movement in the popular revolution, the victory of our revolution, and the role of the participation of women and it reached detailed decisions including a plan to convene a Women's Congress. The congress also focused on the position of the Kurdistan national liberation struggle on the international political agenda and the international impact of the Kurdistan revolution. It discussed extensively and came to decisions on foreign affairs and the importance of alliances. It concluded with remorse the situation of Turkish people, who are poor and under disorganized leadership, and it made them the closet and most strategic ally of the Kurdish people. It decided to make efforts as much as possible to develop the democratic and revolutionary movement of Turkey with a variety of approaches and to support the democratic and revolutionary popular forces of Turkey more than before. It valued the relations with the democratic and progressive forces in the environmentalist, liberal, and social justice organizations and the participation in international institutions and pledged to work to develop a revolutionary socialist international alliance. The 5th Congress of our party hailed the prison resistance movement and evaluated the current situation in the jails, reconfirming the leaders of heroic martyrdom in our struggle who number in the thousands. It convened with the elections of the Central Committee and the Central Discipline Committee and the oath of success and victory. The 5th Congress of our party brought to light and overwhelmingly condemned every fault and insufficiency in attitude and conduct committed in the past. It commenced with the new improved movement in the party and new regulations for becoming a member of the party. The congress calls on all militants and members to renew themselves in the reality of the 5th Congress and to make progress in the line of the leadership in the revolutionary practice. The 5th Congress of the party condemned and corrected all the contradictory attitudes of the past in a just judicial forum. The coming days will focus on the accomplishment of a people's government. This call to our people who live in Kurdistan and elsewhere in the world is a call to defeat the enemy through democratic advocacy. To our people around the world, stress the education, enlightenment, and truth of our 5th Congress, organize and unite en masse, and join our national revolutionary struggle with its final force to overthrow the domination of the colonialist enemy and formally establish the people's government. Furthermore, we call on the Turkish people, who suffer the most harm, to see the reality and not to support the genocidal war, not to be deceived by the propaganda and lies of the fascist, colonialist, dominating class, to comprehend and accept the national liberation struggle that is being carried out by our party, and to struggle and fight alongside the Kurdish people in solidarity against the fascist regime. The 5th Congress of the PKK disclosed and clarified the guilt of the imperialist supporting forces behind Turkish colonialism. This congress is a warning for the imperialist forces and a call for a firm stand from democratic people. We call on all governments not to support the genocidal tactics of Turkish colonialism. Everybody who is a democrat must recognize the reality and power of the Kurdish nation! Based on the leadership and conduct of the unyielding PKK, conduct yourselves as militants of the new conquest march of Mesopotamia, which was initiated by our 5th Congress in the name of humanity! Victory will come to our people who adhere to the reality of the 5th Congress of the PKK! Down with Turkish fascism, colonialism, imperialism, and all reactionary forces! Long live the 5th Victory Congress of our party! Central Committee of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) February 1995 ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Wed Jun 28 17:21:03 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 28 Jun 1995 17:21:03 Subject: PKK: Resolution On Revolution In Tu Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: PKK: Resolution On Revolution In Turkey PKK 5th Party Congress Resolution On Revolution In Turkey And Coalition Politics At the present time, the world is changing from a system of two opposing blocs to a system of several blocs. In this new world order, which is dominated by the USA, people are exploited so as to further the interests of imperialism. Socialism, due to the collapse of real-existing socialism, has been declared a failure. In such a time, it is impossible to imagine that the Kurdish national liberation movement, under the leadership of an increasingly strengthened PKK, can be confined to its national borders. Our nation, which is divided into four parts, directly influences the Middle East. Our party, the PKK, is very determined, it defends socialism and speaks to the people, it greatly frightens the colonialist states of the region, most of all Turkey, and it is moving these in the direction of democracy and socialism. This situation requires us to help the people of this region to find their correct leadership. As part of its internationalist duties, our party, the PKK, measures the Turkish revolution and all coalitions according to the following: "The Kurdish revolution means, at the same time, a revolution in Turkey." The increasingly all-encompassing revolution in Kurdistan, the high number of Kurds who live in Turkey, and the good relations between these people and the Turkish population have forced the ruling powers in Turkey to doubt their own authority. The Turkish people are coming closer to revolution. Our successes are influencing the colonial system even at the organization level, thereby causing revolution to spread throughout the Middle East and even to the Balkans and the Caucasus region, in addition to playing a major role in Turkey. Because of our party, legal, illegal, and other forms of organization work are being carried out in Turkey. It's clear that this situation is the basis for the development of Turkish democratic forces. Although our party has always signalled its willingness to support Turkish democratic-revolutionary forces, there is still a lack of good leadership in Turkey. If one examines both global and regional developments in connection with the Kurdish revolution, one will see that the conditions for the creation of such leadership are better than ever before. Turkish democratic-revolutionary forces have always been at the forefront of our liberation struggle coalitions, under the leadership of the PKK. In the present situation, due to the development of our struggle, such unity represents more than just the joining together of two different peoples or revolutions. In light of this, our 5th Congress has made the following decisions regarding revolution in Turkey and the associated coalitions: 1. The success of our struggle, and the basis it has created for the Turkish democratic forces to develop themselves, should, in future, be continued even more energetically and diversely by all our party members through means of legal and illegal political- organizational activities and actions. 2. We should seek to establish and develop relations, not only forces which strive towards socialism, but with all people, groups, institutions, and parties, withouth specific reference to their class character, which are opposed to the special war, which seek to overthrow the present regime, and which seek democratic developments and solutions to all of humanity's problems as manifested in Turkey. In comparison with the past, these relations should be strengthened and further developed. 3. Forces which seek to develop broad, legal opposition to the dirty war in Turkey should be supported. 4. Ties should be developed with organizations, institutions, parties, and even individuals in Turkey who are committed to the leadership of democratic and socialist struggle with the aim of mutual cooperation. Such an understanding will give rise to a "united revolutionary power" within an even more broad popular front and this will become a significant force. 5. Work which was initiated in the past to found the Revolutionary People's Party (DHP), but which failed due to various mistakes, should be further developed with the necessary support of the correct ideological-political-organizational line and correct forms of action. The DHP will be advised and supported in its practical work. 6. This political work, which it is necessary to carry out further, will be anchored in the appropriate sectors. There shall be unity between the people and the front. Guerrilla units should be developed so that they can last for long periods of time. 7. Political forces which are committed to waging revolutionary democratic resistance should be approached with more comprehensive appeals. Forces which seek to receive military or political training from our organization, as was the case in the past, will in future be guaranteed such assistance. ----- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Tel: (613) 733-9634 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Fax: (613) 733-0090 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 E-mail: kcc at magi.com http://infoweb.magi.com/~kcc ----- From G.LANGE at LINK-GOE.comlink.apc.org Wed Jun 28 19:55:00 1995 From: G.LANGE at LINK-GOE.comlink.apc.org (G.LANGE at LINK-GOE.comlink.apc.org) Date: 28 Jun 1995 19:55:00 Subject: Iraq: Divided Kurds seek trade with Message-ID: <5okazXveENB@1lange.link-goe.zerb> ************************************************************************** #####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq## ************************************************************************** JORDAN TIMES, 15. 05. 1995. *Divided Kurds seek trade with neighbours* *to revive own economy* ZAKHO, Iraq (AFP) - Feuding between rival Kurdish groups in northern Iraq has left the region with an economy dependent on trade with neighbouring countries and divided according to the political affi- liations of each area. Those in the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) held western part of the region depend on petrol exports to neighbouring Turkey, while those in eastern areas under the control of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), trade on timber and tyres imported from Iran. The hundreds of lorries queuing daily at KDP checkpoint near Zakho, 10 kilometres from Turkey's border, bear witness to the importance of the trade in petrol, bought cheaply in Iraq and sold in Turkey below the prices of state-run petrol stations. "They bring in food from Turkey and ship back petrol bought in Zakho or the oilrich region of Mosul," further south, in the Iraqi government-controlled areas, said a Kurdish Iraqi petrol trader, Hamin Hussein. Suleyman Hawesh, a lorry driver from Gaziantep in eastern Turkey, said that eight month ago he used to carry back as much as 20.000 litres, and the Turkish authorities turned a blind eye. "But afterwards, Turkey, allowed only 2.000 to 2.500 litres per lorry, because it feared our cheap petrol was beating its state-owned petrol stations," he said. KDP "customs" director Abdullah Ahmad Bengin told AFP that 500 to 7O0 lorries cross the border daily paying half an Iraqi dinar per litre in tax. This generates $10.000 to $15.000 in daily income which helps the KDP, led by Massud Barzani, run the administration in the regions under his control, centred on the city of Dahuk. Meanwhile, 500 kilometres east of Zakho on the other side of Iraqi Kurdistan, hundreds of lorries queue daily near Penjween, 10 kilometres from the Iranian border. Here, however, they line up in front of a checkpoint manned by the KDP's rival, Jalal Talabani's PUK. >From there, lorries head to the nearby Iranian town of Meriwan to get timber used by international aid organisations for building rooves for houses in the destroyed villages of northern Iraq. "Wood is cheaper in Iran," said Mohzin Kadir, the PUK "customs" director. The PUK-controlled areas around the town of Suleymaniya have also become a transit point for tyres imported from Iran and sold in government-held areas of Iraq affected by a U.N. trade embargo imposed since the August 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. "The PUK takes custom duties both at the Iran border and at the internal Iraqi crossing" to the government-controlled areas, said a Suleymaniyeh tyre trader, Mahmoud Aziz. While Suleymaniyeh and Dahuk survive despite the political division of northern Iraq, the region's largest city, Erbil is suffering, as it lies near the demarcation line between the two territories. People living in Erbil explained that although the PUK controls the city, it does not pay salaries as it does in Suleymaniyeh. The KDP also refuses to pay salaries, considering it a PUK matter, even though many of its followers live there. "The people in Erbil feel forgotten, some of them even hope that the Iraqi regime would come back," said a young Christian women, asking not to be named. KDP and PUK officials however, blame each other for Erbil's misfortune. "The behaviour of both is a bad joke," said a young man in Dahuk, who added: "Even children know that both the KDP and PUK use most of the income generated by taxes for their own military purposes." * * * * * From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu Jun 29 14:03:05 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 29 Jun 1995 14:03:05 Subject: Mainstream news on Kurdistan Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Mainstream news on Kurdistan Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Turkey Renew Mandate For Iraq Force ANKARA, Turkey (Reuter) - The Turkish parliament Tuesday renewed permission for a Western air force based in Turkey to patrol the skies of northern Iraq to protect Iraqi Kurds. Parliament voted by 202 to 153 to allow U.S., British and French planes to use the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey for a further six months starting June 30. Around 80 Western planes enforce a no-fly zone in northern Iraq above the 36th Parallel. They also deter government ground forces from entering Kurdish-held areas. The force, known as Provide Comfort, has been stationed in Turkey since Iraqi Kurds took control of northern Iraq from Baghdad shortly after the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The Turkish parliament's support for the force has waned in recent years because Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels fighting Ankara have established bases in northern Iraq in the absence of an Iraqi government presence. ``We know the PKK has tried to take advantage of the authority vacuum that appeared after the Gulf War,'' Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu told parliament. ``But the real issue is how to get rid of the authority vacuum. All the possibilities except a formula for a lasting and peaceful solution between the regional people and Iraq's central authority could bring Turkey undesired results,'' he said. Inonu said hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Kurds might flee to the Turkish border, as happened after government troops attacked the Kurds in 1991, if Provide Comfort were scrapped. About 35,000 Turkish troops swept 25 miles into northern Iraq in March to strike PKK bases near the border. The six-week operation, as well as Turkey's human rights record in the fight against the PKK at home, has been criticized by Ankara's NATO partners. ``Everywhere we go we have to pay a price. Under such pressure the government says, 'We'll extend Provide Comfort for six months and win some more time','' main opposition Motherland Party (ANAP) MP Dogancan Akyurek said. Northern Iraq has been split into two zones of Kurdish control since the two main Kurdish guerrillas factions began fighting each other late last year. A tentative cease-fire declared between the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in April has largely held. Ex-Minister Predicts Failure of Democratic Reforms By Suna Erdem ANKARA, June 27 (Reuter) - A Turkish cabinet minister who quit over the government's slow democratic reforms said on Tuesday that parliament had no interest in backing reforms sought by Europe in exchange for a lucrative trade pact. ``There is a complete lack of political will for this,'' Ercan Karakas told Reuters in an interview. Social democrat Karakas resigned on Friday as culture minister in the ruling coalition. ``Forget making the rooted democratic reform the country really needs, we cannot even make a few weak improvements. The constitution needs to be changed from top to bottom, but parliament is not managing to change 21 articles of it.'' The European Parliament has linked democratic reforms -- long promised by Prime Minister Tansu Ciller -- to approval of Turkey's coveted customs accord with the European Union, due to go into force next year. Turkey has so far failed to deliver any tangible progress but French President Jacques Chirac seems confident the European Parliament will give Ankara the green light when it votes on the trade pact by October. Chirac has proposed that Turkey be invited to an EU summit in Madrid in December for the first time after the customs union is ratified, aides of the French leader said on Tuesday. Members of the Turkish parliament, bogged down by party splits, personal rivalries and squabbling, have taken two weeks to provisionally approve five changes out of a 21-amendment liberalisation package to the military-era constitution. ``Amendments that have gone through have been watered down,'' Karakas said. ``What is happening with the constitution shows that if anything comes out of this process it will be very weak and not in line with international democratic norms.'' Karakas expressed ``no hope'' for Ciller's announced plans to lift article eight of the tough anti-terror law. The article has enraged Western opinion by sending scores of writers and intellectuals to jail for writings and speeches, mainly perceived as criticism of the treatment of Turkey's Kurds and state policy against an 11-year-old Kurdish insurgency. Ciller has said repeatedly when abroad that article eight was a disgrace to the country and would be lifted soon. Chirac: Invite Turkey to Madrid Summit CANNES, France, June 27 (Reuter) - French President Jacques Chirac has proposed that Turkey be invited to a European Union summit for the first time once the European Parliament ratifies a landmark customs union with Ankara, aides said on Tuesday. Presidential spokeswoman Catherine Colonna told a news conference that Chirac wanted Spain, when it takes over the EU presidency in July, to make contact with Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller with a view to possibly inviting her to the next regular summit in Madrid in December. ``He expressed the wish...that once the European Parliament has approved the customs union, the 15 should plan to invite Turkey with a special status to one of the next European summits, perhaps the next one,'' she said. ``Everything depends on the pace at which things go,'' she added. The General Affairs Council approved the historic customs pact in March but the prospects for ratification remain uncertain because of concern over human rights in Turkey and the treatment of the Kurdish minority there. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0)