From kurdeng at aps.nl Mon May 8 23:12:47 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 08 May 1995 23:12:47 Subject: HIrgUr MUstemleke; Sanki Fiyasko Ha References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: HIrgUr MUstemleke; Sanki Fiyasko Haberler Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Turks Kill 7 Kurdish Rebels DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AP) -- Turkish soldiers killed seven Kurdish rebels Sunday in three separate clashes in southeastern Turkey, officials said. Kurdish rebels have been fighting for autonomy in the area since 1984. More than 15,000 people have died in the conflict. The fighting came less than a week after Turkey withdrew troops from northern Iraq to end a six-week operation to wipe out rebel camps in the Kurd-controlled area. At the operation's height, some 35,000 troops took part. Iraq blasts Demirel over Turkey border remarks By Leon Barkho BAGHDAD, May 7 (Reuter) - Iraq lashed out at Turkish President Suleyman Demirel on Sunday as relations between the two neighbours soured over border issues and contacts with Kurdish rebels. For a third day, state-owned newspapers carried editorials and commentaries lambasting Turkey and stressing that Baghdad would do everything possible to thwart any bid by Ankara to establish a foothold in northern Iraq. Turkey last week ended a six-week drive into northern Iraq in pursuit of rebels of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), who use bases there to launch attacks inside Turkey. Iraq is particularly unhappy with direct contacts between Turkish government officials and Iraqi Kurdish rebel leaders, which it sees as luring them further away from its authority. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is talking with Turkish officials about ways to guard the international borders against future infiltration of PKK guerrillas. In return, Ankara is pledging relief for Iraqi Kurds. U.N. relief officials in Baghdad say Turkey has earmarked $12 million in humanitarian aid and provided electricity to Dahouk province. Baghdad views the rapprochement between Ankara and the Iraqi Kurdish rebels as a violation of sovereignty and interference in its domestic affairs. Iraq also reacted angrily to statements attributed to Demirel demanding a redrawing of their joint border to stop infiltration by the PKK. Turkey's foreign ministry last Monday denied the reports, also carried by Turkish newspapers, that Demirel wanted to redraw the border. Al-Thawra, the newspaper of the ruling Baath party, was particularly critical of Demirel, accusing him of attempts to revive Turkish imperial dreams. In the sharpest attack on Demirel so far, it branded him "the sick janissary," a reference to the Turkish sultans' guard established in the 14th century. It said Demirel was trying to play the role of former Turkish sultans, harbouring greedy intentions towards Iraq. "Beware...Demirel salivates over... Baghdad... Basra... and...Mosul," it said. "Beware, the Pasha (Demirel) would like to return to Amadiya, Arbil and Kirkuk ...It is an old wound and past vengeance." Turkey's charge d'affaires in Baghdad said Turkey had no intention of raising the demarcation issue but underlined Ankara's displeasure with the way the borders stand now. Iraq's ruling Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) said in a statement on Thursday that Baghdad would resist with all available means any Turkish attempt to change the borders. Baghdad newspapers, contrary to diplomatic practice, published in full the Turkish foreign ministry's reply, which the RCC said it found unsatisfactory. The Turkish talks with Kurdish leaders and remarks on borders have brought bilateral ties to their lowest level ever. U.N. relief officials in Baghdad say the flow of trucks from Turkey to Iraq has been reduced to a trickle and there are no signs of meetings between senior officials of the two countries. Iraq accuses Turkey of playing U.S. lackey in the region by supporting the presence of allied planes on its territory to protect rebel Kurds from possible attacks by Iraqi armed forces. The two neighbours also have differences on water. Baghdad charges that Ankara is pirating of the region's water by building dams and canals on the Euphrates River. The Turks were Iraq's rulers for about four centuries until British forces drove their armies out, leading to establishment of the new Iraqi state after World War One. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue May 16 17:26:41 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 16 May 1995 17:26:41 Subject: HIrgUr MUstemleke; Sanki Fiyasko Ha References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: HIrgUr MUstemleke; Sanki Fiyasko Haberler, 15/5/95, TSI 08:00 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl er 2.20) id VT4279; Mon, 15 May 1995 19:26:29 -0800 NATO's Claes to visit Greece, Turkey over row By Jonathan Clayton BRUSSELS, May 14 (Reuter) - NATO Secretary-General Willy Claes flies this week to Greece and Turkey to mediate in a dispute between the two alliance members and regional rivals that threatens sensitive military operations. The latest row has led to Ankara blocking NATO's entire military budget and forced the grouping to freeze all military projects just as it is in the process of finalising plans for a possible pull-out of U.N. peacekeeping forces from Bosnia. "Turkey's action is out of proportion. It is hitting at the entire alliance not just Greece," one senior NATO diplomat said. He added that, if the dispute was still unresolved by the end of this month, the alliance would have to shift to some form of emergency financing for previously approved military projects that are worth several hundred million dollars. Greek diplomats said they believed Claes would carry with him various proposals for a compromise solution, but said they were not encouraged by recent Turkish actions despite Ankara's need to win support after its recent military thrust against Kurdish rebels in Iraq. Disputes between Greece and Turkey have often blocked alliance activity in the eastern Mediterranean, but this time Turkey has chosen to widen the dispute which centres on the financing of NATO facilities in Turkey. Greece had previously vetoed the funding of alliance facilities in the port of Izmir, pushing the case for a new NATO command centre to also be set up on its territory. The embattled Claes, who has been dragged recently into a murky Belgian defence contract corruption scandal dating from his time as Belgium's economics minister, heads first for Athens on Tuesday and then goes to Ankara on the following day. Claes said on Saturday he had no intention of quitting as NATO secretary-general and proclaimed his innocence after being questioned for 12 hours on Friday about the so-called Agusta affair by investigators at Belgium's highest court. "I am supported by all the ministers in the NATO Council. None of them is asking for my resignation," Claes was quoted as saying in by the German weekly paper Bild am Sonntag. The visit is formally part of a tour that Claes, who only took office last October, is making of capitals of member states. But it has taken on greater significance since the tension heightened between Athens and Ankara. "This is now a very important visit," a NATO source said. Apart from his personal problems, Claes has faced an array of crises in the alliance since taking over, from transatlantic squabbling over air strikes in support of U.N. actions in Bosnia to a row with Moscow over NATO enlargement plans. Diplomats fear failure to resolve the Greece-Turkey row soon could further dent NATO's credibility at a time when its relevance in a post-Cold War world is increasingly questioned. The NATO row coincides with Turkish efforts to encourage European parliamentarians to vote later this year in favour of a lucrative European Union-Turkey customs union. Independent analysts say Turkey's drive against Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq has cost it much support in Europe and the dispute within NATO has further angered its allies. "Turkey just seems to keep doing things which do not help its case," one political analyst said. From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue May 30 17:05:13 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 30 May 1995 17:05:13 Subject: HIrgUr MUstemleke; Sanki Fiyasko Ha References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: HIrgUr MUstemleke; Sanki Fiyasko Haberler, 30/5/95, TSI 08:00 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl id VT6293; Tue, 30 May 1995 14:36:40 -0800 Turkish prosecutor wants high court review of speech law By Aliza Marcus ISTANBUL (Reuter) - A Turkish prosecutor said on Thursday part of a law limiting freedom of expression that Ankara's Western allies want lifted was unconstitutional and he wanted the high court to review it. "I believe that a part is against the constitution and international conventions," Aytac Tolay, a prosecutor in the Istanbul state security court, told Reuters. Tolay said he raised his reservations about article 8 of the anti-terror law, which bans "separatist propaganda," when he charged 99 people this week for publishing a book of articles by writers imprisoned for the same crime or promoting racism. Despite his reservations, Tolay said he had no choice but to charge the intellectuals as long as the law remained on the books. Because prosecutors are not empowered to refer cases to the high court, Tolay's move leaves it up to the judges to decide whether or not to send the case to the constitutional court for a ruling. Legal experts say this appeared to be the first time a prosecutor had requested that article 8 be forwarded for review. Tolay's criticism centres on the part of article 8 banning alleged separatist propaganda "regardless of the method, intention and ideas behind it." Removing this clause would force prosecutors to show the defendent intended to damage the "indivisible unity of the state," something those charged generally have denied. Some Western diplomats praised the move -- which theoretically would sharply narrow the law's application -- saying it was one way for critics of the law to get around parliament's inability to agree on long-promised reforms. Article 8 has been used to jail scores of writers, academics, trade unionists and others for written or verbal statements deemed "separatist propaganda." Most of the people said or wrote something about Turkey's Kurdish minority -- from history books to poetry -- whose political and cultural rights are limited by Turkish law. Western allies have called on Ankara to ease restrictions on freedom of expression, and Prime Minister Tansu Ciller has repeatedly promised to make changes. The approval of Turkey's customs union with the Europe may hang in the balance because the European Parliament has threatened to veto the deal unless concrete steps are taken to better the country's human rights record. But opposition within Ciller's own party has so far hampered reforms, with some parliamentarians arguing restrictions cannot be lifted as long as Turkey is battling separatist Kurdish guerrillas. From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 3 23:21:13 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 03 May 1995 23:21:13 Subject: TRKNWS-L NEWS from Vic McDonald References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TRKNWS-L NEWS from Vic McDonald Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 2.20) id VT2655; Wed, 03 May 1995 19:33:29 -0800 Ciller: Turkish Troops Dramatically Reduced in Iraq ANKARA, May 2 (Reuter) - Turkey has only three battalions left inside northern Iraq in its drive againt rebel Kurds, Prime Minister Tansu Ciller said on Tuesday. This meant that only 2,000 to 3,000 of the original 35,000-strong force sent across the border six weeks ago remained in northern Iraq, military sources said. ``We presently have three battalions in northern Iraq and they will be withdrawn as they complete their assignments,'' Ciller told her party's parliamentary deputies. Turkish forces crossed into northern Iraq on March 20 to strike at guerrilla bases of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey, which has come under fire from some of its Western allies for the incursion, pulled out 3,000 and 20,000 soldiers in two rounds last month. Ciller said the drive was ``one of the most successful campaigns in Turkish history.'' A military statement said on Tuesday the northern Iraq operation had so far cost $66 million. It said it was confirmed that 555 PKK members were killed in 43 days of fighting while 61 government soldiers were killed and four were missing. The military says the actual PKK death toll is higher because it was impossible to recover many bodies in the rough mountains of the 14,000-sq-km (5,400-sq-mile) wide theatre of operation. More than 15,000 people have been killed in 11 years of fighting between Ankara's forces and PKK guerrillas. The statement listed large quantities of weapons and ammunition seized from the rebels in northern Iraq, including 1,000 rifles, 58 machineguns, 118 rocket launchers, 3,500 RPG-7 rockets and 5,800 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. The rebels were armed with recoilless guns, anti-aircraft guns, anti-tank missiles and mortars, as well as sophisticated night vision equipment, mine detectors and wireless sets. ``Considering that these weapons would have been used to kill innocent citizens, the need for the operation and the benefits derived from it are obvious,'' the statement said. ``These weapons must be exhibited to the whole world. They were stored to killl innocent people,'' said Ciller. Northern Iraq has been outside the Baghdad government's control since a Kurdish rebellion after the 1991 Gulf War. The order established by Iraqi Kurdish groups has largely collapsed in recent months because of a feud among rival movements. European Delegation Arrives in Turkey A delegation from the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe has arrived in Turkey to investigate claims of human rights abuses against the Kurdish minority. Prime Minister Tansu Ciller has cautioned Europe against neglecting to take account of human rights abuses carried out by the PKK (The Guardian) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri May 5 16:22:53 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 05 May 1995 16:22:53 Subject: TRKNWS-L NEWS from Vic McDonald References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TRKNWS-L NEWS from Vic McDonald Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Iraq Warns Turkey Over Border By Leon Barkho BAGHDAD, May 4 (Reuter) - Iraq, wary of Turkey's direct contacts with Iraqi Kurdish rebels, said on Thursday it would use all means at its disposal to stop Ankara changing their mutual border. On the day Turkey's defence minister said all Ankara's troops had withdrawn from northern Iraq after a six-week operation against rebel Kurds, the ruling Revolutionary Council (RCC) said Iraq would oppose any unilateral step by Turkey that would violate its national borders. ``Iraq will resist any action of this kind with all legitimate means and nothing will stop it from that,'' an RCC spokesman said in statement handed to foreign reporters. The ruling Baath party newspaper al-Thawra had said earlier Iraq would overcome any obstacle to defend its borders if Ankara translated statements on frontier demarcation into action. The RCC's reaction and Thawra's editorial, the harshest on Ankara since Turkey sent about 35,000 troops into northern Iraq in March to hunt down guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), were an indication that Baghdad was taking what is described here as ``Turkey's covetous intentions'' very seriously. Baghdad newspapers published on Wednesday what they said were statements by Turkish President Suleyman Demirel in which he said a demarcation of the border was being considered to prevent PKK rebels from entering Turkey. ``Iraq has received with strong renunciation statements attributed to Mr Suleyman Demirel in which he called for a redemarcation of the borders between Iraq and Turkey under the pretext of combating terrorism,'' the unnamed spokesman said. Turkey's foreign ministry, in a statement issued in Ankara on Monday, had denied the Turkish press report about the border demarcation. The Iraqi foreign ministry summoned Turkish charge d'affaires, Saadi Calislar, on Wednesday to ask for an explanation. Calislar submitted a paper to the Iraqi authorities on Turkey's attitude on Thursday but the RCC said it found it unsatisfactory. ``What came in the explanation of the Turkish government does not preclude in reality that Turks are discussing this issue...before consulting Iraq and taking its opinion, a matter which we strongly denounce. ``Iraq refuses to discuss the issue and warns Turkey of taking any unilateral step that violates the national boundaries,'' the spokesman warned. He did not say what measures Baghdad would take as its Kurdish rebel foes, under Western protection, control most of Iraqi Kurdistan and are currently conducting talks with Turkish officials on security in the region. The rebels have turned down a Baghdad offer for dialogue. Baghdad-based diplomats said they doubted Turkey would try to change the geopolitics of a volatile region. ``They have enough problems in their own territory to grapple with,'' said a Western diplomat. Turkish Defence Minister Mehmet Golhan said on Thursday Turkish troops had completely withdrawn from northern Iraq after the operation again PKK bases. Iraqi Kurds Will Prevent Attacks on Turkey by PKK ANKARA, May 3 (Reuter) - Iraqi Kurds said on Wednesday they would not allow a restive area on the porous border with Turkey to be used as a base for rebel attacks on their neighbour. ``We have a joint border of some 340 kilometres (200 miles)...We will not allow anyone in our region to upset our neighbours,'' Nachirvan Barzani, nephew of Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, told Anatolian news agency. Barzani, heading a delegation from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), spoke after initial talks with Turkish officials, including foreign ministry undersecretary Ozdem Sanberk. Talks were to continue later on Wednesday and on Thursday. Ankara wants Iraqi Kurdish guerrillas to guard the border from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebel infiltration. About 35,000 Turkish troops drove into northern Iraq on March 20 to root out bases used by the PKK in its fight for a separate state in southeast Turkey. Ankara says it has brought home more than 30,000 of the troops. Barzani said the delegations also discussed the KDP's desire for Turkey to help rebuild Iraqi Kurdish villages near the border. The villages were emptied by the Iraqi government in 1988 and 1991 and residents have been afraid to return because of PKK threats and Turkey's air raids, the KDP says. Turkey has offered to pay KDP guerrillas to hold strategic points on the frontier, Turkish officials have said. KDP leader Massoud Barzani had not yet set a date for an expected visit to Ankara. In southeast Turkey, troops killed 17 PKK rebels in separate clashes, Anatolian said. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat May 6 14:16:19 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 06 May 1995 14:16:19 Subject: TRKNWS-L NEWS from Vic McDonald References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TRKNWS-L NEWS from Vic McDonald Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl (V-MailServer 2.20) id VT3110; Sat, 06 May 1995 14:51:55 -0800 Defense Minister Golhan: All Turkish Troops Out of Iraq By Suna Erdem ANKARA, Turkey (Reuter) - Turkish troops have completely withdrawn from northern Iraq after a six-week push on rebel Kurd bases that strained Ankara's relations with the West, Defense Minister Mehmet Golhan said Thursday. ``We have no one there (northern Iraq). We have withdrawn them all and we only have security measures on the border,'' he told reporters before a Cabinet meeting. Deputy Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin said a few troops still remained in northern Iraq but did not give details. But Golhan later said although some troops were ``on the border,'' essentially the soldiers were all out. The general staff spokesman and the Foreign Ministry were unavailable for comment on the pullout. Turkey had sent 35,000 men into the region March 20 against the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which used bases in northern Iraq. It withdrew in stages late last month, and only about 2,000 to 3,000 troops were left by this week. Ankara has been at odds with several of its Western allies over their criticism of the anti-rebel incursion. The parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe said last week it would suspend Turkey if it did not leave northern Iraq by the end of June. Turkey rejects criticism that the 11-year-old Kurdish insurgency, in which more than 15,000 people have been killed, was aggravated by anti-Kurdish human rights abuses. Ankara is trying to forge a deal with Iraqi Kurds -- who control three provinces in northern Iraq on the porous Turkish border -- to ensure the PKK does not regain control of the area and rebuild bases as it did after a 1992 Turkish incursion. A high-ranking Iraqi Kurdish team met Turkish officials in Ankara Wednesday and Thursday to discuss guarding the Iraqi side of the mountainous border after a full withdrawal. Asked about claims the PKK had begun to re-enter the area occupied by Turkish troops during the push, Golhan said this was impossible as the separatists' infrastructure was destroyed. ``Even if it came back it is not possible for it to resettle the area,'' Golhan said. ``There is nowhere left for it to hide. All its caves have been blown up. It is not so easy...'' Nachirvan Barzani, head of the visiting delegation and nephew of Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani, said Wednesday they would not allow the restive area on the porous border to be used as a base for rebel attacks on Turkey. But many Turks are wary of the Iraqi Kurds after a similar project following the 1992 incursion proved unsuccessful, allowing the PKK to regroup in Iraq. The delegation represents Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party, or KDP, but a date is not yet set for an expected visit by Massoud Barzani. Iraqi Kurds have said Turkey should expect to find him a tougher negotiator this time around as he has expressed anger throughout the incursion, saying he was not forewarned. The KDP wants Turkey to help rebuild Iraqi Kurdish villages by the border. The villages were emptied by the Iraqi government in 1988 and 1991 and residents have been afraid to return because of PKK threats and Turkish air raids, the KDP says. Northern Iraq has been outside the Baghdad government's control since a Kurdish rebellion after the 1991 Gulf War. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Sun May 14 19:11:17 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 14 May 1995 19:11:17 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 Mitchel ---------- +------------------------------------------------------+ + AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION BULLETIN + + Electronic distribution authorised + + This bulletin expires: 30 June 1995. + +------------------------------------------------------+ EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: EUR 44/59/95 Distr: UA/SC 12 May 1995 Further information on UA 391/94 (EUR 44/128/94, 1 November 1994) and follow-up (EUR 44/20/95, 26 January 1995) - "Disappearance" / Medical Concern / Fear of torture TURKEY Huseyin Koku, President of HADEP party in Elbistan Mustafa Yeter, board member of HADEP party in Elbistan Hanan Guner On 27 April 1995, the family of Huseyin Koku, who "disappeared" in Elbistan on 20 October 1994, were informed by the police that a body, in an advanced state of decay had been found by a shepherd among some rocks near the town of Puturge, in Malatya province, 150 km from Elbistan. The cause of death is not clear. On 28 April, three relatives of Huseyin Koku, including father-in-law Oruc Guzel and brother-in-law Ahmet Guzel, identified the body at Puturge State Hospital as being that of Huseyin Koku. When the three relatives returned to Elbistan on the same day, police detained them and took them to Elbistan Police Headquarters, where they were allegedly beaten. To Amnesty International's knowledge, Huseyin Koku's body is still at Puturge State Hospital, and no proper autopsy has yet been conducted. In view of the circumstances of the case - in particular the suspicion that state agents from the Elbistan area were involved in his death - the family are concerned that the autopsy should be carried out in Istanbul or Ankara by forensic experts with proper facilities for full examination in the presence of a member of the family or their legal representative. They also fear that evidence may be destroyed while the body is waiting in Puturge. Amnesty International has also received further information concerning Mustafa Yeter and Hanan Guner, who were detained on 18 January 1995 from their homes in Elbistan. [Please note - correction to EUR 44/20/95: Hanan Guner is male, not female. Both men are neighbours and were detained from their own homes, and not from the same house, as originally stated.] Mustafa Yeter and Hanan Guner, as members of the local branch of HADEP, had made further inquiries into the fate of Huseyin Koku. It appears that they were detained because of their repeated appeals to the local governor about the case. Mustafa Yeter told Amnesty International that both he and Hanan Guner were tortured while being held at a police station in the Cumhuriyet district of Elbistan. According to his account, during seven days in incommunicado detention, Mustafa Yeter was repeatedly blindfolded and interrogated while naked. He was sprayed with a high-pressure jet of ice- cold water, hung up by his hands and beaten with truncheons. During the interrogation police several times threatened to kill him. While still blindfolded he was forced to sign a statement that he was not permitted to read. The family's daily inquiries at the Elbistan Cumhuriyet Police Station were met with denial that Mustafa Yeter was being held there. On 26 January, he and Hanan Guner were brought before the local prosecutor, who charged them with supporting the PKK. They were committed to Elbistan prison. On 9 March, Mustafa Yeter and Hanan Guner appeared at Malatya State Security Court where they were acquitted and released. On 18 March Mustafa Yeter was abducted in Elbistan by three armed men who pulled him into a car. Recalling the death threats to which he was subjected in police custody, Mustafa Yeter decided that his life was at risk. He managed to escape before the car left the town centre: "I grabbed the driver around the body, and he had to brake hard just in front of a school. The local people came out thinking there had been an accident. I threw myself outside. The police swore at me. I shouted and shouted: `They are kidnapping a man' and the people all looked. The police had no choice but to drive away." Mustafa Yeter later fled from Turkey. From kurdeng at aps.nl Sun May 14 19:15:25 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 14 May 1995 19:15:25 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 Mitchel ---------- +------------------------------------------------------+ + AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION BULLETIN + + Electronic distribution authorised + + This bulletin expires: 30 June 1995. + +------------------------------------------------------+ EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: EUR 44/59/95 Distr: UA/SC 12 May 1995 Further information on UA 391/94 (EUR 44/128/94, 1 November 1994) and follow-up (EUR 44/20/95, 26 January 1995) - "Disappearance" / Medical Concern / Fear of torture TURKEY Huseyin Koku, President of HADEP party in Elbistan Mustafa Yeter, board member of HADEP party in Elbistan Hanan Guner On 27 April 1995, the family of Huseyin Koku, who "disappeared" in Elbistan on 20 October 1994, were informed by the police that a body, in an advanced state of decay had been found by a shepherd among some rocks near the town of Puturge, in Malatya province, 150 km from Elbistan. The cause of death is not clear. On 28 April, three relatives of Huseyin Koku, including father-in-law Oruc Guzel and brother-in-law Ahmet Guzel, identified the body at Puturge State Hospital as being that of Huseyin Koku. When the three relatives returned to Elbistan on the same day, police detained them and took them to Elbistan Police Headquarters, where they were allegedly beaten. To Amnesty International's knowledge, Huseyin Koku's body is still at Puturge State Hospital, and no proper autopsy has yet been conducted. In view of the circumstances of the case - in particular the suspicion that state agents from the Elbistan area were involved in his death - the family are concerned that the autopsy should be carried out in Istanbul or Ankara by forensic experts with proper facilities for full examination in the presence of a member of the family or their legal representative. They also fear that evidence may be destroyed while the body is waiting in Puturge. Amnesty International has also received further information concerning Mustafa Yeter and Hanan Guner, who were detained on 18 January 1995 from their homes in Elbistan. [Please note - correction to EUR 44/20/95: Hanan Guner is male, not female. Both men are neighbours and were detained from their own homes, and not from the same house, as originally stated.] Mustafa Yeter and Hanan Guner, as members of the local branch of HADEP, had made further inquiries into the fate of Huseyin Koku. It appears that they were detained because of their repeated appeals to the local governor about the case. Mustafa Yeter told Amnesty International that both he and Hanan Guner were tortured while being held at a police station in the Cumhuriyet district of Elbistan. According to his account, during seven days in incommunicado detention, Mustafa Yeter was repeatedly blindfolded and interrogated while naked. He was sprayed with a high-pressure jet of ice- cold water, hung up by his hands and beaten with truncheons. During the interrogation police several times threatened to kill him. While still blindfolded he was forced to sign a statement that he was not permitted to read. The family's daily inquiries at the Elbistan Cumhuriyet Police Station were met with denial that Mustafa Yeter was being held there. On 26 January, he and Hanan Guner were brought before the local prosecutor, who charged them with supporting the PKK. They were committed to Elbistan prison. On 9 March, Mustafa Yeter and Hanan Guner appeared at Malatya State Security Court where they were acquitted and released. On 18 March Mustafa Yeter was abducted in Elbistan by three armed men who pulled him into a car. Recalling the death threats to which he was subjected in police custody, Mustafa Yeter decided that his life was at risk. He managed to escape before the car left the town centre: "I grabbed the driver around the body, and he had to brake hard just in front of a school. The local people came out thinking there had been an accident. I threw myself outside. The police swore at me. I shouted and shouted: `They are kidnapping a man' and the people all looked. The police had no choice but to drive away." Mustafa Yeter later fled from Turkey. +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + 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) + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------------------------------- * Activists Press Service (Newsdesk) * newsdesk at aps.nl !Power to the people! ------------------------------------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Sun May 7 22:47:00 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 07 May 1995 22:47:00 Subject: Free Kani Yilmaz! References: Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Kurdistan Committee of Canada Subject: Free Kani Yilmaz! KURD-A News May 4, 1995 Free Kani Yilmaz! In October 1994, Kani Yilmaz, the European Representative of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was arrested on the most flimsy charges. It is difficult to comprehend the actions of the British authorities in this matter. There are political reasons behind the long duration of his detention. Great Britain isn't even afraid to break its own laws to do this. The arrest of Kani Yilmaz was a refined attack against the Kurdish movement. His extradition to Germany is part of this scenario. The recent wave of arrests against Kurdish politicians have also been carried out for dubious reasons. Great Britain cannot hide behind its argument that Kani Yilmaz is simply being deported to Germany. After his trial, which begins on May 4, Kani Yilmaz must be set free. The detention of Kani Yilmaz is a service to the destructive special war being waged by the Turkish army. Instead of allowing the conflict to become worse, steps must be taken to find a political and democratic solution. The current negotiations between Great Britain and Iran, at a time when Great Britain is acting as a party for the Turkish occupation army and Turkish state terrorism, are a contradiction. The continued detention of Kani Yilmaz, who is a man honoured by our people, is trying the patience and sensibilities of our people. The increasing tension which is caused by the continued detention of Kani Yilmaz is not in Great Britain's interest. We call on the British public to protest against these politics and to show solidarity with the Kurdish people. Ali Garzan, ERNK European Spokesperson From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu May 4 19:07:50 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 04 May 1995 19:07:50 Subject: Mainstream news References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Mainstream news Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl (V-MailServer 2.20) id VT2825; Thu, 04 May 1995 19:31:40 -0800 Ciller says Turkish troops in Iraq down sharply ANKARA, May 2 (Reuter) - Turkey has only three battalions left inside northern Iraq in its drive againt rebel Kurds, Prime Minister Tansu Ciller said on Tuesday. This meant that only 2,000 to 3,000 of the original 35,000-strong force sent across the border six weeks ago remained in northern Iraq, military sources said. "We presently have three battalions in northern Iraq and they will be withdrawn as they complete their assignments," Ciller told her party's parliamentary deputies. Turkish forces crossed into northern Iraq on March 20 to strike at guerrilla bases of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey, which has come under fire from some of its Western allies for the incursion, pulled out 3,000 and 20,000 soldiers in two rounds last month. Ciller said the drive was "one of the most successful campaigns in Turkish history." A military statement said on Tuesday the northern Iraq operation had so far cost $66 million. It said it was confirmed that 555 PKK members were killed in 43 days of fighting while 61 government soldiers were killed and four were missing. The military says the actual PKK death toll is higher because it was impossible to recover many bodies in the rough mountains of the 14,000-sq-km wide theatre of operation. More than 15,000 people have been killed in 11 years of fighting between Ankara's forces and PKK guerrillas. The statement listed large quantities of weapons and ammunition seized from the rebels in northern Iraq, including 1,000 rifles, 58 machineguns, 118 rocket launchers, 3,500 RPG-7 rockets and 5,800 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. The rebels were armed with recoilless guns, anti-aircraft guns, anti-tank missiles and mortars, as well as sophisticated night vision equipment, mine detectors and wireless sets. "Considering that these weapons would have been used to kill innocent citizens, the need for the operation and the benefits derived from it are obvious," the statement said. "These weapons must be exhibited to the whole world. They were stored to kill innocent people," said Ciller. Northern Iraq has been outside the Baghdad government's control since a Kurdish rebellion after the 1991 Gulf War. The order established by Iraqi Kurdish groups has largely collapsed in recent months because of a feud among rival movements. Kurds say not responsible for airline office fire COPENHAGEN, May 2 (Reuter) - Kurdish militants demanding an independent homeland denied on Tuesday that they firebombed the Copenhagen office of Turkish Airlines. The Kurdistan National Liberation Front (ERNK) said in a statement that it had nothing to do with the attack on Monday. Police said three men smashed the office windows with stones and hurled petrol bombs into the building. A small fire was put out and there was damage but no-one was injured. Three men were seen running away from the city centre office, police said. Turkish Airlines blamed the action on rebel Kurds fighting for an independent Kurdistan. But an ERNK spokesman told Reuters: "We did not have anything to do with the attack." ERNK, the political wing of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), which wants a separate Kurdish homeland in southeast Turkey, opened an office in Copenhagen on April 25. Turkish buildings in Copenhagen were last subjected to attacks believed to have been the work of rebel Kurds in November 1993. Similar attacks have been staged in recent weeks on Turkish sites in other western European cities. From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 10 16:20:58 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 10 May 1995 16:20:58 Subject: Mainstream news References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Mainstream news Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Turkey's Iraq drive ends with EU links damaged By Alistair Bell ANKARA, May 7 (Reuter) - Turkey's six-week incursion against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq has ended with limited military success and has damaged Ankara's long-held ambitions to get closer to Europe, analysts said. The drive raised the hackles of NATO ally Germany, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, which will determine the future of a key trade pact between Turkey and the European Union. "Diplomatically, Turkey has paid a very high price for the operation," Turkish newspaper commentator Sedat Ergin said. "We weren't able to explain ourselves well to the outside world. The next time we do a similar operation the public relations side should be as carefully planned as the military side," said Ergin, a columnist for the Hurriyet daily. The Turkish military on Friday announced the end of the operation which at its height involved 35,000 troops hunting Kurdistan Worker Party (PKK) rebels in a 40-km deep strip of mountainous territory along the border. The army says it destroyed dozens of rebel camps in Iraq and cut off the guerrillas' supply routes into Turkey. "The military dealt a heavy blow to the PKK's logistical infrastructure. They might be able to resettle in the border area again but they won't be nearly as effective," Ergin said. Most of the rebels escaped the oncoming army in the first days of the operation, warned in advance by a ponderous build up on the Turkish side of the 330-km border. Germany, concerned for the safety of Iraqi Kurdish civilians and worried Turkish troops might have stayed in Iraq long term, froze military aid to Turkey nine days into the push. The suspension of military hardware deliveries is still in force. The parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe threatened to suspend founder-member Turkey over the Iraq incursion, prompting Turkey to break off its relations with the 34-nation body. "Now the troops are out, Germany will probably end up giving military supplies back to Turkey soon and the Council of Europe row can be stitched up. But the real problem is the customs union," a Western analyst said. The European Parliament had linked ratification of a Turkey-EU customs union later this year on a quick Turkish withdrawal and the implementation of a democratisation package inside Turkey. "The troops are out but the episode has left a bitter taste in Europe," the Western analyst said. The customs union, under which trade barriers are to come down on both sides, has long been sought by Ankara as a step towards full EU membership. The incursion and its aftermath have also angered the Baghdad government, suspicious of Turkish intentions to secure its border with Iraq from future PKK infiltration. State-owned Iraqi newspapers lambasted Turkey for a third day on Sunday for alleged expansionist ambitions. Al-Thawra, the paper of the ruling Baath party, likened Turkish President Suleyman Demirel to the Ottoman sultans who ruled Iraq for about four centuries until the end of World War One. Turkey is trying to persuade Iraqi Kurdish guerrillas who broke with the government of President Saddam Hussein after the Gulf War in 1991 to help guard the border. Turkey says detained rebels planned tourism attack ANKARA, May 8 (Reuter) - Turkish police in the coastal city of Izmir detained three Kurdish militants planning to carry out attacks on tourism facilities, the Anatolian news agency said on Monday. Police also seized nine blocks of TNT explosives weighing 400 grams each after a 40-day operation, it said. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebel group has bombed tourist sites along Turkey's southern and western coasts in the last two years to damage the lucrative tourism sector. A British woman was killed when a PKK bomb exploded in the resort town of Marmaris last June. Anatolian said one of the three detained men told police he had been trained in bomb-making in neighbouring Greece with 30 other people who entered Turkey at the same time as him to sabotage tourism. Greece has denied previous Turkish accusations that PKK guerrillas, fighting for a Kurdish state in southeast Turkey, are trained on its soil. From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu May 11 16:25:39 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 11 May 1995 16:25:39 Subject: Mainstream news References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Mainstream news Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 22:20:23 -0800 EU welcomes end of Turk incursion into Iraq PARIS, May 9 (Reuter) - The European Union on Tuesday welcomed the end of Turkey's six-week incursion against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq but called on Ankara to pay more attention to its human rights record in general. "The European Union...noted with satisfaction the announcement that Turkey would withdraw all its forces from northern Iraq," said an EU statement issued by the French foreign ministry. Paris now holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency. "(But) the Union hopes Ankara will likewise take into account and in the same fashion the other preoccupations expressed by the EU over the last months concerning democratic process and human rights," the statement said. Progress in those fields would create better conditions for improved economic ties between Turkey and EU member states, especially concerning the implementation of a customs accord, the EU said. From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 17 15:29:28 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 17 May 1995 15:29:28 Subject: Mainstream news References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Mainstream news Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Kurdish TV from Britain is nationalist voice By Aliza Marcus ISTANBUL, May 15 (Reuter) - It's showtime in Turkey and the latest television programme to hit the crowded airwaves favours documentaries about village life and children's game shows. But despite the ponderous -- some would say boring -- nature of the broadcasts, British-based MED-TV has its intensely loyal viewers, and all because the language of choice is Kurdish. "Every night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. you can find me right here, in front of the television," said a Kurdish businessman, chuckling as children draped in the red, yellow and red colours of Kurdish nationalism danced across the screen. "Imagine, for the first time in history, we have our own television, which is being broadcast to Kurds all over the world," he said. Turkish officials are less than pleased about the British- licensed MED-TV, which uses satellite technology to beam from London into Turkey and evade Turkish laws forbidding broadcasts in Kurdish. Turkey, worried MED-TV is being used by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla group to promote demands for Kurdish autonomy or independence in Turkey, has asked Britain's licensing agency to monitor broadcasts. "I think this goes against the European conventions on television and human rights, because it stirs up racial hatred and is against the territorial integrity of Turkey," said an official with Turkey's Radio and Television High Commission. Whether it is linked to the PKK or not -- MED-TV officials say a wide variety of groups and businessmen are financially backing the channel -- the broadcast certainly gives the guerrillas another route to spread their message. PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, based in Syria or Lebanon, recently joined a debate by telephone with other Kurdish groups on MED-TV. He said he was fighting for Kurdish rights but not a separate Kurdish state. More than 15,000 people have died in the rebels' 11-year-old battle in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. But the television tension is more than a spat over programming. It reflects both the problems Turkey has in suppressing Kurdish identity in the age of technology and open borders, as well as the growing role of the usually wealthier and better educated Kurdish diaspora in Europe. Kurds in Europe, made up of many who say they fled repression in Turkey, are becoming a powerful lobby against Ankara's attempts to deny Kurdish cultural rights at home. Kurds set up a 65-seat parliament-in-exile in The Hague in April which includes members of the PKK and the non-violent Democracy Party (DEP) banned in Turkey last year. Ankara recalled its ambassador from the Netherlands and embargoed the import of new Dutch military sales in a row over the assembly which Turkey says is an undemocratic PKK front. "Turkey has been getting very upset with Europe, but instead of lashing out they should be trying to foster a positive environment," said a Western diplomat. The Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly voted on April 26 to suspend Turkey if Ankara did not clean up its human rights record while Bonn stopped military aid when Turkish troops moved into northern Iraq in March to wipe out PKK bases. Turkey's long-hoped for customs deal with the European Union could be blocked by Euro-MPs if Ankara does not address human rights concerns, including the jailing of six Kurdish MPs. By promoting Kurdish culture, Kurdish language and by association Kurdish nationalism, MED-TV runs counter to Turkey's attempts to suppress Kurdish identity. Kurdish-language education is not allowed in Turkey and books about Kurdish history are often banned under the charge of disseminating separatist propaganda. MED-TV officials acknowledge the broadcasts are aimed to develop a sense of identity among Kurds and say it's about time Kurds had their own TV show. Western historians estimate there are about 20 million Kurds in Turkey and neighbouring countries. "This television will be a different voice, and with shows also in Turkish we can reach Turks as well so they can learn about Kurdish people," said Ahmet Akkaya, a Turk who is the Belgium-based spokesman for MED-TV. "Why shouldn't Kurds have their own television?" he told Reuters by telephone. MED-TV officials stress the international approach of the broadcasts, designed to appeal to Kurds not just in Turkey, but also in Iraq, Iran, Syria and throughout Europe. "This will be one step in helping Kurds develop a common cultural identity after being forced apart by the borders of the 20th century," said Akkaya. Netherlands, Turkey seek to improve relations AMSTERDAM, May 15 (Reuter) - The Netherlands and Turkey held informal talks on Monday aimed at improving relations damaged by a row over the setting up of a Kurdish parliament-in-exile in The Hague, Dutch television reported. Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van Mierlo discussed bilateral relations with his Turkish counterpart Erdal Inonu at a meeting of the Western European Union (WEU) in Lisbon. Van Mierlo and Inonu told Dutch television the two countries had decided to hold further talks to iron out their problems. "There is clearly a diplomatic problem, but there are also two ministers who both want to solve it," Van Mierlo said. Inonu said the talks were frank and useful. "We are hopeful that the result (of further talks) will be positive," he said. Turkey reacted angrily to the setting up of the Kurdish parliament-in-exile on April 12, condemning it as a propaganda tool of the banned PKK, which is fighting a separatist war. It recalled its ambassador from The Hague and halted the purchase of Dutch military goods. The Netherlands said at the time it was unable to prevent the meeting as this would have breached the rights of free speech and assembly protected by the Dutch constitution. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 17 15:30:44 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 17 May 1995 15:30:44 Subject: Mainstream news References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Mainstream news Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Kurdish Television From Britain Penetrates Turkey By Aliza Marcus ISTANBUL (Reuter) - It's showtime in Turkey and the latest television programme to hit the crowded airwaves favours documentaries about village life and children's game shows. But despite the ponderous -- some would say boring -- nature of the broadcasts, British-based MED-TV has its intensely loyal viewers, and all because the language of choice is Kurdish. ``Every night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. you can find me right here, in front of the television,'' said a Kurdish businessman, chuckling as children draped in the red, yellow and red colors of Kurdish nationalism danced across the screen. ``Imagine, for the first time in history, we have our own television, which is being broadcast to Kurds all over the world,'' he said. Turkish officials are less than pleased about the British- licensed MED-TV, which uses satellite technology to beam from London into Turkey and evade Turkish laws forbidding broadcasts in Kurdish. Turkey, worried MED-TV is being used by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla group to promote demands for Kurdish autonomy or independence in Turkey, has asked Britain's licensing agency to monitor broadcasts. ``I think this goes against the European conventions on television and human rights, because it stirs up racial hatred and is against the territorial integrity of Turkey,'' said an official with Turkey's Radio and Television High Commission. Whether it is linked to the PKK or not -- MED-TV officials say a wide variety of groups and businessmen are financially backing the channel -- the broadcast certainly gives the guerrillas another route to spread their message. PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, based in Syria or Lebanon, recently joined a debate by telephone with other Kurdish groups on MED-TV. He said he was fighting for Kurdish rights but not a separate Kurdish state. More than 15,000 people have died in the rebels' 11-year-old battle in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. But the television tension is more than a spat over programming. It reflects both the problems Turkey has in suppressing Kurdish identity in the age of technology and open borders, as well as the growing role of the usually wealthier and better educated Kurdish diaspora in Europe. Kurds in Europe, made up of many who say they fled repression in Turkey, are becoming a powerful lobby against Ankara's attempts to deny Kurdish cultural rights at home. Kurds set up a 65-seat parliament-in-exile in The Hague in April which includes members of the PKK and the non-violent Democracy Party (DEP) banned in Turkey last year. Ankara recalled its ambassador from the Netherlands and embargoed the import of new Dutch military sales in a row over the assembly which Turkey says is an undemocratic PKK front. ``Turkey has been getting very upset with Europe, but instead of lashing out they should be trying to foster a positive environment,'' said a Western diplomat. The Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly voted on April 26 to suspend Turkey if Ankara did not clean up its human rights record while Bonn stopped military aid when Turkish troops moved into northern Iraq in March to wipe out PKK bases. Turkey's long-hoped for customs deal with the European Union could be blocked by Euro-MPs if Ankara does not address human rights concerns, including the jailing of six Kurdish MPs. By promoting Kurdish culture, Kurdish language and by association Kurdish nationalism, MED-TV runs counter to Turkey's attempts to suppress Kurdish identity. Kurdish-language education is not allowed in Turkey and books about Kurdish history are often banned under the charge of disseminating separatist propaganda. MED-TV officials acknowledge the broadcasts are aimed to develop a sense of identity among Kurds and say it's about time Kurds had their own TV show. Western historians estimate there are about 20 million Kurds in Turkey and neighbouring countries. ``This television will be a different voice, and with shows also in Turkish we can reach Turks as well so they can learn about Kurdish people,'' said Ahmet Akkaya, a Turk who is the Belgium-based spokesman for MED-TV. ``Why shouldn't Kurds have their own television?'' he told Reuters by telephone. MED-TV officials stress the international approach of the broadcasts, designed to appeal to Kurds not just in Turkey, but also in Iraq, Iran, Syria and throughout Europe. ``This will be one step in helping Kurds develop a common cultural identity after being forced apart by the borders of the 20th century,'' said Akkaya. Reuter/Variety NATO Secretary General On Way to Greece and Turkey By Jonathan Clayton BRUSSELS, May 14 (Reuter) - NATO Secretary-General Willy Claes flies this week to Greece and Turkey to mediate in a dispute between the two alliance members and regional rivals that threatens sensitive military operations. The latest row has led to Ankara blocking NATO's entire military budget and forced the grouping to freeze all military projects just as it is in the process of finalising plans for a possible pull-out of U.N. peacekeeping forces from Bosnia. ``Turkey's action is out of proportion. It is hitting at the entire alliance not just Greece,'' one senior NATO diplomat said. He added that, if the dispute was still unresolved by the end of this month, the alliance would have to shift to some form of emergency financing for previously approved military projects that are worth several hundred million dollars. Greek diplomats said they believed Claes would carry with him various proposals for a compromise solution, but said they were not encouraged by recent Turkish actions despite Ankara's need to win support after its recent military thrust against Kurdish rebels in Iraq. Disputes between Greece and Turkey have often blocked alliance activity in the eastern Mediterranean, but this time Turkey has chosen to widen the dispute which centres on the financing of NATO facilities in Turkey. Greece had previously vetoed the funding of alliance facilities in the port of Izmir, pushing the case for a new NATO command centre to also be set up on its territory. The embattled Claes, who has been dragged recently into a murky Belgian defence contract corruption scandal dating from his time as Belgium's economics minister, heads first for Athens on Tuesday and then goes to Ankara on the following day. Claes said on Saturday he had no intention of quitting as NATO secretary-general and proclaimed his innocence after being questioned for 12 hours on Friday about the so-called Agusta affair by investigators at Belgium's highest court. ``I am supported by all the ministers in the NATO Council. None of them is asking for my resignation,'' Claes was quoted as saying in by the German weekly paper Bild am Sonntag. The visit is formally part of a tour that Claes, who only took office last October, is making of capitals of member states. But it has taken on greater significance since the tension heightened between Athens and Ankara. ``This is now a very important visit,'' a NATO source said. Apart from his personal problems, Claes has faced an array of crises in the alliance since taking over, from transatlantic squabbling over air strikes in support of U.N. actions in Bosnia to a row with Moscow over NATO enlargement plans. Diplomats fear failure to resolve the Greece-Turkey row soon could further dent NATO's credibility at a time when its relevance in a post-Cold War world is increasingly questioned. The NATO row coincides with Turkish efforts to encourage European parliamentarians to vote later this year in favour of a lucrative European Union-Turkey customs union. Independent analysts say Turkey's drive against Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq has cost it much support in Europe and the dispute within NATO has further angered its allies. ``Turkey just seems to keep doing things which do not help its case,'' one political analyst said. REUTER Texas Firm Wins Turkish Air Force Contract ARLINGTON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 1995--Hughes Training has been awarded a nearly $5.2 million contract from the U.S. Air Force's Aeronautical Systems Center to update F-16C maintenance trainers for foreign military sale to Turkey. The trainers will be retrofitted at Hughes Training's Arlington operation. Under this engineering change proposal, four Turkish Air Force F-16C maintenance trainers will be updated to an F-16C Block 30B/E configuration. These trainers will simulate aircraft subsystems including armament, fire control, flight control and communications/ navigation/electronic countermeasures. This suite of trainers will enable Turkish Air Force maintenance personnel to perform system operational checkouts and trouble-shoot and isolate faults down to the lowest line replaceable unit or wiring defect. Approximately 35 percent of the students' total instruction will be spent on the trainers, which will feature interactive video integration and automated simulation software generation. Combined, the four F-16C Block 30B/E trainers will enable maintenance personnel to perform 80 tasks and isolate up to 200 malfunctions on the aircraft's subsystems. Each F-16C Block 30B/E maintenance trainer will consist of a high-fidelity cockpit; a flat panel with two- and three-dimensional physical simulations; and an interactive video station for student or instructor interface. In addition, each trainer will come equipped with simulated test sets normally used in flight-line maintenance that will connect to the simulation panel and cockpit via trainer-unique cables. The physical and functional fidelity characteristics of any control, display, instrument or indicator will vary according to each trainer's simulation requirements. The F-16C Block 30B/E maintenance trainers are scheduled to be installed and tested at a Turkish Air Force training site in the latter part of 1996. The award to retrofit the Turkish Air Force F-16C maintenance trainers follows the recent announcement that Hughes Training has received a contract to design and build a suite of F-16A Block 20 maintenance trainers for the Taiwan Air Force. In addition, last year Hughes Training completed installation of a suite of F-16A maintenance trainers at Indonesia's Iswahyudi Air Base. Hughes Training is an established global supplier of simulation systems for defense, industry, railroad and entertainment markets. The company is a unit of Hughes Aircraft Co., which is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp. CONTACT: Hughes Training, Arlington Rick Oyler, 817/695-3536 Netherlands and Turkey Try to Improve Relations AMSTERDAM, May 15 (Reuter) - The Netherlands and Turkey held informal talks on Monday aimed at improving relations damaged by a row over the setting up of a Kurdish parliament-in-exile in The Hague, Dutch television reported. Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van Mierlo discussed bilateral relations with his Turkish counterpart Erdal Inonu at a meeting of the Western European Union (WEU) in Lisbon. Van Mierlo and Inonu told Dutch television the two countries had decided to hold further talks to iron out their problems. ``There is clearly a diplomatic problem, but there are also two ministers who both want to solve it,'' Van Mierlo said. Inonu said the talks were frank and useful. ``We are hopeful that the result (of further talks) will be positive,'' he said. Turkey reacted angrily to the setting up of the Kurdish parliament-in-exile on April 12, condemning it as a propaganda tool of the banned PKK, which is fighting a separatist war. It recalled its ambassador from The Hague and halted the purchase of Dutch military goods. The Netherlands said at the time it was unable to prevent the meeting as this would have breached the rights of free speech and assembly protected by the Dutch constitution. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu May 4 22:47:42 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 04 May 1995 22:47:42 Subject: TURKISH PRESS REVIEW References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TURKISH PRESS REVIEW Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl CILLER: "TURKISH SOLDIERS GAVE HUMAN RIGHTS LESSON" Prime Minister Tansu Ciller told her True Path Party's parliamentary group that Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq gave a lesson in human rights to the world. Noting that Turkish soldiers aided the people in northern Iraq during the operation, Ciller said: "The northern Iraqi people are pleased with the Turkish soldiers. Some people were saying there would be human rights violations there. However, Turkish soldiers gave a human rights lesson to the world". Requesting that the struggle against terrorism and democracy should not be confused, Ciller added: "No one can say "there aren't human rights. So, terrorism occurs", that is wrong. Weren't there human rights and democracy in Oklahoma or at the Tokyo subway?". Ciller stated that terrorists were selling drugs and buying weapons and that they were killing young people with them. Ciller said: "We support democratization. No one can see this as a solution to something else". /Hurriyet/ NATO COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IN ANKARA The Commander-in-Chief of NATO's European Allied Forces, Gen.George A.Joulwan arrived in Ankara yesterday as the official guest of Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Ismail Hakki Karadayi. Gen.Joulwan will meet with Gen.Karadayi, Lieutenant Gen.Tamer Akbas and Major Gen.Cetin Dogan today. Joulwan will leave Ankara this afternoon. /Cumhuriyet/ FOREIGN AFFAIRS: "TURKEY IS A STRATEGIC COUNTRY" Misha Glenny, in an article in the New York-based Foreign Affairs magazine, has argued that if the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina spreads to Macedonia, there could be a series of new clashes in the Balkans. He says the war could spread to the Aegean, and US transportation through the Middle East might be cut. Because the US sees Turkey as a strategic country, Glenny writes, and if Turkey goes war with Serbs because of the Kosova problem, the US administration could offer military aid. Glenny also says that the Welfare Party (RP) can endanger US advantages in the Aegean. He says US regional concerns are Albanian- Greek relations, the Macedonia problem, Turco-Greek problems in the Aegean and Cyprus. Glenny said American diplomats are trying to lessen the strain between Turkey and Greece because of Cyprus and the Aegean. The article in Foreign Affairs notes that Richard Beattie, President Bill Clinton's private envoy on Cyprus, is an important figure in these attempts and that Clinton attaches importance to the problems between Turkey and Greece. /Sabah/ BARZANI DELEGATION IN ANKARA A delegation from the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) headed by Mesut Barzani came to Ankara from Diyarbakir yesterday. The IKDP delegation will make contacts regarding border security. A delegation from the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) headed by Celal Talabani is expected to come to Ankara following the Religious Holiday (Kurban Bayrami). At the meetings, border security issues against PKK terrorist activities will be taken up. /Sabah/ TURKEY REACTS STRONGLY TO EUROPEANS Turkish parliamentarians have reacted strongly to the attitude of visiting European parliamentarians repre- senting the European Council (EC). In a statement signed by all the major parties, Turkish parliamentar- ians have condemned the attitude of the Europeans as "ill-intentioned and biased." Turkish parliamentarians have declared that the visiting EC delegation has gone beyond the accepted limits of re- lations between countries and the interest countries can show in the internal affairs of another country. In the statement published yesterday, Turkish parliamentarians said they expected the EC delegation to show respect for Turkish political sovereignty and national unity. /All papers/ TGNA CONDEMNS COUNCIL OF EUROPE All political parties at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), condemned the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (CEPA) with a text jointly prepared yesterday. The text says: "The Turkish Group in the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly has decided not to cooperate with the CEPA and not to participate in the assembly meetings and council's commission studies until the European Council Ministers' Committee changes its attitude". /Sabah/ COST OF MILITARY OPERATION The 43-day Turkish military operation in northern Iraq has so far cost the government 2.8 trillion TL, and the lives of 61 officers and men along with three missing. On the other hand, military spokesmen say that security in the northern Iraq region has been restored and that the PKK terrorist organization has been dealt a massive blow. Although the majority of units have been withdrawn from the region, a number of military units will remain to maintain control over certain vital areas. /Sabah/ US TO PROMOTE INVESTMENT IN TURKEY As a follow up to its efforts to embargo Iran and Iraq, the US has intimated that it will give more support to US foreign investment in Turkey. US Under Secretary for International Trade Jeffrey Garten is reported as saying that in view of developments with Iran, US trade relations with Turkey will be increased. /Sabah/ AZERI MEASURES AGAINST THE PKK Azerbaijan has taken measures against the possibility of PKK terrorists using Nakhichevan as a route to infiltrate Turkey following the establishment of temporary security zones in Digor/Kars and the northern regions of the Aras river by the Turkish Chief-of-Staff in order to prevent PKK infiltration into Turkey through Armenia. Stating that Azerbaijan had increased the number of troops along the Armenian border, Namik Hasanov, head of the Nakhichevan Assembly said: "We are doing what we can to help Turkey get rid of terrorism". Azeris have deployed new units in Sederek village, the Upper Yayli, Ardic and Cagazur regions which are along the Armenian border. The numbers of soldiers protecting the "Hasret Bridge" linking Turkey and Nakhichevan in the Dilucu region have been increased and controls have been tightened along the border. Commenting on the measures Hasnov said: "PKK terrorists who were arrested when they were buying weapons have been handed over to Turkish officials. Azerbaijan has increased measures in the regions along the Armenian and Iranian borders in order to prevent the infiltration of terrorists into Turkey." /Hurriyet/ --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 17 15:28:38 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 17 May 1995 15:28:38 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 15, 1995 Summary of the political news in the Turkish press this morning. INONU IN LISBON Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu and Defence Minister Mehmet Golhan left for Lisbon yesterday for a Western European Union (WEU) conference, thus starting a week of defence-heavy diplomacy for Turkey. This WEU meeting in Lisbon is important for Turkey because Greece, a member of NATO and the EU, will be formally declared a full member of the WEU. Ankara, not yet a member of the EU, is to become an associate member, although this status has not yet been ratified by either the Turkish Parliament or the WEU. "We think we are entitled to full member status. It is a handicap that we are not a full member of the WEU" Inonu said before his departure to Lisbon. The Lisbon meeting brings together foreign and defence ministers from 27 western, central and eastern European states. Inonu said that besides new security problems in Europe, the Bosnia-Herzegovina issue would come to the fore at the meeting, adding that they would voice their views for providing a lasting and just peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Answering a question, Inonu and Golhan said that Turkey could join a 180-person WEU police force on duty in Mostar. Golhan indicated that the issue of increasing the function of the WEU utilizing the possibilities of NATO would be brought into the agenda at the meeting. He pointed out that European defence was a whole, and that Turkey was an indispensable part of this whole. /Sabah/ TURKEY DONATES $10,000 TO VICTIMS OF OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING Nuzhet Kandemir, Turkey's Ambassador to the US, has presented a check for $10,000 to the American Red Cross to assist the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. Kandemir said the donation from the Turkish Red Crescent was a token of sympathy from the Turkish people "during this time of healing and rebuilding" in the US. The $10,000 donation was received by Jose Aponte, general manager for Red Cross international services. In a letter sent yesterday to Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, Kandemir said "the devastating bombing disaster which shocked Oklahoma City and forever altered the lives of so many of your citizens has particularly touched the Turkish nation" since the Turks have suffered for so long from PKK terrorism. /All papers/ SPANISH NAVAL FORCES COMMANDER IN TURKEY Spanish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Juan J.Romero arrived in Turkey yesterday as the official guest of his Turkish counterpart, Vural Bayazit. The Spanish commander, who will be in Turkey until May 19, is also expected to visit the Turkish Chief of General Staff Ismail Hakki Karadayi as well as senior military officials. /Cumhuriyet/ SEVENTY NINE MILITANTS KILLED, 105 CAPTURED IN 10 DAYS Security forces have carried out anti-terrorism operations both in the Southeast and in tourist areas of western Turkey, a press release issued by the Interior Ministry said on Thursday. Between May 1 and 10, a total of 79 PKK militants were killed and 107 were captured. Heavy artillery pieces and weapons were also seized. The number of militants who have surrendered since the beginning of 1995 has reached 154, according to the statistics provided by the Interior Ministry. /All papers/ MOVES TO STRENGTHEN TURKEY-EUROPE TIES As the countdown to the final signatures on the customs agreement between Turkey and the European Union (EU) draws closer, Ankara has initiated a new and intense period of shuffle diplomacy de- signed to improve Turkey's image in Europe. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu and Defence Minister Mehmet Golhan set off for Lisbon to attend a meeting of the Western European Union, where once again they will explain the purpose of the recent northern Iraq military operation to the delegates. In moves designed to soften the stance of the Europeans against Turkey, Deputy Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin will also go on a tour of European capitals, and Turkish ambassadors in the main centres will work to enhance European understanding of Turkey's position in the region. Over the weekend, Cetin noted that although "Europe has begun to understand us" there was still a need for more information about Turkey to be made available. /Cumhuriyet/ "EUROPE SUPPORTS TURKEY" Following an official visit to Germany, State Min- ister responsible for human rights, Algan Hacal- oglu said yesterday that European countries, and especially Germany, supported Turkey's fight against terrorism. Hacaloglu also touched on the proposed changes to laws related to terrorism and human rights, par- ticularly the controversial change to article 8, within the framework of further democratization. /Sabah/ UN PRAISE FOR CILLER The "Diplomatic World" newspaper, published by the United Nations (UN) reported widely on the recent visit of Prime Minister Ciller to New York. The Diplomatic World noted that Ciller was distributed that the Western world knew so little about her country and people. Moreover, the paper pointed out that Ciller had clearly explained the real reasons for the northern Iraq military operation, and stressed that the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) was a "merciless terrorist organization". The journal also noted that Prime Minister Tansu Ciller had emphasized Turkey was devoted to the principles of secularism, superiority of law, freedom and democracy. /Sabah/ END --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu May 18 15:19:03 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 18 May 1995 15:19:03 Subject: TURKISH PRESS REVIEW References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TURKISH PRESS REVIEW Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl MAY 16, 1995 Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning. WEU MINISTERS OUTLINE NEW SECURITY THREATS European countries from East and West met in Lisbon on Monday to outline common security threats in an unstable post-Cold War world. The threats discussed ranged from organized crime to chemical gas attacks from terrorist groups. The gathering, under the auspices of the 10-member Western European Union (WEU), brought together some 27 states from western, central and eastern Europe to lay the foundations for a future European defense identity. Turkey, an associate member of the organization, was represented at the meeting by Foreign Affairs Minister Erdal Inonu and National Defense Minister Mehmet Golhan. Turkish Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu met with EU Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Hans Van den Broek on Monday, in the shadow of the Lisbon meeting. Talking to the press after the meeting, Van den Broek said that Turkey, by pulling out of Iraq following its massive cross-border operation against separatist Kurdish militants, had kept its word that it would do so. In response to a question he said that the customs union accord would be up for ratification in the European Parliament in September and October and both Turkey and EU would have to work hard for a positive result from the Parliament. Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu, who met with his Dutch counterpart in Lisbon, failed to break the ice that has formed in relations between Turkey and the Netherlands since the latter failed to prevent the so-called Kurdish "parliament-in-exile" meeting in The Hague. Inonu said that the meeting with Foreign Minister Hans van Mierlo had been positive in the sense that both sides had had the opportunity to state their positions. The talks between the two sides will continue, Inonu said, but he did not specify at what level./All Papers/ GERMAN MINISTER CRITICIZES COE DECISION Helmut Schafer, German minister of state responsible for foreign affairs, criticized the Council of Europe's decision on Turkey, saying that parliaments could not be pressured in democracies. He added that he felt it was unacceptable for the Council to set a time limit for the Turkish Parliament to realize the neccessary reforms. Schafer concluded that Turkey's fight against the separatist, terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was a just one and that no one had the right to criticize Turkey on this issue./All Papers/ ATATURK SOCIETY FOUNDED IN THE US In a move to promote "Turkish idealogy" a new "Ataturk Society of America" (ASA) has been founded in the US. On May 19, both the founding of the society and the anniversary of Ataturk's birthday will be celebrated in Washington. President of the new society, Hudal Yalavar, said that the society will promote Turkey, Ataturkism and work to block anti-Turkey currents in the US. It is understood that US senator Robert C. Byrd will give a speech during the ceremonies planned for May 19. /All papers/ KURDS DETAINED BY GERMAN ANTI-TERRORISM TEAM IN MAINZ A total of 111 Kurds were detained when agents of the German GSG-9 Anti-Terrorism squad raided a Kurdish "Cultural Meeting" in the city of Mainz on Sunday, the Kurd-A news agency reported. Forty-one people were still in custody on Monday. In another German city, Cologne, more than 600 Kurds demonstrated on Sunday in remembrance of the people killed in the recent disturbances in Istanbul's Gazi district./All Papers/ AUSTRIA: THE PKK IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION The PKK and its sub-organizations, so far permitted in Austria on condition that they "do not resort to brute force" by the Austrian government has now been denounced as "a terrorist organization" by the Austrian Supreme Court. Deciding that the PKK was infact "a criminal organization according to criminal law", the Austrian Supreme Court has stated that also the activities of associations having connection with the PKK were considered, under "decree number 278A of the criminal law regarding the struggle against organizated crimes" as being criminal. The Supreme Court took this decision while examining the objections of Seyho K., head of the "Ararat Cultural Association of Kurdish Workers" and members Ali I., Ishan B., Ishan Y. to the punishment handed down to them because of involvement in "extortion with threats". The Supreme Court however rejected the defense of the four PKK terrorists found guilty of extorting money with threats claiming that "the PKK which was active abroad and the Cultural Association of Kurdish Workers had permitted these activities. Claims that the Cultural Society was not criminal were rejected by the court./Milliyet/ ANKARA GOVERNMENT DETERMINED TO START MANEUVERS The Turkish Armed Forces have reversed their decision to hold the "Denizkurdu maneuvers" in the Aegean Sea despite of warnings from the US to Turkey and Greece about not holding air and naval exercises in the Aegean this summer. Turkish Naval vessels will begin the planned Denizkurdu maneuvers in the international waters of the Aegean Sea in mid-June. According to information from the Chief-of-Staff two exercises will be held in the Aegean at the begining of this summer. Commanders of the Ground, Air and Naval Forces will start the "Efes-95" joint maneuvers in early June and shortly after, the Denizkurdu maneuvers will be started in the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean./Milliyet/ * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 24 14:23:29 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 24 May 1995 14:23:29 Subject: TURKISH PRESS REVIEW References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TURKISH PRESS REVIEW Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl id VT5568; Tue, 23 May 1995 14:27:49 -0800 Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning US DELEGATION TO VISIT ANKARA A high-level delegation from the US will arrive in Turkey at the end of the month to take up a number of issues including the future of an allied force stationed in Turkey, according to a report yesterday by the Anatolia news agency from Washington. The agency reported that the delegation would be headed by Mark Parris, Near East Adviser to the National Security Council. Members of the State Department will also be in the delegation. The visit takes place following a suggestion by Prime Minister Tansu Ciller to US President Bill Clinton that the shape of Operation Poised Hammer -the popular name for an allied coalition force based in Turkey to maintain the no-fly zone over northern Iraq- must be changed. MONETARY AID TO NORTHERN IRAQ Monetary aid is to be extended to Northern Iraqi Kurds who suffered losses during the "Steel Operations" undertaken by the Turkish Armed Forces. Payment will be made by the Turkish Ministry of Defence at a ceremony in Silopi on 24 May. /Cumhuriyet/ THIRTEEN PKK TERRORISTS KILLED Thirteen PKK terrorists have been killed in the conflicts between the security forces and terrorists in operations in Southeast Anatolia. During the conflicts in the Cudi and Kupeli mountains of Sirnak, 10 PKK terrorists were killed and one wounded. Additionally three terrorists were killed in in conflicts in Siirt's Baykan, Bitlis Kavakdibi and Mardin's Nusaybin districts. During the search conducted in Nusaybin, a large cache of weapons was unearthed. In an operation undertaken in the center of Mus province, 25 members of the illegal "Hizbullah" organization have been taken into custody. Meanwhile, another operation has been started to search for PKK terrorists responsible for razing, a trailer and lorry belonging to the Rural Services Directorate in Karincali village in Mus Malazgirt district. * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From info at aps.nl Wed May 3 19:06:34 1995 From: info at aps.nl (info at aps.nl) Date: 03 May 1995 19:06:34 Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TRKNWS-L Turkish Press Review Reply-To: info at aps.nl d VT2641; Wed, 03 May 1995 19:33:21 -0800 MONDAY MAY 1, 1995 ------------------ Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning PKK OPENING OFFICE IN HELSINKI In moves to create division between Turkey and European countries, the PKK terrorist organization is planning to open yet another representative office in Helsinki. The move is seen as part of the "Kurdish parliament-in-exile" scheme begun in Holland to bring Turkey into disrepute in European countries. The PKK is seeking to establish itself in countries with a more tolerant view of fringe or even extremist groups. The PKK will slowly build up credibility at the cost of Turkey. No real reaction to the PKK Helsinki project has been reported. /All papers/ CILLER TO WELCOME RETURNING TROOPS Prime Minister Ciller will go to Silopi today to welcome back the units withdrawing from the military operation in northern Iraq. After flying to Silopi, Ciller will welcome the last units of the 20 thousand or so soldiers who have been withdrawn from the northern Iraq region where they have been fighting against PKK terrorists. Turkey is now working establish a long term solution that will stabilize the area. At least ten thousand troops will remain in the region holding key points, and officials said over the weekend that they will continue to seek out and destroy PKK strongholds. In the mean- time, talks are going on with regional Kurdish leaders with whom it is hoped that agreement can be reached for united action against the PKK. /All papers/ From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 3 23:20:04 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 03 May 1995 23:20:04 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 TUESDAY MAY 2, 1995 ------------------- Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning CILLER WELCOMES TROOPS HOME Prime Minister Ciller led ceremonies held at Silopi yesterday to welcome back Turkish military units from northern Iraq after an almost two-month long campaign against PKK terrorists. The returning soldiers were given an enthusiastic welcome, and the prime minister together with top military representatives confirmed the success of the military incursion, and the impossibility of destroying the unity of the Turkish nation. /All papers/ EUROPEANS CHECK SITUATION IN TURKEY A delegation of European parliamentarians represent- ing the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) presently in Turkey to examine the situation regarding human rights and other issues, has already had talks with leading political figures. The visit of the delegation is seen by some as being "critical" to Turkey's interest in becoming a full member of the European community. Nevertheless, Par- liamentary Speaker Husamettin Cindoruk said yesterday that the delegation would be allowed to follow their inspection of the country without let or hindrance- as befits a democratic country. /All papers/ 16 PKK TERRORISTS KILLED Five Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) terrorists have been killed in the Eruh township of Siirt and during the clashes four members of the security forces have also been killed. In fighting between security forces and PKK terrorists in the Ozbek township of Kulp, Camdal} region of Hakkari, and the Pertek township of Tunceli eleven terrorists were killed yesterday. Twenty-six PKK members have been arrested in Bitlis, Mus, Siirt and Tunceli. /Hurriyet/ ISRAELI DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER IN ANKARA Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Yossi Beillin arrived in Ankara yesterday as the guest of Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ambassador Ozdem Sanberk. Beillin holds multi-lateral meetings of the Middle East peace process on behalf of Israel. It is reported that at the meetings various issues will be taken up including Turkey's contribution to the peace process, joint cooperation with the Central Asian Republics and commercial and economic relations between Israel and Turkey. Beillin was received yesterday by Sanberk, State Minister responsible for economy, Aykon Dogan, and Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu. It has been decided that undersecretaries of the foreign ministries of the two countries will meet twice a year. In response to a question regarding terrorism, Beillin said: "Both countries are fighting against terrorism separately. Even though we do not fight together, our shared struggles contribute to peace". /Hurriyet-Milliyet/ NO CHANGES TO IRAQ-TURKEY BORDER The Turkish Foreign Ministry has categorically stated that there will be no changes made to the present Turkey-Iraq border. The statement said that there had been recent news suggesting changes to prevent PKK infiltration. The statement pointed out that Turkey had made no political decision regarding the Iraqi border and that no meeting had been held with the Iraqi administration and leaders about border changes. /Cumhuriyet/ MAY DAY PASSES WITHOUT INCIDENT May Day began quietly, with labor union leaders and politicians laying wreaths at the Republic monument in Taksim Square, Istanbul. Labor confederation leaders were led by Turk-Is Chairman Bayram Meral, the Confederation of Progressive Labor Unions Chairman Ridvan Budak and the Public Sector Workers Unions Confederation spokesman Yildirim Kaya. Minister of Culture Ercan Karakas and members of the Republican People's Party (CHP) also visited the Taksim Republic monument. /All papers/ NATO COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF VISITS TURKEY The Commander-in-Chief of NATO's European Allied Forces, Gen.George A.Joulwan, arrives in Turkey today for an official visit, upon the invitation of Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen.Ismail Hakki Karadayi. Gen.Joulwan, who will start the official part of his tour tomorrow, will be welcomed by Gen.Karadayi. He is expected to travel to Izmir today where he will inspect NATO Southeastern Ground Forces as well as the Sixth Allied Tactical Air Force Headquarters. /All papers/ COUNCIL OF EUROPE REGRETS TURK BOYCOTT The Council of Europe's rapporteur for Turkey has expressed his regret over the decision by Turkish parliamentarians to boycott the Council's Parliamentary Assembly, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. "I am very surprised at the decision. It would have been better to stay and keep the channels of dialogue open. The Council of Europe does not want to lose Turkey", Rapporteur Andreas Barsony said. BARZANI DELEGATION COMES TODAY A high level delegation from northern Iraqi Kurdish leader Mesut Barzani is expected to come to Ankara today. A proposal of Turkey regarding "cooperation against the PKK for the security of Turkey" will be discussed with the delegation. Necirvan Barzani and Sami Abdurrahman, members of the KDP political party will be in the delegation.The parameters of the cooperation against the PKK and the contribution of Turkey will be decided during talks. Barzani has stated that one of his conditions for a cooperation agreement involves the re-population of villages along the border emptied by Saddam in 1975, instead of establishing control points for the security of the border. The Turkish side is wary about this condition, believing that it could create difficulties over operations to be made in the region. A delegation from Celal Talabani, another Kurdish leader with whom Turkey is having dialogue about cooperation against the PKK, will come to Ankara after the Festival of Sacrifice. /Hurriyet/ From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu May 4 22:46:53 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 04 May 1995 22:46:53 Subject: Democratization under fire in T Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: Democratization under fire in Turkey Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl -------------------- Forwarded from : igi at igrey.demon.co.uk -------------------- Democratization under fire in Turkey By Ismet Imset Despite promises to its western allies to rapidly restore the freedom of expression in Turkey, Ankara's coalition government appears now to be heading towards a major crisis on the issue. Prime Minister Tansu Ciller's initial pledge to lift a controversial article in the anti-terrorism law expectedly backfired this week with an agreement reached in the higher echelons of the government to integrate the said the law into the Turkish Penal Code and only then abolish it. Over 100 Turkish intellectuals, academicians, scientists and writers are currently in prison and a majority of them are serving jail terms according to Article 8 of the anti-terrorism decree which regulates punishment for written and spoken crimes, i.e. propaganda of terrorism. "We will either abolish it or abolish it," Ciller had said last month on her way to Washington where she personally promised an anxious Bill Clinton to go ahead with the said reform. "We will lift article 8 and all criminals of thought will be free." Immediately upon her return to Ankara, the Prime Minister faced once again the realities of Turkey. First, she faced reaction from the country's nationalist conservative press circles who argued openly that a major gap would develop if the said article was lifted. "It is impossible to think anyone can defend article 8," Turkey's Press Council chief and Hurriyet columnist Oktay Eksi said. "What is important is if other Penal Code articles are efficient to meet requirements." Eksi, siding with the parliamentary conservatives, was among those who argued that even if the said article should be lifted -- necessary amendments would have to be made in the penal system to prevent "propaganda against the integrity of the state." The parliamentary hawks in Ciller's True Path Party (DYP) meanwhile argued that an abolishment of the article would eventually lead to the lifting of all barriers before separatist propaganda and geared up this week to challenge the Prime Minister personally. Their view appears to be backed also by Turkey's senior commanders who believe that even if the said article is lifted, its restrictions should be placed into the judicial system. Under so much pressure, the government now has reached a principle decision to lift the article, as promised to the West, but at the same time integrate it into article 311 of the penal code which foresees the punishment of anyone who "openly provokes a crime to be committed." In practice this would hence mean the release of high profile intellectuals cared for by the Western media but a continued repression of any others who would openly try to debate major policy and crisis issues, with the Kurdish issue coming at top of the list. "Ciller can fool us but not the West," wrote Ilnur Cevik, the editor-in-chief of the English language Turkish Daily News. "So now, when she came back home and faced the realities in the country, she made her usual U-turn. She saw once again ...the hardliners." The situation has expectedly led to furthering the crisis with the junior coalition partner Republican Peoples Party (CHP) but threatens more Turkey's overall relations with its western allies. For the first time since the 1980 junta period, Ankara has ended up in a serious ordeal within NATO as well, owing to its handling of its Kurdish crisis. Last month, Turkey formally protested Holland and withdrew its ambassador from Amsterdam after its Kurds opened a "Parliament in Exile" in that city. It has also reportedly stopped arms purchases from that country and Norway. Worst is Turkey's ailing relations with major European countries. The recent U-turn on democratization is bound to hinder efforts to find Turkey a place within the European Union. Ankara last week denounced a Council of Europe resolution to suspend it from the organisation as being of "unacceptable nature" but the protest was hardly heard by worried allies. The Council's 34 member states approved earlier a resolution in Strasbourg asking its governing committee of ministers to suspend Turkey unless it showed significant progress towards a withdrawal from Iraq before a June 26 European Union Summit and also called for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem and democratic reforms of Turkey's constitution and laws. "No entity has the right to dictate to the Turkish parliament..." was the summary of Ankara's reply. Political observers in Ankara agree now that Turkey faces a major isolation in the world if it fails to carry out all of its promises and insists, instead, on introducing new repressive laws into its system. Even its Customs Union membership is at serious risk as Parliament, failing to make necessary reforms in other fields, has managed only to make amendments in three out of over a dozen areas which need re-adjustment. Meanwhile, human rights violations throughout the country continue with the ongoing military campaign on Turkey's Kurds, newspaper seizures, arrests, dissapearences and torture. The West is byfar impatient now when dealing with Ankara as it has been listening to promises of democratization from consecutive DYP coalition governments since 1991 but seen little if no improvement. Nothing substantial has been achieved in any field. The economy is in shambles, hyper inflation has become part of daily life, plans for privatization have backfired and amid the growing economic problems, Ankara has failed to deal with spreading terrorism and a steadily growing control by military and hawks on national affairs. "The West," explains Ilnur Cevik, "wants real democratic reforms and not just superficial legal improvements like lifting a vital article... but then adding the same limitations in another law." The question is whether Ciller, who also knows this, is able to do anything within the current political system where a military-backed "state-within-the- state" has more say on politics than her own government. Ends ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat May 6 03:36:13 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 06 May 1995 03:36:13 Subject: Turkish Press Review Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish Press Review Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl MAY 5, 1995 Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning. ANKARA PROTESTS WESTERN THRACE ATTACK Ankara has protested in the strongest possible terms the attack against State Minister and Government Spokesman Yildirim Aktuna during his visit to Western Thrace. Top government officials have condemned the attack, and President Demirel has described the Greek violence as "thought provoking" in connection with Turkey-Greek relations which have now plunged to a serious low. State Minister Aktuna said in a press meeting yesterday that the violent demonstration against the visiting Turkish delegation led by Aktuna was carried with PKK cooperation. He said too that he would be taking legal action against Greek newspapers that had vilified him and Turkish efforts to restore relations with Greece. Officials and others confirm that relations with Greece are moving into crisis. Reports say that the attack, during which Aktuna was pushed and shoved to the ground, came as a result of the deep and damaging complexes the Greeks have about Turkey. Describing the attack as "planned provocation" officials said yesterday that Greece was continuing with a strategy designed to incite bad feeling between Greece and Turkey and damage what remaining ties there were. Aktuna wound up his press conference by saying that what the demonstrators had done was "against the principles of human rights." Turkey protested to Greece at midnight on Wednesday over the attacks on Government Spokesman Yildirim Aktuna during his visit to Salonika. Greek Ambassador Dimitrios Nezeritis, who has just been appointed to Ankara, was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry in the early hours of Thursday morning. Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Tugay Ulucevik said he had protested against the attack on Aktuna. A similar protest was made in Greece, by the Turkish Ambassador in Athens. "We want the aggressors to be found as quickly as possible. An investigation should be conducted and the people responsible should be brought before the courts" Ulucevik said. Following the note of protest, a Turkish Cabinet statement was made on the issue, condemning the Greek attitude. "This is an ugliness not even seen between countries at war" said State Minister Abdulbaki Atac, who read the statement instead of Aktuna, adding: "It is impossible to understand how the Greek authorities could remain passive during the incident. This is in no way compatible with hospitality" Atac said. Deputy Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin told reporters he blamed the local police for negligence during the attack by a crowd of about 400 Greeks, Armenians, Kurds and Cypriots. Aktuna suffered injuries to his legs and arms when the angry crowd hurled rocks, lighters, eggs, lemons and other items at him and his entourage in Salonika. /All papers/ PKK BURNS SHOPS: THREE DEAD During an illegal demonstration in the Istanbul suburb of Kucukcekmece, supporters of the PKK terrorist organization fire-bombed a number of shops in the district. Three people died in the fires, including one child. In the general panic following the fire bomb attack, another twenty people were wounded. The attackers vanished into side streets in the con- fusion. Local people have condemned the attacks and security forces are trying to track down the reported fifteen or so PKK terrorists believed to have been behind the attacks. /All papers/ OSCE DELEGATION MEETS GOVERNOR OF STATE OF EMERGENCY A 14-person delegation from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) yesterday visited Governor of State of Emergency Unal Erkan at his office in Diyarbakir. The delegation, which arrived in Turkey last Monday, is paying a one-week visit on the invitation of Parliament Speaker Husamettin Cindoruk. During his meeting with the OSCE delegation led by Willy Wimmer, the deputy president of the OSCE Parliamentarians' Assembly, Erkan said Turkey was determined to fight terrorism and that it would continue the struggle until the problem was solved. Erkan said that since 1984, a total of 4,025 people, including 452 women and 450 children, had been killed in massacres carried out by the PKK and 4,471 civilians had been injured. There was documented proof that these attacks were the work of the PKK. Erkan continued by saying that within the past decade, a total of 8,512 separatist terrorists had been killed in the clashes between the security forces and the PKK and that 194 terrorists had been injured and 1,787 arrested. He noted that 1,154 terrorists had turned themselves in to the security forces. In reply to a question, Erkan said that no one in Turkey had ever been put on trial just because of their Kurdish origin. He stressed that terrorism was being used as a tool by the PKK to divide Turkey. He said while the PKK argued that it represented the Kurds, it had in fact killed 5,000 people of Kurdish origin. He recalled that the PKK had camps in Syria, that it took shelter in Iran and in northern Iraq, that it had opened bureaus in Greece, that it had founded a so-called "parliament-in-exile" in Holland and that it extorted money from people in Germany. Erkan said mere statements made by the West were not sufficient and that sanctions should be applied against Syria for allowing the PKK to set up camps, and that arms sources should be cut off. He added that in order to prevent the PKK from making advantage of the power vacuum in N.Iraq, Iraq's territorial integrity should be respected. /All papers/ PKK AND POLICE CLASH IN HAMBOURG Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) supporters and police clashed yesterday in Hambourg, Germany. During the clashes eight police officials were wounded and 51 PKK supporters were arrested. PKK supporters demonstrated in front of the British Embassy in Hambourg to protest a meeting in Britain to discuss a German request for the extradition of European PKK representative, Kani Yilmaz, who is still under arrest in England. PKK supporters also demonstrated in Athens for the release of Kani Yilmaz. /Hurriyet/ MAY 4, 1995 Summary of the political and economic news in the Turkish press this morning GERMAN DELEGATION LOOKING AT ECONOMIC SITUATION A German delegation presently in Turkey wants to look at economic ties between the European Union (EU) and Turkey -with a view to finding ways to develop them within the framework of current EU-Turkey dialogue. The delegation, from the German Social Democrat Party economic working committee in the Baden-Wurthemburg province, and led by Otto Hauser, wants to find ways of ensuring Turkey's customs union with the EU. "We support this development" said Hauser yesterday. /Sabah/ NATO COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IN ANKARA George Joulwan, Commander-in-Chief of the NATO European Allied Forces, said in Ankara that Turkey was an important member of NATO because of its strategic location, and thanked the Turkish nation for its huge contributions to global and regional peace. Joulwan said that he had to come to Ankara to exchange views on the situation in the region and also about the Partnership for Peace. /Cumhuriyet/ HOLBROOKE: "TURKEY MUST BE SUPPORTED" In an exclusive interview with the Washington Times, Richard Holbrooke, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, has criticized the proposed cuts in the foreign aid budget. On Cyprus, he recalled the administration's policy to lobby "for Cyprus to be invited to EU membership". Since the island could only join the EU as a federation of the separated Turkish and Greek sides, membership would serve as a lever toward reuniting the Mediterranean island nation, the Washington Times noted. Commenting on Turkey's own application for EU customs union, Holbrooke said the US did not support moves "to drive the Turks east to the fundamentalists which would be a catastrophe". The US, unable to find the support it expected from its allies for an international embargo against Iran, has accelerated backing for Turkey, describing Turkey as the US government "New European Front". Holbrooke stressed that the US supported Turkey's military operation in northern Iraq and said: "Turkey is replacing Germany as the cutting-edge of Europe". Meanwhile, "support in the struggle against terrorism" call from Prime Minister Tansu Ciller to her Western allies received a positive answer from Washington. The US administration stated that all NATO allies should support Turkey in its just struggle. Washington also noted that Turkey did not suggest any changes to the Turkish-Iraqi border. US State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns said: "We very much agree with the Turkish government that it is in the interests of the two main Kurdish factions in northern Iraq to provide security there so that the problem of PKK terrorism, which emanates from inside Turkey, can be eliminated. And that concern about PKK terrorism is something that we share very deeply with the Turkish government". /Sabah-Hurriyet/ --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 24 19:11:05 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 24 May 1995 19:11:05 Subject: Turkish Press Review References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkish Press Review Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Wed, 24 May 1995 18:57:14 -0800 TURKISH PRESS REVIEW MAY 23, 1995 COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO TAKE UP ISSUE OF TURKEY The Council of Europe's permanent representatives committee started yesterday its three-day session in which the situation in Turkey would be discussed. The permanent representatives committee will prepare a response to the Council's Parliamentary Assembly resolution on Turkey, which called on the Council to freeze Turkey's membership if Turkey did not end its incursion into northern Iraq and bring its democracy and human rights record up to standard. The decision to freeze a state's membership can only be done by the Council of Europe ministers. /All papers/ PKK KIDNAPPS A TEACHER The Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) terrorists kidnapped a primary school teacher in the Bingollu township of Erzurum. During clashes between PKK militants and security forces in Diyarbakir and Sirnak, 14 terrorists were killed. Last night, PKK terrorists attacked the Payas district in Iskenderun. Officials stated that during the attack three civilians were massacred and two wounded. /Cumhuriyet-Hurriyet/ --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Sat May 6 16:00:59 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 06 May 1995 16:00:59 Subject: The Retreating Turkish Army Is Mini Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Kurdistan Committee of Canada Subject: The Retreating Turkish Army Is Mining The Kurdish Landscape Press Release April 30, 1995 The Retreating Turkish Army Is Mining The Kurdish Landscape The long-anticipated Turkish retreat from South Kurdistan is finally in the works, but with a twist. The twist is that the Turkish army has turned the Kurdish landscape into a mine-field. Eye-witnesses note with alarm the recent spate of mine explosions which have had their toll on unsuspecting Kurdish civilians. This is a policy that was put into effect a few years ago by troops belonging to Saddam Hussein, with deadly repercussions. Today, the Turkish army wants to do the same: leave the area, but not before setting deadly traps for the Kurds. Inside Turkish Kurdistan, wanton attacks on Kurdish activists continued unabated. Yesterday, the body of Huseyin Koku was found beheaded in Poturge, Malatya. Mr. Koku was the chair of the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) in Elbistan, Maras. He had been missing since October 20, 1994. According to information reaching our office, there were also new arrests yesterday, again on the most flimsy charges. Sahabettin Ozarsanler, Hikmet Fidan, Sehmus Cagro, and Ferhan Turk, all high- ranking HADEP officials, were taken into custody. Another "mystery" death was discovered yesterday near the city of Diyarbakir. The dead body of Ferhan Eser, a civil servant in the city of Lice, was found in a bag in a mutilated form. He too had been abducted, on April 13, 1995. He too was found dead miles away from his place of residence. A communique issued by the Office of the Turkish Chief of Staff declared the Serhad region a security zone and barred people from entering the area. It said that people could only enter the designated zone with permits which are issued by Turkey's 9th Army. Kurdistan Committee Brussels, Belgium From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat May 6 18:20:32 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 06 May 1995 18:20:32 Subject: The Retreating Turkish Army Is Mini References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: The Retreating Turkish Army Is Mining The Kurdish Landscape Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 3193; Sat, 06 May 1995 18:54:43 -0800 ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- Press Release April 30, 1995 The Retreating Turkish Army Is Mining The Kurdish Landscape The long-anticipated Turkish retreat from South Kurdistan is finally in the works, but with a twist. The twist is that the Turkish army has turned the Kurdish landscape into a mine-field. Eye-witnesses note with alarm the recent spate of mine explosions which have had their toll on unsuspecting Kurdish civilians. This is a policy that was put into effect a few years ago by troops belonging to Saddam Hussein, with deadly repercussions. Today, the Turkish army wants to do the same: leave the area, but not before setting deadly traps for the Kurds. Inside Turkish Kurdistan, wanton attacks on Kurdish activists continued unabated. Yesterday, the body of Huseyin Koku was found beheaded in Poturge, Malatya. Mr. Koku was the chair of the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) in Elbistan, Maras. He had been missing since October 20, 1994. According to information reaching our office, there were also new arrests yesterday, again on the most flimsy charges. Sahabettin Ozarsanler, Hikmet Fidan, Sehmus Cagro, and Ferhan Turk, all high- ranking HADEP officials, were taken into custody. Another "mystery" death was discovered yesterday near the city of Diyarbakir. The dead body of Ferhan Eser, a civil servant in the city of Lice, was found in a bag in a mutilated form. He too had been abducted, on April 13, 1995. He too was found dead miles away from his place of residence. A communique issued by the Office of the Turkish Chief of Staff declared the Serhad region a security zone and barred people from entering the area. It said that people could only enter the designated zone with permits which are issued by Turkey's 9th Army. Kurdistan Committee Brussels, Belgium ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Sat May 6 16:02:22 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 06 May 1995 16:02:22 Subject: ERNK Press Releases Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Kurdistan Committee of Canada Subject: ERNK Press Releases Turkey Celebrated Its Defeat In Silopi! The Talk About Withdrawing Is A Ploy! The occupation of South Kurdistan by Turkish troops that began on March 19, 1995 is continuing. But Turkey's Prime Minister, Tansu Ciller, was in the border town of Silopi today to greet the troops. She was accompanied by a group of her blood-sucking generals. The event was, as usual, portrayed as a success. It was meant to mislead both the local and the foreign press. It was a comedy: Turkey celebrated a fictitious "victory". The occupation of South Kurdistan continues, notwithstanding these media-directed manoeuvres. Although the Turkish army has withdrawn its forces from a number of strategic locations, its occupation goes on. According to Mustafa Karasu, a commander of the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK), the Turkish retreat is another word for defeat and he stated that the Turkish troops have suffered greatly, having had more than 1,000 casualties. In the course of this occupation, Turkish troops destroyed a number of Kurdish villages. Many civilian Kurds were taken into custody, some were killed, and some have been tortured to death. As Saddam had done a few years earlier, the retreating army is also mining the Kurdish landscape so as to deny a life of peace for the Kurds. National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) - European Section May 1, 1995 The Blood Merchants Are Behind It (Mr. Ali Garzan, the European representative of the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK), in a statement faxed to our office, denied any links with the arson attack in Kucuk Cesmece, Istanbul. The following is his statement.) The arson attack in Kucuk Cesmece, Istanbul, which culminated in the death of three people and the destruction of the Nazlim Boutique, has nothing to do with our organization. Neither our militants nor our functionaries had anything to do with this event. We think the incident could be the work of the forces associated with the Turkish state. The press has done a disservice in its reporting of this incident by jumping on the state bandwagon and stating that we, PKK operatives, have done the deed. In so doing, they have sided with the government to incite the people to view the PKK as an alien enemy force. In the Turkish press, there are references to a few slogans apparently expressed by the arsonists. Let us put the event in perspective: these slogans do not belong to us. We feel it is incumbent on us to let the Turkish people and the press know that we sense a ploy in this incident. Those who are perpetrating these acts have a goal in mind and that is to pit the Turkish people against the Kurdish people. It behooves us not to come to these provocations. These are the same people who committed acts of murder in Gazi Mahellesi and Umraniye in March. We consider the victims of this act as our people. We extend our condolences to their families. We urge the public to be aware of these acts. We ask that they not become tools of these remotely- controlled events. Events such as these only benefit the blood merchants and their authors who believe in military solutions. They service the cause of fascism and chauvinism. National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) - European Section May 6, 1995 From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat May 6 18:21:13 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 06 May 1995 18:21:13 Subject: ERNK Press Releases References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: ERNK Press Releases Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl rver 2.20) id VT3200; Sat, 06 May 1995 18:54:48 -0800 ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- Turkey Celebrated Its Defeat In Silopi! The Talk About Withdrawing Is A Ploy! The occupation of South Kurdistan by Turkish troops that began on March 19, 1995 is continuing. But Turkey's Prime Minister, Tansu Ciller, was in the border town of Silopi today to greet the troops. She was accompanied by a group of her blood-sucking generals. The event was, as usual, portrayed as a success. It was meant to mislead both the local and the foreign press. It was a comedy: Turkey celebrated a fictitious "victory". The occupation of South Kurdistan continues, notwithstanding these media-directed manoeuvres. Although the Turkish army has withdrawn its forces from a number of strategic locations, its occupation goes on. According to Mustafa Karasu, a commander of the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK), the Turkish retreat is another word for defeat and he stated that the Turkish troops have suffered greatly, having had more than 1,000 casualties. In the course of this occupation, Turkish troops destroyed a number of Kurdish villages. Many civilian Kurds were taken into custody, some were killed, and some have been tortured to death. As Saddam had done a few years earlier, the retreating army is also mining the Kurdish landscape so as to deny a life of peace for the Kurds. National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) - European Section May 1, 1995 The Blood Merchants Are Behind It (Mr. Ali Garzan, the European representative of the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK), in a statement faxed to our office, denied any links with the arson attack in Kucuk Cesmece, Istanbul. The following is his statement.) The arson attack in Kucuk Cesmece, Istanbul, which culminated in the death of three people and the destruction of the Nazlim Boutique, has nothing to do with our organization. Neither our militants nor our functionaries had anything to do with this event. We think the incident could be the work of the forces associated with the Turkish state. The press has done a disservice in its reporting of this incident by jumping on the state bandwagon and stating that we, PKK operatives, have done the deed. In so doing, they have sided with the government to incite the people to view the PKK as an alien enemy force. In the Turkish press, there are references to a few slogans apparently expressed by the arsonists. Let us put the event in perspective: these slogans do not belong to us. We feel it is incumbent on us to let the Turkish people and the press know that we sense a ploy in this incident. Those who are perpetrating these acts have a goal in mind and that is to pit the Turkish people against the Kurdish people. It behooves us not to come to these provocations. These are the same people who committed acts of murder in Gazi Mahellesi and Umraniye in March. We consider the victims of this act as our people. We extend our condolences to their families. We urge the public to be aware of these acts. We ask that they not become tools of these remotely- controlled events. Events such as these only benefit the blood merchants and their authors who believe in military solutions. They service the cause of fascism and chauvinism. National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) - European Section May 6, 1995 ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Mon May 8 00:12:06 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 08 May 1995 00:12:06 Subject: Kurdistan Parliament in Exile - May Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Kurdistan Committee of Canada Subject: Kurdistan Parliament in Exile - May 7, 1995 Kurdistan Parliament in Exile Executive Council Statement to the Public May 7, 1995 The people of the world are currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War in which millions of people lost their lives, became disabled, and suffered irreparable agony; this as the direct result of the redivision and redistribution of the world under the fascist imperialist system. Traces of this linger on to this day. Today people throughout the world join in commemorative activities in order not to forget the disasters that war brings and to ensure that these sorrows will never be relived. It should never be forgotten that an end to war on this earth is inextricably tied to the end of colonialism, oppression, and atrocities. Tragically, this is not yet the case; wars are being waged in various parts of the world. It is the imperialist system that holds sole responsibility for the division of Kurdistan and for failing to resolve the problem of ongoing oppression. The problem of Kurdistan is therefore the concern of all humanity. The fascist Turkish state is waging genocide against the people of Kurdistan, as the Ottoman Empire had done before it. Our people are living in great pain. As the result of state policies of oppression, assimilation, and forced repatriation, half of our people must live abroad, tens of thousands of them have been slaughtered, tortured, and arrested. More than 2,500 villages have been destroyed and emptied. Our natural wealth has been looted, our forests burnt down. Everything that represents our national identity has been damaged and destroyed. And the Turkish state can only continue this savage war with help from the outside world. Our people show great resistance in this war against their culture, their history, and their whole existence. Their struggle is in self-defence, is legitimate, and represents a struggle for all humankind. As we all come together today to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, we call on the whole world not to remain silent in the face of the destruction of our culture and heritage which is now taking place in Kurdistan, the very birthplace of civilization; not to condone this war which casts shame upon the whole of humanity. We call on the United Nations and all international organizations, most particularly the United States of America and all European countries, to seek a political solution that will bring about an end to the war in Kurdistan. Once again we stress the readiness of the peoples of Kurdistan for peace within the framework of national democratic rights. It is within this framework that we can hope to find democratic, political resolutions for all nations under colonial oppression and, in so doing, serve to bring about peace in this world. We wish for peace and an end to colonialism for all the peoples of the world. From kurdeng at aps.nl Mon May 8 23:13:15 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 08 May 1995 23:13:15 Subject: TURKISH RADIO HOUR NEWS Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TURKISH RADIO HOUR NEWS Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ************************ Today's news was edited by Ahmet Toprak ************************ ANKARA PROTESTS WESTERN THRACE ATTACK 05/05/95, TPR--Ankara has protested in the strongest possible terms the attack against State Minister and Government Spokesman Yildirim Aktuna during his visit to Western Thrace, Greece. Top government officials have condemned the attack, and President Demirel has described the Greek violence as "thought provoking" in connection with Turkey- Greek relations which have now plunged to a serious low. State Minister Aktuna said in a press meeting yesterday that the violent demonstration against the visiting Turkish delegation led by Aktuna was carried with Kurdish Workers Party cooperation. He said too that he would be taking legal action against Greek newspapers that had vilified him and Turkish efforts to restore relations with Greece. Officials and others confirm that relations with Greece are moving into crisis. Reports say that the attack, during which Aktuna was pushed and shoved to the ground, came as a result of the deep and damaging complexes the Greeks have about Turkey. Describing the attack as "planned provocation" officials said yesterday that Greece was continuing with a strategy designed to incite bad feeling between Greece and Turkey and damage what remaining ties there were. Aktuna wound up his press conference by saying that what the demonstrators had done was "against the principles of human rights." Turkey protested to Greece at midnight on Wednesday over the attacks on Government Spokesman Yildirim Aktuna during his visit to Salonika. Greek Ambassador Dimitrios Nezeritis, who has just been appointed to Ankara, was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry in the early hours of Thursday morning. Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Tugay Ulucevik said he had protested against the attack on Aktuna. A similar protest was made in Greece, by the Turkish Ambassador in Athens. "We want the aggressors to be found as quickly as possible. An investigation should be conducted and the people responsible should be brought before the courts" Ulucevik said. Following the note of protest, a Turkish Cabinet statement was made on the issue, condemning the Greek attitude. "This is an ugliness not even seen between countries at war" said State Minister Abdulbaki Atac, who read the statement instead of Aktuna, adding: "It is impossible to understand how the Greek authorities could remain passive during the incident. This is in no way compatible with hospitality" Atac said. Deputy Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin told reporters he blamed the local police for negligence during the attack by a crowd of about 400 Greeks, Armenians, Kurds and Cypriots. Aktuna suffered injuries to his legs and arms when the angry crowd hurled rocks, lighters, eggs, lemons and other items at him and his entourage in Salonika. AKTUNA IN WESTERN THRACE 05/04/95, Milliyet--The visit to Western Thrace of Turkish State Minister and Government Spokesman Yildirim Aktuna provoked violent reactions from the Greek press and government officials yesterday. Aktuna, who earlier announced his wish to have a "peaceful" trip to meet with ethnic Turks, was "greeted" by an ultra-nationalist Greek bomb threat on Tuesday evening during a Turkish Youth Association Dinner and open insults by the Greek press the following morning. Following visits to Iskece and Gumulcine, Aktuna went to Salonika yesterday evening to visit the house of Ataturk. Aktuna and his accompanying delegation were attacked by a 500-person group of fanatics including KWP terrorist organization members when they arrived at the Turkish Consulate General. HOLBROOKE: "TURKEY MUST BE SUPPORTED" 05/04/95, Sabah-Hurriyet--In an exclusive interview with the Washington Times, Richard Holbrooke, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, has criticized the proposed cuts in the foreign aid budget. On Cyprus, he recalled the administration's policy to lobby "for Cyprus to be invited to EU membership". Since the island could only join the EU as a federation of the separated Turkish and Greek sides, membership would serve as a lever toward reuniting the Mediterranean island nation, the Washington Times noted. Commenting on Turkey's own application for EU customs union, Holbrooke said the US did not support moves "to drive the Turks east to the fundamentalists which would be a catastrophe". The US, unable to find the support it expected from its allies for an international embargo against Iran, has accelerated backing for Turkey, describing Turkey as the US government "New European Front". Holbrooke stressed that the US supported Turkey's military operation in northern Iraq and said: "Turkey is replacing Germany as the cutting-edge of Europe". Meanwhile, "support in the struggle against terrorism" call from Prime Minister Tansu Ciller to her Western allies received a positive answer from Washington. The US administration stated that all NATO allies should support Turkey in its just struggle. Washington also noted that Turkey did not suggest any changes to the Turkish- Iraqi border. US State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns said: "We very much agree with the Turkish government that it is in the interests of the two main Kurdish factions in northern Iraq to provide security there so that the problem of KWP terrorism, which emanates from inside Turkey, can be eliminated. And that concern about KWP terrorism is something that we share very deeply with the Turkish government". NATO COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IN ANKARA 05/03/95, Cumhuriyet--The Commander-in-Chief of NATO's European Allied Forces, Gen.George A.Joulwan arrived in Ankara yesterday as the official guest of Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Ismail Hakki Karadayi. Gen.Joulwan will meet with Gen.Karadayi, Lieutenant Gen.Tamer Akbas and Major Gen.Cetin Dogan today. Joulwan will leave Ankara this afternoon. MAY DAY PASSES WITHOUT INCIDENT 05/02/95, Cumhuriyet--May Day began quietly, with labor union leaders and politicians laying wreaths at the Republic monument in Taksim Square, Istanbul. Labor confederation leaders were led by Turk-Is Chairman Bayram Meral, the Confederation of Progressive Labor Unions Chairman Ridvan Budak and the Public Sector Workers Unions Confederation spokesman Yildirim Kaya. Minister of Culture Ercan Karakas and members of the Republican People's Party also visited the Taksim Republic monument. TURKEY'S PRIME MINISTER CILLER WELCOMES TROOPS RETURNING HOME by Sevda Kupoglu Aleckson Special to the Turkish Radio Hour 05/06/95, TRH--Following an almost two-month long military operation against the rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (KWP), the Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller led the special ceremonies held at Silopi to welcome back the remaining Turkish military units withdrawing from northern Iraq region. The returning soldiers were given an enthusiastic welcome. The Prime Minister and the top military representatives confirmed the success of the military operation dubbed "Operation Steel" and emphasized the impossibility of destroying the unity of the Turkish nation. Turkey is working to establish a long-term solution to help stabilize the area. Talks are continung with the regional Kurdish leaders hoping that an agreement can be reached for united action against the KWP. During the 43-day long military operation, a 14,000 square kilometer area in northern Iraq was thoroughly searched, 555 rebels were killed, 61 Turkish forces were killed, and 185 soldiers were wounded. During the operation, no civilians were hurt. The cost of the operation was in the amount approx 56,000,000 US dollars. Meanwhile, clashes between the military units and the KWP continued in Siirt region of Turkey which resulted in five KWP terrorists being killed Similarly, in a region of Hakkari, 11 terrorists were recently killed. Twenty-six KWP members have been arrested in Bitlis, Mus, Siirt and Tunceli towns of Turkey. In response to recent statements suggesting changes to the border area between Turkey and Iraq to prevent KWP infiltration, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has indicated that no political decisions have been made to change the present Turkey-Iraqi border. To help Turkey fight the terrorism, Azerbaijan has taken measures to prevent KWP infiltration into Turkey through Armenia. Specifically, Azerbaijan has increased the number of troops and thightened the controls around the Armenian and Iranian borders. KWP terrorists who are arrested when they buy weapons are routinely handed over to Turkish officials. During talks in Ankara with the Turkish Foreign Ministry, a northern Iraqi delegation assured Turkey that they will make every effort not to allow terrorists to attack Turkey through their territory. The head of the delegation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) stated that they are in control of the region, are responsible for the security of the region, and respect international law. Cooperation of the local KDP leaders is critical in establishing a secure region along the Turkish-Iraqi border. TURKEY REACTS STRONGLY TO EUROPEANS 05/03/95, TPR--Turkish parliamentarians have reacted strongly to the attitude of visiting European parliamentarians representing the European Council (EC). In a statement signed by all the major parties, Turkish parliamentarians have condemned the attitude of the Europeans as "ill-intentioned and biased." Turkish parliamentarians have declared that the visiting EC delegation has gone beyond the accepted limits of relations between countries and the interest countries can show in the internal affairs of another country. In the statement published yesterday, Turkish parliamentarians said they expected the EC delegation to show respect for Turkish political sovereignty and national unity. KWP OPENING OFFICE IN HELSINKI 05/01/95, TPR--In moves to create division between Turkey and European countries, the KWP terrorist organization is planning to open yet another representative office in Helsinki. The move is seen as part of the "Kurdish parliament-in-exile" scheme begun in Holland to bring Turkey into disrepute in European countries. The KWP is seeking to establish itself in countries with a more tolerant view of fringe or even extremist groups. The KWP will slowly build up credibility at the cost of Turkey. No real reaction to the KWP Helsinki project has been reported. TGNA CONDEMNS COUNCIL OF EUROPE 05/03/95, Sabah--All political parties at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA), condemned the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (CEPA) with a text jointly prepared yesterday. The text says: "The Turkish Group in the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly has decided not to cooperate with the CEPA and not to participate in the assembly meetings and council's commission studies until the European Council Ministers' Committee changes its attitude". COUNCIL OF EUROPE REGRETS TURK BOYCOTT 05/02/95, Cumhuriyet--The Council of Europe's rapporteur for Turkey has expressed his regret over the decision by Turkish parliamentarians to boycott the Council's Parliamentary Assembly, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday. "I am very surprised at the decision. It would have been better to stay and keep the channels of dialogue open. The Council of Europe does not want to lose Turkey", Rapporteur Andreas Barsony said. *COST OF MILITARY OPERATION--The 43-day Turkish military operation in northern Iraq has so far cost the government 2.8 trillion TL (66 million U.S. dollars), and the lives of 61 officers and men along with three missing. From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue May 9 14:29:57 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 09 May 1995 14:29:57 Subject: When the Kurds Made History Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: When the Kurds Made History Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl -------------- Forwarded from : Salah Aziz -------------- "Short Story" When the Kurds Made History Salah Aziz Badlisy Center for Kurdish Studies "Where are we going?" Sherko asked his mother, Fatima. "We will vote today," she responded quietly. Sherko, an eight year old boy and a second-grade student, recalled that his teacher said something about today's voting during class yesterday. Just like other students, he knew that voting must be a very important event. The political parties in Kurdistan-Iraq converted circles located at street intersections as sites for campaigning. During the three weeks leading up to the election, Sherko had enjoyed watching the campaign. Each circle in his city, Sulaymania, was decorated with pictures, flags, and colorful banners. The men and women in charge of the circles gave candies and cookies to those stopping by as they greeted each potential voter. Sherko was lucky because there were three large circles close to his house. He visited each circle daily, collecting sweets. Receiving free sweets reminded him of Eids, the Muslim holy celebration in which every family prepares some kinds of sweets and distributed them to children. However, during the previous two years Eids had not been happy occasions for Sherko because his father had not earned any money and the family could not afford cookies and clothes. After the election, his mother had promised, he would have new clothes. Sherko also enjoyed listening to music played over loudspeakers and watching Kurdish tradition dancing, Chape'a. He memorized some songs and started learning to dance. However, dancers would not allow him to join them because he might disturb the dance's harmony and order. As they approached the polling place, Ahmed, Sherko's father, carried his two-year-old daughter, Nasrine. Ahmed walked faster than Sherko and Fatima, slowing every few minutes to ask them to hurry. The day was already hot, and Ahmed wanted to arrive early so that he and his family would not have to wait a long time. Although Ahmed had heard on the radio that the Iraqi government would consider everyone who participated in the election a traitor and severely punish him, he listened to the Kurdish leaders who urged residents of the region to vote as a "national duty." Along with Ahmed, his family and relatives were participating in the election despite the government's threat. Ahmed and many others had already paid a price for their Kurdish patriotism. When the Iraqi government withdrew from the Kurdish region in October 1991, they ordered the government employees in Arbil, Dihok, and Sulaymania to leave for Kirkuk or Mosul, which ere under Iraq's control. The government stopped paying wages to those who decided to stay in Kurdistan. During the past six months, Ahmed had received one month's salary. Further, the money was not worth much because of 3,000 percent inflation. He had been forced to sell his car to raise money. However, he looked forward to a more prosperous day because the Kurdish leaders had promised that the economic crisis and administration vacuum would be solved after the election. Fatima's bright and colorful Kurdish dress -dominated by green, red, and yellow- was sewn new for the occasion. Although the women of Sulaymania typically dressed in bright colors, Fatima had not worn new clothes since April 1991 as a sign of mourning. In April of that year, she had lost her six-year-old daughter, A'shty, when Kurds fled Sulaymania during the mass exodus following the Gulf War. On the Iraq-Iran border, A'shty became sick and died because there was no medicine. As she walked toward the voting place, Fatima recalled the pain and starvation during the exodus. As family buried A'shty, Fatima had sworn that she would never return to be ruled by Saddam's regime. When the Kurdish parties called for election to replace Saddam's government in the region, she supported them and joined one of women's organizations to help in the election go forward. Ahmad and Fatima were not entirely sure that the election would take place today, May 22, 1992. It had already been postponed once, from May 19, because of technical error. The postponement had caused confusion and suspicion among the people, who feared that the Kurdish leaders might cancel voting after receiving threats from the governments of Iran, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq. These states rejected the idea of holding election in Kurdistan, and their media reported that they would not recognize the election results. There was also speculation that perhaps Kurdish politicians could not agree on certain election law procedures and therefore would cancel the vote. Ahmed asked Fatima if she had heard anything new about the election. She shook her head, "no," and they continued walking toward the election center, interrupted now and then by Sherko By seven o'clock that morning, the family had arrived at the election center, an elementary school surrounded by a long line of people. Ahmed estimated that there were already 200 families in line and asked his wife: "When did these people leave their houses to come?" "Probably before sunrise," she answered. As Sherko eased away to play with the other children, his parents talked to family members who had also gathered to vote. Soon, the mood resembled that of social celebration. One man remarked: "We need some music to start dancing." Ahmed laughed and said: "Maybe we'll dance after the election." After waiting in line for three hours, Ahmed's family reached the entrance. Fatima, still smiling and talking to the other women, was carrying Nasrine who was tired and hungry. Ahmed held Sherko's hand and asked his son to behave well once they were in the building. As they neared the polling place, Ahmed and Fatima became more and more excited since this was the first time either of them had voted. Ahmed and Fatima had discussed the election at length in the preceding weeks. They decided to vote for the same political party and leader although it was not an easy decision. There were seven political parties competing for parliament seats and four candidates for leadership position. Ahmed and Fatima did not belong to a political party, but they had relatives and friends in these parties. Ahmed had thought deeply about the competing political parties and leaders, but when he examined political speeches, he found little difference among them. For Ahmed, the most important aspect of the election was that it be carried out peacefully and successfully. He had heard that there would be election observers from the United States and Europe but he still worried that the losing party might not accept the election results. He hoped that the crises endured by the Kurds in the previous five years had taught the Kurdish parties that their unity was to be the overriding objective. There were only two families ahead of Ahmed when a man walked in and asked them to step back. Everybody turned to the entrance, where they saw a young man carrying an old handicapped man on his back. The old man, probably in eighties, asked officials if he could vote without waiting in line. The officials and voters in line honored the old man's request. The man's grandson, who had carried him into the room, told the official that the family disapproved of the old man's participating in the election because of his poor health. But the grandfather, who had taken part in Sheikh Mahmmud's independence movement in 1920s, insisted on sharing this historic event with his children and grandchildren. Everybody in the room felt proud of the old man. A chair was provided for him to sit in, and he was allowed to move ahead in line. After he voted, he hugged and shook hands with everyone. With tears in his eyes, he said: "Long live Kurdistan. Now I am a free man." It took Ahmed and Fatima ten minuets to cast their vote. When Sherko asked, "Baba, can I vote?" the room filled with laughter. "No," Ahmed answered. "You have to be 18 years old." In the spirit of the day, an election official gave a card to Sherko, telling him to fill it in and give it to his teacher the next day. On their way back home, Ahmed asked Fatima: "Did you understand what the old man said before he left?" "Yes," she said. "I feel free for the first time in my life." "We will stay free as long as we continue to elect our leaders," said her husband. Ref: NAMAH, Vol. II No. 1, Winter 1995 ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue May 9 19:22:19 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 09 May 1995 19:22:19 Subject: ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETINS Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETINS Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 580), May 6, 1995 ================================================= Gov't rejects Turkish accusations ------------------------------------- Athens, 05/06/1995 (ANA): The government yesterday dismissed Turkish "lessons" on how to protect human rights and respect international laws. "Greece does not accept lessons, advice or censure concerning the protection of human rights and respect for the principles of international law from the Turkish government which is accountable to all international organisations for circumventing these rights and principles," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. The spokesman also described as "groundless" and "slanderous" Turkish accusations that Greece was supposedly involved in acts of terrorism on Turkish soil or against Turkish targets. "All this is nothing but an attempt by Ankara to export Turkey's domestic problems," Mr. Venizelos said, adding that "such accusations by Turkish officials are a provocation... and Greece will never tolerate the accused playing the accuser." Mr. Venizelos again expressed the government's regret over Wednesday's incidents in Thessaloniki when Turkish government spokesman Yildirim Aktuna was pelted with various objects as he arrived at the Turkish consulate. The episode was provoked by televised comments by Mr. Aktuna during a visit to Greece's Moslem minority in Western Thrace, when he referred to them as "fellow Turks". Mr. Venizelos said that responsibility would be sought at an administrative level, noting that the crowd outside the consulate should have been at a greater distance from the building. Meanwhile, an ANA report from Ankara yesterday said the Greek embassy had received scores of complaints and bomb threats over the incidents in Thessaloniki. The Turkish authorities, notified of the bomb scares, had bolstered security around the Greek establishment. The report said protest action against the episode in Thessaloniki was highlighted by a rally staged by Turkish journalists outside the Greek embassy. "Demonstrators laid a wreath of carnations assembled on a black frame with an inscription saying 'let us not be enemies'," said the report. A protest gathering was also held outside the Greek Consulate in Istanbul yesterday, where staff also complained about receiving bomb threats. ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 579), May 5, 1995 ================================================= Aktuna visit failed to observe international norms, Gov't says ------------------------------------------------------------------ Athens, 05/05/1995 (ANA): The Foreign Ministry yesterday strongly criticised the provocative behaviour of Turkish minister of state and government spokesman Yildirim Aktuna during his three-day tour of Thrace, saying he had failed to observe the norms of international relations an d that his visit was an abuse of democratic practice that would not be allowed in Turkey. "As a European and democratic country, Greece allowed Mr. Aktuna, the Turkish MPs and the entourage of (Turkish) journalists to visit, in the belief that during his visit he would respect the relevant rules of international relations," foreign ministry spokesman Costas Bikas said in a statement. "Unfortunately, from the very first moment he stepped on Greek soil, Mr. Aktuna's entire behaviour was provocative. He questioned (the validity of) the Treaty of Lausanne and showed that the purpose of his visit was not to protect or improve the climate between Greece and Turkey. But we believe that he had the opportunity to see how the Moslem minority lives and that its rights are fully respected. "I am afraid that the same would not hold for a Greek official wishing to visit the once thriving Greek minority of Istanbul, of Imvros and Tenedos, because it has shrunk to virtually nothing following the Turkish persecutions of 1942 (Vallik Vergisi), the pogrom against the Greeks of Istanbul in 1955 and the mass expulsions of 12,500 Greeks of Istanbul which had as a result the departure of a much larger number of Greeks in 1964. "We also doubt whether it would be possible for the official of any foreign country to freely visit all of Turkey accompanied by reporters," Mr. Bikas said. The statement followed a Turkish protest to the Greek Ambassador in Ankara, Dimitrios Nezeritis, about a demonstration outside the Turkish consulate in Thessaloniki during a visit by Mr. Aktuna Wednesday night. Greece has expressed its regret at the demonstration. Mr. Aktuna and his entourage, which included a Turkish MP and 25 journalists, were met by a demonstration of Cypriots, Kurds, Armenians and Black Sea Greeks (Pontians) as they attempted to enter the Turkish Consulate in Thessaloniki Wednesday evening, where they spent the night instead of in the hotel they had booked. The demonstrators were protesting the genocides of Armenians in 1915 and Pontians in 1916-1919, the on-going war against the Kurdish people and the 1974 invasion and continuing occupation of Cyprus. At the Kipoi border post before leaving Greece, Mr. Aktuna said Pontians, Cypriots and Kurds who demonstrated against him in Thessaloniki on Wednesday night were "common terrorists." Mr. Aktuna reiterated his statement that he would visit Greece again in three months to ascertain whether living conditions for citizens he termed "Turks" had improved in western Thrace, adding that he would start his tour from Athens. Extremely annoyed by Greek press reports, Mr. Aktuna said he would resort to international press agencies and sue media for abuse directed at him and questioned the concept of democracy in Greece. Mr. Aktuna's abrasive statements to Moslems throughout Thrace sparked a shower of protests from political parties, and 15 deputies from the ruling PASOK and opposition New Democracy and Political Spring parties demanded that he be declared "persona non grata". In speeches to Moslems, Mr. Aktuna called on the members of the Greek Moslem minority to call themselves Turks. The rights of the Moslems in Greece and the Orthodox Christians in Istanbul are explicitly set out in the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, under which the minority in Western Thrace is referred to as "Moslem". Before boarding the coach that transported the entourage back to Turkey, Mr. Aktuna told the ANA he was "very sad" that Minister for Macedonia-Thrace Costas Triarides had not invited him to meet during his visit. Mr. Triarides told reporters in Thessaloniki on Tuesday that Mr. Aktuna had, with his statements at the border before entering Greece, "in effect ruled out the possibility for any meeting or contact we could have had". "The positions and activity of the Turkish minister on a private visit surpass both our efforts and our desire for improved relations as well as the statements of the Turkish government concerning dialogue and co-operation," Mr. Triarides said. Gov't expresses regret at rowdy demonstration ------------------------------------------------- Athens, 05/05/1995 (ANA): Greece yesterday expressed regret over Wednesday's incidents in Thessaloniki when Turkish Press Minister Yildirim Aktuna arrived at the Turkish consulate. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said Greece deplored violence from whatever source, adding that it had proved repeatedly that it honoured human rights and indicated that problems concerning respect for human rights existed elsewhere. He said Mr. Aktuna's provocative statements were disrespectful of Greek hospitality and provoked Greek sensitivities and was an attempt to interfere in Greek domestic affairs. "Greek citizens of Moslem religion did not adopt Mr. Aktuna's tactic and manners, who attempted to export Turkey's domestic problems according to his country's standing tactic," Mr. Venizelos said. Mr. Venizelos further termed allegations on reported Greek involvement in terrorism against Turkey "defamatory." Replying to a questioner on whether after Mr. Aktuna's visit the government was considering that maybe it should have taken administrative measures, Mr. Venizelos said administrative measures were not suitable since they transferred the basis of discuss ion. The sole issue for discussion, he added, was Mr. Aktuna's provocations. Bikas on improved relations with Turkey ------------------------------------------- Athens, 05/05/1995 (ANA): Greece said yesterday that improvement of relations with Turkey was not possible as long as the Turkish military occupation of Cyprus continued, the status quo in the Aegean was disputed, and Ankara attempts to divert its domestic problems to Greece. "Greece agrees that both countries will gain from normalisation of their relations. But we do not see such a normalisation as possible when the military occupation of a large part of the Republic of Cyprus continues or the status quo in the Aegean is disputed," Foreign Ministry spokesman Constantine Bikas said. Mr. Bikas said this equally applied to the "frequently provocative violations of Greek national airspace which necessitate the immediate reaction of our Air Force" and "Turkey's attempts to export its domestic problems to Greece". Mr. Bikas was commenting on a statement by Turkish President Suleyman Demirel in the Turkish Daily News that Turkey had been "unable to rekindle our relations with Greece despite our efforts", adding that the two countries "have much to benefit from normal relations". Analysing Turkey's foreign relations, Mr. Demirel said that Greece had not responded to Ankara's proposal for the signing of a friendship and good neighbourhood pact. Mr. Bikas told a press briefing that the signing of such a pact, "under these circumstances, would only serve to show that the words have totally lost their meaning". Commenting on Mr. Demirel's claim of "suspicions" in Turkey that Greece would extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, Mr. Bikas said: "As for the 12 nautical miles, the Greek positions have been repeatedly set out: It is the sovereign prerogative of the Greek government when and if it will exercise this right, which is accorded to it by international law." "The fact that the exercise of international law constitutes a matter of extreme concern for Turkey is not, unfortunately, unusual," Mr. Bikas added. Mr. Bikas rejected as "untrue" the view that Greece was interfering in the neighbouring country's domestic affairs. Greece would like to see "a prospering and democratic Turkey with European structures and not a country torn by internal conflicts" because "we believe that such a Turkey could contribute to security and stability in the region and would cease to be possessed by a syndrome of aggressiveness". Referring to Mr. Demirel's call for a change in the negotiation process on the Cyprus issue, Mr. Bikas reiterated that the problem was "one of occupation and continued violation of the most fundamental rules of international law and not a problem of procedure as Ankara attempts to present it". ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 578), May 4, 1995 ================================================= Criticism of Aktuna visit escalates, premier, opposition say conduct is unacceptable, provocative ---------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 04/05/1995 (ANA): Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou led the chorus of criticism yesterday over the increasingly abrasive statements made by a Turkish minister visiting the northern region of Thrace. Turkish Minister of State Yildirim Aktuna's behaviour is "un-acceptable" and a "misuse of the right we gave him to visit our country with a group of journalists," Mr. Papandreou said last night at a reception for the armed forces. Mr. Aktuna, who is accompanied on his visit by one Turkish MP and 25 journalists, has made inflammatory statements since his arrival Monday, prompting government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos to reiterate comments he made Tuesday that Mr. Aktuna's general behaviour was "premeditated provocation". Mr. Venizelos said although Mr. Aktuna's visit was not an official one, it produces political results. "Mr. Aktuna's words and deeds cast doubt on Turkish statements about an effort for an improvement in relations between Athens and Ankara," Mr . Venizelos said. The spokesman said Mr. Aktuna's statements vindicated the Greek position that Turkey did not respect international conventions. In statements Tuesday, Mr. Aktuna said that he was in Greece to visit "fellow countrymen" and that the Greek Moslem minority was a "Turkish minority". During his visit to the village of Koptero in Xanthi yesterday, Mr. Aktuna said he would launch a public campaign to re-institute the practice of appointing muftis after they have been elected, if he were not allowed to visit the self-styled mufti of Xanthi, Mehmet Emin Aga, currently in Larissa jail on charges of impersonating a religious leader. In speeches to groups of Moslems, Mr. Aktuna urged them to call themselves Turks, and said that telephone callers from Ankara and Istanbul had told him characteristically that "the hearts of 60 million Turks were beating for the Turks of Western Thrace". The rights of the Moslems in Greece and the Greek Orthodox Christians in Istanbul are set out in the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. Under the treaty, the minority in Western Thrace (northern Greece) is referred to as "Moslem". Mr. Venizelos said it would have been a mistake if the Greek government had prohibited Mr. Aktuna's visit since it would have had to explain itself internationally. Mr. Aktuna repeated an attack against Macedonia- Thrace Minister Constantine Triarides for refusing to meet him. "The refusal of dialogue creates trouble," he said. Mr. Triarides said earlier that Mr. Aktuna had, with his statements at the border before entering Greece, "in effect ruled out the possibility for any meeting or contact which we could have had". Speaking to reporters in Thessaloniki, Mr. Triarides said that "the positions and activity of the Turkish minister on a private visit surpass both our efforts and our desire for improved relations as well as the statements of the Turkish government concerning dialogue and co-operation". Replying to questions about calls by Greek politicians for Mr. Aktuna to be declared persona non grata, Mr. Triarides said that "in a country which enjoys freedom of speech and democracy, we respect the positions and statements of all politicians". He added however that there was "a limit to everything" and expressed the hope that the Turkish minister would remain within this limit during his visit. Mr. Aktuna was met by a rowdy demonstration of Cypriots, Kurds, Armenians and Black Sea Greeks as he attempted to visit the Turkish consul in Thessaloniki to attend a reception in his honour later yesterday. The demonstrators showered the Turkish minister's entourage with coins and stones during their arrival. A policeman was injured in the melee and a window of the bus carrying the entourage was shattered. The demonstrators were protesting the genocide of Black Sea Greeks in 1916-1919, the genocide of Armenians in 1915, the ongoing war against the Kurdish people and the invasion and occupation of Cyprus. Deputies call on Aktuna to be declared persona non grata ------------------------------------------------------------ Athens, 04/05/1995 (ANA): In Athens, 15 deputies from ruling PASOK, New Democracy and Political Spring parties said Mr. Aktuna's stance was "unacceptable and insulting", in a letter to Parliament President Apostolos Kaklamanis and called on the government to "characterise Mr. Aktuna persona non grata and to ask him to leave Greece". The letter also said that the government should "bring protests before the Turkish government concerning the provocative and insolent stance of its minister and also inform the European Parliament". In the letter, the deputies claim that Europe ought to isolate Turkey and "to take measures which will oblige Turkey to respect international law and human rights." All opposition parties were unanimous in their criticism of Mr. Aktuna's conduct. Main opposition New Democracy party spokesman Vassilis Manginas said Mr. Aktuna's statements and general behaviour prove "he does not respect Greek hospitality" and of visiting Greece in order to provoke and mislead Turkish public opinion away from the major problems faced there. Political Spring party leader Antonis Samaras said that "the Greek people were offended" at Mr. Aktuna's conduct. "The government is already facing the negative repercussions of its wrong moves on the issue of the Turkish minister's visit," he said. In an announcement, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) said that "Mr. Aktuna's statements do not serve the bettering of bilateral relations and reveal the provocative tactics of the Turkish government backed by the US". The Coalition of the Left and Progress party said that "the form and character of Mr. Aktuna's visit constitutes the choice of provoking tension between Greece and Turkey." ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 577), May 3, 1995 ================================================= 'Inauspicious start' to Turkish minister's visit to Thrace, Venizelos says --------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 03/05/1995 (ANA): Greece yesterday harshly criticised statements by Turkish Minister of State and government spokesman Yildirim Aktuna referring to the Moslem minority in Thrace as Turkish. "Mr. Aktuna's visit has begun inauspiciously, due to the provocative and obviously premeditated statements of his regarding the Treaty of Lausanne and the legal status of the Moslem minority in Greece," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. "In a period in which Turkey is being criticised by the entire international community for its systematic and persistent violations of international law and human rights, such statements as Mr. Aktuna's simply serve to confirm the observations and recommendations of many international organisations," Mr. Venizelos added. He was responding to statements by Mr. Aktuna earlier in the day, on his arrival to begin a three-day tour of Thrace, that he was in Greece to visit "fellow countrymen" and that the Greek Moslem minority was a "Turkish minority". "Mr. Aktuna is in a foreign sovereign state and is obliged to respect its legal order and the norms of international law, even if these are blatantly flouted by Turkey, as is the case unfortunately with the Treaty of Lausanne," Mr. Venizelos said. "His statements do not aid the improvement of Greek-Turkish relations and are contradictory with the stated official stance of his country, the credibility of which (Mr. Aktuna) is undermining," Mr. Venizelos said. The top-ranking Turkish official kicked-off his tour of Western Thrace, northern Greece, saying Moslems in the region were Turkish kinsmen. "My visit aims at meeting with fellow countrymen living in Western Thrace. The Turkish government is very sensitive to the issue of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace," Mr. Aktuna said. The issue of the 130,000 Moslem minority in Western Thrace has frequently fuelled tension between NATO allies Greece and Turkey, also at odds over Cyprus and Aegean sea rights. The rights of the Moslems in Greece and the Greek Orthodox Christians in Istanbul are set out in the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which excluded them from a major population exchange at the time. The Greek community in Istanbul has dwindled to a few thousand from 150,000 in the 1920s. Under the treaty, the minority in Western Thrace is referred to as "Moslem" and the Greek state has the right to appoint Moslem religious leaders, just as Ankara appoints the Patriarch in Istanbul. Mr. Aktuna denied that he was contesting the Lausanne Treaty by referring to the minority as Turkish. He said: "There is no intent to provoke, we are just saying what is right. Minorities are not defined by religion but by ethnicity ... and the minority living in this region is sheer Turkish". His comments contrasted strongly with those of his president Suleyman Demirel who, referring to the 12-million-strong Kurdish minority in Turkey, told the Turkish Daily News that "no one was granted rights in Turkey due to ethnicity or faith. If such rights were granted then those who were a majority in Turkey at present would end up becoming a minority. However, there are no minorities in Turkey." Earlier, Mr. Venizelos said statements made by Mr. Aktuna in Ankara before his departure "did not presage anything positive", regarding his visit. Mr. Aktuna's statements "are part of the climate of exporting Turkey's domestic political problems and creating artificial tension which Greece has rejected," Mr. Venizelos said. Mr. Venizelos reiterated that Mr. Aktuna's visit was private and he would have no contacts of a political level. He said the Turkish minister's entourage was "large, luxurious and unusual." It includes one MP and 25 journalists. Replying to a questioner as to why Mr. Aktuna's large entourage was being allowed to enter the country, Mr. Venizelos said Greece did not consider it expedient to create obstacles for the entry of a number of persons in the entourage because the focus of discussion would be transferred from the Turkish minister's statement to the ban on the entry into the country of a small number of Turks. Mr. Venizelos said the Greek state was open and Turkish deputies and journalists would have the opportunity to ascertain how Greek citizens of the Moslem faith lived and make the necessary comparisons. Meanwhile, opposition parties lashed out at Mr. Aktuna's statement and criticised the government's handling of the issue. Main opposition New Democracy party spokesman Vassilis Manginas said the Turkish minister should have been more careful and should have known there was no Turkish minority in Greece but only Greeks of the Moslem faith. He added that Mr. Aktuna should respect international agreements, rejecting the Turkish minister's statement favouring a revision of the Lausanne Treaty. Political Spring party spokesman Notis Martakis criticised the government for not heeding his party not to allow Mr. Aktuna's arrival to prevent political symbolisms and the problems presently being faced. Mr. Martakis called on the government "to abandon its complacency and realise the magnitude of the problem created by its tolerance." ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No 576), May 2, 1995 ================================================= Greece says visit by Turkish delegation should follow international norms --------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 02/05/1995 (ANA): Greece said Sunday that an unofficial visit by a Turkish minister to the north-eastern prefecture of Thrace, due to begin today, should not be used to import Turkey's domestic problems to other nations, and particularly Greece. A Turkish delegation, led by minister without portfolio and government spokesman Yildirim Aktuna, is due in Thrace today to examine what a report from Ankara said were "problems of the Moslem minority" in the region. "Mr. Aktuna's visit has been prepared in a negative atmosphere and in a climate which could create tension," government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said in Thessaloniki on Sunday. "Greece avoids manufactured tension and uses language which is exceptionally cautious and calm". On Saturday, Mr. Venizelos called on the delegation to observe the ethics of international relations. Mr. Aktuna, Mr. Venizelos said at his regular press briefing in Thessaloniki, "should take as an example occasional visits to Turkey, by Greek politicians, government and non-government officials and be inspired by their behaviour." Reports from Ankara said that the delegation also includes four members of parliament, an advisor to the Turkish prime minister's office and 36 journalists. At a recent meeting in Istanbul of a group calling itself "the international parliament of western Thrace", Mr. Aktuna was reported as saying that "the Greeks were afraid of the Turks and that is why they oppress the Turks (Moslem minority) of Western Thrace." "The use of such methods, like the establishment of a (western Thrace) parliament in exile is simply a caricature, which does not help, at all, in maintaining stability in the region," Mr. Venizelos said. Meanwhile, the opposition Political Spring party called on the government to ban Mr. Aktuna's visit to Thrace, saying his presence in the region "is aimed at creating a climate of controversy and constitutes an intervention in Greece's domestic affairs." In a statement, Political Spring described the visit as "provoca-tive", pointing to the "inflammatory statements" Mr. Aktuna made in Istanbul concerning the establishment of a so-called "international parliament of Western Thrace." Such visits "can only cause tension to the already existing problems between the two countries," the statement said. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Wed May 10 14:47:45 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 10 May 1995 14:47:45 Subject: Kurdish News #16 - May 1995 Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Kurdistan Committee of Canada Subject: Kurdish News #16 - May 1995 Kurdish News A Monthly Publication Of The Kurdistan Committee Of Canada Number 16 - May 1995 (There was no Number 15. Kurdish News will now appear monthly.) Index: 1) Canadian Newroz Delegation 1995 2) Parliament Of Kurdistan In Exile Opens In Europe 3) Turkish War And The Civilian Sufferings 4) No "Comfort" Now For Kurds 5) Interview With A Member Of HADEP 6) Boycott Turkish Tourism! Do Not Give Financial Support To The Dirty War! 7) Statement From Kani Yilmaz 1) Canadian Newroz Delegation 1995 Do human Rights exist in Turkey? The Turkish government's attempts to democratize and develop a Western model within the borders of its nation have failed. This failure is due to the abuse of human rights in Turkey and specifically in Kurdistan. From March 15-24, a Canadian delegation led by Mr. Svend Robinson, MP travelled to Turkey and Kurdistan to observe and document the life conditions of the people in Turkey and the Kurdish minority in the region. To carry out this mission the delegation made a point of meeting with a range of organisations, associations, and parties. Included among these was IHD (Human Rights Association), IHDV (Human Rights Foundation), Egit-Sen (teachers union), HADEP (Peoples Democratic Party), Ozgur Ulke (Free Land newspaper), and most importantly the people in Ankara (capital of Turkey) and Diyarbakir (capital of Kurdistan). The delegation also met with the Canadian Ambassador to Turkey in Ankara. The first meeting was in the Ankara regional office of IHD, where the delegation met with the director. Just prior to the meeting there had been demonstrations in Istanbul. As a result of a conflict which took place between Turkish government-backed radicals and Alevi Kurds who had been forced into Istanbul's slums after their villages in the Kurdish region were destroyed by the State Security Forces. The conflict led to civil unrest in Istanbul over what was termed to be an unjust killing and an attack by Turkish Police Forces. The regional office in Ankara was preparing a peaceful demonstration in support of the attack on the Alevi Kurds. The delegation witnessed the arrival of a young woman to the office who had just returned from the demonstration with massive injuries to her head and neck. Many phone calls made to the office were regarding the arrests of people participating in the demonstration in the streets and mainly at the university. As the secretary of the office was informing the local media of the recent arrests as result of the demonstration, the telephone line that she was using was cut off. The phone being cut off opened a discussion on human rights and caused the director to speak exclusively of the abuses in Turkey and mainly in Kurdistan. The director talked of abductions, terror, arrests, and destroyed villages. Meanwhile, people, mainly of Kurdish origin, were coming to the office to report arrested and missing family members. For most of these individuals she was unable to provide support due to limited resources and accessibility to information. The association is limited in its capacity to give financial aid or psychological support to individuals but the main problem she spoke of was the difficulties that the office in general faced in terms of abuses by the Secret Police. The association's funding is provided solely by donation and therefore their ability to transfer and provide information to government officials, international organisations, and the general public is extremely restricted. In order to obtain more information, the director referred the delegation to the main headquarters of IHD. In the main headquarters of the Human Rights Association (IHD), the delegation met with the president, Mr. Akin Birdal. The position of the office was made quite clear by him, although they had been threatened by three bomb attacks in the past and were directly threatened by another, they were quite adamant on doing their job to the best of their ability with the limited resources available to them and the obvious hazards. The delegation was told that the activities carried out by the IHD included forming committees on various subjects including those concerning torture, prisons, women, general amnesty, the death penalty, workers' rights, freedom of conscience and thought, the right to form organisations, citizenship, rights of refugees, environment and ecology, etc. The president made it quite clear that most of the abuses of these fundamental human rights were committed in the Kurdish region of Turkey. And although their attempts to accurately document the situation were often brought to a halt by the Turkish authorities, they succeeded only through serious caution and taking the risk that at any moment of any day their lives were in danger. The delegation was informed not only of the abuses towards the Kurds in southeastern Turkey but also the abuses inflicted upon their own offices. All fourteen offices of the Human Rights Association in southeastern Turkey had been recently closed by the State and as a result four chairpersons were immediately imprisoned, in many cases leaving no individuals to effectively lobby for the reopening of the offices. The delegation also met with the president of HADEP, formerly known as DEP (a banned party of which thirteen MPs are imprisoned or exiled), Mr. Murat Bozlak. Mr. Bozlak told the delegation of the barriers which are erected by Turkish Authorities to prevent Kurdish MPs from coming into power. "We have been bombed, we have been killed, but we are not dead, the Kurdish people must have representation, people must know what is happening to us". As observed by the delegation, many of the members of HADEP were not Kurdish but believed in the justice that they strived for and therefore risked their lives to see that this justice was obtained. In the delegation's meeting with the Canadian Ambassador, Mr. Peter Hancock, Mr. Svend Robinson had a lengthy meeting where he stressed the Canadian government's dearth in expressing the views of many Canadians and international bodies concerning the Kurdish situation. Critical confrontations arose when Mr. Robinson addressed his concern that Canada has made no public representations either in Turkey or at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights condemning the abuses in Turkey. Mr. Hancock informed him that he viewed the media in Turkey as being "more or less free". This comment was made after the delegation attended a rather emotional meeting in the office of the banned daily newspaper Ozgur Ulke. However, Mr. Hancock was very instrumental in arranging a meeting between Mr. Robinson and four of the imprisoned Kurdish MPs of DEP (Democracy Party). In the office of Ozgur Ulke, presently renamed Yeni Politika, the delegation met with the editor and his translator. The employees told of the bombings in Istanbul that all but two employees narrowly escaped. They were in the process of re-establishing a basis for a new newspaper due to the fact that not only had their office been bombed, but the previous newspapers Ozgur Ulke and Ozgur Gundem had been banned by the Turkish authorities. In the view of the employees, these newspapers were and are the only authentic means of communication for the Kurdish people in Turkey. Their publications wrote of the situation of Kurds in Turkey, their struggle for freedom and their demands for human rights and dignity, they profiled prolific intellectuals, politicians, and human rights workers, many of whom are since imprisoned because of these articles, and their willingness to speak their views on the Kurdish issue. All members were aware of the risk they were taking daily as they went to work for this newspaper and often just to be associated with it. Their dedication and courage was so strong that on many occasion individuals offered to lead the delegation on tours of destroyed villages and shanty towns. The delegation was decisive in replying that it was not their place nor their responsibility to ensure ultimate death for these people. As the delegation travelled to the North West Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey), to the Kurdish capital of Diyarbakir, the economic and social implications became quite obvious, more so than in Ankara. Many families and individuals had been forced to take their lives to the street, attempting to scratch out a manner of survival through any means. The delegation visited the main population centres of the city and was able to conclude that the standard of living for the majority of Kurds in the city was far below the poverty level of that in Canada. Many of the residents of the city blamed their extreme poverty on the Turkish government's severe oppression of the Kurdish people. They told the delegation that these actions were aimed at making the Kurdish people so weak mentally and physically that they could no longer protest. The general feeling of these residents was that in fact the oppression had only made them morally stronger and by no means would they give up protesting. The main obstacle for the delegation upon arrival in Diyarbakir was the presence of the Security Forces. The delegation was informed that on no occasion were they to take any pictures without the authorization of the southeast's Super Governor in charge of State of Emergency, Unal Erkan. Due to the Turkish army's invasion of northern Iraq, Mr. Erkan would not meet with the delegation and therefore the delegation would be unable to take pictures of the situation legally. The police made a point of making their presence known to the delegation by tailing and interrogating them about their contacts at any given moment. All individuals who were seen speaking to any member of the delegation were also promptly interrogated by the police, who demanded to know any information about the plans of the delegation. The delegation was also informed that they should not make any attempts to leave the city to visit destroyed villages if they were to remain under the protection and supervision of the police. It was also implied that any attempts to leave the city would be in vain and, if the occasion arose, all film, cameras, and notes would be seized. On the day of the arrival of the delegation, the day before the banned Kurdish Newroz celebrations, through independent journalists, the delegation was informed that two European delegations had been arrested and deported for celebrating and observing the Newroz festivities of university students. On the 21st of March, Kurdish Newroz, the delegation was informed by some young patriotic Kurds of the location of an illegal Newroz celebration. When the delegation arrived at the location, they were surrounded by hundreds of small children who begged the "journalists" to take their picture. The small interlinking alleys were swarming with women and children and an obvious absence of adult men. Members of the delegation were told that the reason for the absence of the men was that if they had not fled the region for economic reasons or fear of persecution that they had gone to the mountains to fight for a "free Kurdistan". The delegation was prompted to participate in the festivities around the fire and it was made quite obvious to the delegation that even the children were aware that the delegation was there to attempt to document and improve the situation of the Kurds. In intervals of about 30 seconds, the children and women would chant "Biji Serok Apo" or Long Live Our Leader (a phrase used to homage Abdullah Ocalan, General Secretary of the PKK or Kurdistan Workers Party), they also chanted "Biji PKK" and "Biji Guerrilla" (referring to the guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party). The delegation observed that all the children appeared malnourished and ill but would at every opportunity risk their lives to lead the delegation to safety from the grasp of the Security Forces. An hour later when the delegation returned to the scene, they were informed by the children that the police had come to break up the festivities and the people were sent back to their homes. The delegation was also informed of two other locations where there would be illegal Newroz celebrations. Upon arrival at these locations they were again informed that the police had already come with tanks and weapons to break up the celebrations. The delegation's first meeting in Diyarbakir was with the Diyarbakir branch of IHD. The day the delegation met with IHD officials, the office had just reopened after being closed by the State. Because numerous members of this office had previously been arrested, the office was being run by individuals from other offices around Turkey and the main goal of the employees was simply to keep the office open without trouble. Although there was obvious hesitance from the members to speak with the delegation, they managed to provide them not only with useful information but also contacts which may have been useful in providing further information. Some of the factual abuses by the State Security Forces provided the delegation (although they stated that the facts were severely censored and much lower than in actuality) for the year of 1994 were as follows: 298 extra- judicial killings and deaths under torture, 1,000 alleged torture cases, 458 civilians killed and 574 wounded by the military, 1,500 villages burnt or destroyed, 700,000 dismissed union workers, 100 journalists, scholars, writers and MPs imprisoned, 14,473 persons detained, 15,000 political prisoners in custody. The list of abuses not only from the IHD but from other organisations was endless. One of the organisations the delegation was referred to was teachers union Egit-Sen. The delegation was again provided with many facts but as well was able to put a human face on the tragedy. Often with tearful eyes the teachers spoke of the 21 teachers who had been murdered in the Kurdish region by "unknown assailants". The murders were never investigated and in no case were charges laid. The teachers spoke not only of the hardships that the they faced in terms of the State but also in terms of the everyday duties of a Kurdish teacher. The classes have most often between 80-130 students with 4 or 5 students at one desk and up to 15 students standing. The average grade level reached for these (Kurdish) students is the equivalent to Canadian grade six, thus for economic reasons plus their lack of education prevents the mainly Kurdish students from attending a university. When asked why the education level was so low they replied that "Kurds are not allowed to be Kurds, not allowed to be taught in their own language, this creates great barriers for them". They also stated: "We cannot teach as Kurds. If a child asks his English teacher why a word in English is so similar to that of one in Kurdish, the child must be disciplined in front of his or her peers." The classes are becoming increasingly more crowded. In the last two years 683 schools in the Kurdish region have been closed, leaving only 583 functioning. In a statement, the Diyarbakir minister of education he declared that "the government's aim is not to teach or educate, it is our job to make sure there are teachers in the class". As far as the Kurdish teachers of the teachers union are concerned, they believe the Turkish government reserves education for Turks and not Kurds. As told to the delegation, the problems for the Kurdish teachers do not necessarily end there. On one occasion, 8 Kurdish teachers were murdered under suspicious circumstances over a period of about eight months. The teachers were known to have spoken out for rights for Kurdish students and were also known to have advocated the study of the Kurdish language and culture. Months after the incidents occurred, the families of the victims were contacted by the Turkish government and offered 800,000,000 Turkish Lira ($26,000 Cdn.) if they would write a letter accusing the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) of murdering their family members. None of the families accepted. The delegation concluded its visit by observing the life conditions of the Kurdish people in Diyarbakir. The Canadian Ambassador, Mr. Peter Hancock, proved to be quite instrumental in arranging a meeting between four of the imprisoned Kurdish MPs of DEP and Mr. Robinson, MP. The meeting was held at the maximum security prison in Ankara where the MPs are being held. The meeting with Mr. Robinson enabled, in the words of Leyla Zana, MP, "for the first time in five months I can see the sun". These legitimately-elected MPs were imprisoned, many for up to 15 years, for alleged crimes against the state, crimes which the international community has proclaimed "legitimate and legal". The MPs remain hopeful that outside pressures will indeed result in their liberation and urge other countries to keep pressure on human rights issues in Turkey. The findings of the Canadian delegation to Turkey led them to the conclusion that the military and political objective of the Turkish state continues to be systematic assimilation, through the means of persecution, imprisonment, torture, and sometimes the assassination of the Kurdish people. The public face of the Turkish state is democracy. The delegation found that there is no democracy in Turkey, not even for the Turkish people. Contrary to this public face, the delegation found violence and oppression to be the only means used by the Turkish state to maintain its authority. 2) Parliament Of Kurdistan In Exile Opens In Europe On April 12, 1995 in The Netherlands, the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile held its first inaugural meeting to begin its work. The performance of the act proved to the world that the Dutch people and their government were democratic and fair relative to freedom of expression. This opportunity was also an act of tolerance. The Kurdish people will never forget such an act of understanding. It is obvious that the occasion will be remembered as an historic beginning in times to come. In the world, as democratic values are becoming institutionalized with every passing day, Turkey is insisting on its anti-democratic stand and tradition. To the acts of terror that the Turkish state continues to commit in Northern Kurdistan, the Ankara government has added a new atrocity in front of the whole world and invaded Southern Kurdistan. It is a pity that Turkey has even been showered with understanding and support by some countries. We consider such empathy regrettable, as it makes it difficult to bring about a solution to the Kurdish question. The Turkish government has called home its ambassador to The Netherlands, Mr. Zeki Celikkol. It has done so to protest the democratic values of the Dutch government. In so doing, it has again revealed its undemocratic nature. We condemn this act of the government of Turkey. We again thank the Dutch people and their government for their act of understanding. Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile 129a Avenue Louise 1050 Brussels, Belgium tel: +322-539-3033 fax: +322-539-3887 3) Turkish War And The Civilian Sufferings We received the following statement from the press office of the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK) on April 19, 1995. It is a balance sheet of the Turkish war against the Kurds that began with the invasion of South Kurdistan on March 20, 1995. It follows for your information verbatim: A month has passed since the Turkish army invaded South Kurdistan. A total defeat has been the reward for this incursion. A fierce resistance has prevented the invading force from moving around. Their only temporary stronghold, Zaxo and its vicinity, has become an inhospitable place with every passing day. This assessment of ours was seconded the other day by a high ranking Turkish general, who, to his credit, noted that "the Turkish operation is turning into a Vietnam-style quagmire". It is this sense of utter hopelessness that has forced the Turkish authorities to undertake a nationwide campaign, extending even to Europe, to collect funds to finance the war. A cursory look at the activities of the Turkish army in South Kurdistan is quite telling. In Xankurke region, the enemy has engaged our forces many times, but to no avail. It has now decided to retreat from the region. Its forays into Awasin and Zap regions have also been repulsed. In Metina, Kani Masi, Qurmiye-Hiror, and Zendur regions, the Turkish forces have entered in order to set up army posts, but their camps have been attacked, sometimes during the day and almost always at night. Their way out has been to leave these areas as well. The only relatively "safe" area is Zaxo, which also has its share of attacks from us as well. The Turkish war in South Kurdistan has had a psychological goal rather than a military one. The aim has been to intimidate the people, to torture, and at times to kill them, just to make the point that the Turkish army is invincible. This being the policy, the tactics have varied from time to time. Last month in Zaxo, a car explosion that killed some 100 people was the work of Turkish agents who wanted to create a political vacuum in order to pave the way for the entrance of the Turkish troops. Not much later, a car with civilian passengers was targeted, killing 8 of its Kurdish occupants. In the course of this operation, the Turkish troops have killed 27 civilians, injured 3 seriously, and taken a number of shepherds into their custody. Some 30 villages have been totally destroyed, forcing some 30,000 residents to flee. Throughout this operation, we have attacked the Turkish troops at will. In some parts of Kurdistan we have had the direct support of the people, and in some areas civilians suffering under the yoke of the invading forces have joined us to avenge the Turkish wrongs with their participation in our ranks. To date, in terms of ambushes, attacks, previously placed mines, harassment through intense gunfire, suicide attacks, and infiltration of enemy forces, we have had 190 contacts with Turkish troops. From field reports that have reached our office, a total of 1,047 Turkish soldiers have been killed. Our losses for the same period in South Kurdistan are 45 fighters killed and 42 injured. People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK) 4) No "Comfort" Now For Kurds By Dara MacNeill Anybody remember the Gulf War? Apparently it had a lot to do with toppling tyrants and protecting the human rights of subject peoples. One of the key events in that whole campaign was the establishment by the U.S.-led forces, in April 1991, of Operation Provide Comfort. Operation Provide Comfort apparently had one basic premise: to protect the long-suffering Kurdish population in northern Iraq from the excesses of Saddam Hussein's military. As a result, a huge swathe of northern Iraq became a no-go area for any Iraqi military personnel and, in order to ensure compliance, the region was policed by the U.S. military. There are some 25 million Kurdish people scattered between Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Turkey. During the carve-up of the Middle East after the First World War, nobody paid any heed to Kurdish demands to be treated as a separate national entity. The same carve-up resulted in the creation of Kuwait, simply to maintain a Western foothold in the region and ensure its bounteous oil supplies would not fall into "the wrong hands". Since then, the Kurds have lived largely as refugees and they are, effectively, the largest displaced nation on earth. Demands for the establishment of a separate Kurdish state have met with equal ferocity and brutality from the rulers of the countries in which they reside. Indeed, the Turkish government even refuses to recognize the Kurdish people within their own borders as a separate ethnic identity. Finding all other avenues closed, the Kurds have resorted to armed struggle which today is led largely by the PKK. Since the establishment of Operation Provide Comfort some 44 months go, the only people who appear to be in any way comforted are the Turkish military. Using the absence of any Iraqi military presence in northern Iraq, they have struck at both rebel bases and civilian centres in the region. In the process, an estimated 15,000 Kurds have been killed. In this the Turks have been aided and abetted by the U.S., who regard Turkey as a key ally in the region. Thus, although George Bush was willing to play politics with the lives of the Kurds in 1991 and make noises about protecting them from Saddam Hussein, he repeatedly refused to meet Kurdish representatives for fear of upsetting Turkey. On March 20, Turkey took their brutal campaign against the Kurds a step further when they launched a wholesale invasion of northern Iraq. The operation, involving up to 35,000 troops, is the biggest ever in Turkey's history, outstripping even their 1974 invasion of Cyprus. So where are the self-styled protectors of the Kurds? Standing on the sidelines making comforting noises. Bill Clinton has endorsed the operation and expressed "understanding" of Turkey's need to "deal decisively" with the Kurds. Apparently, Clinton was initially hesitant about the whole affair, but was reassured when the Turkish government informed him they expected the operation would be a short one. I'm sure the Iraqi Kurds will be immensely comforted by that news. As a result, according to one U.S. news report, the U.S.-led air force which is charged with protecting the Kurds has "halted its routine flights in the area, which are designed to protect Iraqi Kurds". The news report which carried the story appeared to find nothing even remotely strange, unusual, or even slightly contradictory abut this. But then they wouldn't, would they. Once again, the Kurdish people have become the victims of "strategic necessity". (Source: An Phoblacht/Republican News - News And Views Of The Irish Republican Movement. Published in Belfast and Dublin, Ireland - March 28, 1995) 5) Interview With A Member Of HADEP A correspondent for the KURD-A news agency recently visited some Kurdish friends in Antep and Diyarbakir and in the big cities of western Turkey as well. In several conversations and interviews, she tried to get a clear picture of the mood, hopes, and fears of the Kurdish people. One of the people she spoke to was a prominent member of the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (HADEP), which is not officially banned in Turkey, but which has been plagued by murders carried out by "unknown assailants", arrests, attacks, and accusations of collaboration with the PKK. "In the last few months, our work here at HADEP has taken some great steps forward, but the state's persecution of the Kurds has also gotten stronger. The Kurds must live in fear - that is the only means the Turkish government knows how to use. But despite all the oppression, we continue to work because we love our people. Those people killed by 'unknown assailants' are brothers to all of us. They stand behind us. Their blood shall not have been shed in vain." The friend continued: "If only the Kurdish people in Europe, and in the world, just had the broad support of friends and a sympathetic party! But we know how to tell the difference between our friends and our enemies. We thank our friends for their practical and moral assistance, for their political and humanitarian support." And what about your enemies? "Our enemies want to show us how a person should be, both in struggle and at the negotiating table. If only they knew how our guerrillas live! If they could share but one day of their lives with them, then they would really know how a person should be!" Will the struggle escalate in the coming year? "We won't lose our hope for freedom in 1995 and we will struggle on, even if it costs us four times as many lives. We aren't afraid. But we hope that the Turkish state will finally stop oppressing the Kurds and start negotiating." (KURD-A 29.03.1995) 6) Boycott Turkish Tourism! Do Not Give Financial Support To The Dirty War! The press office of the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK) issued a statement on January 17, 1995 relating to a boycott of Turkish tourism, which finances the special war in Kurdistan. A special war is taking place in Turkey and Kurdistan. In this situation of war, the ARGK press office said, there can be no vacation trips. "Every holiday in Turkey makes profit for the dirty war." The following is the communique which was sent to the KURD-A news agency: There is a battlefield in Kurdistan. The Turkish Republic is waging a horribly dirty war. They do not seek to reach a peaceful, political, and democratic solution. The Turkish Republic has forced the people of Kurdistan into a one-sided war. In the cities and the countryside, countless people are driven from their homes, more than 2,000 villages have been destroyed or depopulated through the violence of the military. Millions of Kurds are being tortured. 15,000 Kurdish patriots, our people, have been imprisoned. All living spaces in Kurdistan are being destroyed, the forests are being burned, and there is not a single mountain region which is not being bombarded. The Kurdish people have every right to resist and to struggle. Every region in Kurdistan is a battlefield in this war. A horrible war is waging between the ARGK and the Turkish Republic. The special war is also being carried out in Turkey. Every vacation in Turkey brings in profits for the dirty war. These profits are transformed into bullets which are used against the Kurdish people. We are warning the European public, those people who would like to spend their holidays in Turkey: You cannot take a vacation on a battlefield. No one should make reservations nor book any tickets, no one should travel into Turkey or Kurdistan. There is no guarantee that you can survive in a region where a war is taking place. Anyone who does not pay attention to this and who ignores the human conditions is risking their life by travelling into Turkey and Kurdistan - we are not responsible for this. To prevent unwanted consequences, do not travel to Turkey or Kurdistan. We are warning people ahead of time and making them aware of the reality. Turkey is not a safe country: The lies and destructive policies of the government are responsible for this. We don't want Europeans to be fooled by the tourism propaganda of a regime which is dictatorial, not democratic, and whose military is waging a special dirty war. Just like last year, we hope that people will respect our call. We call on the German state to remove its support for the Turkish government and to free itself from its complicity in the dirty war. In the long-term, this complicity will only harm Germany's own interests. If Germany continues to support destructive policies in Kurdistan, then political and economic targets will be attacked by ARGK units. We will carry out suicide attacks against German targets in Turkey and Kurdistan. The Turkish government denies the existence of the Kurdish people, it practices violence and despotism. This regime cannot be accepted. You cannot take a vacation in a region where such a regime is accepted. We are warning people ahead of time that we are not responsible for the consequences of any undesirable developments. People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK) 7) Statement From Kani Yilmaz To The Public And Press: It is now more than three months since I was detained after coming to Britain at the invitation of a British MP and subsequently arrested and incarcerated in prison. At first I was to be deported. However, although I received invitations from Italy, Greece, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, and other countries, the Home Office prevaricated on various pretexts and eventually I was taken to court and told that Germany had requested my extradition. The case will soon be heard. It is abundantly clear that a political conspiracy has been hatched. This can be deduced from the fact that when I arrived in this country for my umpteenth visit I was met by two officials at the airport who said they had been informed of my arrival and that they knew who I was. If they had said "We don't want you here" I would have turned round and gone back instantly. It is illegal to conspire against a person, and when that person has been invited by a parliamentarian of that country it is the height of disrespect. It is shameful to invite someone and then arrest them. As for the German allegations, all I can say is that the reactions of the Kurdish people in Germany to the genocide being perpetrated by the Turkish state against the Kurdish people in Kurdistan, aided and abetted by the European states, in particular Germany, is just and right. To accuse me on account of these protests is ridiculous. I am not a clandestine person, I am the public mouthpiece of my people's just and legitimate struggle. I am alleged to have incited the people. How did I do this? The German Interior Minister targets us every day. A German policeman influenced by him shot dead a Kurdish youth in Hannover who was flyposting. According to this logic, the German Interior Minister should be put on trial. For days now, Turkish security and intelligence officials are visiting Germany. It is clear that Mrs. Ciller, who said she would slaughter us in Europe, intends to do this with German assistance. The nation of which I am an individual is being slaughtered in front of the eyes of the world for the crime of demanding its name and its freedom. In Kurdistan today a genocide is being carried out and the people, villages, forests, and fields are being subjected to a scorched earth policy. I came to this country to explain this dire situation, to convey PKK General Secretary Abdullah Ocalan's proposals for a cease-fire leading to a peaceful political settlement, and to request Britain's assistance. However, my peace mission resulted in my incarceration in a British prison, despite the fact that I have committed no offence in this country. I call on the public, political parties, parliament, and the media to oppose this unacceptable breach of all democratic norms and I urge them to protest against it. Kani Yilmaz, European Spokesperson for the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) February 1995 Kurdish News is published by: Kurdistan Committee of Canada 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 tel: (613) 733-9634 fax: (613) 733-0090 email: kcc at magi.com From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu May 11 16:24:53 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 11 May 1995 16:24:53 Subject: The dark cloud over Turkey Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: The dark cloud over Turkey Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl -------- Forwarded from : schism at schism.aps.nl (schism at schism.aps.nl) ---------- From: Index on censorship 1-1995 YASAR KEMAL The dark cloud over Turkey One of the greatest tragedies in Turkey's history is happening now. Apart from a couple of hesitant voices, no one is standing up and demanding to know what the Turkish goverment is doing, what this destruction means. No one is saying: `After all your signatures and promises you are riding towards doomsday, leaving the earth scorched in your wake. What will come of all this?' Turkish governments have resolved to drain the pool to catch the fish; to declare all-out war. We have already seen how it can be done. The world is also aware of it. Only the people of Turkey have been kept in ignorance; newspapers have been forbidden to write about the drainage. Or maybe there was no need for censorship: maybe our press, with its sense of patriotism and strong nationalist sentiment, chose not to write about it assuming the world would neither hear nor see what was happening. The water was being drained in so horrendous a fashion that the smoke ascended to high heaven. But for our press, deceiving the world and our people - or, rather, believing they had succeeded in doing so - was the greatest act of patriotism, of nationalism. They were not aware that they had perpetrated a crime against humanity. Their eyes bloodshot, their mouths foaming, they were shouting with one voice: `We will not give one stone, one handful of soil.' Cries of `Oh God' rose upon the air. Dear loyal patriotic friends, no one wants a single stone, nor a handful of soil from us. Our Kurdish citizens want their language, their language and culture are being slaughtered. Our Kurdish brothers are now at war to win their rights. Those Turkish brothers with whom we have always been together in sorrow and in joy. During the War of Independence we fought shoulder to shoulder. We established this state together. Should a man cut out the tongue of his brother? Oh friend, is there anything in those declarations you signed - the UN Bill of Human Rights, the Council of Europe, the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Helsinki Final Act - to say that if I give my people human rights they will demand their `independence'? Did you lay down such a condition? In those declarations you signed did it not say that every nation, every ethnic community should determine its own destiny? The water has begun to dry up. The house of nearly 2,000 villages have been burned. Many animals as well as people have been burned inside them. The world press has written about this, as well as our so nationalistic newspapers. Our ostriches still bury their heads in the sand. The country is awash with blood and how can our illustrious media remove its head from the sand? They burnt people too in many house... The draining of the waters has cost Turkey and humanity much. And looks like continuing to do so. Already over 1,700 people have been the victims of murder by persons unknown. Intellectuals in the west have begun to debate whether a new genocide is taking place; the possibility of a Human Rights Court for Turkey's politicians and an economic boycott against Turkey is being discussed. Choose between these delightful alternatives! The most horrific aspect is the inhumanity of outright war for the sake of a few fish. They have burnt almost all the forests of eastern Anatolia because guerrillas hide out in them. Turkey's forests have been burning for years. Not much that could be called forest is left and we are burning the remainder to catch fish. Turkey is disappearing in flames along with its forests, anonymous act of genocide, and 2,5 million people exiled from their homes, their villages burnt, in desperate poverty, hungry and naked, forced to take to the road, and no one raises a finger. Turkey's administrators have got so carried away that intellectual crimes have been regarded as among most serious; people have rotted away in prisons, been killed and exiled for such crimes. Today over 200 people are serving sentences for crimes of thought in our prisons. Hundreds more are on trial. Among these intellectual criminals are university lecturers, journalists, writers and union leaders. Conditions in the prisons are so fearsome that a country, a world, could sink into earth in shame. As if a racist, oppresive regime were not enough, there have been three military coups in 70 years. Each coup has made the Turkish people a little more debased, brought them a little lower. They have rotted from the root, with their culture, their humanity, their language. There is no reason at all for this inhuman, purposeless war in Anatolia. I repeat, the Kurds want nothing but human rights. They want to use their language, to have their identity restored, and develop their culture to the same extent as the Turkish people. You will ask if the Turkish people have these rights themselves. If things themselves. If things continue as they are, it will not be long before we encouter waves of resistance from the Turkish people. These 70 years have crushed all the people of Anatolia like a steamroller; not a blade of grass has grown in its path. For the moment, all we can ask is that all the Anatolian people be granted full human rights. These things I speak of have a single cause: to appropriate the liberty of the Anatolian people. This government has done everything it can to exploit the Anatolians, humiliate them and leave them hungry. There is nothing they have not suffered for the last 70 years. If they have managed to survive such a wind for so long, that is because the soil of Anatolia is so rich in culture. This world is a graveyard of wrecked languages and cultures. What cultures whose names and reputations we have never even heard of come and gone in this world? As a cultural mosaic, the cultures of Anatolia have been a source of modern cultures. If they had not tried to prohibit and destroy other languages and other cultures than those of the Turkish people, Anatolia would still make major contributions to world culture. And we would not remain as we are; a country half famished, its creative power draining away. The sole reason for this war is that cancer of humanity, racism. If this were not so, would it be possible for right- wing, racist magazines and newspapers to declare that `The Turkish race is superior to every other'? The brother of this statement is `Happy is he who calls himself a Turk'. I first went to eastern Anatolia in 1951, and saw that on the mountain sides everywhere they had written in enormous letters visible from a distance of three, five and ten kilometres, `Happy is he who calls himself a Turk'. They had embellished the slopes of Mount Ararat, too. The entire mountain had become happy to be Turkish. And worse even, they made the children declare: `I am a Turk, I am honest, I am hard-working', every morning. And much more is happening in Turkey! Having exiled 2,5 million people, now they have put an embargo on food in eastern Anatolia. No one who does not get a certificate from the police station can buy food, because the villagers give food to the guerrillas. The crops, nut and fruit trees of villagers who prefer exile to taking up arms to protect their village from guerrilla attack are burned along with the forests. Their animals are slaughtered. Why are the villages being burned and razed? So that they may not harbour guerrillas and be a source of food for them. From what we hear in Istanbul, the guerrillas receive their needs from the village watchmen. A few days ago the newspapers reported that guerrillas had stolen 700 sheep belonging to the village watchmen, the bastion of the state. There are 50,000 paid watchmen in eastern Anatolia; it is the slave of these people. They are the state in eastern Anatolia, they are everything. They can kill, destroy and burn. They recognise no rule of humanity and no law. What else is happening in Turkey? The village elders of Ovacik who said that soldiers had burnt their village were found dead in the burned forests nearby a few days later. The government minister [for human rights] Azimet Kyloglu who had claimed that soldiers were burning villages went back on his words a few days later: `How can anyone say that the army is burning villages? It is the PKK.' And our `free newspapers' reported this. What else is happening in Turkey? I swear that the newspapers wrote this too. I was dumbfounded. Listen, in a district of Van they woke up one morning and found the town covered with red crosses. How could the newspaers resist such a piece of news? The SS had done the same. And there are no shepherds left in the mountains. They have killed the adult shepherds, and now they send children on the assumption that they won't touch them. But a few days later they gather up the dead bodies of these tiny shepherds from the mountains. What else is happening in Turkey? God damn them, one is ashamed of being human. I will write this too. One morning a journalist friend of mine rang. We had worked together as journalists for years. `Do you know what is going on? he asked. `What?' I replied. `The police have taken away everone who works for zgr Gndem newspaper.' I immediately went to the newspaper offices and saw that the police cordoned the building. I asked to go in but the police wouldn't let me. There was no one left to produce the newspaper. They had taken all 120 employees in custody. They has even taken the poor tea boy. If it had been summer they would probably have been ordered to arrest the flies at the newspaper. That is enough. I cannot bring myself to talk longer about the historic achievement of the Turkish Republic. To battle against oppression in Turkey today is a challenge not everyone can take up. There is a risk of going hungry. It is a strong tradition in the Turkish Republic to make a mockery of its opponents. And, and, and, it is only at the risk of your life that you oppose the state today. The cost of opposing the Turkish-Kurdish War is heavy. What can we do but keep silent? The coup of 12 september 1980 not only forced intellectuals to keep their heads down, not only threw hundreds of people into prison and tortured them. The entire country cowered in fear, was made degenerate and driven further from humanity. It made informers of ordinary citizens, created bloody wolf-mouthed confessors, and totally destroyed human morality. A country where universal morality has become atrophied is a patient in a coma. The Constitution which the leader of the coup Evren Pasha passed in the shadow of his weapons and bayonets was ratified by 90 per cent of the population in a referendum. For exactly 12 years Turkey has been governed according to this Constitution. Yes, Turkey has a parliament. Its parlementarians are like kittens, even when they catch them by the neck at the door of parliament and take them to prison. There is even a Constitutional Court. A Constitutional Court that, according to the Military Constitution, decides whether a law shall be enforced or not. Some people here are scared stiff of the military lauching a new coup. What difference does it make? A new coup would not lead to the abolition and repeal of the Evren Constitution. There will be no coup. There is no need for a coup. Some of my friends, my old journalist colleagues, friends whom I love and who don't want anything to happen to me are anxious. Some say I am taking sides. What is more natural than for me to take sides? As long as I can remember I have been on the side of the peoples of Turkey. As long as I can remember I have been on the side of the oppressed, those treated unjustly, the exploited, the suffering and the poor. I am on the side of the Turkish, the language in which I write. I feel the obligation to do what I can, and what I can't, to enrich and beautify Turkish. My greatest cause of anger against Kenan Pasa is his closure of the Turkish Language Institute. Of course I take sides. For me the world is a garden of culture where thousand flowers grow. Throughout history all cultures have fed one another, been grafted onto one another, and in the process our world has been enriched. The disappearance of a culture is the loss of a colour, a different light, a different source. I am as much on the side of every flower in this thousand flower garden as I am on the side of my own culture. Anatolia has always been a mosaic of flowers, filling the world with flowers and light. I want it to be the same today. If the people of a country choose to live like human beings, choose happiness and beauty, their way lies first through universal human rights and then through universal, unlimited freedom of thought. The people of countries that have opposed this will enter the twenty first century without honour. Saving the honour and bread of our country, and the cultural wealth of its soil is in our hands. Either true democracy or...nothing! ************************************************** Infogroup Schism Postbus/P.O. Box 2884 3500 GW Utrecht/The Netherlands schism at schism.aps.nl ************************************************** ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Thu May 11 16:45:20 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 11 May 1995 16:45:20 Subject: The Dark Cloud Over Turkey Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Arm The Spirit Subject: The Dark Cloud Over Turkey Forwarded from: schism at schism.aps.nl (schism at schism.aps.nl) From: Index on censorship 1-1995 YASAR KEMAL The dark cloud over Turkey One of the greatest tragedies in Turkey's history is happening now. Apart from a couple of hesitant voices, no one is standing up and demanding to know what the Turkish goverment is doing, what this destruction means. No one is saying: `After all your signatures and promises you are riding towards doomsday, leaving the earth scorched in your wake. What will come of all this?' Turkish governments have resolved to drain the pool to catch the fish; to declare all-out war. We have already seen how it can be done. The world is also aware of it. Only the people of Turkey have been kept in ignorance; newspapers have been forbidden to write about the drainage. Or maybe there was no need for censorship: maybe our press, with its sense of patriotism and strong nationalist sentiment, chose not to write about it assuming the world would neither hear nor see what was happening. The water was being drained in so horrendous a fashion that the smoke ascended to high heaven. But for our press, deceiving the world and our people - or, rather, believing they had succeeded in doing so - was the greatest act of patriotism, of nationalism. They were not aware that they had perpetrated a crime against humanity. Their eyes bloodshot, their mouths foaming, they were shouting with one voice: `We will not give one stone, one handful of soil.' Cries of `Oh God' rose upon the air. Dear loyal patriotic friends, no one wants a single stone, nor a handful of soil from us. Our Kurdish citizens want their language, their language and culture are being slaughtered. Our Kurdish brothers are now at war to win their rights. Those Turkish brothers with whom we have always been together in sorrow and in joy. During the War of Independence we fought shoulder to shoulder. We established this state together. Should a man cut out the tongue of his brother? Oh friend, is there anything in those declarations you signed - the UN Bill of Human Rights, the Council of Europe, the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Helsinki Final Act - to say that if I give my people human rights they will demand their `independence'? Did you lay down such a condition? In those declarations you signed did it not say that every nation, every ethnic community should determine its own destiny? The water has begun to dry up. The house of nearly 2,000 villages have been burned. Many animals as well as people have been burned inside them. The world press has written about this, as well as our so nationalistic newspapers. Our ostriches still bury their heads in the sand. The country is awash with blood and how can our illustrious media remove its head from the sand? They burnt people too in many house... The draining of the waters has cost Turkey and humanity much. And looks like continuing to do so. Already over 1,700 people have been the victims of murder by persons unknown. Intellectuals in the west have begun to debate whether a new genocide is taking place; the possibility of a Human Rights Court for Turkey's politicians and an economic boycott against Turkey is being discussed. Choose between these delightful alternatives! The most horrific aspect is the inhumanity of outright war for the sake of a few fish. They have burnt almost all the forests of eastern Anatolia because guerrillas hide out in them. Turkey's forests have been burning for years. Not much that could be called forest is left and we are burning the remainder to catch fish. Turkey is disappearing in flames along with its forests, anonymous act of genocide, and 2,5 million people exiled from their homes, their villages burnt, in desperate poverty, hungry and naked, forced to take to the road, and no one raises a finger. Turkey's administrators have got so carried away that intellectual crimes have been regarded as among most serious; people have rotted away in prisons, been killed and exiled for such crimes. Today over 200 people are serving sentences for crimes of thought in our prisons. Hundreds more are on trial. Among these intellectual criminals are university lecturers, journalists, writers and union leaders. Conditions in the prisons are so fearsome that a country, a world, could sink into earth in shame. As if a racist, oppresive regime were not enough, there have been three military coups in 70 years. Each coup has made the Turkish people a little more debased, brought them a little lower. They have rotted from the root, with their culture, their humanity, their language. There is no reason at all for this inhuman, purposeless war in Anatolia. I repeat, the Kurds want nothing but human rights. They want to use their language, to have their identity restored, and develop their culture to the same extent as the Turkish people. You will ask if the Turkish people have these rights themselves. If things themselves. If things continue as they are, it will not be long before we encouter waves of resistance from the Turkish people. These 70 years have crushed all the people of Anatolia like a steamroller; not a blade of grass has grown in its path. For the moment, all we can ask is that all the Anatolian people be granted full human rights. These things I speak of have a single cause: to appropriate the liberty of the Anatolian people. This government has done everything it can to exploit the Anatolians, humiliate them and leave them hungry. There is nothing they have not suffered for the last 70 years. If they have managed to survive such a wind for so long, that is because the soil of Anatolia is so rich in culture. This world is a graveyard of wrecked languages and cultures. What cultures whose names and reputations we have never even heard of come and gone in this world? As a cultural mosaic, the cultures of Anatolia have been a source of modern cultures. If they had not tried to prohibit and destroy other languages and other cultures than those of the Turkish people, Anatolia would still make major contributions to world culture. And we would not remain as we are; a country half famished, its creative power draining away. The sole reason for this war is that cancer of humanity, racism. If this were not so, would it be possible for right- wing, racist magazines and newspapers to declare that `The Turkish race is superior to every other'? The brother of this statement is `Happy is he who calls himself a Turk'. I first went to eastern Anatolia in 1951, and saw that on the mountain sides everywhere they had written in enormous letters visible from a distance of three, five and ten kilometres, `Happy is he who calls himself a Turk'. They had embellished the slopes of Mount Ararat, too. The entire mountain had become happy to be Turkish. And worse even, they made the children declare: `I am a Turk, I am honest, I am hard-working', every morning. And much more is happening in Turkey! Having exiled 2,5 million people, now they have put an embargo on food in eastern Anatolia. No one who does not get a certificate from the police station can buy food, because the villagers give food to the guerrillas. The crops, nut and fruit trees of villagers who prefer exile to taking up arms to protect their village from guerrilla attack are burned along with the forests. Their animals are slaughtered. Why are the villages being burned and razed? So that they may not harbour guerrillas and be a source of food for them. From what we hear in Istanbul, the guerrillas receive their needs from the village watchmen. A few days ago the newspapers reported that guerrillas had stolen 700 sheep belonging to the village watchmen, the bastion of the state. There are 50,000 paid watchmen in eastern Anatolia; it is the slave of these people. They are the state in eastern Anatolia, they are everything. They can kill, destroy and burn. They recognise no rule of humanity and no law. What else is happening in Turkey? The village elders of Ovacik who said that soldiers had burnt their village were found dead in the burned forests nearby a few days later. The government minister [for human rights] Azimet Kyloglu who had claimed that soldiers were burning villages went back on his words a few days later: `How can anyone say that the army is burning villages? It is the PKK.' And our `free newspapers' reported this. What else is happening in Turkey? I swear that the newspapers wrote this too. I was dumbfounded. Listen, in a district of Van they woke up one morning and found the town covered with red crosses. How could the newspaers resist such a piece of news? The SS had done the same. And there are no shepherds left in the mountains. They have killed the adult shepherds, and now they send children on the assumption that they won't touch them. But a few days later they gather up the dead bodies of these tiny shepherds from the mountains. What else is happening in Turkey? God damn them, one is ashamed of being human. I will write this too. One morning a journalist friend of mine rang. We had worked together as journalists for years. `Do you know what is going on? he asked. `What?' I replied. `The police have taken away everone who works for zgr Gndem newspaper.' I immediately went to the newspaper offices and saw that the police cordoned the building. I asked to go in but the police wouldn't let me. There was no one left to produce the newspaper. They had taken all 120 employees in custody. They has even taken the poor tea boy. If it had been summer they would probably have been ordered to arrest the flies at the newspaper. That is enough. I cannot bring myself to talk longer about the historic achievement of the Turkish Republic. To battle against oppression in Turkey today is a challenge not everyone can take up. There is a risk of going hungry. It is a strong tradition in the Turkish Republic to make a mockery of its opponents. And, and, and, it is only at the risk of your life that you oppose the state today. The cost of opposing the Turkish-Kurdish War is heavy. What can we do but keep silent? The coup of 12 september 1980 not only forced intellectuals to keep their heads down, not only threw hundreds of people into prison and tortured them. The entire country cowered in fear, was made degenerate and driven further from humanity. It made informers of ordinary citizens, created bloody wolf-mouthed confessors, and totally destroyed human morality. A country where universal morality has become atrophied is a patient in a coma. The Constitution which the leader of the coup Evren Pasha passed in the shadow of his weapons and bayonets was ratified by 90 per cent of the population in a referendum. For exactly 12 years Turkey has been governed according to this Constitution. Yes, Turkey has a parliament. Its parlementarians are like kittens, even when they catch them by the neck at the door of parliament and take them to prison. There is even a Constitutional Court. A Constitutional Court that, according to the Military Constitution, decides whether a law shall be enforced or not. Some people here are scared stiff of the military lauching a new coup. What difference does it make? A new coup would not lead to the abolition and repeal of the Evren Constitution. There will be no coup. There is no need for a coup. Some of my friends, my old journalist colleagues, friends whom I love and who don't want anything to happen to me are anxious. Some say I am taking sides. What is more natural than for me to take sides? As long as I can remember I have been on the side of the peoples of Turkey. As long as I can remember I have been on the side of the oppressed, those treated unjustly, the exploited, the suffering and the poor. I am on the side of the Turkish, the language in which I write. I feel the obligation to do what I can, and what I can't, to enrich and beautify Turkish. My greatest cause of anger against Kenan Pasa is his closure of the Turkish Language Institute. Of course I take sides. For me the world is a garden of culture where thousand flowers grow. Throughout history all cultures have fed one another, been grafted onto one another, and in the process our world has been enriched. The disappearance of a culture is the loss of a colour, a different light, a different source. I am as much on the side of every flower in this thousand flower garden as I am on the side of my own culture. Anatolia has always been a mosaic of flowers, filling the world with flowers and light. I want it to be the same today. If the people of a country choose to live like human beings, choose happiness and beauty, their way lies first through universal human rights and then through universal, unlimited freedom of thought. The people of countries that have opposed this will enter the twenty first century without honour. Saving the honour and bread of our country, and the cultural wealth of its soil is in our hands. Either true democracy or...nothing! ************************************************** Infogroup Schism Postbus/P.O. Box 2884 3500 GW Utrecht/The Netherlands schism at schism.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 Thu May 11 20:12:21 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 11 May 1995 20:12:21 Subject: Extradition Hearing Begins For Kani Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Kurdistan Committee of Canada Subject: Extradition Hearing Begins For Kani Yilmaz Defend The Kurds! Defend Civil And Human Rights In Britain And Europe! Press Release - May 6, 1995 The Extradition Hearing Against Kani Yilmaz Has Started On May 4, 1995, the Committal Hearing on the extradition of the Kurdish politician and European representative of the ERNK commenced at Belmarsh Magistrates Court. Observers at the trial included representatives and supporters of the Kurdish community in Britain; a four-person delegation from the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile; Demetrious Phokion Bonatsos, a member of the Greek Parliament; Dimitris Paxinos, attorney at law; and German lawyer Heike Krause. Hundreds of people protested outside Belmarsh prison and the Home Office throughout the day, as well as in other European countries, demanding the immediate release of Kani Yilmaz. As Mr. Yilmaz was escorted to the court through an underground tunnel from the adjacent Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison, the barrister Mr. Mussig, acting for the prosecution, read the charges on which Mr. Yilmaz is being sought in Germany. In this 435-page document the German Federal Public Prosecutor in Karlsruhe is attempting to establish that Mr. Yilmaz is being sought on the grounds of suspicion of ringleadership in a terrorist association within the PKK/ERNK according to Article 129a of the German Penal Code, of aggravated arson, and other criminal offenses (nation-wide attacks on Turkish institutions on June 24, 1993 and November 4, 1993 and violent riots in connection with the Newroz festival from March 19-22, 1994). Nick Blake, representing Mr. Yilmaz, outlined the arguments of the defence. It is already clear that the so-called evidence against Kani Yilmaz is vague, unrelated to any specific incidents and reliant on written statements of informants who are not and who will not be represented in court as witnesses for cross- examination. Hans-Eberhard Schultz, a German lawyer and expert on political prosecutions against Kurds in Germany, gave detailed evidence as an expert witness. Mr. Schultz's main argument is that the extradition of Mr. Yilmaz is being requested in order to try him on political grounds. This is confirmed by another expert report by the criminal law expert Prof. Dr. Ingo Muller: 1. The defendant is not, in fact, accused of arson but only of ringleadership of a terrorist association. The suspicion of aggravated and extremely aggravated arson is not supported by any definite actions of the accused. His role as a "perpetrator" is fabricated only on the grounds of his membership in the PKK. 2. The situation awaiting the accused in Germany is not the status of a normal remand prisoner, and not of a prisoner held in remand on suspicion of murder or arson. The accusation of being a member of a 'terrorist' association, in combination with his nationality and the fact that he is a member of the PKK, leads to the expectation of a very long period of detention with exceptional isolation and a great number of additional hardships. (From: Muller, Expert Report, April 10, 1995) The charges against Mr. Yilmaz under the German Anti-Terrorist Law (Article 129a of the German Penal Code) that he has an organizing role in what Germany defines as an illegal 'terrorist' organization has no equivalent in British law. The UK could not extradite Kani Yilmaz solely on the grounds of his role in the PKK/ERNK; PKK membership is not an extraditable offence under British law. The PKK is not illegal in Britain, or elsewhere in the world, except in Germany and France. The defence has also argued that if Mr. Yilmaz is sent to Germany he would face a prejudiced unjust trial with prolonged inhuman detention (witness the Dusseldorf PKK show trials) and perhaps extradition to further terror in Turkey. Under bi-lateral agreements such as the European Convention on Extradition and the Act on the Suppression of Terrorism, which form the legal basis on which Mr. Yilmaz's extradition is being sought, it is not permitted to extradite individuals who are prosecuted on account of the nationality of their political convictions, nor if they are being sought on criminal charges which serve as a pretext for political persecution. It is this provision of the Convention which may prevent Kani Yilmaz's extradition to Germany. Against the background of the ban on all political and cultural Kurdish organizations in Germany in November 1993 and the growing criminalization of Kurds in Germany, it is unlikely that he is wanted for alleged criminal offenses in that country. Kani Yilmaz, as European representative of the ERNK, in his quest for a peaceful diplomatic solution to the Kurdish conflict, had over the last two years been the invited guest of many European MPs, parliaments, and other political bodies. As 55 of the alleged charges against him were committed at a date when Yilmaz was, in fact, in the UK building political consultations with British MPs and Peers, it does indeed appear that the criminal charges are being brought against him to circumvent those provisions of the Convention which forbid his extradition for political reasons. Even if the court in London decides that extradition is not permissible, it is still a matter for the British government to comply with the extradition order or to refuse it for reasons of foreign policy. Kani Yilmaz's case could go to appeal, or even as far as the Lords if a point of law emerges. At a meeting of Members of Parliament, Kurdish MPs of the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile, Greek MPs, lawyers, journalists, and friends of the Kurds, chaired by John Austin-Walker MP, held on May 3 in Parliament, a statement of protest demanded the release of Kani Yilmaz and stated: "We uphold the right of Kurds in exile to speak and act in favour of constitutional changes in Turkey. Britain has always been a haven for leaders of liberation movements, from Garibaldi and Kossuth onwards. The extradition of Mr. Yilmaz would be a betrayal of our historic traditions of freedom of expression." Asked how the extradition can be prevented, the German lawyer Hans-Eberhard Schultz said: "Give us your support for his release and for a refusal of his extradition. Kani Yilmaz must have the opportunity to go on working for a political solution to the Kurdish conflict as a free man and representative of the ERNK in Europe. The solution is only possible with the inclusion of the PKK...The extradition of Kani Yilmaz would be another heavy blow against efforts a political solution as the terror judgements against the Kurdish MPs, Leyla Zana and others, by the State Security Court in Ankara have shown. At this moment the key to the end to this bloody war lies in Western Europe." The hearing was adjourned until May 11, 1995. For more information: Tel: +44-171-250-1315 or 586-5892 Fax: +44-171-250-1317 From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Sat May 13 10:23:57 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 13 May 1995 10:23:57 Subject: When The Kurds Made History Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Arm The Spirit Subject: When The Kurds Made History From: kurdeng at aps.nl Organization: Activist Press Service (newsdesk) -------------- Forwarded from : Salah Aziz -------------- "Short Story" When the Kurds Made History Salah Aziz Badlisy Center for Kurdish Studies "Where are we going?" Sherko asked his mother, Fatima. "We will vote today," she responded quietly. Sherko, an eight year old boy and a second-grade student, recalled that his teacher said something about today's voting during class yesterday. Just like other students, he knew that voting must be a very important event. The political parties in Kurdistan-Iraq converted circles located at street intersections as sites for campaigning. During the three weeks leading up to the election, Sherko had enjoyed watching the campaign. Each circle in his city, Sulaymania, was decorated with pictures, flags, and colorful banners. The men and women in charge of the circles gave candies and cookies to those stopping by as they greeted each potential voter. Sherko was lucky because there were three large circles close to his house. He visited each circle daily, collecting sweets. Receiving free sweets reminded him of Eids, the Muslim holy celebration in which every family prepares some kinds of sweets and distributed them to children. However, during the previous two years Eids had not been happy occasions for Sherko because his father had not earned any money and the family could not afford cookies and clothes. After the election, his mother had promised, he would have new clothes. Sherko also enjoyed listening to music played over loudspeakers and watching Kurdish tradition dancing, Chape'a. He memorized some songs and started learning to dance. However, dancers would not allow him to join them because he might disturb the dance's harmony and order. As they approached the polling place, Ahmed, Sherko's father, carried his two-year-old daughter, Nasrine. Ahmed walked faster than Sherko and Fatima, slowing every few minutes to ask them to hurry. The day was already hot, and Ahmed wanted to arrive early so that he and his family would not have to wait a long time. Although Ahmed had heard on the radio that the Iraqi government would consider everyone who participated in the election a traitor and severely punish him, he listened to the Kurdish leaders who urged residents of the region to vote as a "national duty." Along with Ahmed, his family and relatives were participating in the election despite the government's threat. Ahmed and many others had already paid a price for their Kurdish patriotism. When the Iraqi government withdrew from the Kurdish region in October 1991, they ordered the government employees in Arbil, Dihok, and Sulaymania to leave for Kirkuk or Mosul, which ere under Iraq's control. The government stopped paying wages to those who decided to stay in Kurdistan. During the past six months, Ahmed had received one month's salary. Further, the money was not worth much because of 3,000 percent inflation. He had been forced to sell his car to raise money. However, he looked forward to a more prosperous day because the Kurdish leaders had promised that the economic crisis and administration vacuum would be solved after the election. Fatima's bright and colorful Kurdish dress -dominated by green, red, and yellow- was sewn new for the occasion. Although the women of Sulaymania typically dressed in bright colors, Fatima had not worn new clothes since April 1991 as a sign of mourning. In April of that year, she had lost her six-year-old daughter, A'shty, when Kurds fled Sulaymania during the mass exodus following the Gulf War. On the Iraq-Iran border, A'shty became sick and died because there was no medicine. As she walked toward the voting place, Fatima recalled the pain and starvation during the exodus. As family buried A'shty, Fatima had sworn that she would never return to be ruled by Saddam's regime. When the Kurdish parties called for election to replace Saddam's government in the region, she supported them and joined one of women's organizations to help in the election go forward. Ahmad and Fatima were not entirely sure that the election would take place today, May 22, 1992. It had already been postponed once, from May 19, because of technical error. The postponement had caused confusion and suspicion among the people, who feared that the Kurdish leaders might cancel voting after receiving threats from the governments of Iran, Syria, Turkey, and Iraq. These states rejected the idea of holding election in Kurdistan, and their media reported that they would not recognize the election results. There was also speculation that perhaps Kurdish politicians could not agree on certain election law procedures and therefore would cancel the vote. Ahmed asked Fatima if she had heard anything new about the election. She shook her head, "no," and they continued walking toward the election center, interrupted now and then by Sherko By seven o'clock that morning, the family had arrived at the election center, an elementary school surrounded by a long line of people. Ahmed estimated that there were already 200 families in line and asked his wife: "When did these people leave their houses to come?" "Probably before sunrise," she answered. As Sherko eased away to play with the other children, his parents talked to family members who had also gathered to vote. Soon, the mood resembled that of social celebration. One man remarked: "We need some music to start dancing." Ahmed laughed and said: "Maybe we'll dance after the election." After waiting in line for three hours, Ahmed's family reached the entrance. Fatima, still smiling and talking to the other women, was carrying Nasrine who was tired and hungry. Ahmed held Sherko's hand and asked his son to behave well once they were in the building. As they neared the polling place, Ahmed and Fatima became more and more excited since this was the first time either of them had voted. Ahmed and Fatima had discussed the election at length in the preceding weeks. They decided to vote for the same political party and leader although it was not an easy decision. There were seven political parties competing for parliament seats and four candidates for leadership position. Ahmed and Fatima did not belong to a political party, but they had relatives and friends in these parties. Ahmed had thought deeply about the competing political parties and leaders, but when he examined political speeches, he found little difference among them. For Ahmed, the most important aspect of the election was that it be carried out peacefully and successfully. He had heard that there would be election observers from the United States and Europe but he still worried that the losing party might not accept the election results. He hoped that the crises endured by the Kurds in the previous five years had taught the Kurdish parties that their unity was to be the overriding objective. There were only two families ahead of Ahmed when a man walked in and asked them to step back. Everybody turned to the entrance, where they saw a young man carrying an old handicapped man on his back. The old man, probably in eighties, asked officials if he could vote without waiting in line. The officials and voters in line honored the old man's request. The man's grandson, who had carried him into the room, told the official that the family disapproved of the old man's participating in the election because of his poor health. But the grandfather, who had taken part in Sheikh Mahmmud's independence movement in 1920s, insisted on sharing this historic event with his children and grandchildren. Everybody in the room felt proud of the old man. A chair was provided for him to sit in, and he was allowed to move ahead in line. After he voted, he hugged and shook hands with everyone. With tears in his eyes, he said: "Long live Kurdistan. Now I am a free man." It took Ahmed and Fatima ten minuets to cast their vote. When Sherko asked, "Baba, can I vote?" the room filled with laughter. "No," Ahmed answered. "You have to be 18 years old." In the spirit of the day, an election official gave a card to Sherko, telling him to fill it in and give it to his teacher the next day. On their way back home, Ahmed asked Fatima: "Did you understand what the old man said before he left?" "Yes," she said. "I feel free for the first time in my life." "We will stay free as long as we continue to elect our leaders," said her husband. Ref: NAMAH, Vol. II No. 1, Winter 1995 ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurdeng at aps.nl Sun May 14 19:13:17 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 14 May 1995 19:13:17 Subject: Kurd rebel chief denies he was kill Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Kurd rebel chief denies he was killed Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl id VT4031; Sun, 14 May 1995 18:21:14 -0800 Kurd rebel chief denies he was killed TUNCELI, Turkey, May 8 (Reuter) - A Kurdish rebel leader reported possibly killed by the Turkish army last month is alive and well, a Turkish journalist said on Monday. Ferit Demir, a part-time correspondent for Reuters, said he talked to Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) regional commander Semdin Sakik, also known as ``Fingerless Zeki,'' several times over the last five days at various locations in the rugged eastern province of Tunceli. Military officials and Sakik's bodyguard had said they thought Sakik, one of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's few trusted commanders, had died when troops shelled a group of rebels in Tunceli on April 19. ``I threw myself to the ground when the shells landed but I wasn't even wounded,'' Sakik said. Several guerrillas were killed in the shelling, he added. Clean-shaven and wearing khaki fatigues and a hat, Sakik looked healthy and well-fed. The commander's bodyguard, Huseyin Yanc, had said after being detained by security forces that he thought Sakik was probably dead because he saw his body lying on the ground in a pool of blood following the shelling. A pro-PKK Kurdish news agency in Germany had denied reports Sakik, who earned his nickname after blowing off a thumb while firing a rocket in northern Iraq, may have been killed. Demir was released by the PKK on Monday, having been abducted on April 30 in order to be shown that Sakik was alive. Sakik was accompanied by groups of between 300 to 500 guerrillas most of last week and constantly moved from one mountain location to another. He began operating in the mountains of Tunceli last year and often personally leads raids on the army as well as attacks on civilians, according to the military. He headed a 200-strong rebel group which ambushed an army convoy in March, killing 18 soldiers. The attack cast doubts on frequent government and military assertions the PKK was close to collapse after more than 10 years of insurgency. More than 15,000 people have been killed in the rebels' fight for a Kurdish state in southeast Turkey. Sakik's estranged brother Sirri was one of eight Kurdish members of parliament sentenced by a Turkish court to up to 15 years last December for separatism and links to the guerrillas. REUTER Reut07:50 05-08 Reuter N:Copyright 1995, Reuters News Service ------------------------------------------------------- * Activists Press Service (Newsdesk) * Newsdesk at APS.NL !Power to the people! ------------------------------------------------------- From kurdeng at aps.nl Sun May 14 19:14:30 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 14 May 1995 19:14:30 Subject: Iraq: Turkey burning her finger Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: Iraq: Turkey burning her fingers Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl May 4, 1995 by G.LANGE at LINK-GOE.comlink.apc.org ************************************************************************** #####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq#####Iraq## ************************************************************************** THE BAGHDAD OBSERVER, 29. 03. 1995. No. 8347. *Turkey burning her fingers* By Dr. Khudier A.al-Duleimi The recent Turkish incursion inside Iraq is a serious violation of Iraq's sovereignty and can not be acceptable under any pretext. It is true that there is a security and authority vacuum in northern Iraq, but it is equally true that Turkey is partly to blame for this vaccum. Had it not for the Turkish harbouring of the so-called "hammer force" of the US, Britain and France, the region could have enjoyed peace and stability following the recovery by Iraqi forces of all the mayor cities in northern Iraq. But Turky allowed itself to be used as a springboard for the allied forces to carry out their hostilities against Iraq from Turkish territories. This being the case, Kurdish insurgents on both sides of the borders felt encouraged to resume their terrorist and subversive activities. Furthermore, Turkey over the last for years have become supply routes to Iraqi Kurdish insurgents and have given them sanctuary to propagate for their secessionist tendencies. How can Turkey remain immune from such tendencies when it is a home to a very sizable Kurdish population? Perhaps the Turkish authorities are counting on US double-standard policy, but if events were to continue on a the same pace then peoples of the West and the US will take to the street in support of the Kurdish rebels then the Clinton administration will find itself obliged to entertain US and western public opinions. One assumes that Turkish officials need not be reminded of the numerous occasions when US and western officials were forced to swallow their words and turn their backs to their promises when things got worse. Whatever, the special relationship between Turkey and the west, this cannot change the fact that Turkey remains a Moslem nation that may be accomodated within the European Union (EU). This is why Turkey's joining of the ECC has been delayed till now. Furthermore, US and western strategy is to destroy Islam and dismantle all major powers, within the Islamic world and Turkey cannot be excluded from this strategy. Many western and US commentators and politicians made it clear on various occasions that following the death of communism Islam has become enemy No. 1 for what is called the free world. The carnage in Bosnia is part of this new US western approach towards the Moslem world. The systematic cold blooded killing of innocent Moslem civilians in Bosnia has been going on for over two years without provoking any serious reaction from western and US governments, simply because things are acceptable so long as the victims are Moslems. So instead of burning her own fingers Turkey's right place is to lead a prominent role in maintaining the territorial integrity of the region rather than being used as a base for foreign presence that sparked off the current security and political instability in the region. A return to the early 1980s security arrangements between Turkey and Iraq is a better gurantee to peace and stability in the region. * * * * * ------------------------------------------------------- * Activists Press Service (Newsdesk) * newsdesk at aps.nl !Power to the people! ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Mon May 15 16:14:01 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 15 May 1995 16:14:01 Subject: Yeni Politika News Briefs Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Kurdistan Committee of Canada Subject: Yeni Politika News Briefs Weekly News Briefs From Kurdistan May 7-14, 1995 Yeni Politika / May 7, 1995 -- Yashar Kemal, the most famous writer in Turkey, went on trial accusing the Turkish government of atrocities against the Kurds. In a lengthy defense, he cited forest burning, unidentified murders, and bombed out villages as the deeds of the government. He said the country was number one in the world in torture. Yeni Politika / May 7, 1995 -- The shepherds of Halemi village in Dersim province were fired on by Turkish soldiers stationed nearby. Haydar Cakmak, Hidir Cakmak, and Nuray Sevim notified the Turkish authorities but were told that the area was a sanctuary for Kurdish fighters and hence a free-fire zone for Turkish soldiers. Yeni Politika / May 8, 1995 -- Aziz Budak was taken away from his shop at about 2:00 pm by the Turkish secret police in Adana. A few hours later, Zabir Aktas had the same fate in another part of the same city. On May 2, the Ak family in Ziyapasa district, also in Adana, were visited by the Turkish police and harassed. Salih Ak was later taken into custody and his family is fearing for his safety. Yeni Politika / May 9, 1995 -- An 11-year old girl, R.U., was taken into custody in Adana and was harassed while in custody. Cigarette burns were noted on her body and she is accusing the Turkish police of abuse which includes the pulling of her hair. Yeni Politika / May 9, 1995 -- Villages guards attacked the house of Kurdish patriot Sehmus Ilhan on May 2. They kidnapped his two sons, Zeyneddin and Mehmet, and his grandson, Mahmut. They have posted a bail for their release in the amount of 45 million lira. Yeni Politika / May 9, 1995 -- Bedri Durmaz, a 19-year old Kurdish youth, was taken into custody in the Baglar district of Diyarbakir by Turkish police. The Turkish authorities, however, are denying any knowledge of his whereabouts. Yeni Politika / May 10, 1995 -- The villages of Gazi Kusagi, Nani Kusagi, and Gevrik in Dersim province were set on fire by the Turkish security forces. Yeni Politika / May 10, 1995 -- Necla Bicer, the mother of Ertan Bicer who was taken into custody in the city of Mersin on April 24, is fearing for the safety of her son and is accusing the Turkish authorities of denying any knowledge of him. Yeni Politika / May 11, 1995 -- Viewing Med-TV, a Kurdish television channel broadcast from Europe, is becoming a crime in Turkey. The Turkish authorities are collecting satellite dishes and taking people into custody for watching the programme. Yeni Politika / May 11, 1995 -- The village of Hakis in Nazimiye, Dersim province, was set on fire on May 6 by Turkish soldiers. Yeni Politika / May 11, 1995 -- Nimet Can, a 23-year old Kurdish youth, was attacked with a butcher knife and seriously injured in Diyarbakir. Yeni Politika / May 12, 1995 -- Village guards acting as mercenary forces for the Turkish army visited the villages of Meskina, Siltok, Kodore, Robelme, Varga, Xemse, Kizil, Kizlere, Remok, and Sayhan. They collected all satellite dishes from the villagers and warned them not to watch the Kurdish television channel Med-TV. Yeni Politika / May 12, 1995 -- Hasan Ezer, a 34-year old Kurd, was murdered in the Huzur Evleri district of Diyarbakir. Yeni Politika / May 13, 1995 -- Villages in the vicinity of Diyarbakir now have a new policy to follow: they all have to buy Turkish flags to hang on their houses to prove their loyalty to visiting foreign delegations. Yeni Politika / May 14, 1995 -- Mehmet Alcan, another Kurdish youth, was taken into custody in the Baglar district of Diyarbakir. His family is fearing for his life since the Turkish authorities are denying any knowledge of his whereabouts. Yeni Politika / May 14, 1995 -- A total of 146 people have applied to the Turkish Human Rights Foundation in the first four months of this year for help at its rehabilitation centres. The total number for last year was 472. From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue May 16 17:25:38 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 16 May 1995 17:25:38 Subject: Yeni Politika News Briefs References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: Yeni Politika News Briefs Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Weekly News Briefs From Kurdistan May 7-14, 1995 Yeni Politika / May 7, 1995 -- Yashar Kemal, the most famous writer in Turkey, went on trial accusing the Turkish government of atrocities against the Kurds. In a lengthy defense, he cited forest burning, unidentified murders, and bombed out villages as the deeds of the government. He said the country was number one in the world in torture. Yeni Politika / May 7, 1995 -- The shepherds of Halemi village in Dersim province were fired on by Turkish soldiers stationed nearby. Haydar Cakmak, Hidir Cakmak, and Nuray Sevim notified the Turkish authorities but were told that the area was a sanctuary for Kurdish fighters and hence a free-fire zone for Turkish soldiers. Yeni Politika / May 8, 1995 -- Aziz Budak was taken away from his shop at about 2:00 pm by the Turkish secret police in Adana. A few hours later, Zabir Aktas had the same fate in another part of the same city. On May 2, the Ak family in Ziyapasa district, also in Adana, were visited by the Turkish police and harassed. Salih Ak was later taken into custody and his family is fearing for his safety. Yeni Politika / May 9, 1995 -- An 11-year old girl, R.U., was taken into custody in Adana and was harassed while in custody. Cigarette burns were noted on her body and she is accusing the Turkish police of abuse which includes the pulling of her hair. Yeni Politika / May 9, 1995 -- Villages guards attacked the house of Kurdish patriot Sehmus Ilhan on May 2. They kidnapped his two sons, Zeyneddin and Mehmet, and his grandson, Mahmut. They have posted a bail for their release in the amount of 45 million lira. Yeni Politika / May 9, 1995 -- Bedri Durmaz, a 19-year old Kurdish youth, was taken into custody in the Baglar district of Diyarbakir by Turkish police. The Turkish authorities, however, are denying any knowledge of his whereabouts. Yeni Politika / May 10, 1995 -- The villages of Gazi Kusagi, Nani Kusagi, and Gevrik in Dersim province were set on fire by the Turkish security forces. Yeni Politika / May 10, 1995 -- Necla Bicer, the mother of Ertan Bicer who was taken into custody in the city of Mersin on April 24, is fearing for the safety of her son and is accusing the Turkish authorities of denying any knowledge of him. Yeni Politika / May 11, 1995 -- Viewing Med-TV, a Kurdish television channel broadcast from Europe, is becoming a crime in Turkey. The Turkish authorities are collecting satellite dishes and taking people into custody for watching the programme. Yeni Politika / May 11, 1995 -- The village of Hakis in Nazimiye, Dersim province, was set on fire on May 6 by Turkish soldiers. Yeni Politika / May 11, 1995 -- Nimet Can, a 23-year old Kurdish youth, was attacked with a butcher knife and seriously injured in Diyarbakir. Yeni Politika / May 12, 1995 -- Village guards acting as mercenary forces for the Turkish army visited the villages of Meskina, Siltok, Kodore, Robelme, Varga, Xemse, Kizil, Kizlere, Remok, and Sayhan. They collected all satellite dishes from the villagers and warned them not to watch the Kurdish television channel Med-TV. Yeni Politika / May 12, 1995 -- Hasan Ezer, a 34-year old Kurd, was murdered in the Huzur Evleri district of Diyarbakir. Yeni Politika / May 13, 1995 -- Villages in the vicinity of Diyarbakir now have a new policy to follow: they all have to buy Turkish flags to hang on their houses to prove their loyalty to visiting foreign delegations. Yeni Politika / May 14, 1995 -- Mehmet Alcan, another Kurdish youth, was taken into custody in the Baglar district of Diyarbakir. His family is fearing for his life since the Turkish authorities are denying any knowledge of his whereabouts. Yeni Politika / May 14, 1995 -- A total of 146 people have applied to the Turkish Human Rights Foundation in the first four months of this year for help at its rehabilitation centres. The total number for last year was 472. From kurdeng at aps.nl Mon May 15 19:41:37 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 15 May 1995 19:41:37 Subject: Turkey: dissapearances and extrajud Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Turkey: dissapearances and extrajudicial executions Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 2.20) id VT4202; Sun, 14 May 1995 21:59:18 -0800 Interview with the Minister of Justice of Turkey, Mehmet Mogultay. Translated from German into English from the German weekly "Der stern" from May 11, 1995 This is a very important interview. The European state's do not want to know wat is confirmed by the Minister of Justice of Turkey himselves. Stop Evacuations To Turkey! "EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS HAPPEN EVERYDAY" Stern: Are people being killed by the police in Turkey? Mogultay: Lately there are happening some sad things in our country. Extrajudicial executions happen every day. Often the police is to impatient. Properly spoken the real task of the police is to capture people and to collect evidence. Stern: More and more, the people here about people, captured by the police who are since than disappeared. What do you know about? Mogultay: I also have information about this but I do not have any evidence. Stern: Are people in Turkey prosecuted because they criticize the government for example on politics regarding the Kurds or human rights? Mogultay: In Turkey people are brought before court because of deeds which collide with valid laws. The problem is that these laws are not to reconcile with a constitutional state. Stern: Who, from the point of view of the authorities, propagandates so called separatism is brought for a state-security instead of a civil court and is considered a terrorist. Mogultay: This paragraph must be abolished. This is conviction- justice. Stern: What, as Minister of Justice, do you want to do about this? Mogultay: The parts of the police who carry out indictments have to be placed under the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Internal affairs however rejects this. Furthermore we must change the constitution. The constitution is based on authority instead of freedom. States must no longer be represented with clubs. We must understand that Turkey will not fall apart because of democratisation but that it will be saved by this. Stern: How well are you informed about the things happening in Turkish prisons? For instance, do you know the case Hasan Ocak who disappeared on March 21 while in custody? Mogultay: I personally have investigated this by the Minister of Internal affairs. Stern: What did he say? Mogultay: We do not have him. Stern: Do you believe this? Mogultay: What else can I do? From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Mon May 15 20:30:28 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 15 May 1995 20:30:28 Subject: PKK 5th Victory Congress Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Kurdistan Committee of Canada Subject: PKK 5th Victory Congress 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. The 5th Congress of our party gathered and worked under the name of "The Congress of the People's Government". It 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 with 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 to 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 ----- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Mon May 15 20:30:30 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 15 May 1995 20:30:30 Subject: PKK 5th Victory Congress References: Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Kurdistan Committee of Canada Subject: PKK 5th Victory Congress 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. The 5th Congress of our party gathered and worked under the name of "The Congress of the People's Government". It 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 with 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 to 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 ----- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Tue May 16 05:58:03 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 16 May 1995 05:58:03 Subject: State-Sponsored Murder In Turkey Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Arm The Spirit Subject: State-Sponsored Murder In Turkey From: newsdesk at newsdesk.aps.nl (Newsdesk Amsterdam) Interview with the Minister of Justice of Turkey, Mehmet Mogultay Translated from German into English from the German weekly "Der stern" from May 11, 1995 This is a very important interview. The European states do not want to know what is confirmed by the Minister of Justice of Turkey himself. Stop Extraditions To Turkey! "EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS HAPPEN EVERYDAY" Stern: Are people being killed by the police in Turkey? Mogultay: Lately there are happening some sad things in our country. Extrajudicial executions happen every day. Often the police is to impatient. Properly spoken the real task of the police is to capture people and to collect evidence. Stern: More and more, the people here about people, captured by the police who are since than disappeared. What do you know about? Mogultay: I also have information about this but I do not have any evidence. Stern: Are people in Turkey prosecuted because they criticize the government for example on politics regarding the Kurds or human rights? Mogultay: In Turkey people are brought before court because of deeds which collide with valid laws. The problem is that these laws are not to reconcile with a constitutional state. Stern: Who, from the point of view of the authorities, propagandates so called separatism is brought for a state-security instead of a civil court and is considered a terrorist. Mogultay: This paragraph must be abolished. This is conviction- justice. Stern: What, as Minister of Justice, do you want to do about this? Mogultay: The parts of the police who carry out indictments have to be placed under the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Internal affairs however rejects this. Furthermore we must change the constitution. The constitution is based on authority instead of freedom. States must no longer be represented with clubs. We must understand that Turkey will not fall apart because of democratisation but that it will be saved by this. Stern: How well are you informed about the things happening in Turkish prisons? For instance, do you know the case Hasan Ocak who disappeared on March 21 while in custody? Mogultay: I personally have investigated this by the Minister of Internal affairs. Stern: What did he say? Mogultay: We do not have him. Stern: Do you believe this? Mogultay: What else can I do? ------------------------------------------------------- * Activists Press Service (Newsdesk) * newsdesk at aps.nl !Power to the people! ------------------------------------------------------- +++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++===+++== 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 Tue May 16 14:20:09 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 16 May 1995 14:20:09 Subject: ERNK Europe - May 16, 1995 Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Kurdistan Committee of Canada Subject: ERNK Europe - May 16, 1995 National Liberation Front of Kurdistan Press Release #24 May 16, 1995 There has been a recent spade of German police attacks on Kurdish gatherings and their institutions. These are acts that are placing the German authorities on the side of the Turkish authorities in their desire to solve the Kurdish question by way of force. The National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) made the following statement relative to these events in Germany: We Insist On A Political Solution The German state is increasing its attacks on Kurds who are engaged in political activity for their democratic aspirations. On the most flimsy charges, Kurdish institutions and gatherings, even private homes, are subjected to unwarranted searches. There has been a rise in this type of activity since the early days of May, which coincides with the withdrawal of Turkish troops from South Kurdistan. Kurds who celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War were attacked by German police in Berlin. Their associations in Berlin and Hanau were searched on that same day. On Sunday, May 14, another gathering of Kurds was interrupted in Mainz and close to 100 participants were apprehended. In Giessen, some 4,000 Kurdish women gathered for Mother's Day and they too were asked to disperse. But those who had gathered refused to disperse. Acts such as these can only be classified as deeds in support of the Turkish government. In Kurdistan, time-honoured Turkish policies of force have made the situation worse, forcing the authorities to come to terms with the political solution of this problem. But German attacks on the Kurds are provoking the Kurdish victims to commit criminal acts. Some fanatical right-wing forces have made a profession of bashing the Kurds and the PKK, even at the Interior Ministry level. The sympathy that prevails among the public at large is being undermined by fabricated events and stories. While these acts of hatred are cultivated against the Kurds, fascist Turkish groups are tolerated and even supported by these same elements. And some unscrupulous politicians are using these fabricated incidents and in so doing are trying to get some mileage out of the Kurds. We would like to think that the consciences of these politicians will not allow them to stoop to the level of provocations. The logic that justifies attacking the Kurds by way of force is no different than the one that the Turkish generals have been using against the Kurdish people in Turkey. We insist on a political solution. We believe both the old Turkish policies and the new German operations have only one thing in common, and that is that they are bankrupt relative to the Kurdish question. We condemn these policy attacks on our institutions and we urge our people to remain united. We ask them never to waver in their solidarity with their people and their country. ERNK European Representation From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 17 15:26:59 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 17 May 1995 15:26:59 Subject: ERNK Europe - May 16, 1995 References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: ERNK Europe - May 16, 1995 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 0) id VT4435; Tue, 16 May 1995 20:44:53 -0800 ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- National Liberation Front of Kurdistan Press Release #24 May 16, 1995 There has been a recent spade of German police attacks on Kurdish gatherings and their institutions. These are acts that are placing the German authorities on the side of the Turkish authorities in their desire to solve the Kurdish question by way of force. The National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) made the following statement relative to these events in Germany: We Insist On A Political Solution The German state is increasing its attacks on Kurds who are engaged in political activity for their democratic aspirations. On the most flimsy charges, Kurdish institutions and gatherings, even private homes, are subjected to unwarranted searches. There has been a rise in this type of activity since the early days of May, which coincides with the withdrawal of Turkish troops from South Kurdistan. Kurds who celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War were attacked by German police in Berlin. Their associations in Berlin and Hanau were searched on that same day. On Sunday, May 14, another gathering of Kurds was interrupted in Mainz and close to 100 participants were apprehended. In Giessen, some 4,000 Kurdish women gathered for Mother's Day and they too were asked to disperse. But those who had gathered refused to disperse. Acts such as these can only be classified as deeds in support of the Turkish government. In Kurdistan, time-honoured Turkish policies of force have made the situation worse, forcing the authorities to come to terms with the political solution of this problem. But German attacks on the Kurds are provoking the Kurdish victims to commit criminal acts. Some fanatical right-wing forces have made a profession of bashing the Kurds and the PKK, even at the Interior Ministry level. The sympathy that prevails among the public at large is being undermined by fabricated events and stories. While these acts of hatred are cultivated against the Kurds, fascist Turkish groups are tolerated and even supported by these same elements. And some unscrupulous politicians are using these fabricated incidents and in so doing are trying to get some mileage out of the Kurds. We would like to think that the consciences of these politicians will not allow them to stoop to the level of provocations. The logic that justifies attacking the Kurds by way of force is no different than the one that the Turkish generals have been using against the Kurdish people in Turkey. We insist on a political solution. We believe both the old Turkish policies and the new German operations have only one thing in common, and that is that they are bankrupt relative to the Kurdish question. We condemn these policy attacks on our institutions and we urge our people to remain united. We ask them never to waver in their solidarity with their people and their country. ERNK European Representation ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Wed May 17 18:31:15 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 17 May 1995 18:31:15 Subject: MED-TV: Kurdish Television Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Arm The Spirit Subject: MED-TV: Kurdish Television Kurdish TV from Britain is nationalist voice By Aliza Marcus ISTANBUL, May 15 (Reuter) - It's showtime in Turkey and the latest television programme to hit the crowded airwaves favours documentaries about village life and children's game shows. But despite the ponderous -- some would say boring -- nature of the broadcasts, British-based MED-TV has its intensely loyal viewers, and all because the language of choice is Kurdish. "Every night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. you can find me right here, in front of the television," said a Kurdish businessman, chuckling as children draped in the red, yellow and red colours of Kurdish nationalism danced across the screen. "Imagine, for the first time in history, we have our own television, which is being broadcast to Kurds all over the world," he said. Turkish officials are less than pleased about the British- licensed MED-TV, which uses satellite technology to beam from London into Turkey and evade Turkish laws forbidding broadcasts in Kurdish. Turkey, worried MED-TV is being used by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla group to promote demands for Kurdish autonomy or independence in Turkey, has asked Britain's licensing agency to monitor broadcasts. "I think this goes against the European conventions on television and human rights, because it stirs up racial hatred and is against the territorial integrity of Turkey," said an official with Turkey's Radio and Television High Commission. Whether it is linked to the PKK or not -- MED-TV officials say a wide variety of groups and businessmen are financially backing the channel -- the broadcast certainly gives the guerrillas another route to spread their message. PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, based in Syria or Lebanon, recently joined a debate by telephone with other Kurdish groups on MED-TV. He said he was fighting for Kurdish rights but not a separate Kurdish state. More than 15,000 people have died in the rebels' 11-year-old battle in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. But the television tension is more than a spat over programming. It reflects both the problems Turkey has in suppressing Kurdish identity in the age of technology and open borders, as well as the growing role of the usually wealthier and better educated Kurdish diaspora in Europe. Kurds in Europe, made up of many who say they fled repression in Turkey, are becoming a powerful lobby against Ankara's attempts to deny Kurdish cultural rights at home. Kurds set up a 65-seat parliament-in-exile in The Hague in April which includes members of the PKK and the non-violent Democracy Party (DEP) banned in Turkey last year. Ankara recalled its ambassador from the Netherlands and embargoed the import of new Dutch military sales in a row over the assembly which Turkey says is an undemocratic PKK front. "Turkey has been getting very upset with Europe, but instead of lashing out they should be trying to foster a positive environment," said a Western diplomat. The Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly voted on April 26 to suspend Turkey if Ankara did not clean up its human rights record while Bonn stopped military aid when Turkish troops moved into northern Iraq in March to wipe out PKK bases. Turkey's long-hoped for customs deal with the European Union could be blocked by Euro-MPs if Ankara does not address human rights concerns, including the jailing of six Kurdish MPs. By promoting Kurdish culture, Kurdish language and by association Kurdish nationalism, MED-TV runs counter to Turkey's attempts to suppress Kurdish identity. Kurdish-language education is not allowed in Turkey and books about Kurdish history are often banned under the charge of disseminating separatist propaganda. MED-TV officials acknowledge the broadcasts are aimed to develop a sense of identity among Kurds and say it's about time Kurds had their own TV show. Western historians estimate there are about 20 million Kurds in Turkey and neighbouring countries. "This television will be a different voice, and with shows also in Turkish we can reach Turks as well so they can learn about Kurdish people," said Ahmet Akkaya, a Turk who is the Belgium-based spokesman for MED-TV. "Why shouldn't Kurds have their own television?" he told Reuters by telephone. MED-TV officials stress the international approach of the broadcasts, designed to appeal to Kurds not just in Turkey, but also in Iraq, Iran, Syria and throughout Europe. "This will be one step in helping Kurds develop a common cultural identity after being forced apart by the borders of the 20th century," said Akkaya. From kurdeng at aps.nl Thu May 18 15:17:45 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 18 May 1995 15:17:45 Subject: Kurdish struggle: European Front Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Kurdish struggle: European Front Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 7 May 1995 21:03:54 -0800 Alleged Kurdish extremist arrested in Germany BONN, May 16 (Reuter) - A Kurd alleged to have masterminded firebombings of Turkish property in Germany and the murder of political rivals on behalf of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has been arrested, authorities said on Tuesday. The 36-year-old suspect, identified only as Aziz Y., was taken into custody in Mainz on Sunday during an underground meeting of PKK members, the federal prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe said in a statement. Suspected of leading a PKK chapter in western Germany, the Turkish citizen whose legal residence is in France helped direct 33 attacks on Turkish banks, airline offices, travel agencies and restaurants in 1993, prosecutors said. One person caught in flames died during an attack on a Turkish restaurant in Wiesbaden on November 4, 1993. Y, who is being held in investigative custody, belonged to the PKK leadership in Germany that used arson attacks to press its revolutionary goals, it said. It alleged that PKK leaders had also used punitive action, including murder, against adherents who break away from the organisation. Following a similar rash of arson attacks this year blamed primarily on the PKK, German officials have been increasingly concerned that the group had imported its campaign of political violence to Germany, unsettling the two million Turks there. From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Fri May 19 15:52:59 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 19 May 1995 15:52:59 Subject: Update On The PKK's 5th Congress Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Arm The Spirit Subject: Update On The PKK's 5th Congress PKK 5th Congress Update Unlike other armed guerilla movements which have left traces in contemporary world history mainly owing to their humanitarian and just cause at final analysis, the PKK is known for gaining more popularity owing to its somewhat precarious dedication to rough internal discipline and its obsession of setting new goals every four years, keeping up with a changing world and vital changes in regional conditions. Along with its tight and professional organizational structure which is made out of a political nucleas, the party, its full-time fighting force the ARGK and a wide-spread popular front, the ERNK, The PKK owes much of its existence to this adaptability and more important of all, Turkey's own policy mistakes. The mistakes and ignorance of Ankara placed aside, it can be seen that the PKK, one of the most expansive guerilla organizations in the Middle East, survives mainly through its adaptability. An adaptability which, according to many organizational sources, is closely linked to the scores of meetings held in its 20 years of history. Prior to Turkey's prolonged incursion into northern Iraq last month, the PKK held such a major meeting in the region during which it not only reviewed 20 years of warfare but boasted to have taken major decisions to boost the organization into the ranks of a contemporary, more credible, guerilla movement. Looking at it in practice though, both western and Turkish experts are highly sceptical. The PKK, despite its mass support, is regarded as a "terrorist organization" by a majority of countries and although there is criticism of Ankara's handling of its Kurdish crisis, foreign capitals intend to differentiate the PKK from this. Although the exact meeting place for 317 delegates is not yet known, Ankara-based Turkish intelligence experts believed the so-called "5th Victory Congress" was held in Haftanin, a camp area which was the focus of recent Turkish raids. Between January 8 to 27, 1995, hundreds of Kurdish guerilla leaders and representatives flooded into a massive underground meeting hall, fully equiped with infrastructural facilities, to discuss the past and future of this movement. As they met in what PKK publications described as "a victorious atmosphere," the death toll of Turkey's bloody Kurdish crisis steadily rose to over 15,000 with at least 9,000 of them being alleged militants according to Ankara's recently announced figures. The rest of the casualties were either civilians or Turkish security personel. The importance of the January Congress of the PKK was that it coincided with major diplomatic moves on part of Turkish Kurds. Efforts to set up a Kurdish Parliament in Exile were finalized after the meeting. Immediately before, the PKK issued a "Declaration of Intention" to abide by humanitarian laws and rules specified by the Geneva Convention. In the Congress itself, only 231 delegates had the right to vote while 86 had the right for representation without voting. Elections were reportedly held to choose a new 29-member Central Executive Board as well as to name the new members of the chairmanship, military, political and training councils. Also, new members were elected for the central disciplinary board and a special council for front activities. Among the most important decisions taken during the Congress was the PKK's termination of the use of "General Secretary" to describe its leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Instead, a new Chairmanship Council structure was established in which Ocalan, as chairman, will precide over six more members. Those elected to the council other than him were Cemil Bayik, Duran Kalkan, Murat Karayilan, Halil Atac, Haydar Kaytan and the PKK's former European flank representative Mustafa Karasu. Another highlight of the meeting was a resolution adopted to abandon the traditional Cold War symbols of the hammer and sickle and drop them completely from the PKK's party flag and amblem which were promptly renewed. The PKK later boasted for being the first post-Cold War group to take such a "pioneering step" to drop "the burdens of real socialism." Indeed the movement, which started off twenty years ago as a Marxist-Leninist Kurdish group in Turkey, also rejected during the Congress the concept of Soviet socialism and "other dogmatic policies," emphasizing once again that real socialism and organizational structure had to keep up with changes in world history. It denounced Soviet socialism as "the most primitive and violent era of socialism." The Congress decisions included a major reference to the importance in this new era of political and diplomatic activities to be carried out along with guerilla warfare. Diplomacy in this period was thus accepted as important as military struggle and its significance was stressed in related decisions to boost the PKK's diplomatic and political activities throughout the world. Decisions taken during the Congress included the restoration of credibility for PKK members killed in the past by mistake or through misjudgment and changing certain commanding positions in Kurdish regions of Turkey. Also a decision was taken to announce a partial amnesty for state-armed Village Guards, noting that they had until May 1995 to drop their weapons. An outstanding debate during the meeting, according to PKK sources, was the essential element of preserving human rights during guerilla operations and to refrain from causing any harm to innocent civilians, be they of Kurdish or Turkish origin. Military targets for future guerilla warfare were thus carefully selected and outlined with the main aim coming out as the creation of a full fledged Kurdish army. "The army is to contain, along with its current regular guerilla units, major task forces and special storm units trained and capable to carry out more centralized and active operations against enemy forces," a PKK source said. Despite this Congress though, the Turkish incursion into northern Iraq appeared to have struck a wrong chord in PKK ranks as grassroots mainly in Germany went amock with attacks against Turkish business places and even mosques. The incident followed a major PKK attack on the Kurdish civilian settlement of Hamzali where nearly two dozen people, mainly women and children, were gunned down. Over last month, mass demonstrations spread throughout Europe while Ankara claimed that at least four civilians had recently been killed by the PKK again. In early April, the organization further marred its diplomatic drive by kidnapping two Turkish reporters working for the foreign press. It also threatened tourism interests. Ankara officials said they had actually seized new PKK plans to attack tourism sites in Turkey. Turkish officials argue now that the PKK is aware of western concern related to human rights in Turkey and is aiming to exploit the conditions through bogus promises of respecting human rights. Since 1991, with the government's abandoning of Kurdish policy issues to the military, Turkey's human rights has been placed under the magnifying glass by the West. The PKK, on the other hand, accepts this is in its benefit and says its record is clearly observable and cleaner than that of Ankara - blamed for torching and evacuating more than 1,500 villages in Turkey alone. Turkey's human rights record was further darkened with reports of civilian abductions and killings, along with village bombings, coming out from northern Iraq. The new leadership structure of the PKK, determined in the last Congress, implies that military cadres have more dominance on the organization's policies but that activities will be more centralized in the future. Ocalan has vowed to create special "storm units" to carry out armed attacks and is seeking to justify his struggle in the eyes of the West, using Turkey's denial of basic cultural and social rights for the Kurds. Already, he appears to have succeeded in establishing the most expansive guerilla organization in the Middle East region. Despite previous Turkish claims that the PKK was no more than "a handful of terrorist bandits," the Chief of Staff office issued astonishing casualty figures this month. According to the military, a total of 9,691 PKK militants had been killed by troops since 1984 and along with those arrested, 16,970 PKK militants had been put away. Officials said in April, several weeks into the north Iraqi incursion, that over 300 PKK militants were killed in this region as well. But the figure was in sharp contrast to Ankara's original figure to justify the invasion, that 2,000 militants were in northern Iraq. Both Kurdish sources and Turkish soldiers accepted that the PKK had abandoned its Iraqi positions two weeks before the incursion and left behind only a token resistence force to harrass Turkish units. With its new organizational structure and policy that have gone through a face-lift, the PKK appears to become an even more difficult problem to solve for Ankara. Turkey has fallen at odds with its western allies for pushing some 35,000 troops into northern Iraq and although Prime Minister Tansu Ciller seems to have gained some popularity back at home, more western attention is now concentrated on the essence of the problem. Western demands on the Kurdish issue seem hardly limited to the Iraqi incursion. Turkey, throughout its republic order, is accused of denying basic social and cultural rights for the Kurds, attempting to forcefully assimilate this population of 12 million into its dominant Sunni-Turkish culture. Many of its allies regard the PKK as an end result of the persecution of the Turkish-Kurdish community and economic hardships in the Southeast. The PKK is still condemned as a terrorist organization, for its acts of violence, but the solution is sought in the marginilization of terror through cultural autonomy and improved rights for the Kurds. Ankara, much under the influence of its own military propaganda, maintains that any additional rights would only lead to a division of the country. Now with the PKK accompanying its military activities with a diplomatic drive supported by pro-Kurdish newspapers, magazines and television broadcasts along with a western audience sympathetic to plain Kurdish demands, Turkey is bound to face new problems on the international platform. The operation in northern Iraq, continuous reports of human rights violations and its insistence not to address the Kurdish problem separately from PKK terrorism appears to be endangering the country's relations with its essential allies and increasing the risk of a fatal isolation. Ciller, as always, seems to have abadoned the Kurdish policy issue to the hands of the military who, evidently, have no such concern... (Ismet Imset is the author of the book called the PKK. This article was posted to soc.culture.kurdish) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri May 19 19:05:39 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 19 May 1995 19:05:39 Subject: Update On The PKK's 5th Congress References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: Update On The PKK's 5th Congress Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl --------------- Forwarded from : Arm The Spirit ---------------- PKK 5th Congress Update Unlike other armed guerilla movements which have left traces in contemporary world history mainly owing to their humanitarian and just cause at final analysis, the PKK is known for gaining more popularity owing to its somewhat precarious dedication to rough internal discipline and its obsession of setting new goals every four years, keeping up with a changing world and vital changes in regional conditions. Along with its tight and professional organizational structure which is made out of a political nucleas, the party, its full-time fighting force the ARGK and a wide-spread popular front, the ERNK, The PKK owes much of its existence to this adaptability and more important of all, Turkey's own policy mistakes. The mistakes and ignorance of Ankara placed aside, it can be seen that the PKK, one of the most expansive guerilla organizations in the Middle East, survives mainly through its adaptability. An adaptability which, according to many organizational sources, is closely linked to the scores of meetings held in its 20 years of history. Prior to Turkey's prolonged incursion into northern Iraq last month, the PKK held such a major meeting in the region during which it not only reviewed 20 years of warfare but boasted to have taken major decisions to boost the organization into the ranks of a contemporary, more credible, guerilla movement. Looking at it in practice though, both western and Turkish experts are highly sceptical. The PKK, despite its mass support, is regarded as a "terrorist organization" by a majority of countries and although there is criticism of Ankara's handling of its Kurdish crisis, foreign capitals intend to differentiate the PKK from this. Although the exact meeting place for 317 delegates is not yet known, Ankara-based Turkish intelligence experts believed the so-called "5th Victory Congress" was held in Haftanin, a camp area which was the focus of recent Turkish raids. Between January 8 to 27, 1995, hundreds of Kurdish guerilla leaders and representatives flooded into a massive underground meeting hall, fully equiped with infrastructural facilities, to discuss the past and future of this movement. As they met in what PKK publications described as "a victorious atmosphere," the death toll of Turkey's bloody Kurdish crisis steadily rose to over 15,000 with at least 9,000 of them being alleged militants according to Ankara's recently announced figures. The rest of the casualties were either civilians or Turkish security personel. The importance of the January Congress of the PKK was that it coincided with major diplomatic moves on part of Turkish Kurds. Efforts to set up a Kurdish Parliament in Exile were finalized after the meeting. Immediately before, the PKK issued a "Declaration of Intention" to abide by humanitarian laws and rules specified by the Geneva Convention. In the Congress itself, only 231 delegates had the right to vote while 86 had the right for representation without voting. Elections were reportedly held to choose a new 29-member Central Executive Board as well as to name the new members of the chairmanship, military, political and training councils. Also, new members were elected for the central disciplinary board and a special council for front activities. Among the most important decisions taken during the Congress was the PKK's termination of the use of "General Secretary" to describe its leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Instead, a new Chairmanship Council structure was established in which Ocalan, as chairman, will precide over six more members. Those elected to the council other than him were Cemil Bayik, Duran Kalkan, Murat Karayilan, Halil Atac, Haydar Kaytan and the PKK's former European flank representative Mustafa Karasu. Another highlight of the meeting was a resolution adopted to abandon the traditional Cold War symbols of the hammer and sickle and drop them completely from the PKK's party flag and amblem which were promptly renewed. The PKK later boasted for being the first post-Cold War group to take such a "pioneering step" to drop "the burdens of real socialism." Indeed the movement, which started off twenty years ago as a Marxist-Leninist Kurdish group in Turkey, also rejected during the Congress the concept of Soviet socialism and "other dogmatic policies," emphasizing once again that real socialism and organizational structure had to keep up with changes in world history. It denounced Soviet socialism as "the most primitive and violent era of socialism." The Congress decisions included a major reference to the importance in this new era of political and diplomatic activities to be carried out along with guerilla warfare. Diplomacy in this period was thus accepted as important as military struggle and its significance was stressed in related decisions to boost the PKK's diplomatic and political activities throughout the world. Decisions taken during the Congress included the restoration of credibility for PKK members killed in the past by mistake or through misjudgment and changing certain commanding positions in Kurdish regions of Turkey. Also a decision was taken to announce a partial amnesty for state-armed Village Guards, noting that they had until May 1995 to drop their weapons. An outstanding debate during the meeting, according to PKK sources, was the essential element of preserving human rights during guerilla operations and to refrain from causing any harm to innocent civilians, be they of Kurdish or Turkish origin. Military targets for future guerilla warfare were thus carefully selected and outlined with the main aim coming out as the creation of a full fledged Kurdish army. "The army is to contain, along with its current regular guerilla units, major task forces and special storm units trained and capable to carry out more centralized and active operations against enemy forces," a PKK source said. Despite this Congress though, the Turkish incursion into northern Iraq appeared to have struck a wrong chord in PKK ranks as grassroots mainly in Germany went amock with attacks against Turkish business places and even mosques. The incident followed a major PKK attack on the Kurdish civilian settlement of Hamzali where nearly two dozen people, mainly women and children, were gunned down. Over last month, mass demonstrations spread throughout Europe while Ankara claimed that at least four civilians had recently been killed by the PKK again. In early April, the organization further marred its diplomatic drive by kidnapping two Turkish reporters working for the foreign press. It also threatened tourism interests. Ankara officials said they had actually seized new PKK plans to attack tourism sites in Turkey. Turkish officials argue now that the PKK is aware of western concern related to human rights in Turkey and is aiming to exploit the conditions through bogus promises of respecting human rights. Since 1991, with the government's abandoning of Kurdish policy issues to the military, Turkey's human rights has been placed under the magnifying glass by the West. The PKK, on the other hand, accepts this is in its benefit and says its record is clearly observable and cleaner than that of Ankara - blamed for torching and evacuating more than 1,500 villages in Turkey alone. Turkey's human rights record was further darkened with reports of civilian abductions and killings, along with village bombings, coming out from northern Iraq. The new leadership structure of the PKK, determined in the last Congress, implies that military cadres have more dominance on the organization's policies but that activities will be more centralized in the future. Ocalan has vowed to create special "storm units" to carry out armed attacks and is seeking to justify his struggle in the eyes of the West, using Turkey's denial of basic cultural and social rights for the Kurds. Already, he appears to have succeeded in establishing the most expansive guerilla organization in the Middle East region. Despite previous Turkish claims that the PKK was no more than "a handful of terrorist bandits," the Chief of Staff office issued astonishing casualty figures this month. According to the military, a total of 9,691 PKK militants had been killed by troops since 1984 and along with those arrested, 16,970 PKK militants had been put away. Officials said in April, several weeks into the north Iraqi incursion, that over 300 PKK militants were killed in this region as well. But the figure was in sharp contrast to Ankara's original figure to justify the invasion, that 2,000 militants were in northern Iraq. Both Kurdish sources and Turkish soldiers accepted that the PKK had abandoned its Iraqi positions two weeks before the incursion and left behind only a token resistence force to harrass Turkish units. With its new organizational structure and policy that have gone through a face-lift, the PKK appears to become an even more difficult problem to solve for Ankara. Turkey has fallen at odds with its western allies for pushing some 35,000 troops into northern Iraq and although Prime Minister Tansu Ciller seems to have gained some popularity back at home, more western attention is now concentrated on the essence of the problem. Western demands on the Kurdish issue seem hardly limited to the Iraqi incursion. Turkey, throughout its republic order, is accused of denying basic social and cultural rights for the Kurds, attempting to forcefully assimilate this population of 12 million into its dominant Sunni-Turkish culture. Many of its allies regard the PKK as an end result of the persecution of the Turkish-Kurdish community and economic hardships in the Southeast. The PKK is still condemned as a terrorist organization, for its acts of violence, but the solution is sought in the marginilization of terror through cultural autonomy and improved rights for the Kurds. Ankara, much under the influence of its own military propaganda, maintains that any additional rights would only lead to a division of the country. Now with the PKK accompanying its military activities with a diplomatic drive supported by pro-Kurdish newspapers, magazines and television broadcasts along with a western audience sympathetic to plain Kurdish demands, Turkey is bound to face new problems on the international platform. The operation in northern Iraq, continuous reports of human rights violations and its insistence not to address the Kurdish problem separately from PKK terrorism appears to be endangering the country's relations with its essential allies and increasing the risk of a fatal isolation. Ciller, as always, seems to have abadoned the Kurdish policy issue to the hands of the military who, evidently, have no such concern... (Ismet Imset is the author of the book called the PKK. This article was posted to soc.culture.kurdish) ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- * Activists Press Service (Newsdesk) * newsdesk at aps.nl !Power to the people! ------------------------------------------------------- From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri May 19 16:11:38 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 19 May 1995 16:11:38 Subject: Don't holiday in Turkey! (GIF-file) Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Don't holiday in Turkey! 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At that time, it suited the Western governments and media to portray Kurdish people as casualties of Saddam's regime. The coverage of European and American relief efforts and 'Operation Provide Comfort' in South Kurdistan (northern Iraq) perpetuated the acceptable image of the Kurdish people as refugees and grateful dependants of the West. Far from being beneficiaries of the West, the Kurds continue to be its victims. While in the so-called "safe haven" of northern Iraq around 6 million Kurds enjoy the dubious protection of U.S. air power, close to 20 million Kurds in Turkey are subject to fierce state repression. Turkey, a NATO member financed and equipped by the West, is engaged in a brutal counter-insurgency war to destroy Kurdish resistance. This aspect of the West's policy has, until recently, received little coverage in the media, which in general follows the European and U.S. governments' acceptance of Turkey as a valued military ally and candidate for entry into the European Union (EU). The Kurds' armed struggle for national and cultural rights, a last resort forced on the Kurdish people by the denial of any democratic channels of expression, has been routinely stigmatised as "terrorism". But things are beginning to change. The suppression of pro- Kurdish newspapers, the banning of Kurdish political parties, and the arrest of MPs has undermined Turkey's liberal facade. It is becoming apparent that the cases of assassination and torture of individuals, attacks on towns and villages by the military, and the depopulation of rural areas are not the unfortunate side-effects of the "war against terrorism". Instead these are part of a systematic onslaught by the Turkish state against the people of Kurdistan in order to destroy any aspirations towards cultural, political, or economic independence. The struggle of the people of North Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey) is vital to the future not only of the Kurdish people as a whole but to all the peoples of the region. The Western powers played a major role in partitioning Kurdistan and in sustaining regimes which have tried to eliminate the Kurdish people. The people of Canada have a responsibility to ensure that their government finally ends its support for the opponents of the Kurdish people's fight for self-determination. The truth about the situation in Kurdistan must be brought to the widest possible audience through the media and political, human rights, and trade union organizations. The Kurdistan Committee of Canada (KCC) plays a vital role in this task. The KCC: * Provides the latest news on the situation in Kurdistan; * Exposes every form of human rights violation and repression against the Kurdish people; * Informs the public about the political and cultural developments in Kurdistan. The KCC aims: * To disseminate information to the press and media; * To solicit the support of human rights organizations; * To secure the interest of parliament, political leaders, parties, and other democratic and progressive forces; * To publish documents, reports, and books related to the politics and culture of Kurdistan; * To provide information and give advice to journalists, parliamentarians, and human rights activists intending to visit the region. KCC publications include: * Kurdish News, a monthly newsletter; * English translations of daily updates from the KURD-A news agency; * Documents and resolutions from the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile; * Reports from MPs, lawyers, and human rights organizations concerning human rights abuses in Kurdistan. "We must never again leave millions of men, women, and children at the mercy of the Turkish army." - Danielle Mitterand, wife of the President of France The KCC calls for: * An independent international human rights investigation into widespread human rights abuses committed against Kurds, particularly against Kurdish women; * A UN special investigation into torture, arbitrary detention, and extrajudicial executions, and for the perpetrators of these grave violations to be brought to trial; * The Kurdish people to be allowed to exercise their fundamental universally-acknowledged right to self-determination; * A negotiated settlement to the Kurdish question, with the Turkish government agreeing to open an unconditional dialogue with representatives of the Kurdish people; * The U.S., Canada, and all EU countries to immediately stop supplying weaponry to Turkey and to issue an arms embargo and impose economic sanctions; * Canada and all other nations to end the deportation of Kurdish people to Turkey; * Canada to recognize and support the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile; * Tourists to boycott Turkey as a holiday destination. "...Kurdish people throughout southern Turkey, very ordinary, humble people, have decided they would rather die standing up than spend their lives on their knees...it was the most extraordinary and inspiring sight of my life...I hope one day they have the kind of freedoms we take for granted." - Michael Ignatieff, writer and broadcaster Kurdistan Committee of Canada 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 Tel: (613) 733-9634 Fax: (613) 733-0090 E-mail: kcc at magi.com A Brief History Kurdistan is situated in a highly strategic part of the Middle East straggling the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Kurds are descendants of Indo-European peoples who entered the area about 4,000 years ago and are believed to be related to the ancient Medes. The Kurdish language, which is divided into three main dialects, is related most closely to Farsi and shares some similarities with other Indo-European languages. The area now covered by Kurdistan has been occupied since the 7th century BC by successive empires, including the Persian, Macedonian, Roman, Armenian, and Byzantine. In the 7th century AD, under the impact of the Arab invasions, many Kurds were converted to Sunni Islam. In the 11th century, the Seljuq Turks, originating from central Asia, conquered much of what is now eastern Turkey, including parts of Kurdistan. Predominantly a nomadic, pastoral people, the Kurds retained a degree of independence under their own tribal heads and feudal overlords until the 16th century, when the land was partitioned between the Ottoman (Turkish) and Safavid (Persian) empires. The Ottoman sultans levied taxes on the Kurdish people and conscripted the young men for military service but usually did not interfere with the culture and traditional way of life of their Islamic subjects. However, there were attempts by some Kurdish tribal leaders to reassert complete political independence. Following the defeat of the Turks in the First World War, the Ottoman Empire was carved up by the Western allies. The Treaty of Sevres (1920) recognized that an independent Kurdish state should be set up in northern Kurdistan (Turkey), but even this minimum concession to the Kurds was ignored by the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). Britain and France partitioned Kurdistan between their protectorates, Iraq and Syria, and the newly established Republic of Turkey. Eastern Kurdistan remained part of a pro-Western Persia. Strategically, Turkey and Persia were seen as buffers against Bolshevik Russia, while economically Britain had access to the oilfields of southern Kurdistan. During the 1920s and 30s, the Kurds were bombed by Britain's air force into a grudging acceptance of the Iraqi state and monarchy. In Turkey, under the ultra-nationalist, Westernizing military regime of Kemal Ataturk, the Kurds were deprived of any right to express their own identity. Rebellions were crushed with great ferocity, culminating in the suppression of the Dersim uprising in 1938. In 1946, in the aftermath of the Second World War, the first short-lived Kurdish state was established at Mahabad in Iran, but this was soon destroyed by the Shah's forces. Following the overthrow of the pro-Western Iraqi monarchy and coming into power of the populist military regime of General Qassim in 1961, the Kurds of northern Iraq, frustrated by broken promises of autonomy, launched an armed uprising. The bravery of the Kurdish peshmerga fighters was ill-served by opportunist leaders who sought deals first with the Baathist regime and later with the Shah. They were defeated in 1975 and the process of the Arabization of Kurdistan was accelerated by the Baathists in Iraq. Although the Kurds of eastern Kurdistan (Iran) supported the struggle against the Shah, Khomeini's Islamic regime reneged on promises of political and cultural rights and the Kurds fell victim to general repression. The outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war opened up the opportunity for the Kurds to fight for their own cause, but all to often the adherence to the principle of "my enemy's enemy is my friend" led to clashes between rival Kurdish groups sponsored by Iran or Iraq. This culminated in the Iraqi offensive which in 1988 included the use of chemical weapons against the town of Halabja and the gassing of 5,000 Kurds. In Turkey, despite harsh political and cultural repression, reinforced by periodic terms of military rule, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) developed a strategy of fighting for Kurdistan on an unequivocal anti-imperialist program. In 1984, having weathered the harsh repression of the military junta which came to power in a September 1980 coup, the PKK launched an armed struggle, establishing the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK). Over the last decade, despite a brutal counter-insurgency campaign by the Turkish state - including the use of death squads, torture, the setting up of bands of armed collaborators ("village guards"), and the destruction of over 2,000 villages to depopulate the countryside - the resistance of the Kurdish people has increased. Allied to the PKK and the ARGK, the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) has also continued to build up political support among the people of Europe by exposing the role of the Turkish state and demonstrating the will of the Kurdish people to resist and achieve their freedom. The Kurds are the largest people in the world without their own state. But the Kurdish people will not abandon their struggle for national liberation. On April 12, 1995, the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile was opened in Europe. This body will act as the political voice of the Kurdish people in exile and of the national liberation struggle and it will seek to achieve a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish question. We call on everyone to support the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile! Stop the dirty war in Kurdistan! In 1994 alone, 12 billion dollars were spent on the war in Kurdistan, resulting in 5,458 people killed, 1,292 death squad murders, 1,500 villages destroyed, 328 persons disappeared, and thousands of political prisoners. ----- 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 Sat May 20 17:07:52 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 20 May 1995 17:07:52 Subject: The Kurdistan Committee of Canada References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: The Kurdistan Committee of Canada Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- Kurdistan Committee of Canada Most Canadian people had not heard about the Kurds until the Gulf War. At that time, it suited the Western governments and media to portray Kurdish people as casualties of Saddam's regime. The coverage of European and American relief efforts and 'Operation Provide Comfort' in South Kurdistan (northern Iraq) perpetuated the acceptable image of the Kurdish people as refugees and grateful dependants of the West. Far from being beneficiaries of the West, the Kurds continue to be its victims. While in the so-called "safe haven" of northern Iraq around 6 million Kurds enjoy the dubious protection of U.S. air power, close to 20 million Kurds in Turkey are subject to fierce state repression. Turkey, a NATO member financed and equipped by the West, is engaged in a brutal counter-insurgency war to destroy Kurdish resistance. This aspect of the West's policy has, until recently, received little coverage in the media, which in general follows the European and U.S. governments' acceptance of Turkey as a valued military ally and candidate for entry into the European Union (EU). The Kurds' armed struggle for national and cultural rights, a last resort forced on the Kurdish people by the denial of any democratic channels of expression, has been routinely stigmatised as "terrorism". But things are beginning to change. The suppression of pro- Kurdish newspapers, the banning of Kurdish political parties, and the arrest of MPs has undermined Turkey's liberal facade. It is becoming apparent that the cases of assassination and torture of individuals, attacks on towns and villages by the military, and the depopulation of rural areas are not the unfortunate side-effects of the "war against terrorism". Instead these are part of a systematic onslaught by the Turkish state against the people of Kurdistan in order to destroy any aspirations towards cultural, political, or economic independence. The struggle of the people of North Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey) is vital to the future not only of the Kurdish people as a whole but to all the peoples of the region. The Western powers played a major role in partitioning Kurdistan and in sustaining regimes which have tried to eliminate the Kurdish people. The people of Canada have a responsibility to ensure that their government finally ends its support for the opponents of the Kurdish people's fight for self-determination. The truth about the situation in Kurdistan must be brought to the widest possible audience through the media and political, human rights, and trade union organizations. The Kurdistan Committee of Canada (KCC) plays a vital role in this task. The KCC: * Provides the latest news on the situation in Kurdistan; * Exposes every form of human rights violation and repression against the Kurdish people; * Informs the public about the political and cultural developments in Kurdistan. The KCC aims: * To disseminate information to the press and media; * To solicit the support of human rights organizations; * To secure the interest of parliament, political leaders, parties, and other democratic and progressive forces; * To publish documents, reports, and books related to the politics and culture of Kurdistan; * To provide information and give advice to journalists, parliamentarians, and human rights activists intending to visit the region. KCC publications include: * Kurdish News, a monthly newsletter; * English translations of daily updates from the KURD-A news agency; * Documents and resolutions from the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile; * Reports from MPs, lawyers, and human rights organizations concerning human rights abuses in Kurdistan. "We must never again leave millions of men, women, and children at the mercy of the Turkish army." - Danielle Mitterand, wife of the President of France The KCC calls for: * An independent international human rights investigation into widespread human rights abuses committed against Kurds, particularly against Kurdish women; * A UN special investigation into torture, arbitrary detention, and extrajudicial executions, and for the perpetrators of these grave violations to be brought to trial; * The Kurdish people to be allowed to exercise their fundamental universally-acknowledged right to self-determination; * A negotiated settlement to the Kurdish question, with the Turkish government agreeing to open an unconditional dialogue with representatives of the Kurdish people; * The U.S., Canada, and all EU countries to immediately stop supplying weaponry to Turkey and to issue an arms embargo and impose economic sanctions; * Canada and all other nations to end the deportation of Kurdish people to Turkey; * Canada to recognize and support the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile; * Tourists to boycott Turkey as a holiday destination. "...Kurdish people throughout southern Turkey, very ordinary, humble people, have decided they would rather die standing up than spend their lives on their knees...it was the most extraordinary and inspiring sight of my life...I hope one day they have the kind of freedoms we take for granted." - Michael Ignatieff, writer and broadcaster Kurdistan Committee of Canada 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 Tel: (613) 733-9634 Fax: (613) 733-0090 E-mail: kcc at magi.com A Brief History Kurdistan is situated in a highly strategic part of the Middle East straggling the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Kurds are descendants of Indo-European peoples who entered the area about 4,000 years ago and are believed to be related to the ancient Medes. The Kurdish language, which is divided into three main dialects, is related most closely to Farsi and shares some similarities with other Indo-European languages. The area now covered by Kurdistan has been occupied since the 7th century BC by successive empires, including the Persian, Macedonian, Roman, Armenian, and Byzantine. In the 7th century AD, under the impact of the Arab invasions, many Kurds were converted to Sunni Islam. In the 11th century, the Seljuq Turks, originating from central Asia, conquered much of what is now eastern Turkey, including parts of Kurdistan. Predominantly a nomadic, pastoral people, the Kurds retained a degree of independence under their own tribal heads and feudal overlords until the 16th century, when the land was partitioned between the Ottoman (Turkish) and Safavid (Persian) empires. The Ottoman sultans levied taxes on the Kurdish people and conscripted the young men for military service but usually did not interfere with the culture and traditional way of life of their Islamic subjects. However, there were attempts by some Kurdish tribal leaders to reassert complete political independence. Following the defeat of the Turks in the First World War, the Ottoman Empire was carved up by the Western allies. The Treaty of Sevres (1920) recognized that an independent Kurdish state should be set up in northern Kurdistan (Turkey), but even this minimum concession to the Kurds was ignored by the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). Britain and France partitioned Kurdistan between their protectorates, Iraq and Syria, and the newly established Republic of Turkey. Eastern Kurdistan remained part of a pro-Western Persia. Strategically, Turkey and Persia were seen as buffers against Bolshevik Russia, while economically Britain had access to the oilfields of southern Kurdistan. During the 1920s and 30s, the Kurds were bombed by Britain's air force into a grudging acceptance of the Iraqi state and monarchy. In Turkey, under the ultra-nationalist, Westernizing military regime of Kemal Ataturk, the Kurds were deprived of any right to express their own identity. Rebellions were crushed with great ferocity, culminating in the suppression of the Dersim uprising in 1938. In 1946, in the aftermath of the Second World War, the first short-lived Kurdish state was established at Mahabad in Iran, but this was soon destroyed by the Shah's forces. Following the overthrow of the pro-Western Iraqi monarchy and coming into power of the populist military regime of General Qassim in 1961, the Kurds of northern Iraq, frustrated by broken promises of autonomy, launched an armed uprising. The bravery of the Kurdish peshmerga fighters was ill-served by opportunist leaders who sought deals first with the Baathist regime and later with the Shah. They were defeated in 1975 and the process of the Arabization of Kurdistan was accelerated by the Baathists in Iraq. Although the Kurds of eastern Kurdistan (Iran) supported the struggle against the Shah, Khomeini's Islamic regime reneged on promises of political and cultural rights and the Kurds fell victim to general repression. The outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war opened up the opportunity for the Kurds to fight for their own cause, but all to often the adherence to the principle of "my enemy's enemy is my friend" led to clashes between rival Kurdish groups sponsored by Iran or Iraq. This culminated in the Iraqi offensive which in 1988 included the use of chemical weapons against the town of Halabja and the gassing of 5,000 Kurds. In Turkey, despite harsh political and cultural repression, reinforced by periodic terms of military rule, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) developed a strategy of fighting for Kurdistan on an unequivocal anti-imperialist program. In 1984, having weathered the harsh repression of the military junta which came to power in a September 1980 coup, the PKK launched an armed struggle, establishing the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK). Over the last decade, despite a brutal counter-insurgency campaign by the Turkish state - including the use of death squads, torture, the setting up of bands of armed collaborators ("village guards"), and the destruction of over 2,000 villages to depopulate the countryside - the resistance of the Kurdish people has increased. Allied to the PKK and the ARGK, the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) has also continued to build up political support among the people of Europe by exposing the role of the Turkish state and demonstrating the will of the Kurdish people to resist and achieve their freedom. The Kurds are the largest people in the world without their own state. But the Kurdish people will not abandon their struggle for national liberation. On April 12, 1995, the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile was opened in Europe. This body will act as the political voice of the Kurdish people in exile and of the national liberation struggle and it will seek to achieve a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish question. We call on everyone to support the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile! Stop the dirty war in Kurdistan! In 1994 alone, 12 billion dollars were spent on the war in Kurdistan, resulting in 5,458 people killed, 1,292 death squad murders, 1,500 villages destroyed, 328 persons disappeared, and thousands of political prisoners. ----- 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 kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Sat May 20 00:21:58 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 20 May 1995 00:21:58 Subject: Nationalism And The Kurdish Nationa Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (kcc) Subject: Nationalism And The Kurdish National Liberation Movement Nationalism And The Kurdish National Liberation Movement Written by the Kurdistan Information Bureau, Germany Translated by the Kurdistan Committee of Canada There has been an intense discussion recently concerning nationalism in the Kurdish liberation movement in general and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in particular. Even leftist publications like 'Konkret', 'Radikal', and the daily newspaper 'junge Welt' have printed articles over the last few months about nationalism in the PKK, in which they have accused the PKK of being "nationalist", "dictatorial", "populist", "anti-democratic", and so on. These accusations against the Kurdish liberation movement are nothing new. Without getting into the background of these accusations for the moment, we would like to point out that these criticisms which are being brought forward against the Kurdish liberation movement by left-wing German magazines and newspapers contain the exact same sweeping generalizations which are used against us by the bourgeois Western press and the Turkish state media. This text of ours is designed to show how these critiques of the Kurdish national liberation movement are very superficial. The content of these criticisms and the manner in which they are levied against the PKK make it clear that the authors of these critiques really know very little about the movement and its publications. Of course, it should be noted that almost all PKK/ERNK publications are either in Turkish or Kurdish. The only materials in German are 'Kurdistan Report' and the 'Kurdistan Rundbrief', which certainly isn't much at all. Perhaps it would be very significant if more publications of the Kurdish national liberation movement were translated into German and published, for example the books by PKK General Secretary Abdullah Ocalan on a variety of different themes. We are sure that this would clear up several questions. The PKK Is A Socialist Movement! How often must the question be asked, is the PKK a nationalist movement? This point is raised because the PKK sees itself as a national liberation movement and it expresses this in its publications. But what does the PKK mean when it speaks of a "nation"? How does the German left deal with this concept? We would like to examine these questions from different perspectives. First, it should be stated that the concept of "nation" now carries with it a great deal of negative connotations, especially within the German left, because of historical experiences with Nazi Germany. These assumptions are not necessarily false, considering the racist-fascist ideology of the Nazis, for whom the German nation was the embodiment of the highest race to whom all other nations must subject themselves. Therefore, the "nation" in Nazi Germany implied reactionary nationalism. Reactionary nationalism, as a form of bourgeois ideology, arises from the historical position of the role of the imperialist bourgeoisie. It expresses itself as national arrogance, in other words by misunderstanding and despising other nations and glorifying one's own nation and the imperialist society which is represented in national form. In this sense, bourgeois nationalism bases itself on capitalist production relationships on the one hand, namely the exploitation of that nation's own masses, especially the working class, and on the exploitation of the nations of the so-called Third World on the other. Bourgeois nationalism, as it is represented today in European states, expresses its reactionary nature most clearly in the exploitation of the "South", in other words the nations of Africa, Latin America, and Asia. By exploiting other nations (cheap sources of labour, raw materials, etc.) the bourgeoisie in Europe can afford to keep the standard of living of its working class relatively high as well while at the same time creating a strong middle class. That how the monopoly owners who make up just 2% of the population are able to maintain their status in the society. A socialist national consciousness must be distinguished from reactionary nationalism, particularly the extreme form which was practiced in Nazi Germany. The Kurdish national liberation movement uses the term "nation" to represent a people with a shared language, culture, history, and territory. In this sense the term is closely tied to social relations and must be looked at in its historical context, in contrast to bourgeois concepts of "nation", in which the nation is separated from the social relations and is not judged according to its historical creation and development. That's why the Kurdish national liberation movement places such an emphasis on the history of Kurdish people and society in its publications. According to the publications of the Kurdish national liberation movement, the Kurdish people are exploited as a nation. In his book 'Kurdish Reality Since The 19th Century And The PKK Movement', which was published by Agri-Verlag in Cologne in January 1994, PKK General Secretary Abdullah Ocalan states the following: "Due to the increasing influence of the monopolies in the capitalist economy in the 1970s, the economic exploitation of Kurdistan was accelerated, because it is well known that one of the most significant characteristics of monopolies is their tendency to expand outwards. Turkish monopoly owners were aware of the fact that they could not compete with imperialist monopolies abroad, which is why they decided to utilize Kurdistan as an area for exploitation. They wanted to exploit the country so as to get out of their economic crisis. In the same way as imperialist countries solve their crises by exploiting so-called Third World countries, Turkish monopolies tried to solve their crisis through the exploitation of the Turkish working class on the one hand and of Kurdistan on the other. Since capitalism had not previously been introduced into Kurdistan and since the Kurdish people were denied any economic, democratic, or national rights, it was easy for the Turkish monopolies to serve their own interests and colonize the country. Agriculture and grazing became oriented towards the interests of the Turkish monopolies and the exploitation of natural resources was intensified." The Kurdish national liberation movement found the Kurdish society in the 1970s in a strongly feudalistic phase. As the analysis cited above shows, capital did intrude into Kurdistan after 1970, yet this did not alter the social relations, which were already based on exploitation. In Kurdistan, Kurdish feudal lords collaborated with Turkish capitalists. These people acted as the Turkish state's strongest supporters in Kurdistan. In the PKK's 'Manifesto', published in 1978, the following is written: "What's more, the Kurdish feudal lords welcomed these developments, since the limited exploitation offered to them under a feudal system was not sufficient, therefore they gladly collaborated with foreign (Turkish) capitalists in order to increase their share of the exploitation." The Kurdish national liberation movement considers Kurdish feudal lords to be important targets for attack because of their collaboration with Turkish capitalists which makes them important pillars of the Turkish state in Kurdistan. Both of the above quotations make it clear that the Kurdish national liberation movement uses dialectical materialism in order to analyze Kurdish society and history. This fact alone excludes an understanding of nationalism in the sense of bourgeois nationalism. It should also been made perfectly clear that the PKK is fighting for the national liberation of the Kurdish people and is striving towards a socialist society in which people live together in equality. It should also be noted that, in comparison to other left-wing Turkish and Kurdish organizations, most workers and peasants are organized in the PKK. The Kurdish liberation movement also makes use of the phrase "patriotism" on many occasions. For the Kurds, "patriotism" means recognizing their national identity and resisting exploitation and repression. This can in no way be compared to German patriotism, which, again, is connected to bourgeois nationalism. Patriotism in Kurdistan is a result of the fact that the Kurdish people, ever since the beginning of the liberation struggle, have consistently denied their identity as a distinct people due to the Turkish state's policy of assimilation and denial and they have failed to recognize that they are exploited and repressed as a people. Recognizing one's national identity in Kurdistan doesn't just mean recognizing a national characteristic but also recognizing the fact of exploitation, hence a class characteristic. Because of this, Kurdish patriotism entails both of these characteristics. The fact that other peoples, such as Turks, Armenians, Assyrians, and others, have fought and continue to fight in the ranks of the PKK makes it clear that the Kurdish liberation movement is in no way comparable to a bourgeois nationalist movement. Women In The National Liberation Struggle Now we would like to comment on an article entitled "Kurdistan: What Chances Exist For The National Liberation Struggle?" which was published in the 12/94 edition of 'Radikal'. A part of this article was also printed in the 21 December 1994 edition of the leftist daily paper 'junge Welt'. One passage quoted a statement from the Patriotic Women's Association of Kurdistan (YJWK) concerning the situation of Kurdish women in Germany: "The women here (in Germany) have quickly learned that it's not acceptable for a man to hit a woman, otherwise the police will do something about it. After the women have quickly learned this, they use that as an opportunity to act as they wish. But this leads to the degeneration of these women. Their free environment is often misused. Chaos in the family grows worse. And if the woman has to work at a job as well, the situation grows even worse. The women do everything possible to achieve their so-called equal rights without ever trying to see clearly if their conduct is right or wrong. Naturally this ends in tragedy. But the situation is much different for families with close ties to their country, Kurdistan, and who recognize that their own liberation is tied to the liberation of their homeland. These families, who work together with Kurdish associations and who strive to maintain their identity, culture, and language, don't have such problems. They have come to realize that liberation is only possible in a liberated country. This is true for the liberation of women as well." The German authors of the critique then state the following: "It's clear from this that no matter what the circumstances are - even here in Germany - that national identity counts for more than the actual social situation." He or she is therefore trying to assert that the Kurdish liberation struggles places more emphasis on national concerns than on the social situation. This assertion is inherently contradictory because the social situation of the Kurdish woman as well as the Kurdish man is directly linked to their national exploitation and oppression. The national exploitation and oppression of Kurdish society in the primary reason for the exploitation and oppression of Kurdish women. And in the regressive and feudalistic Kurdish society, the woman is oppressed by the man and so she must suffer from a double oppression. Therefore, the Kurdish national liberation movement has made the liberation of Kurdish women one of its priorities. As the problems in the countries of the so-called Third World show, a society's standard of living depends greatly on the education of women because women can exert more control over the birth rate and care better for the education of children, since caring for children is one of the roles assigned to women in today's society. Men, of course, carry just as much responsibility in all of this, but the woman's role is much more important. Therefore, a necessary prerequisite for an equal coexistence of women and men is that they must carry equal responsibilities. It is also clear that the liberation of women is not just the task of Kurdish women, but rather it is also the concern of Kurdish men. European viewpoints have turned the liberation of women into a "woman's question", something which men play no role in. This is a typically bourgeois way of approaching the problem. It is unrealistic to strive towards an equal society if the men and women can't work together towards this goal. But how is it possible to create a Kurdish society where the women and men can live together in equality? This is a question to which there has not yet been an universally valid answer. The Kurdish national liberation movement has dealt with this issue on both a theoretical as well as a practical level and analyzed the results. From this came the decision to organize the women involved in the armed struggle into a women's army. The accusations made against the PKK in the 'Radikal' article can be refuted by the fact that the Kurdish liberation movement is the only movement in the Middle East which has taken practical steps to achieve an equal status for women in social life. Women today can assume leadership positions within the liberation movement. In this way, women have influence over social developments. That's why there have been such dramatic changes in Kurdish society within just a short period of time. Today, Kurdish men can't just hit women at will or rule over them like kings. In any case, they have to answer to the authority of the Kurdish liberation movement. These developments have also led to women going to join the guerrilla in order to fight for their freedom and equality. The quotation from the YJWK representatives concerning the situation of Kurdish women in Germany must be seen against this background. But the quotation is trying to make a further point, namely that women in Western bourgeois societies have a false notion of equality. The first part of the quotation is trying to emphasize the point that women in the Western world have become "degenerated" to the level of consumer items, and the second part states that women in the Kurdish liberation struggle are fighting for the national liberation of the society and, therefore, for women's liberation as well. It's not possible for us to discuss the women's issue in detail in this article, otherwise we'd become overwhelmed. But the publications of the Kurdish national liberation movement deal extensively with this theme from a variety of perspectives. Many questions are dealt with, for example: What is love? What function does the family have in the society? What should the relationship between men and women look like in the Kurdish liberation struggle, or in the future Kurdish society? Certainly the answers to such questions are also relevant to people in the West. The PKK's Vision Of Socialism As we stated above, the PKK is a socialist movement. Now the question arises as to what the Kurdish national liberation movement defines socialism to be. This question is significant, particularly since we are living in a period directly following the collapse of real-existing socialism. We would like to stress the evaluation of PKK General Secretary Abdullah Ocalan, who wrote an article entitled "The Ideological-Political Questions Of Socialism And The Solutions Which The PKK Would Bring About" in the November 1994 edition of the magazine 'Serxwebun'. In reference to the development of consciousness in individuals, religion, and morality, the General Secretary of the PKK writes the following: "There are important stages in the development of consciousness. I would like to briefly discuss this. At the beginning, human consciousness was very underdeveloped and displayed primitive, regressive thought. This was expressed in the form of witchcraft, magic, and religion. Both magic and religious tendencies are the beginning stages of consciousness. Religion is a form of consciousness, but it's a very underdeveloped stage of rational discipline, as we know today. But religion has always existed and it always will. The same is true for witchcraft and magic. The causes of these phenomena are closely linked to the existence of humanity. Can a human being be explained in an entirely rational manner? Can all of his or her actions be based on reason? These are philosophical questions. There are several theories concerning all of this and they all develop on a scientific foundation. But it seems unrealistic to suppose that dreams, dogma, and religion will one day all disappear. These are part of human nature. Human nature requires us to make space for dreams, dogma, and religious values, as well as for ethics and morality. If a certain type of moral code is not developed then it's not possible for humanity to develop further or exist any longer. The crisis of socialism is likewise connected to morality. The fact that real-existing socialism failed to deal with questions of religion and morality was the major cause of its collapse." This evaluation makes it clear that Ocalan has deeply examined questions of socialism, in particular how they relate to human psychology. According to Ocalan, people can't simply be made to conform to a dogmatic scheme. He makes it clear that certain peculiar aspects of humanity, for example dreams and religious values, can't simply be abolished. According to Ocalan, the contemporary socialist movement must seriously concern itself with these issues and find a solution. In the same article, Ocalan writes: "Along with the general scientific ideology, which developed in the time of capitalism, there is also the socialist ideology. To separate this form of socialism from the other kinds, it should be referred to as scientific socialism. Why scientific? The 19th century was the age of science and there was not a single field which science did not affect. This development also had an impact on the social sciences as well. Socialism, therefore, is an expression of social sciences. That's why it should be called scientific socialism, or, in other words, that's why socialism is scientific. Socialism considers itself to be the most scientific ideology ever. There are several reasons for this, the main reason being that it is closely linked to the working class. The ruling classes are forced to lie and to distort reality, but the working class has to be realistic, that is, scientific. The working class has no reason to lie so as to exploit people. That's why the working class has an inclination towards science. (...) People naturally seek Utopias. But Utopias don't come about on their own. That's why it's not possible to conceive of socialism without conceiving of a Utopia. In the end, all ideologies are Utopias and socialism needs to be such a Utopia as well. Real-existing socialism tried to overcome this, it sought to create socialism without a Utopia, without practicing morality, and therefore it collapsed." Ocalan clearly distances his brand of socialism from real- existing socialism, as it was practiced in the Soviet Union, for example. The General Secretary of the PKK advocates scientific socialism, one which deals with all questions facing humanity, including morality, science, culture, the question of women, democracy, protecting the environment, and so on. According to Ocalan, this is the only way scientific socialism can provide an alternative to the capitalist system. In any case, according to the General Secretary of the PKK, scientific socialism is a Utopia which we can all strive to create. (Translated from 'Agitare Bene' #75, March 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 Sat May 20 19:07:20 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 20 May 1995 19:07:20 Subject: Nationalism And The Kurdish Nationa References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Nationalism And The Kurdish National Liberation Movement Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- Nationalism And The Kurdish National Liberation Movement Written by the Kurdistan Information Bureau, Germany Translated by the Kurdistan Committee of Canada There has been an intense discussion recently concerning nationalism in the Kurdish liberation movement in general and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in particular. Even leftist publications like 'Konkret', 'Radikal', and the daily newspaper 'junge Welt' have printed articles over the last few months about nationalism in the PKK, in which they have accused the PKK of being "nationalist", "dictatorial", "populist", "anti-democratic", and so on. These accusations against the Kurdish liberation movement are nothing new. Without getting into the background of these accusations for the moment, we would like to point out that these criticisms which are being brought forward against the Kurdish liberation movement by left-wing German magazines and newspapers contain the exact same sweeping generalizations which are used against us by the bourgeois Western press and the Turkish state media. This text of ours is designed to show how these critiques of the Kurdish national liberation movement are very superficial. The content of these criticisms and the manner in which they are levied against the PKK make it clear that the authors of these critiques really know very little about the movement and its publications. Of course, it should be noted that almost all PKK/ERNK publications are either in Turkish or Kurdish. The only materials in German are 'Kurdistan Report' and the 'Kurdistan Rundbrief', which certainly isn't much at all. Perhaps it would be very significant if more publications of the Kurdish national liberation movement were translated into German and published, for example the books by PKK General Secretary Abdullah Ocalan on a variety of different themes. We are sure that this would clear up several questions. The PKK Is A Socialist Movement! How often must the question be asked, is the PKK a nationalist movement? This point is raised because the PKK sees itself as a national liberation movement and it expresses this in its publications. But what does the PKK mean when it speaks of a "nation"? How does the German left deal with this concept? We would like to examine these questions from different perspectives. First, it should be stated that the concept of "nation" now carries with it a great deal of negative connotations, especially within the German left, because of historical experiences with Nazi Germany. These assumptions are not necessarily false, considering the racist-fascist ideology of the Nazis, for whom the German nation was the embodiment of the highest race to whom all other nations must subject themselves. Therefore, the "nation" in Nazi Germany implied reactionary nationalism. Reactionary nationalism, as a form of bourgeois ideology, arises from the historical position of the role of the imperialist bourgeoisie. It expresses itself as national arrogance, in other words by misunderstanding and despising other nations and glorifying one's own nation and the imperialist society which is represented in national form. In this sense, bourgeois nationalism bases itself on capitalist production relationships on the one hand, namely the exploitation of that nation's own masses, especially the working class, and on the exploitation of the nations of the so-called Third World on the other. Bourgeois nationalism, as it is represented today in European states, expresses its reactionary nature most clearly in the exploitation of the "South", in other words the nations of Africa, Latin America, and Asia. By exploiting other nations (cheap sources of labour, raw materials, etc.) the bourgeoisie in Europe can afford to keep the standard of living of its working class relatively high as well while at the same time creating a strong middle class. That how the monopoly owners who make up just 2% of the population are able to maintain their status in the society. A socialist national consciousness must be distinguished from reactionary nationalism, particularly the extreme form which was practiced in Nazi Germany. The Kurdish national liberation movement uses the term "nation" to represent a people with a shared language, culture, history, and territory. In this sense the term is closely tied to social relations and must be looked at in its historical context, in contrast to bourgeois concepts of "nation", in which the nation is separated from the social relations and is not judged according to its historical creation and development. That's why the Kurdish national liberation movement places such an emphasis on the history of Kurdish people and society in its publications. According to the publications of the Kurdish national liberation movement, the Kurdish people are exploited as a nation. In his book 'Kurdish Reality Since The 19th Century And The PKK Movement', which was published by Agri-Verlag in Cologne in January 1994, PKK General Secretary Abdullah Ocalan states the following: "Due to the increasing influence of the monopolies in the capitalist economy in the 1970s, the economic exploitation of Kurdistan was accelerated, because it is well known that one of the most significant characteristics of monopolies is their tendency to expand outwards. Turkish monopoly owners were aware of the fact that they could not compete with imperialist monopolies abroad, which is why they decided to utilize Kurdistan as an area for exploitation. They wanted to exploit the country so as to get out of their economic crisis. In the same way as imperialist countries solve their crises by exploiting so-called Third World countries, Turkish monopolies tried to solve their crisis through the exploitation of the Turkish working class on the one hand and of Kurdistan on the other. Since capitalism had not previously been introduced into Kurdistan and since the Kurdish people were denied any economic, democratic, or national rights, it was easy for the Turkish monopolies to serve their own interests and colonize the country. Agriculture and grazing became oriented towards the interests of the Turkish monopolies and the exploitation of natural resources was intensified." The Kurdish national liberation movement found the Kurdish society in the 1970s in a strongly feudalistic phase. As the analysis cited above shows, capital did intrude into Kurdistan after 1970, yet this did not alter the social relations, which were already based on exploitation. In Kurdistan, Kurdish feudal lords collaborated with Turkish capitalists. These people acted as the Turkish state's strongest supporters in Kurdistan. In the PKK's 'Manifesto', published in 1978, the following is written: "What's more, the Kurdish feudal lords welcomed these developments, since the limited exploitation offered to them under a feudal system was not sufficient, therefore they gladly collaborated with foreign (Turkish) capitalists in order to increase their share of the exploitation." The Kurdish national liberation movement considers Kurdish feudal lords to be important targets for attack because of their collaboration with Turkish capitalists which makes them important pillars of the Turkish state in Kurdistan. Both of the above quotations make it clear that the Kurdish national liberation movement uses dialectical materialism in order to analyze Kurdish society and history. This fact alone excludes an understanding of nationalism in the sense of bourgeois nationalism. It should also been made perfectly clear that the PKK is fighting for the national liberation of the Kurdish people and is striving towards a socialist society in which people live together in equality. It should also be noted that, in comparison to other left-wing Turkish and Kurdish organizations, most workers and peasants are organized in the PKK. The Kurdish liberation movement also makes use of the phrase "patriotism" on many occasions. For the Kurds, "patriotism" means recognizing their national identity and resisting exploitation and repression. This can in no way be compared to German patriotism, which, again, is connected to bourgeois nationalism. Patriotism in Kurdistan is a result of the fact that the Kurdish people, ever since the beginning of the liberation struggle, have consistently denied their identity as a distinct people due to the Turkish state's policy of assimilation and denial and they have failed to recognize that they are exploited and repressed as a people. Recognizing one's national identity in Kurdistan doesn't just mean recognizing a national characteristic but also recognizing the fact of exploitation, hence a class characteristic. Because of this, Kurdish patriotism entails both of these characteristics. The fact that other peoples, such as Turks, Armenians, Assyrians, and others, have fought and continue to fight in the ranks of the PKK makes it clear that the Kurdish liberation movement is in no way comparable to a bourgeois nationalist movement. Women In The National Liberation Struggle Now we would like to comment on an article entitled "Kurdistan: What Chances Exist For The National Liberation Struggle?" which was published in the 12/94 edition of 'Radikal'. A part of this article was also printed in the 21 December 1994 edition of the leftist daily paper 'junge Welt'. One passage quoted a statement from the Patriotic Women's Association of Kurdistan (YJWK) concerning the situation of Kurdish women in Germany: "The women here (in Germany) have quickly learned that it's not acceptable for a man to hit a woman, otherwise the police will do something about it. After the women have quickly learned this, they use that as an opportunity to act as they wish. But this leads to the degeneration of these women. Their free environment is often misused. Chaos in the family grows worse. And if the woman has to work at a job as well, the situation grows even worse. The women do everything possible to achieve their so-called equal rights without ever trying to see clearly if their conduct is right or wrong. Naturally this ends in tragedy. But the situation is much different for families with close ties to their country, Kurdistan, and who recognize that their own liberation is tied to the liberation of their homeland. These families, who work together with Kurdish associations and who strive to maintain their identity, culture, and language, don't have such problems. They have come to realize that liberation is only possible in a liberated country. This is true for the liberation of women as well." The German authors of the critique then state the following: "It's clear from this that no matter what the circumstances are - even here in Germany - that national identity counts for more than the actual social situation." He or she is therefore trying to assert that the Kurdish liberation struggles places more emphasis on national concerns than on the social situation. This assertion is inherently contradictory because the social situation of the Kurdish woman as well as the Kurdish man is directly linked to their national exploitation and oppression. The national exploitation and oppression of Kurdish society in the primary reason for the exploitation and oppression of Kurdish women. And in the regressive and feudalistic Kurdish society, the woman is oppressed by the man and so she must suffer from a double oppression. Therefore, the Kurdish national liberation movement has made the liberation of Kurdish women one of its priorities. As the problems in the countries of the so-called Third World show, a society's standard of living depends greatly on the education of women because women can exert more control over the birth rate and care better for the education of children, since caring for children is one of the roles assigned to women in today's society. Men, of course, carry just as much responsibility in all of this, but the woman's role is much more important. Therefore, a necessary prerequisite for an equal coexistence of women and men is that they must carry equal responsibilities. It is also clear that the liberation of women is not just the task of Kurdish women, but rather it is also the concern of Kurdish men. European viewpoints have turned the liberation of women into a "woman's question", something which men play no role in. This is a typically bourgeois way of approaching the problem. It is unrealistic to strive towards an equal society if the men and women can't work together towards this goal. But how is it possible to create a Kurdish society where the women and men can live together in equality? This is a question to which there has not yet been an universally valid answer. The Kurdish national liberation movement has dealt with this issue on both a theoretical as well as a practical level and analyzed the results. From this came the decision to organize the women involved in the armed struggle into a women's army. The accusations made against the PKK in the 'Radikal' article can be refuted by the fact that the Kurdish liberation movement is the only movement in the Middle East which has taken practical steps to achieve an equal status for women in social life. Women today can assume leadership positions within the liberation movement. In this way, women have influence over social developments. That's why there have been such dramatic changes in Kurdish society within just a short period of time. Today, Kurdish men can't just hit women at will or rule over them like kings. In any case, they have to answer to the authority of the Kurdish liberation movement. These developments have also led to women going to join the guerrilla in order to fight for their freedom and equality. The quotation from the YJWK representatives concerning the situation of Kurdish women in Germany must be seen against this background. But the quotation is trying to make a further point, namely that women in Western bourgeois societies have a false notion of equality. The first part of the quotation is trying to emphasize the point that women in the Western world have become "degenerated" to the level of consumer items, and the second part states that women in the Kurdish liberation struggle are fighting for the national liberation of the society and, therefore, for women's liberation as well. It's not possible for us to discuss the women's issue in detail in this article, otherwise we'd become overwhelmed. But the publications of the Kurdish national liberation movement deal extensively with this theme from a variety of perspectives. Many questions are dealt with, for example: What is love? What function does the family have in the society? What should the relationship between men and women look like in the Kurdish liberation struggle, or in the future Kurdish society? Certainly the answers to such questions are also relevant to people in the West. The PKK's Vision Of Socialism As we stated above, the PKK is a socialist movement. Now the question arises as to what the Kurdish national liberation movement defines socialism to be. This question is significant, particularly since we are living in a period directly following the collapse of real-existing socialism. We would like to stress the evaluation of PKK General Secretary Abdullah Ocalan, who wrote an article entitled "The Ideological-Political Questions Of Socialism And The Solutions Which The PKK Would Bring About" in the November 1994 edition of the magazine 'Serxwebun'. In reference to the development of consciousness in individuals, religion, and morality, the General Secretary of the PKK writes the following: "There are important stages in the development of consciousness. I would like to briefly discuss this. At the beginning, human consciousness was very underdeveloped and displayed primitive, regressive thought. This was expressed in the form of witchcraft, magic, and religion. Both magic and religious tendencies are the beginning stages of consciousness. Religion is a form of consciousness, but it's a very underdeveloped stage of rational discipline, as we know today. But religion has always existed and it always will. The same is true for witchcraft and magic. The causes of these phenomena are closely linked to the existence of humanity. Can a human being be explained in an entirely rational manner? Can all of his or her actions be based on reason? These are philosophical questions. There are several theories concerning all of this and they all develop on a scientific foundation. But it seems unrealistic to suppose that dreams, dogma, and religion will one day all disappear. These are part of human nature. Human nature requires us to make space for dreams, dogma, and religious values, as well as for ethics and morality. If a certain type of moral code is not developed then it's not possible for humanity to develop further or exist any longer. The crisis of socialism is likewise connected to morality. The fact that real-existing socialism failed to deal with questions of religion and morality was the major cause of its collapse." This evaluation makes it clear that Ocalan has deeply examined questions of socialism, in particular how they relate to human psychology. According to Ocalan, people can't simply be made to conform to a dogmatic scheme. He makes it clear that certain peculiar aspects of humanity, for example dreams and religious values, can't simply be abolished. According to Ocalan, the contemporary socialist movement must seriously concern itself with these issues and find a solution. In the same article, Ocalan writes: "Along with the general scientific ideology, which developed in the time of capitalism, there is also the socialist ideology. To separate this form of socialism from the other kinds, it should be referred to as scientific socialism. Why scientific? The 19th century was the age of science and there was not a single field which science did not affect. This development also had an impact on the social sciences as well. Socialism, therefore, is an expression of social sciences. That's why it should be called scientific socialism, or, in other words, that's why socialism is scientific. Socialism considers itself to be the most scientific ideology ever. There are several reasons for this, the main reason being that it is closely linked to the working class. The ruling classes are forced to lie and to distort reality, but the working class has to be realistic, that is, scientific. The working class has no reason to lie so as to exploit people. That's why the working class has an inclination towards science. (...) People naturally seek Utopias. But Utopias don't come about on their own. That's why it's not possible to conceive of socialism without conceiving of a Utopia. In the end, all ideologies are Utopias and socialism needs to be such a Utopia as well. Real-existing socialism tried to overcome this, it sought to create socialism without a Utopia, without practicing morality, and therefore it collapsed." Ocalan clearly distances his brand of socialism from real- existing socialism, as it was practiced in the Soviet Union, for example. The General Secretary of the PKK advocates scientific socialism, one which deals with all questions facing humanity, including morality, science, culture, the question of women, democracy, protecting the environment, and so on. According to Ocalan, this is the only way scientific socialism can provide an alternative to the capitalist system. In any case, according to the General Secretary of the PKK, scientific socialism is a Utopia which we can all strive to create. (Translated from 'Agitare Bene' #75, March 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 Sat May 20 05:43:53 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 20 May 1995 05:43:53 Subject: Kurdistan parliament in Exile I Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Kurdistan parliament in Exile I Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Kurdistan the Kurds and the Kurdish National Question Historical Background and Perspective this is the firsth part of a scan of the brochure with this name. In the next week I will scan and publish more of this important document. Page 3-6 The Kurds constitute, with the Arabs, the Persians and the Turks, one of the four major peoples of the Near East. They should number in 1995 between 35 and 40 million, of whom a majority of about 52 % (18 to 20 million) live within the borders of Turkey, 8 million in Iran, 5 million in Iraq, 1.5 million in Syria and 0.5 million in the former USSR. The Kurdish diaspora in Western Europe is estimated to be nearly one million. The Kurds increase more than one million in number each year, at a rate much higher than that of the Turks. They are distinguished from their neighbors by their language, their homeland, the feeling to constitute but one people, the will to remain Kurds and the aspiration to live and to progress together under their own flag, in peace and cooperation with the neighboring peo- ples. They speak an Indo-European language, alien to both Arabic and Turkish. Its affinity to Persian and Iranian languages is similar to that existing between Russian and Polish in the Slavic family. Kurdistan, the homeland in which they have been constituted across ages as a people of their own, is a country geographically, as large as France, where they represent a majority of 90 % of the population. Kurdistan is the backbone and the water shed of the area, with such large rivers as the upper Euphrates and the upper Tigris, green valleys, well cultivated plains, and a subsoil rich in natural resources, including oil. Because of their unhappy present political condition, the name of Kurd is usually associated with the idea of resistance to national suppression and the sufferings from human rights violations. Our oppressors have described us, unjustly and successively, as a primitive mountain population refractory to civilization, lawless nomadic tribes without any national consciousness, highway rubbers, eternal rebels, bloody landlords, red communists, and today as international terrorists. Contrary to historical facts, we are said to have never been organized into a state or states of our own. Our past has been so blurred, our present is so full of struggle that it is often forgotten that we are a people of the Hurrians and the Medes respectively the Kurds' first and second ancestors. Two dates appear to be ill-fated in modern Kurdish history, 1514 and 1923. The first is that of the battle of Chaldiran which took place in Kurdistan, near the north-eastern edge of the lake Van, between the Ottoman Turkey, then seeking to establish an empire in the Near East - but already ruling as such over the Balkan -and the Safavid Persia. Most of the ruling princes of Kurdistan sided with the Ottomans, while the eastern principalities sided with Persia. Since then and for about two centuries the country became a battlefield between the two empires and was ultimately ruined. The Kurdish principalities lost their independen- ce one after another, the last ones by the middle of the 19th century. The classical literatu- re written in modern Kurdish goes back to that medieval and chaotic period. At the end of the World War I, it was a question to grant independence to the nations who still were under the Ottoman rule. Woodrow Wilson, in his project of 1919 regarding the League of Nations (LON), mentioned three countries to be separated from Turkey, namely Armenia, Kurdistan and Arabia. The peace Treaty of Sevres of August 10th, 1920, articles 62 to 64, provided for an autonomous Kurdistan within Turkey, and for an independent Kurdish state if the Kurds expressed such a will within one year from the coming into force of the Treaty and should the (LON) decide to recommend that independence. That was a recognition by the international community of the right of the Kurdish people to self-determination. After the advent of Mustafa Kemal, the Treaty of Sevres was replaced by that of Lausanne, signed on July 24th, 1923, in the absence of the Kurds. Instead of acceding to autonomy or independence, former Ottoman Kurdistan, which represented 75% of the people of the whole Kurdish country, was included in the new Republic of Turkey. For the French Mandate of Syria were given three districts. Taking into consideration Iranian Kurdistan, the Kurdish country was thus divided into four unequal portions by "international" frontiers which should be more exactly called interstate and which indeed are intra- Kurdish. The Kurdish people were never consulted on the division of Kurdistan. That was the second ill-fated date in their modern history, the beginning of a period in which the Kurds have been submitted to a violent policy of national oppression by chauvinistic governments knowing democracy only by name, if not openly dictatorial and racist. Their patriotic uprisings were reduced in the blood. Saddam Hussein of Iraq, using chemical and conventional weaponry, committed genocide against the Iraqi Kurds, a crime which remains unpunished. Yet, it is in Turkey, which is member of the Council of Europe and is still cynically pretended by many governments to be "a democratic country", that the Kurds are the most ill-treated, the most suppressed and the most endangered. Saddam Hussein, despite genocide, recognizes his Kurds as a people distinct from the Arabs, Iraq having even proclaimed, on March 11th, 1974, a formal "Law on the Autonomy of the Area of Kurdistan". There is nothing similar in Turkey. Soon after the signature of the Treaty of Lausanne, the Kurds in Turkey, representing 30 % of its total population, found themselves in the situation of a people with no legal status and whose very existence was denied. They were said to be Turks, but were in fact subject to discrimination and to Turkish contempt. They were denied to have a history, a land and a culture of their own, submitted to a policy of assimilation and mass deportation, coupled with military occupation and under-development. The use of the Kurdish language was banned. The name of Kurdistan, which was written in bold letters on all the Ottoman maps, disappeared under the Republic. That is the worst kind of colonialism, a kind which,, curiously enough, is not recognized by the United Nations. The so-called democratic Turkey has known three military coups, in 1960, 1971 and 1980, which all were motivated by "the Kurdish separatist danger". The Turkish Constitution of 1982, elaborated by the putschist regime, aggravated the repression in Kurdistan. In the absence of any democratic means to reach a negotiated political settlement for the Kurdish national question, the Kurdistan Workers Party of Abdullah Ocalan, PKK, began its armed struggle in 1984. Since then the Turkish army has announced unceasingly "the imminent liquidation of the terrorist rebellion." If the Turkish state" although launching repeated attacks with about half a million soldiers against the Kurds,, was however unable to do it/ and since, on the contrary, this resistance movement has been growing in the last eleven years,, it is simply because the PKK guerrillas are a patriotic force and a movement of decolonization supported by an overwhelming majority of the Kurdish people. It is because resistance has definitely given dignity to the Kurdish people, even by those who had forgotten the Kurdish language or who used to feel ashamed, not so long ago, of being Kurdish, thanks to the education given to them by the Turkish colonialist order. A psychological point of no return has been reached and it is more than unlikely that the Kurdish enslaved nation will go on. The financial investment promised by Ms Tansu Ciller, the present Turkish Prime Minister, for the development of the so-called "South-East" will not solve the problem. How can one believe this when the Turkish military forces are following a scorched earth policy in Kurdistan and that Ankara spent some 15 billion US $ in 1994, to finance her dirty war? That reminds one of the Constantine Plan by which France had imagined to solve the problem of its Algerian colony before realizing that the diagnosis was faulty. As to terrorism, it is the deed of the state secret services of Turkey and its anti-guerrilla covert network, against the Kurdish civilian population. Since the fall of 1992, the Turkish state has leveled to earth more than 2000 Kurdish villages and several towns, displaced, by force, 3 million Kurds, assassinated, by its death squads, 3840 civilian Kurds, including intellectuals, journalist and one MP. Thousands of scholars, including Turks favorable to the Kurdish case, were arrested and are being tortured. The Pro-Kurdish DEP party was banned and its MPs stripped of their immunity by the Turkish Parliament and put in jail. In December 1994, 8 Kurdish MP, including 6 from the DEP, were sentenced to 3, 7 or 15 years of imprisonment, simply because they had expressed patriotic opinions as Kurds. This policy of terror, of destruction, of under-development and of brutal military operations is a policy of genocide. Its result is a half atomization of the Kurdish people. What had been committed against the Armenians and the Greeks of Anatolia is being repeated, in some ways, against the Kurds. Of the 18 or 20 million Kurds in Turkey, 11 to 12 million no longer live in the Kurdish areas, but are scattered throughout Turkey and in Western Europe. Istanbul alone counts 3 million Kurds, if not more, on a total mixture of 11 to 12 million inhabitants. But Turkey cannot solve the problem in that way. Its Kurds, more and more impatient to get rid of tyranny and injustice, are too numerous to be absorbed. Within some 20 or 30 years, they will be more numerous than the Turks. And Kurdistan, irrespective of its bleeding, will remain predominantly Kurdish. Besides, the Kurdish movement of national and social liberation constitutes a hope for some other non-Turkish elements in Turkey, numerically less important, but which are oppressed in their cultural rights, such as the Arabs (about 2 million), the Circassians (about 2.5 million), perhaps the Lazes (about 3 million). The Alevi Turkmen should not be forgotten. They may number 8 million and, although speaking Turkish, they would by no means identify themselves to the Sunni or Hanafi Turks. The Alewis who, by mid-March 1995, demonstrated massively in Istanbul, and then Ankara, after the killing of several of them by the police and by the armed bands of the racist General Turkes, were of Kurdish origins. Their slogans were those of the Kurdish liberation movement. Alevis, Sunriis, Shafiis or Ezidis, whether speaking Kurmanji or Dimili Kurdish, or possibly Turkish, the Kurds in Turkey and in the diaspora, are united in the patriotic struggle for freedom. The movement also includes the Christian elements of Kurdistan, namely the Assyro-Chaldeans and the Armenians. Those bloody events are the signal of a deep rupture in the society and the failure of the Kemalist ideology. Should things continue to go on as they are, Turkey would know a civil war a la Yugoslavia. Democracy cannot be established in Turkey, before a solution for the Kurdish problem is found through the right of self determination for the Kurds. That implies first, a cease-fire mutually accepted between the PKK and the Turkish state, as Abdullah Ocalan has repeatedly offered, but so far in vain; then the abolition of all the Turkish racist laws; and then constitutional recognition of them as a nationality and a people distinct from the Turks. That would open several options, one of which is separatism and the creation of an independent Kurdish state. Actually the Kurds are seeking a solution within the present frontiers of Turkey, and that was mentioned in Ocalan's proposals for the cease-fire. A federalist solution is advocated by many Kurdish and Turkish intellectuals. in this respect, Belgium offers a good example, and Ethiopia another and a quite recent one. The right to self-determination, which is by definition inalienable should remain naturally reserved. Encouraged by the ambiguous attitude of most of the Western governments; Turkey has even invaded the northern part of Iraqi Kurdistan, thus violating the rules of the international law, not to speak of human rights. The Gulf war against Saddam Hussein had been engaged because of his invasion of Kuwait. It is true that the Kurds do not possess the oil of their own land, as the Kuwaitis do. The Western powers, and especially the United States, who have been for decades helping Turkey in the financial, technological and military fields as they had done with Saddam, are indirectly responsible for the oppression of the Kurdish people. The resolution of the European Parliament unanimously adopted on April 6th, 1995, condemning Turkey for her military intervention in Iraqi Kurdistan and stating that "the Kurdish problem cannot be solved by the military force" is, no doubt, a good positive step towards a political solution. More efforts, and perseverance, are needed. The Kurdish people do no longer accept to be the last colonized and the most oppressed people on the Earth. Whatever might be the price, they are decided to pursue their patriotic struggle to get rid of colonialism and racism, and to have a place of their own in the Sun. Their way is the path for democracy in the Near East. For the Kurds, it does not much matter whether their colonizer is white or brown, Muslim or Christian. Theirs is the desire to live better, in a free and democratic Kurdistan, living in peace, cooperation and union with the neighboring nations, just as the European nations are living united in one Europe, after the blood baths of two world wars. From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat May 20 05:45:00 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 20 May 1995 05:45:00 Subject: Kurdistan parliament in exile II Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Kurdistan parliament in exile II Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl KURDISTAN PARLIAMENT IN EXILE page 16-18 Founding Bylaws Statute Number 1 Adoption date: April 13, 1995 Article 1 - Introduction I want to welcome you and greet you to the opening day of the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile. I also want to acknowledge you, our esteemed guests, by name: the friends of our people, the members of the Press, the patriots of Kurdistan and my elected fellow colleagues. The Kurds are an ancient people. They have lived on their ancestral lands, Kurdistan, throughout history. In all noteworthy regional developments, they have play- ed a major role. They have been instrumental in the making of the empires, principalities, states and civilizations. Kurdistan, a land mass that measures some 550 thousand kilometer squares in size, is well endowed with natural riches and in that sense constitutes one of the wealthiest sta- tes in the Middle East. These resources coupled with the historical silk road that passed through the Kurdish lands have made the area a prize for the invading forces in the cour- se of history. The onslaught of the barbarians have prevented the Kurds to unite socially, culturally, and politically. Ruled by others, Kurdistan, has been divided by different masters. In 1923, at Lausanne, it was divided into four parts. In 1639, with the treaty of Kasr'i-Sirin, the Ottomans and the Safevis divided the land between themselves. There are some 40 million Kurds in the world. All have been denied the most basic human rights. Some have sought refuge beyond the borders of Kurdistan. Of the total population of the Kurds, half live within the "political" borders of Turkey proper. The Peoples of Kurdistan and the Religious Congregations In addition to the Kurds, there are the Assyrians and the Armenians living in Kurdistan. They too have suffered in the hands of the invading forces. Subjected to the policies of divide and rule, the peoples of Kurdistan have, at times, fought one another and forced one another to migrate from the common homeland. These factors have kept the population of the Assyrian and the Armenian peoples low. Today, in Kurdistan, they con- stitute a figure of some 10 % of the total population. The peoples who live in Kurdistan have differing faiths, various religions and a few denominations. A vast majority of the believers are Muslims. This diversity of the beliefs has enabled the occupiers of Kurdistan to pit one group of believers against the other to their mutual detriment. The Kurds, Neighboring Peoples and the Concept of Democracy The peoples who live on the periphery of the Kurds, the Turks, the Arabs and the Persians are not free. Nor are they immune from the effects of the oppressive rules and wars that their governments have unleashed on the Kurds. These peoples can enjoy democratic rights and freedoms only after the peoples of Kurdistan secure their liberty and end their status as subject peoples. For these reasons, a democratic solution to the problem, necessitates the institutionalization of the democratic establishments in the countries in which the Kurds live. In other words, the national liberation movement that is unfolding in Kurdistan is the guarantor of the democracy in the Middle East. That is notwithstanding the appellation that our adversaries use for our movement that it is "a terrorist movement." The Struggle for Nationhood and Freedom in Kurdistan Ahmede Xane was the first Kurd to think of the Kurds and Kurdistan in terms of a nation-state towards the end of the 17th century. The struggle of the Kurds to own their own country and to live in liberty began in early 19th century. Today, some two centuries later, the uprisings still continue and they will continue until we secure our freedom. It is a sad fact of history that, to date, none of the Kurdish uprisings have reached their desired end. Whenever the Kurds rose to take part in the struggle for freedom, they were murdered mercilessly. Millions of their relations were massacred; more were forced to migrate from their ancestral lands against their will. When these massacres and forced migrations took place, the world looked on. The West had interests in Kurdistan and in the Middle East. This became evident with the limited status that was given to the Kurds with the treaty of Sevres in 1920 which promised self-determination for the Kurds. 3 years later at Lausanne that status too was set aside because it conflicted with the interests of the parties that were involved. Today it looks likef not much has changed. Again, there is barbarity inflicted on the Kurds. Again the world looks on. As if this were not enough, some of the major countries even support Turkey with economic, military and political support. One can only conclude that they want this carnage to continue. Northwest Kurdistan When the foundations of the Turkish republic were laid the support of the peoples of Kurdistan was sought and received by the Turkish leader Kemal Ataturk and his friends with the promise that the new comity would accord partnership and freedom to the Kurds. The promise was as quickly forgotten. An occupation force moved into Kurdistan to kill the spirit of freedom. An undeclared war raged between the years of 1921 and 1938. Then a policy of denying the very existence of the Kurds was adopted. An intensive educational programme to assimilate the Kurds with a view of annihilating them was meticulously implemented. When the Kurds asked for rights, thousands of them were crushed; and many more were exiled. The Kurdish opposition that never died began to blossom in 1970 and engaged in a struggle for rights for the Kurds. The national liberation struggles that were unfolding all over the world in those years also raised the hopes of the Kurds. The Turkish state, on the other hand used force to crush the networking that was taking place among the Kurds. In a few regions, the government declared state of emergencies. Then, beginning in 1980, a military coup took over, declaring an all out war on the Kurds. Thousands of Kurds found themselves behind bars. Hundreds of them died of torture in custody. But nothing stopped the national struggle and it grew by leaps and bounds. Today, the people of Kurdistan have matured: they have their own polifical, military economic and cultural institutions. Never before in their history have they been this close to unity and a sense of liberty. Years of abuse have forced over 10 million Kurds to flee their homes to seek refuge in western Turkish cities, various European countries, in the Commonwealth of Independent States and places as far away as America and Australia. The abuse has taken the forms of arbitrary detention, torture and outright killings. The rural Kurdistan has been pounded mercilessly: villages destroyed, mountains bombed, pastures mined, forests set on fire, and sometimes, some regions completely blocked to the local inhabitants. It is this deliberate policy that has brought about economic stagnation to the area and forced the Kurds to chart journeys abroad. democratic rights and freedoms only after the peoples of Kurdistan secure their liberty and end their status as subject peoples. For these reasons, a democratic solution to the problem, necessitates the institutionalization of the democratic establishments in the countries in which the Kurds live. In other words, the national liberation movement that is unfolding in Kurdistan is the guarantor of the democracy in the Middle East. That is notwithstanding the appellation that our adversaries use for our movement that it is "a terrorist movement." The Struggle for Nationhood and Freedom in Kurdistan Ahmede Xane was the first Kurd to think of the Kurds and Kurdistan in terms of a nation-state towards the end of the 17th century. The struggle of the Kurds to own their own country and to live in liberty began in early 19th century. Today, some two centuries later, the uprisings still continue and they will continue until we secure our freedom. It is a sad fact of history that, to date, none of the Kurdish uprisings have reached their desired end. Whenever the Kurds rose to take part in the struggle for freedom, they were murdered mercilessly. Millions of their relations were massacred; more were forced to migrate from their ancestral lands against their will. When these massacres and forced migrations took place, the world looked on. The West had interests in Kurdistan and in the Middle East. This became evident with the limited status that was given to the Kurds with the treaty of Sevres in 1920 which promised self-determination for the Kurds. 3 years later at Lausanne that status too was set aside because it conflicted with the interests of the parties that were involved. Today it looks likef not much has changed. Again, there is barbarity inflicted on the Kurds. Again the world looks on. As if this were not enough, some of the major countries even support Turkey with economic, military and political support. One can only conclude that they want this carnage to continue. Northwest Kurdistan When the foundations of the Turkish republic were laid the support of the peoples of Kurdistan was sought and received by the Turkish leader Kemal Ataturk and his friends with the promise that the new comity would accord partnership and freedom to the Kurds. The promise was as quickly forgotten. An occupation force moved into Kurdistan to kill the spirit of freedom. An undeclared war raged between the years of 1921 and 1938. Then a policy of denying the very existence of the Kurds was adopted. An intensive educational programme to assimilate the Kurds with a view of annihilating them was meticulously implemented. When the Kurds asked for rights, thousands of them were crushed; and many more were exiled. The Kurdish opposition that never died began to blossom in 1970 and engaged in a struggle for rights for the Kurds. The national liberation struggles that were unfolding all over the world in those years also raised the hopes of the Kurds. The Turkish state, on the other hand used force to crush the networking that was taking place among the Kurds. In a few regions, the government declared state of emergencies. Then, beginning in 1980, a military coup took over, declaring an all out war on the Kurds. Thousands of Kurds found themselves behind bars. Hundreds of them died of torture in custody. But nothing stopped the national struggle and it grew by leaps and bounds. Today, the people of Kurdistan have matured: they have their own polifical, military economic and cultural institutions. Never before in their history have they been this close to unity and a sense of liberty. Years of abuse have forced over 10 million Kurds to flee their homes to seek refuge in western Turkish cities, various European countries, in the Commonwealth of Independent States and places as far away as America and Australia. The abuse has taken the forms of arbitrary detention, torture and outright killings. The rural Kurdistan has been pounded mercilessly: villages destroyed, mountains bombed, pastures mined, forests set on fire, and sometimes, some regions completely blocked to the local inhabitants. It is this deliberate policy that has brought about economic stagnation to the area and forced the Kurds to chart journeys abroad. The Kurds who have sought refuge abroad are facing social, political and cultural problems. They support the Kurdish national liberation struggle and would like to go back-home, to Kurdistan. Although, they have a number of institutions that serve them and represent them, they feel the need for a larger institution to address the issues that confront them. It goes without saying that the absence of freedom in Kurdistan has not allowed the Kurds to establish their parliament. But the demands of the people have necessitated, since 1992, the need for such a body, even it is in exile. A step in that direction was taken in Southern Kurdistan. The time has come for a similar step in Northern Kurdistan. The Kurds are not allowed to network; nor are they allowed to express themselves freely: both activities are forbidden by law. This being the case, it is absurd to expect the Kurdis representation at the national assemblies in the countries in which they live. If, sometimes, some Kurds managed to voice the concerns of their Kurdish constituents, they were as quickly silenced. The ordeal that became the life of the Kurdish members of the parliament is of public record and well known to the members of this audience. The Kurdish MPs, the members of HEP through DEP have been murdered, imprisoned and forced to seek refuge abroad. The members of the last group are now among us. They have taken part in the formation of this parliament. Like all peoples, the peoples of Kurdistan too have the natural right to determine their own destinies and they need to do so through a parliamentary institution that symbolizes unity. These are the facts that have brought about the formation of the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile. From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Sat May 20 16:22:58 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 20 May 1995 16:22:58 Subject: Letter From Kani Yilmaz - May 19, 1 Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (kcc) Subject: Letter From Kani Yilmaz - May 19, 1995 Kurdistan Committee Brussels, Belgium Press Release 2 May 19, 1995 We received the following letter from Kani Yilmaz, the former European Representative of the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK), who is in Belmarsh Prison - maximum security - just outside of central London. It follows for your perusal verbatim: The Kurdish People Will Be Free In The Very Near Future I have been incarcerated in this country for seven months now. No reason has been given for my imprisonment, as I am not guilty of any crime. I am a victim of a gross miscarriage of justice. The time has come for the courts to either charge me or release me. The treatment that I have been subjected to is clearly directed against the Kurdish people's struggle for freedom and justice. The Home Secretary took the decision to have me arrested at the request of the Turkish regime, a regime which recently published an assassin's list of names of people they deem to be supporters or directors of "terrorists", a regime which is turing our country into a living hell on earth. Britain is overtly supporting a racist, barbaric, military regime in the name of its own "interests". Meanwhile, the massacres continue in the killing fields of Kurdistan, with British support, both military and political. Time and time again, we have expressed our willingness for dialogue and political solutions. Time and time again, we have indicated that a humane resolution of this conflict, recognizing the democratic rights of the Kurdish nation, is to the benefit of the Turkish people as well. We have called for peace and we have called for the brotherhood of peoples. But the Turkish war monster, living on a diet of blood now that it has the Kurdish people in its jaws, wants to deny us our existence by murdering us. The history of our people is a living memory to this brutality. The European countries who take a position against us embolden the monster and allow it to unleash its savagery on our people. The Kurd has no name. The Kurd has no language. The President of Turkey, Suleyman Demirel, says "the Kurd has no rights". The two Turkish daily newspapers, 'Hurriyet' and 'Milliyet', together with Turkish television have undertaken a mission to galvanize the masses for war. Turkish op-ed writers together with their correspondent colleagues based in Europe have made it their raison d'etre to denounce and threaten those who may be suggesting a democratic solution to the question. Thousands of villages have been destroyed, displacing over two million Kurdish refugees. Thousands of people have been murdered by members of the contra-guerrilla. Kurdish politicians have been imprisoned, others are in exile. Fires are raging all around Kurdistan. Bombs have fallen all over the land. Torture and many other unthinkable forms of repression continue. To counter this, the Kurds have undertaken a legitimate war of self-defense. They have also made a proposition for peaceful co- existence with the Turks. They said they were ready for an international solution to this conflict. Because I myself have called for these proposals, I now find myself in a cold and empty room, a British prison cell. To call for co-existence and brotherhood is rewarded with a prison term. Germany is not after me because I was involved with the activities that I am accused of, but rather because I was a representative of the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK). This became obvious when I had the chance to flick through the prosecution's documents prepared by the German authorities. It admits there is no evidence linking Mr. Kani Yilmaz to any of the activities noted by the prosecution, neither written nor verbal. But still the German authorities want me extradited. Why? The answer is simple. To support the Turkish regime, to try and criminalize the Kurdish struggle for freedom and justice. Neither Germany nor Turkey will listen to reasonable arguments. I would like to say one thing. Soon, in the very near future, the Kurdish people will be free. History will not allow such crimes against humanity. One day soon, Turkey's crimes will be exposed. Secondly, the Kurdish people now have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Those who have imprisoned elected representatives in Turkey and Kurdish politicians in Europe will soon have to answer the question why. Why did you ignore and cover up this barbarism that is being perpetrated against the Kurds? You will be called to account for your actions and you will do so with some embarrassment. For our part, we will continue to defend our people's legitimate struggle for freedom and justice. We will also continue to call for a peaceful and democratic solution which will allow Turks and Kurds to live together in peace and freedom. We have nothing to do with "terror". That is the what the Turkish military practices. The struggle that is unfolding in Kurdistan has been the struggle of millions of Kurds in the face of unimaginable oppression and exploitation. It's a struggle to defend the values of humanity. I want the people who are accusing me of wrongdoing to be aware of all these facts. I await an outcome to my predicament. Kani Yilmaz, ERNK May 19, 1995 From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Sat May 20 23:45:10 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 20 May 1995 23:45:10 Subject: Executive Council Program Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (kcc) Subject: Executive Council Program Kurdistan Parliament in Exile Executive Council Program In Kurdistan today, our people are resisting a policy of annihilation. For years, this resistance to foreign invaders has been a reality for the Kurds. This struggle is for freedom, for national identity, and for a life of human dignity. The colonialist states have subjected the Kurdish people to a policy of violence, forcing millions of Kurds to flee their homes. Today, if Kurds are living in exile, it is because of the campaign of terror and massacres. Because of our struggle for freedom and liberation, the need has arisen for the formation of this Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile. Our people, by investing their authority in our parliament, have spoken their will. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile is faced with the issue of resolving the democratic aspirations of our people with the task of gaining international status for our people and with the responsibility of undertaking the duty of representing them in the world at large. The Executive Council of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile, considering the dire conditions that our people find themselves in, taking authority from the resolution of its daily session of April 14, 1995, wishes to make public the following program as its mission to bring a solution to the problem of our people: 1. It will support the Chair of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile to ensure that this body becomes an institution to carry out its assigned tasks. 2. It will undertake tasks for the eventual goal of establishing a national congress and a national parliament in a free Kurdistan. 3. Guided by the principle of self-determination for the Kurds, it will enter into voluntary agreements with neighbouring peoples. 4. It will support and strengthen the national liberation struggle to end the foreign occupation of Kurdistan. 5. It will undertake programs to safeguard the political, cultural, and social rights of the Kurds. 6. Taking the principle of national interest as a guideline, it will conduct the needed diplomatic and political work. 7. It will work to implement the rules of war that relate to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and those of 1977 to bring about a mutual cease-fire. 8. It will undertake work to bring about a determination of the status of the Kurds. 9. It will take the question of Kurdistan to the United Nations, to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Council, the European Parliament, and other international institutions to secure observer status for the Kurds. 10. It will open offices in appropriate places to represent the parliament. 11. It will endeavour to reveal at international forums the terror and abuse inflicted on the Kurds by the colonialist countries. 12. It will undertake work to make it feasible for the members of the international community to initiate a military, economic, and political embargo on the Turkish state. 13. It will concern itself with the political, social, cultural, and economic welfare of the Kurds who live in exile. 14. It will work to bring about, notwithstanding the obstacles, the union of all the political parties, organizations, institutions, and influential personalities to ensure national cohesion. It will work to put an end to the fratricidal war that is going on between the Kurdish parties in the south with the eventual aim of putting an end to national discord. 15. For Kurdistan, it will prepare the following draft resolutions: a. Constitution b. Citizenship laws c. Conscription laws d. Civil laws e. Tax laws f. Penal laws, enforcement laws, and laws pertaining to the criminal courts g. Environmental Resources Protection Act 16. It will work to put an end to the oppression suffered by women. It will take measures to help free women and to ensure that they have the right to network in every field of the national struggle. 17. It will help mend the feelings of distrust that have been implanted by the colonialists among the peoples of Kurdistan. Assyrians (Keldians and Suryanis) need to be noted here by name. 18. Taking the freedom of belief as a pillar, this council will work towards ending the animosities that exist among various religious groups. A society in which tolerance is respected will be its aim. 19. It will undertake to improve the Kurdish language. It will enable the people to learn Kurdish. 20. It will lay the foundations for a national library. 21. It will ensure that national institutions undertake projects to honour the Kurdish writer Ahmede Xani. 22. It will tackle the question of Kurdish people's education. It will take the necessary steps for the establishment of schools, including universities. 23. It will undertake work to establish national institutions in the fields of theatre, music, folklore, cinema, and the arts. 24. It will undertake to persuade the Kurdish youth not to serve in enemy armies; it will urge them to do that in the Kurdish national army. 25. It will concern itself with the educational, social, cultural, and sporting needs of the Kurdish youth. 26. It will endeavour itself with the concerns of the youth in order to put an end to their alienation. It will strive to make youth the bedrock of Kurdish society. 27. It will endeavour to establish a national press office. 28. It will endeavour itself with the task of easing the return of Kurdish people to Kurdistan. 29. It will endeavour itself with the task of educating the Kurdish people through meetings, conferences, seminars, and panels. 30. With the help of our people, our national institutions, and our friends, it will form a budget for the needs of the parliament. 31. It will endeavour itself with the aim of protecting the natural riches of Kurdistan and see to it that these resources are used for the happiness and liberation of our people. 32. It will endeavour itself with the task of investing in our people with the aim of cultivating talented individuals. 33. It will endeavour itself with the task of building friendships with other peoples. It will also establish close links with the democratic public in Turkey. 34. The Executive Council derives its authority from the memory of the martyrs. It considers loyalty to the memory of those who have fallen in the line of duty as the primary reason for its own existence. 35. This council will endeavour itself with the concerns of the veterans of the liberation war, with the families of the martyrs and those of imprisoned Kurdish activists, with the welfare of the Kurdish fighters who are now in jail, and with the concerns of our people who have been suffering as a result of the war. This program was adopted during the first parliamentary daily session of April 16, 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 Sun May 21 17:09:40 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 21 May 1995 17:09:40 Subject: Executive Council Program References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: Executive Council Program Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- Kurdistan Parliament in Exile Executive Council Program In Kurdistan today, our people are resisting a policy of annihilation. For years, this resistance to foreign invaders has been a reality for the Kurds. This struggle is for freedom, for national identity, and for a life of human dignity. The colonialist states have subjected the Kurdish people to a policy of violence, forcing millions of Kurds to flee their homes. Today, if Kurds are living in exile, it is because of the campaign of terror and massacres. Because of our struggle for freedom and liberation, the need has arisen for the formation of this Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile. Our people, by investing their authority in our parliament, have spoken their will. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile is faced with the issue of resolving the democratic aspirations of our people with the task of gaining international status for our people and with the responsibility of undertaking the duty of representing them in the world at large. The Executive Council of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile, considering the dire conditions that our people find themselves in, taking authority from the resolution of its daily session of April 14, 1995, wishes to make public the following program as its mission to bring a solution to the problem of our people: 1. It will support the Chair of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile to ensure that this body becomes an institution to carry out its assigned tasks. 2. It will undertake tasks for the eventual goal of establishing a national congress and a national parliament in a free Kurdistan. 3. Guided by the principle of self-determination for the Kurds, it will enter into voluntary agreements with neighbouring peoples. 4. It will support and strengthen the national liberation struggle to end the foreign occupation of Kurdistan. 5. It will undertake programs to safeguard the political, cultural, and social rights of the Kurds. 6. Taking the principle of national interest as a guideline, it will conduct the needed diplomatic and political work. 7. It will work to implement the rules of war that relate to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and those of 1977 to bring about a mutual cease-fire. 8. It will undertake work to bring about a determination of the status of the Kurds. 9. It will take the question of Kurdistan to the United Nations, to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Council, the European Parliament, and other international institutions to secure observer status for the Kurds. 10. It will open offices in appropriate places to represent the parliament. 11. It will endeavour to reveal at international forums the terror and abuse inflicted on the Kurds by the colonialist countries. 12. It will undertake work to make it feasible for the members of the international community to initiate a military, economic, and political embargo on the Turkish state. 13. It will concern itself with the political, social, cultural, and economic welfare of the Kurds who live in exile. 14. It will work to bring about, notwithstanding the obstacles, the union of all the political parties, organizations, institutions, and influential personalities to ensure national cohesion. It will work to put an end to the fratricidal war that is going on between the Kurdish parties in the south with the eventual aim of putting an end to national discord. 15. For Kurdistan, it will prepare the following draft resolutions: a. Constitution b. Citizenship laws c. Conscription laws d. Civil laws e. Tax laws f. Penal laws, enforcement laws, and laws pertaining to the criminal courts g. Environmental Resources Protection Act 16. It will work to put an end to the oppression suffered by women. It will take measures to help free women and to ensure that they have the right to network in every field of the national struggle. 17. It will help mend the feelings of distrust that have been implanted by the colonialists among the peoples of Kurdistan. Assyrians (Keldians and Suryanis) need to be noted here by name. 18. Taking the freedom of belief as a pillar, this council will work towards ending the animosities that exist among various religious groups. A society in which tolerance is respected will be its aim. 19. It will undertake to improve the Kurdish language. It will enable the people to learn Kurdish. 20. It will lay the foundations for a national library. 21. It will ensure that national institutions undertake projects to honour the Kurdish writer Ahmede Xani. 22. It will tackle the question of Kurdish people's education. It will take the necessary steps for the establishment of schools, including universities. 23. It will undertake work to establish national institutions in the fields of theatre, music, folklore, cinema, and the arts. 24. It will undertake to persuade the Kurdish youth not to serve in enemy armies; it will urge them to do that in the Kurdish national army. 25. It will concern itself with the educational, social, cultural, and sporting needs of the Kurdish youth. 26. It will endeavour itself with the concerns of the youth in order to put an end to their alienation. It will strive to make youth the bedrock of Kurdish society. 27. It will endeavour to establish a national press office. 28. It will endeavour itself with the task of easing the return of Kurdish people to Kurdistan. 29. It will endeavour itself with the task of educating the Kurdish people through meetings, conferences, seminars, and panels. 30. With the help of our people, our national institutions, and our friends, it will form a budget for the needs of the parliament. 31. It will endeavour itself with the aim of protecting the natural riches of Kurdistan and see to it that these resources are used for the happiness and liberation of our people. 32. It will endeavour itself with the task of investing in our people with the aim of cultivating talented individuals. 33. It will endeavour itself with the task of building friendships with other peoples. It will also establish close links with the democratic public in Turkey. 34. The Executive Council derives its authority from the memory of the martyrs. It considers loyalty to the memory of those who have fallen in the line of duty as the primary reason for its own existence. 35. This council will endeavour itself with the concerns of the veterans of the liberation war, with the families of the martyrs and those of imprisoned Kurdish activists, with the welfare of the Kurdish fighters who are now in jail, and with the concerns of our people who have been suffering as a result of the war. This program was adopted during the first parliamentary daily session of April 16, 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 kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Sat May 20 23:45:42 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 20 May 1995 23:45:42 Subject: The Parliament Of Kurdistan In Exil Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (kcc) Subject: The Parliament Of Kurdistan In Exile And Its Aims The Parliament Of Kurdistan In Exile And Its Aims As we approach the end of this century, the oppressed peoples of the world are declaring their independence and freedom. In today's world, one of those national and social upheavals is taking place in Kurdistan. At the root of this war lies the denial of the Kurdish national identity and the absence of democratic rights. Kurdistan was first divided by the Treaty of Kasri-Sirin in 1639 between the Ottoman and Persian empires. At the end of the First World War, the issue of Kurdistan surfaced again, this time among the Allies at Sevres in 1920. The founding of the Turkish Republic put an end to this proposition, however, and the Treaty of Lausanne divided Kurdistan among four countries. When the young Turkish Republic was being founded, it solicited and received help from the people of Kurdistan. Later, that same republic began to oppress the Kurds by means of force. A campaign of assimilation became the official ideology of the Turkish state. Many Kurdish uprisings were crushed and millions of Kurds were forced to resettle elsewhere. In the 1970s, the Kurds began to develop their national consciousness, partly because of internal developments and partly because of developments taking place in other parts of the world. The Turkish government's refusal to accommodate the democratic and political rights of the people of Kurdistan forced the people to take up a national liberation struggle. This led to the creation of Kurdish political, military, economic, and cultural institutions. The situation of the people in Turkish-occupied Kurdistan and in other counties in which the Kurds live is at variance with the ideals of the free world. The war that is taking place in Kurdistan is not an internal matter of Turkey but rather a regional and global issue. A nation whose population is about 40 million people are deprived of their rights that are enshrined by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The right of a nation to self-determination remains a matter of necessity because of scientific and historic reasons. In our world, peoples whose population do not exceed more than one hundred thousand possess their own parliaments and organs of political representation. But 40 million Kurds are deprived of this right. The free will of the people of Kurdistan is being suppressed by force. We believe the time has come, both in Kurdistan and abroad, to have the Kurdish political institutions unite at the highest level. There is no Kurdish representation in the countries in which we live. In addition, a war of extermination is being waged against the Kurds by the government in Ankara. Turkey's Grand National Assembly does not represent the will of the people in Kurdistan. That assembly, by using force, wants everyone to become a Turks. The Kurdish representatives who were elected in 1991 by popular vote were harassed because they did not subscribe to official Turkish state ideology and also because they raised the Kurdish question of behalf of their constituencies. Mehmet Sincar was murdered. The others had their constitutional immunity lifted. Seven of these MPs were then given prison terms ranging from 3 1/2 to 15 years. The remaining MPs were forced to seek refuge abroad. At this stage, a national parliament is of necessity for the people of Kurdistan. Our people want to express their political will by means of a representative body. This body will tackle the question of Kurdistan, speak on behalf of national concerns, and be the voice of the people abroad. This issue has been discussed for a long time now. It enjoys broad popular support among our people. We also acknowledge the two-year experience with parliamentary representation that is in effect in South Kurdistan. Our country is under military occupation. Our people are waging a heroic war of liberation against the occupiers. The Turkish government, which is losing on the military field, has begun a campaign against our people. Villagers, shopkeepers, students, intellectuals, politicians, writers, workers, women, men, children, and people of all ages from every class and every profession are murdered. This lives of our deputies who were democratically elected are in danger. Because of these conditions, more than half of the population has fled the country. It is obvious that our people cannot represent themselves in their country and therefore they must seek representation elsewhere. The situations of Poland after the Second World War, Algeria in the 1960s, and the recent experiences of the Palestinians and the ANC are similar to our own. As a first step, we are establishing a parliament that will consist of representatives of our people who live abroad. In addition, in our country, we would like to establish provincial legislatures. The exile parliament and the provincial legislatures will eventually merge to represent the will of the people in a liberated Kurdistan. At this time, there are approximately 12 million Kurds living abroad. About 10 million of these have been forced to relocate to Turkish cities. The reason for this uprooting is the war that is unfolding in our country. In Diaspora, there is a substantial Kurdish potential. The population is intimately connected with its roots in the country and they need unity and a voice: a parliament. With this parliament, our people will determine their legal and official status. The people of Kurdistan need to represent themselves in an institution that will be recognized world-wide. They need to tackle the questions of legal citizenship and they need to contribute to the efforts of war and peace that affect them. These issues can only be raised by a parliament that represents all the people of Kurdistan. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile rejects all forms of foreign occupation of our country and approves of the legitimacy of the national liberation struggle. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile relies on the support of the people of Kurdistan and their national liberation struggle. It protects the people of Kurdistan abroad and makes decisions of their behalf. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will act according to the national will of the people when a referendum determines its composition. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will be a bridge between the world public opinion and the national liberation struggle and it will enter into dialogue to have better relations with governments and international organizations and it will conduct political and diplomatic relations. The parliament will be the voice of the people of Kurdistan and its ultimate aim will be to represent the legitimate and legal aspirations of the Kurdish people. As an institution that will be the voice of the people of Kurdistan, the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will implement and monitor the decisions made by its members by way of commissions and/or other necessary organs. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will undertake the task of politically, socially, economically, and culturally educating the people of Kurdistan who live abroad and it will develop laws for citizenship and represent its people. The official language of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile is Kurdish. The first act of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will be the creation of a Kurdistan National Congress and determine a National Assembly. It will be open to all national political groups and institutions. Its aims will be to unite these forces and will be guided by national interests. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will not discriminate on the basis of nationality, religion, or gender. It is open to those who support the idea of a free Kurdistan and those who side with the national liberation struggle. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will address the concerns of the people of Kurdistan regardless of whether they live in Kurdistan or abroad. In light of these aims, the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will select its members from those people who subscribe to these principles and others who are representatives of the exiled Kurdish community, including the parliamentarians and mayors who were forced to seek refuge abroad, the people who were elected to the Kurdistan National Assembly and who are now actively engaged in the national liberation struggle, and the exiled members of the Democracy Party (DEP). Because our people cannot freely choose their representatives in Kurdistan, the representatives of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will be elected from national institutions located abroad. Because of the above-mentioned reasons, the work of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will be undertaken by the Preparatory Commission, which consists of people who are elected by Kurdish people and others involved in the national liberation struggle. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile Preparatory Committee January 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 Sun May 21 17:08:34 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 21 May 1995 17:08:34 Subject: The Parliament Of Kurdistan In Exil References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: The Parliament Of Kurdistan In Exile And Its Aims Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- The Parliament Of Kurdistan In Exile And Its Aims As we approach the end of this century, the oppressed peoples of the world are declaring their independence and freedom. In today's world, one of those national and social upheavals is taking place in Kurdistan. At the root of this war lies the denial of the Kurdish national identity and the absence of democratic rights. Kurdistan was first divided by the Treaty of Kasri-Sirin in 1639 between the Ottoman and Persian empires. At the end of the First World War, the issue of Kurdistan surfaced again, this time among the Allies at Sevres in 1920. The founding of the Turkish Republic put an end to this proposition, however, and the Treaty of Lausanne divided Kurdistan among four countries. When the young Turkish Republic was being founded, it solicited and received help from the people of Kurdistan. Later, that same republic began to oppress the Kurds by means of force. A campaign of assimilation became the official ideology of the Turkish state. Many Kurdish uprisings were crushed and millions of Kurds were forced to resettle elsewhere. In the 1970s, the Kurds began to develop their national consciousness, partly because of internal developments and partly because of developments taking place in other parts of the world. The Turkish government's refusal to accommodate the democratic and political rights of the people of Kurdistan forced the people to take up a national liberation struggle. This led to the creation of Kurdish political, military, economic, and cultural institutions. The situation of the people in Turkish-occupied Kurdistan and in other counties in which the Kurds live is at variance with the ideals of the free world. The war that is taking place in Kurdistan is not an internal matter of Turkey but rather a regional and global issue. A nation whose population is about 40 million people are deprived of their rights that are enshrined by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The right of a nation to self-determination remains a matter of necessity because of scientific and historic reasons. In our world, peoples whose population do not exceed more than one hundred thousand possess their own parliaments and organs of political representation. But 40 million Kurds are deprived of this right. The free will of the people of Kurdistan is being suppressed by force. We believe the time has come, both in Kurdistan and abroad, to have the Kurdish political institutions unite at the highest level. There is no Kurdish representation in the countries in which we live. In addition, a war of extermination is being waged against the Kurds by the government in Ankara. Turkey's Grand National Assembly does not represent the will of the people in Kurdistan. That assembly, by using force, wants everyone to become a Turks. The Kurdish representatives who were elected in 1991 by popular vote were harassed because they did not subscribe to official Turkish state ideology and also because they raised the Kurdish question of behalf of their constituencies. Mehmet Sincar was murdered. The others had their constitutional immunity lifted. Seven of these MPs were then given prison terms ranging from 3 1/2 to 15 years. The remaining MPs were forced to seek refuge abroad. At this stage, a national parliament is of necessity for the people of Kurdistan. Our people want to express their political will by means of a representative body. This body will tackle the question of Kurdistan, speak on behalf of national concerns, and be the voice of the people abroad. This issue has been discussed for a long time now. It enjoys broad popular support among our people. We also acknowledge the two-year experience with parliamentary representation that is in effect in South Kurdistan. Our country is under military occupation. Our people are waging a heroic war of liberation against the occupiers. The Turkish government, which is losing on the military field, has begun a campaign against our people. Villagers, shopkeepers, students, intellectuals, politicians, writers, workers, women, men, children, and people of all ages from every class and every profession are murdered. This lives of our deputies who were democratically elected are in danger. Because of these conditions, more than half of the population has fled the country. It is obvious that our people cannot represent themselves in their country and therefore they must seek representation elsewhere. The situations of Poland after the Second World War, Algeria in the 1960s, and the recent experiences of the Palestinians and the ANC are similar to our own. As a first step, we are establishing a parliament that will consist of representatives of our people who live abroad. In addition, in our country, we would like to establish provincial legislatures. The exile parliament and the provincial legislatures will eventually merge to represent the will of the people in a liberated Kurdistan. At this time, there are approximately 12 million Kurds living abroad. About 10 million of these have been forced to relocate to Turkish cities. The reason for this uprooting is the war that is unfolding in our country. In Diaspora, there is a substantial Kurdish potential. The population is intimately connected with its roots in the country and they need unity and a voice: a parliament. With this parliament, our people will determine their legal and official status. The people of Kurdistan need to represent themselves in an institution that will be recognized world-wide. They need to tackle the questions of legal citizenship and they need to contribute to the efforts of war and peace that affect them. These issues can only be raised by a parliament that represents all the people of Kurdistan. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile rejects all forms of foreign occupation of our country and approves of the legitimacy of the national liberation struggle. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile relies on the support of the people of Kurdistan and their national liberation struggle. It protects the people of Kurdistan abroad and makes decisions of their behalf. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will act according to the national will of the people when a referendum determines its composition. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will be a bridge between the world public opinion and the national liberation struggle and it will enter into dialogue to have better relations with governments and international organizations and it will conduct political and diplomatic relations. The parliament will be the voice of the people of Kurdistan and its ultimate aim will be to represent the legitimate and legal aspirations of the Kurdish people. As an institution that will be the voice of the people of Kurdistan, the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will implement and monitor the decisions made by its members by way of commissions and/or other necessary organs. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will undertake the task of politically, socially, economically, and culturally educating the people of Kurdistan who live abroad and it will develop laws for citizenship and represent its people. The official language of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile is Kurdish. The first act of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will be the creation of a Kurdistan National Congress and determine a National Assembly. It will be open to all national political groups and institutions. Its aims will be to unite these forces and will be guided by national interests. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will not discriminate on the basis of nationality, religion, or gender. It is open to those who support the idea of a free Kurdistan and those who side with the national liberation struggle. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will address the concerns of the people of Kurdistan regardless of whether they live in Kurdistan or abroad. In light of these aims, the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will select its members from those people who subscribe to these principles and others who are representatives of the exiled Kurdish community, including the parliamentarians and mayors who were forced to seek refuge abroad, the people who were elected to the Kurdistan National Assembly and who are now actively engaged in the national liberation struggle, and the exiled members of the Democracy Party (DEP). Because our people cannot freely choose their representatives in Kurdistan, the representatives of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will be elected from national institutions located abroad. Because of the above-mentioned reasons, the work of the Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile will be undertaken by the Preparatory Commission, which consists of people who are elected by Kurdish people and others involved in the national liberation struggle. The Parliament of Kurdistan in Exile Preparatory Committee January 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 kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Tue May 23 15:19:04 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 23 May 1995 15:19:04 Subject: Yeni Politika - May 15-21, 1995 Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at infoweb.magi.com (kcc) Subject: Yeni Politika - May 15-21, 1995 Weekly News Briefs From Kurdistan May 15-21, 1995 Last week, we began a service to report some of the human rights abuses taking place in Turkish-occupied Kurdistan. Our source of information is the Turkish daily newspaper 'Yeni Politika', a pro- Kurdish journal with a tumultuous past and an uncertain future. The ordeal that has become the life of the Kurds is also the story of their paper, a paper which has made it its mission to uphold the truth about them. May 15, 1995 / Tunceli (Dersim in Kurdish) -- The village of Sutluce (Tuluk in Kurdish) in Tunceli was machine gunned on May 10. Many houses received bullet holes, but there were no casualties. The Turkish soldiers who visited the village afterwards declared that the residents were guilty of aiding Kurdish guerrillas and that they must vacate their homes immediately. For now, the villagers have packed but remain in their homes. Batman -- The villagers of Gendune, Bekse, and Maristo in Sason district were asked to either become village guards or else face the prospects of migration. They too have packed but are still living in their villages. Tunceli -- The villages of Ekrek, Osgeh, Ardixe, Uzakli, and Bikhe are in quarantine since May 9. They happen to be in a district called Alibogazi which since March 19 has seen some of the heaviest bombardment of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. Diyarbakir -- The Islamic ritual Kurban Bayrami is a celebration in which grave sites are visited by loved ones. This year, Turkish soldiers barred some of the new residents of Kulp and Lice from practicing this tradition. These were people who had left their villages because they had refused to become village guards for the government. May 16, 1995 / Nusaybin -- A Kurdish patriot named Seyit Semso was killed by members of the 'Hizbikontra' contra-guerrilla. The city residents were so appalled by the murder that they took the law into their own hands and lynched three of the perpetrators. Bingol -- Ercan Bingol, an 8-year-old boy, died after stepping on a mine that was planted by Turkish soldiers in Kumludere village. Tunceli -- Another mine exploded in Akdemir village in Tunceli, injuring children once again. Sahin Erol (6), Pelvin Erol (10), Sevgi Erol (8), and Erkan Erol (12) were all seriously hurt. Erkan Erol, who had received the deadly blast, lost both of his legs while his siblings are in better condition. Their mother, Sultan Erol, blamed the Turkish soldiers for mining the area. Turkey -- Berivan Kultay, in a study of executions in Turkey, notes that the Turkish claim that the death penalty does not exist in the country is simply untrue. Referring to the work of human rights advocates, she notes that, in the last four years, 874 people have died in custody with another 2,000 reported missing. May 17, 1995 / Van -- Turkish commandos stationed in Gurpinar town in Van province held a soccer match with the town's Gurpinar Youth last Saturday. The commandos lost the game and then proceeded to fight with local residents, calling them "dirty Kurds". 9 people were injured. May 18, 1995 / Istanbul -- Hasan Ocak, a 29-year-old Istanbul shopkeeper missing since March 21, was found via pictures in the albums of the Cerrahpasa Hospital. The authorities said that his body was discovered in Beykoz on March 26 and later buried in a grave site for unknown persons. An autopsy revealed that he had been strangled with an iron wire. May 19, 1995 / Adana -- Naci Parmaksiz, the governor of Adana, in a scene reminiscent of what Prime Minister Tansu Ciller had done last year at the Holiday Inn in Istanbul, spoke of a list of businessmen who are supporting the PKK. He said, "You are benefitting from the riches of this country; I am asking you to think again." He did not give any names. After Ciller's threat, several Kurdish businessmen were kidnapped and killed in Istanbul. May 20, 1995 / Mardin -- Ahmet Bulut (10), Rahim Kumru (10), and Huseyin Yilmaz (48) were killed in Gundik Mala Hato hamlet near Kermete village in Mardin province. They died in an attack by Turkish soldiers and village guards. May 21, 1995 / Istanbul -- 15,000 people gathered for the reburial ceremony of Hasan Ocak in Istanbul. Istanbul -- Giyasettin Oruc, chairperson for the People's Labour Party (HADEP) for Beykoz district, is missing. Eyewitnesses insist that they saw Mr. Oruc taken away by people who they said were civilian police but the authorities are denying the arrest. ----- 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 Wed May 24 14:20:46 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 24 May 1995 14:20:46 Subject: Yeni Politika - May 15-21, 1995 References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Yeni Politika - May 15-21, 1995 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ----------------- Forwarded from : kcc at infoweb.magi.com (kcc) ------------------ Weekly News Briefs From Kurdistan May 15-21, 1995 Last week, we began a service to report some of the human rights abuses taking place in Turkish-occupied Kurdistan. Our source of information is the Turkish daily newspaper 'Yeni Politika', a pro- Kurdish journal with a tumultuous past and an uncertain future. The ordeal that has become the life of the Kurds is also the story of their paper, a paper which has made it its mission to uphold the truth about them. May 15, 1995 / Tunceli (Dersim in Kurdish) -- The village of Sutluce (Tuluk in Kurdish) in Tunceli was machine gunned on May 10. Many houses received bullet holes, but there were no casualties. The Turkish soldiers who visited the village afterwards declared that the residents were guilty of aiding Kurdish guerrillas and that they must vacate their homes immediately. For now, the villagers have packed but remain in their homes. Batman -- The villagers of Gendune, Bekse, and Maristo in Sason district were asked to either become village guards or else face the prospects of migration. They too have packed but are still living in their villages. Tunceli -- The villages of Ekrek, Osgeh, Ardixe, Uzakli, and Bikhe are in quarantine since May 9. They happen to be in a district called Alibogazi which since March 19 has seen some of the heaviest bombardment of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. Diyarbakir -- The Islamic ritual Kurban Bayrami is a celebration in which grave sites are visited by loved ones. This year, Turkish soldiers barred some of the new residents of Kulp and Lice from practicing this tradition. These were people who had left their villages because they had refused to become village guards for the government. May 16, 1995 / Nusaybin -- A Kurdish patriot named Seyit Semso was killed by members of the 'Hizbikontra' contra-guerrilla. The city residents were so appalled by the murder that they took the law into their own hands and lynched three of the perpetrators. Bingol -- Ercan Bingol, an 8-year-old boy, died after stepping on a mine that was planted by Turkish soldiers in Kumludere village. Tunceli -- Another mine exploded in Akdemir village in Tunceli, injuring children once again. Sahin Erol (6), Pelvin Erol (10), Sevgi Erol (8), and Erkan Erol (12) were all seriously hurt. Erkan Erol, who had received the deadly blast, lost both of his legs while his siblings are in better condition. Their mother, Sultan Erol, blamed the Turkish soldiers for mining the area. Turkey -- Berivan Kultay, in a study of executions in Turkey, notes that the Turkish claim that the death penalty does not exist in the country is simply untrue. Referring to the work of human rights advocates, she notes that, in the last four years, 874 people have died in custody with another 2,000 reported missing. May 17, 1995 / Van -- Turkish commandos stationed in Gurpinar town in Van province held a soccer match with the town's Gurpinar Youth last Saturday. The commandos lost the game and then proceeded to fight with local residents, calling them "dirty Kurds". 9 people were injured. May 18, 1995 / Istanbul -- Hasan Ocak, a 29-year-old Istanbul shopkeeper missing since March 21, was found via pictures in the albums of the Cerrahpasa Hospital. The authorities said that his body was discovered in Beykoz on March 26 and later buried in a grave site for unknown persons. An autopsy revealed that he had been strangled with an iron wire. May 19, 1995 / Adana -- Naci Parmaksiz, the governor of Adana, in a scene reminiscent of what Prime Minister Tansu Ciller had done last year at the Holiday Inn in Istanbul, spoke of a list of businessmen who are supporting the PKK. He said, "You are benefitting from the riches of this country; I am asking you to think again." He did not give any names. After Ciller's threat, several Kurdish businessmen were kidnapped and killed in Istanbul. May 20, 1995 / Mardin -- Ahmet Bulut (10), Rahim Kumru (10), and Huseyin Yilmaz (48) were killed in Gundik Mala Hato hamlet near Kermete village in Mardin province. They died in an attack by Turkish soldiers and village guards. May 21, 1995 / Istanbul -- 15,000 people gathered for the reburial ceremony of Hasan Ocak in Istanbul. Istanbul -- Giyasettin Oruc, chairperson for the People's Labour Party (HADEP) for Beykoz district, is missing. Eyewitnesses insist that they saw Mr. Oruc taken away by people who they said were civilian police but the authorities are denying the arrest. ----- 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 -------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- * Activists Press Service (Newsdesk) * newsdesk at aps.nl !Power to the people! ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurdeng at aps.nl Tue May 23 20:11:24 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 23 May 1995 20:11:24 Subject: Kani Yilmaz lashes out at British j Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Kani Yilmaz lashes out at British jailers Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl on, 22 May 1995 21:08:32 -0800 Imprisoned Kurd lashes out at British jailers ISTANBUL, May 20 (Reuter) - A spokesman for the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) accused Britain on Saturday of imprisoning him to gain favour with Turkey, where PKK guerrillas are battling for control of the country's southeast. "The decision of the Home Office... supports the powers in Turkey who are determined to turn our country into a living hell on earth," Kani Yilmaz wrote in a letter released by the Brussels-based Kurdistan Committee. "The treatment that I have been subjected to can only be construed as a move against the Kurdish people's struggle for liberty," wrote Yilmaz, who was detained last October on his way to meet British parliamentarians and charged with illegal entry. Yilmaz, who faces extradition to Germany, also dismissed Bonn's move as an attempt to placate Turkey and said there was no evidence linking him to the alleged actions of conspiracy to commit arson. The PKK's 11-year battle in Turkey has killed more than 16,000 people. Analysts say the group's staying power is rooted in Turkey's refusal to grant its Kurdish minority greater cultural and political rights. Turkish law blocks Kurdish-language education and television and radio broadcasts. Discussion of Kurdish history or nationalism often run afoul of laws against "separatist propaganda." Yilmaz, who has refugee status in Germany, had entered Britain four times previously. Deportation proceedings were halted when Germany requested his extradition. Although the PKK is banned in Germany, it is not banned in Britain. From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 24 14:22:06 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 24 May 1995 14:22:06 Subject: ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Turkey says will not budge on NATO issues after Claes visit --------------------------------------------------------------- Ankara, 19/05/1995 (ANA/E. Athanasopoulou/AFP): Minutes after NATO Secretary-General Willy Claes left Ankara after talks with Prime Minister Tansu Ciller on a dispute that has effectively frozen Nato's military budget, Turkish Defence Minister Mehmet Golhan said Turkey would not agree to any concessions in the establishment of NATO headquarters on the Aegean. Mr. Golhan was speaking to reporters at Ankara airport during the departure of Mr. Claes who paid a 24-hour visit to Turkey for talks with government officials in an effort smooth over Ankara's objections. "Unless the same responsibilities are attributed to the seventh airforce headquarters, as those of the sixth airforce headquarters, the issue will not be solved and the headquarters will not be established," he told the state-run Anatolia news agency. Ankara has expressed its disagreement over the stationing and operation of the two new NATO military commands in Greece and has blocked the alliance's entire military budget, freezing all NATO military projects just as it is in the process of finalising plans for a possible pull-out of UN peacekeeping forces in Bosnia. Earlier, Mr. Claes held talks with Prime Minister Ciller in Ankara, saying afterwards "the improvement of relations between Greece and Turkey is to the benefit of both countries as well as NATO." Mr. Claes told reporters he arrived in Turkey with the goal of strengthening Nato's southern flank. He said that being located in the Alliance's southern region, Greece and Turkey would have a much more important strategic role. "Ms Ciller and I discussed the method which could be followed in developing relations between Greece and Turkey," Mr. Claes said, adding that "the improvement of these bilateral relations will be to the benefit of both countries as well as NATO. I think this point is acceptable to both sides." "We will start diplomatic contacts between the two countries in the next few weeks on resolving Greco-Turkish disagreements in the framework of NATO. I believe development will be achieved by June when the NATO defence ministers' session will take place ," he said. Mr. Claes also met Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, Turkish General Staff Chief General Ismail Haki Karadayi, Deputy Chief Ahmet Corekci, Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu and Defence Minister Mehmet Golhan. Mr. Claes and his entourage left yesterday afternoon. Mr. Golhan also accused Greece "of using this issue for domestic consumption". According to the state-run Anatolia agency, Mr. Golhan told Mr. Claes during talks that the Western European Union should exploit Nato's possibilities and that, in this case, Turkey should acquire full membership in the WEU. Turkey is an associate member of the WEU. In Athens, meanwhile, replying to a questioner on Mr. Claes' recent statements in Athens on relations between Greece and Turkey, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said Mr. Claes saw things from the NATO Secretary-General's point of view and Greece saw them from its own, from national sovereignty and non-negotiation of its sovereign rights. ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No. 590), May 18, 1995 Arsenis hopes for progress by June -------------------------------------- Athens, 18/05/1995 (ANA): After his meeting with Mr. Claes, National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis expressed the view that by early June when NATO defence ministers meet, progress would have been made concerning the integration of the military structure of the Alliance's south-eastern flank. "However, if there is no progress," Mr. Arsenis said, "then Greece will raise a serious political issue (at the June meeting) vis-a-vis the credibility of the Alliance, since it is unable to implement its own decision." Mr. Claes' talks with Mr. Arsenis concerned the military structure of the south-eastern flank of the Alliance. Mr. Claes described the talks as "fruitful" and stressed Nato's interest in Greece's geopolitical position due to the role the country can play in the region. He said however that the Alliance was experiencing certain difficulties in its efforts to strengthen the southern flank, such as the poor relations between Greece and Turkey. Mr. Claes expressed the hope that there would be some constructive results and progress at the meeting of NATO defence ministers on June 7-8. Mr. Arsenis described his talks with Mr. Claes as "very useful and constructive", adding that the NATO chief had stressed the importance of the role Greece can play as a stabilising factor in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean. He said the talks had focused on the bilateral defence co-operation agreements which Greece had concluded with a number of Balkan and East Mediterranean states, describing the accords as "initiatives which can be part of broader defence co-operation between NATO and non-members within the framework of Partnership for Peace." Also discussed at the meeting was the issue of the NATO land and air headquarters at Larissa. Mr. Arsenis said the fact that NATO had not fulfilled its unanimous decision of 1992 on the issue of the headquarters was due to Turkey's stance, and reiterated the dispute was between Ankara and NATO. Ankara has expressed its disagreement with the stationing and operation of the two new NATO military commands and has blocked the alliance's entire military budget, freezing all NATO military projects just as it is in the process of finalising plans for a possible pull-out of UN peacekeeping forces in Bosnia. Mr. Arsenis said that he believed that Mr. Claes now understood Greece's positions better, which coincided with Nato's political position. "I believe that the efforts of the NATO secretary general will move in the right direction," he added. During his talks with Mr. Claes, Mr. Arsenis said, the issue of confidence-building measures in the Aegean was not raised, "nor was the issue of Willy Claes mediating (between Greece and Turkey)". Mr. Arsenis also stressed that no pressure had been exerted on Greece "given that NATO does not have a specific proposal concerning which pressure might be exerted on Athens to accept. Mr. Claes also held a meeting with former Parliament President and main opposition New Democracy deputy Athanasios Tsaldaris, focusing on the issue of the headquarters in Greece. Following the meeting, Mr. Tsaldaris said New Democracy's position on the issue was "crystal clear." "We ask the complete and immediate enforcement of Nato's unanimous decision taken in December 1992," he said. Claes, Papandreou meet, sources say NATO bases discussed ------------------------------------------------------------ Athens, 17/05/1995 (ANA): Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou held a meeting here this evening with NATO Secretary-General Willy Claes. No statements were made after the meeting but reliable sources said the two men discussed Greece's relations with NATO and the issue of establishing NATO headquarters in Greece. Government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos yesterday said Greece's positions on the issue remained steadfast. Ankara told NATO last month that it would block the establishment of a NATO rapid deployment force headquarters in Thessaloniki and the activation of a NATO headquarters in Larissa if Greece did not agree to its conditions. These include Greece relinquishing its right to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean from six to twelve miles and agreeing to the first rotating commander in Thessaloniki being Turkish. Athens said the dispute was between NATO and Ankara and not between Ankara and Athens. The two land and air NATO headquarters in Larissa should have already been established in compliance with a December 1992 ministerial decision but Ankara retracted its original consent. NATO officials say the establishment of Nato's Southern Flank Rapid Deployment Force in Thessaloniki would facilitate the force's operation. After Italy withdrew its proposal to base the force there, NATO was left to choose between Greece and Turkey, which has still to say where the base would be established. Turkey to conduct exercises in Aegean as planned ---------------------------------------------------- Ankara, 17/05/1995 (ANA/E. Athanasopoulou): The Turkish General Defence Staff yesterday said the country's armed forces were continuing their activities in the Aegean as planned. In reply to a question concerning a reported US request that "exercises not take place in the Aegean" over the summer, Defence Staff officials said they had not received such a request "and the Turkish armed forces are continuing their activities in the Aegean as planned". Press reports said that two different exercises will take place in June, 'Efes 95', involving land, air, and naval forces in the Aegean, and immediately afterwards, 'Seawolf', in the Sea of Marmara, international waters in the Aegean, and the Mediterranean. ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No. 588), May 16, 1995 WEU to begin talks with Cyprus, Malta for associate membership ------------------------------------------------------------------ Lisbon, 16/05/1995 (ANA/Reuter): National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis said yesterday that Greece was very satisfied with the decision by the Western European Union to begin dialogue with Cyprus and Malta, with a view to the island-republics becoming associated members. Mr. Mangakis said Turkish Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu had raised an objection to the WEU's decision on Cyprus and Malta, included as a note in the final communique, questioning the international legal personality of the Republic of Cyprus as representative of the whole island. This lacked seriousness, he said, as Cyprus is a member of a number of international organisations, such as the United Nations and the British Commonwealth, is recognised by the WEU and the European Union, and is on course to membership of the latter. Evert meets with US Defence Secretary for 'constructive talks' ------------------------------------------------------------------ Washington, 16/05/1995 (ANA/D. Dimas): Main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert held one-hour talks with US Defence Secretary William Perry and Assistant Defence Secretary Joseph Nye at the Pentagon yesterday. Mr. Evert said "we also discussed relations between Greece and Turkey. It is a given fact that all sides, but Turkey in particular, should end existing tension." Premier to meet Claes today ------------------------------- Athens, 16/05/1995 (ANA): Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou will meet with NATO Secretary-General Willy Claes in Athens this evening, government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos announced yesterday. He said the talks would centre on the operation of the Alliance's western flank and did not rule out discussion on the establishment of NATO bases in Greece. Meanwhile, in Lisbon, where he is attending the WEU meeting, National Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis said Greece would "listen carefully to everything Mr. Claes has to say". "On our side," Mr. Arsenis said, "I can only reiterate what I have already said at Nato's Ministerial Conference, that the unanimous decisions of ministerial conferences should be applied and that Turkey must be convinced to lift its veto." Asked whether Greece would be willing to modify its position on the issue, Mr. Arsenis said that "it should be made understood to all that this is not a Greek-Turkish issue, but one that concerns NATO and Turkey." Last month Ankara objected to the establishment of NATO headquarters in Greece saying it would only agree to the establishment of a NATO rapid deployment force headquarters in Thessaloniki and the activation of a NATO headquarters in Larissa if three conditions were satisfied: that Greece relinquish its right to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean from six to twelve miles, that the first rotating commander in Thessaloniki be Turkish and that the land and air force headquarters in Larissa be set up simultaneously. Athens said the issue was not a Greek-Turkish dispute but a matter between the Alliance and Turkey. UN continues search for common ground to nudge movement on Cyprus problem ----------------------------------------------------------------- Athens, 16/05/1995 (ANA): Two United Nations envoys arrived in Athens yesterday for talks with the Greek government on efforts to jump-start UN-sponsored negotiations for a settlement to the Cyprus problem. "We are back for some preliminary discussions to see whether there is reason to encourage the two leaders (in Cyprus) to come together for face-to-face talks," UN special envoy for the Cyprus issue Joe Clark said. He made the statement after talks with Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias. He is accompanied by Gustave Feissel, the UN Secretary-General's special representative. Mr. Clark said his talks with Mr. Papoulias had been satisfactory and that there had been interesting developments on the problem since last year. One of them, Mr. Clark said, was the decision by the European Union to start membership talks with Cyprus six months after the 1996 intergovernmental conference. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following the Turkish invasion. In 1983, the island's Turkish Cypriot minority declared an autonomous state in the north. It is recognised only by Turkey which maintains over 35,000 troops there. UN efforts to re-unite the island under a bi-communal, bi-zonal federal system have so far failed. Permanent Security Council members Britain and the United States have recently taken a keen interest in facilitating a solution to the 21-year-old Cyprus problem. Last month, days after Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash was re-elected as "president" of the occupation regime, a US envoy visited the Mediterranean island to convey Washington's desire to re-invigorate UN-led efforts to resolve the Cyprus dispute. The Cyprus News Agency reported that British Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd might bring up the issue with US Secretary of State Warren Christopher during his forthcoming visit to the US. Commenting on US and British efforts, Mr. Clark said: "We have always taken the view that it is very helpful for us to have all the help we can get from our friends. If there are discussions that make clear as to where some agreement may be found between the two leaders, then that is great help to us". The two envoys are scheduled for talks in Ankara today. They will continue to Cyprus for meetings with the island's president Glafcos Clerides and Mr. Denktash. ATHENS NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN (No. 587), May 15, 1995 Claes Athens visit to seeks ways out of impasse brought on by Ankara ----------------------------------------------------------------- Brussels, 15/05/1995 (Reuter): NATO Secretary-General Willy Claes flies this week to Greece and Turkey to mediate in a dispute between the two alliance members and regional rivals that threatens sensitive military operations. The latest row has led to Ankara blocking Nato's entire military budget and forced the grouping to freeze all military projects just as it is in the process of finalising plans for a possible pull-out of UN peacekeeping forces from Bosnia. "Turkey's action is out of proportion. It is hitting at the entire alliance not just Greece," one senior NATO diplomat said. He added that, if the dispute was still unresolved by the end of this month, the alliance would have to shift to some form of emergency financing for previously approved military projects that are worth several hundred million dollars. Greek diplomats said they believed Mr. Claes would carry with him various proposals for a compromise solution, but said they were not encouraged by recent Turkish actions despite Ankara's need to win support after its recent military thrust against Kurdish rebels in Iraq. Disputes between Greece and Turkey have often blocked alliance activity in the eastern Mediterranean, but this time Turkey has chosen to widen the dispute which centres on the financing of NATO facilities in Turkey. The embattled Claes, who has been dragged recently into a murky Belgian defence contract corruption scandal dating from his time as Belgium's defence minister, heads first for Athens tomorrow and then goes to Ankara on the following day. The visit is formally part of a tour that Mr. Claes, who only took office last October, is making of capitals of member states. But it has taken on greater significance since the tension heightened between Athens and Ankara. "This is now a very important visit," a NATO source said. Apart from his personal problems, Mr. Claes has faced an array of crises in the alliance since taking over, from transatlantic squabbling over air strikes in support of UN actions in Bosnia to a row with Moscow over NATO enlargement plans. Diplomats fear failure to resolve the Greece-Turkey row soon could further dent Nato's credibility at a time when its relevance in a post-Cold War world is increasingly questioned. The NATO row coincides with Turkish efforts to encourage European parliamentarians to vote later this year in favour of a lucrative European Union-Turkey customs union. Independent analysts say Turkey's drive against Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq has cost it much support in Europe and the dispute within NATO has further angered its allies. "Turkey just seems to keep doing things which do not help its case," one political analyst said. --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Wed May 24 15:31:03 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 24 May 1995 15:31:03 Subject: Yasar Kemal Yargiladi Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: Yasar Kemal Yargiladi YASAR KEMAL YARGILADI Yasar Kemal'in yargilayan savunmasini oneminden dolayi aynen yayinliyoruz. Sayin Yargiclar, Burada sanildigi gibi oyle klasik bir savunma yapacak degilim. Bir takim yanlislari duzeltmek zorundayim: Sayin Savcinin bu durusmada dayanagi benim yazim degil, Milliyet ve Hurriyet gazetelerinin sozum ona Almanca'dan cevirttikleri, yazimla cok az ilgisi olan ozetleri ya da carpitmalaridir. Der Spiegel dergisinde cikan yazimla Hurriyet ve Milliyet'te cikan yazilari guvendigim bir Almanca uzmanina gonderdim, bu ozetler ya da ceviriler dergideki yaziya benziyor mu, diye. Uzman arkadas, ben dedi isin icinden cikamadim. Butun cumleler baglamindan kopmus. Bir koca paragraf yarim cumleye indirilmis, o da degistirilerek. Bu yazi benim yazim degil dersem hic de yanlis soylemis olmam. Bu yazi Milliyet ve Hurriyetin yazisi. Ben bu yazidan hic bir bicimde yargic karsisina cikarilamazdim. Beni karsiniza Sayin Savci Hurriyet ve Milliyet'in yazimi carpitmasi ve gene Hurriyet ve Milliyet'in gudumlu kalemlerinin bana hucumlari, kiskirtmalari yuzunden getirdi. Kaldi ki, butun cimbizla yazimi ayiklamalarina karsin bu yazilarda suc ogelerine rastlamak kolay degildir. Oyleyse savci, yandasi yargic, beni nasil karsiniza gonderebildiler, iste korkunc olan budur. Bir kere bir yazar bir butundur. Bir makale de bir butundur. Bir yazidan cimbizla parcalar, cumleler cekerek, carpitarak bir yazari boylece suclarsak, yeryuzunde, birakalim yeryuzunu bizim Turkiye'de mahkum edilmeyecek, o da en vicdanli yargiclarca, yazar olamaz. Bir yazari suclamak icin o yazinin butunune bakilir. Benim yazima gelince, o yazininin savunmasi icindedir. Yazimi Hurriyet ve Milliyet gazeteleri gibi beni savunmasiz birakmak icin cimbizla ayiklayip carpitirsaniz belki, carpitan zeki bir adamsa, suc bulabilirsiniz. Savci burada benden yana mi, yani butun olanaklari elinden alinmis, ama yasadigi surece elinden alinmis benden yana mi, yani bir vatandastan yana mi, yoksa ulkede sirtini devlete, hukumete, eski zinde guclere dayamis, bu yuzden de ulkemizde Ali kiran bas kesen gudumlu kalemlerden yana mi? Kimden yana oldugu goruluyor. Savci eger yargi duzenini ciddiye alsaydi, bu isi boyle yapmaz, beni boyle dibi basi yok suclamalarla karsiniza getirmezdi. En azindan Alman dergisindeki yaziyi tarafsiz bir kisiye cevirtir oyle karsiniza gelirdi. Baska bir sey daha yapardi, yazinin Turkcesini benden isterdi. Ondan da gectik, bizde savcinin isinin yanliz suclamak oldugu saniliyor varsin sanilsin, o da bir sey degil, savcinin benim yazimda suc aradigi gunlerde "Dusunce Ozgurlugu ve Turkiye" adli kitap cikti. Bu kitapta 24 yazarin yazisi yer aliyordu. Benim de iki yazim vardi. Bir tanesi Ingiltere'nin en ciddi, etkili dergilerinden biri olan Index'te cikti. Biri de Der Spiegel'de. Bir insan, yargiyi ciddiye alan bir savciysa, su yazinin aslina da bakalim derdi. Sayin savcilar bu kitabi iki saat icinde, yani cikar cikmaz toplattilar. 140 sayifalik bir kitabi bir insan, birkac insan iki saat icinde nasil okur da hemen toplatilabilir, sasilacak isler oluyor bizim memlekette. Isin guzelligine bakin ki, kitap benim iki yazimdan dolayi toplatildi. Iki yazinin da savunmasi icindeydi. Kitaptan dolayi beni sorgulayan savciya dedim ki, bu iki yaziyi birkac saatte okumak, dusunmek arastirmak, suc ogesi bulmak icin bir insanin dahi olmasi gerek. Ya da okumus olmamasi...Savci nicin acele etti, nicin kitabi okuma zahmetinde bulunmadi? Ben bunda bir kasit var saniyorum. Beni yazinin Turkcesinden suclayamazdi da onun icin. Savcinin sana ne kasiti var, diyeceksiniz, onun orasini kimse bilemez. Yalniz savci sunu bilmiyor, ben elli yildir yazarim. Elli yildir da boyle bir yazarim. Turkiye hic bir zaman demokratik bir ulke olmadigi icin, Turkiye hepimiz icin buyuk bir hapishane oldu. Daha kucuk bir hapishane benim icin farketmez. O kucuk hapishanede de Turkiye yonetimi basima daha buyuk isler acmazsa. Gazetelerdeki sozum ona cevirilerden bir kac ornek verecegim. Bir yanlis nereye kadar vardirilmis. Der Spiegel'deki yazinin basligi Milliyet'te 'Yalanlar Seferi", Hurriyet'te "Yalanlar Kampanyasi". Arada daglar kadar kadar fark var. Bir yerde "Vietnam benzetmesi" diye cevirmis gazete. Dogru degil. Ben yazida halk Amerika'yi Vietnam'dan, Sovyetler'i Afganistan'dan kovdu, dedim. Demek istedim ki savasla hic bir yere varilmaz. Yazidan baska bir bolum: Ben diyorum ki "suyu kurutmak baligi tutmak", gazeteler diyor ki, "denizi kurutmak". Diyeceksiniz ki, deniz de su degil mi? Deniz de sudur ama tuzlu sudur. Bir koca general denizin kurutulamayacagini bilmez mi? Bilir. Ama koskocaman bir generalin de sozu carpitilir mi? Bir yanlis daha gosterecegim, daha fazla basinizi agirtmamak icin, burada da kesecegim: "Kuyucu Murat pasalar, butun oteki zalimler, kan iciciler her seyi yaptilar da, iste bir seyi yapamadilar: O da gerillayi, saklanan insanlari, eskiyayi, kacaklari, asker kacaklarini, ormana siginmislari ormanla birlikte yakalim diyerek, ulkelerinin ormanlarini yakmadilar. Iste Turkiye Cumhuriyeti bu sucu, bu bagislanmaz insanlik sucunu isledi." Simdi unlu gazetelerimizin cevirilerine gelelim: "Eski kan emicilerin bir eksigi vardi: Gerillayi, kaybolanlari, haydutlari, asker kacaklarini ve ormanlari yakmamislardi." Aradaki farka bakin. Yargi bu kitabin Turkcelerini toplamasaydi, herkes, butun hukukcular, dunyada ve Turkiye'de bilim adamlari, yazarlar bu yaziyi okuyacaklardi. Ve herkes, bu yazinin neresinde boluculuk ve irkcilik var, diyecekti. Yargi bu kitabi toplatmakla bana ve yazar arkadaslara en buyuk haksizligi yapti. Ne yapalim, gozu donmus bir yonetimde, yargi bile buyuk haksizliklar yapabiliyor. Ormani kalmamis bir ulkede, kurak, kirac Dogu Anadolu'da 10 milyon hektar orman yakmak gunah, hem de suclarin en buyugu degil mi, birkac gerillayi, cobani yakmak icin. Bu devlet buyuk suc isledi. Butun Anadolu'nun ormanlarinin yanmasina sebep oldu ya... Daha biz yasarken gorecegiz, daha bizler sagken bile, salt bu yuzden Anadolu'yu seller, acliklar, yokluklar goturecek. Ben, 1970'lerde orman yuzunden de, sayin Suleyman Demirel'in cikaracagi bir yasa yuzunden yargi karsisina cikarildim ve aklandim. Suleyman Demirel o yikim yasasini cikaramadi ama, ormanlar gene bitti. Ormanlarin yakildigi dogru degil mi? Bundan dolayi devleti suclamaya hakkim yok mu? 1800 faili mechulu butun dunya duymadi, gazeteler yazmadi mi? Turkiye dunyanin en buyuk iskenceci devleti olaraktan ilan edilmedi mi? Halkin ustunde zulum bir agi ruzgari gibi esmedi mi? Halk zulumun artsin ki, cabuk zeval bulasin diye bagirdikca, binlerce koy yakilmadi mi? Ruanda gibi bir aclik, yoksulluk dunyasi yaratilmaya calisilmadi mi? Uc milyon insan yerinden yurdundan edilmedi mi, bati, guney sehirlerini ac, yoksul, acikta, soguk, yagmur altinda, cirilciplak insanlar doldurmadi mi? Biz bu gidisle yuzyilin yuzkarasi olmayacagimizi saniyoruz. Koca bir ulkenin onuru cignenmedi mi? Ulkemizi boyle insanlik disi uygulamalarla insanligin yuzune bakamaz hale getirmedik mi? Baligi tutmak icin suyu kurtmadik mi? Butun bunlar suyu kurutmanin sonucu degil midir? Butun bunlarla birlikte insan haklarini cignemedik mi? Yasadigimiz kanli savas, yirmi milyona yakin bir vatandas kitlesini insan haklarindan yoksun kilmanin sonucu degil mi? Bu topraklarin kulturune, guzelligine, getirdigimiz insanlik degerlerine kiymadik mi? Bu cagda insanliga karsi yaptiklarimiz bagislanacak seyler mi? En basta da ulkemize karsi yaptiklarimizi gelecek kusaklar unutacaklar mi? Bizlerden, cagimizdan utanmayacaklar mi? Sozlerimi "Dusunce Ozgurlugu ve Turkiye" kitabinda cikan yazimin bir parcasiyla bitiriyor, sorulariniz varsa onu bekliyorum. "On yildir suren kanli savas, Turkiye'ye coga mal oldu, daha da mal olacak. Biliyor musunuz, kusaklarimiz, insanlik ne kadar yozlasirsa yozlassin, bu on yilda yapilanlari unutmayacaktir. Bu savasin yuzlerce romani yazilacak, yuzlerce filmi yapilacaktir. Bu savasin agitlari, turkuleri daha simdiden ortaligi sarmaya basladi. Insanlik bagislamiyor, ne kadar bagisliyor gozukse de... Almanya'yi ele alalim, Hitler ve Hitlerciler tarihin en buyuk suclarini islediler. Insanlik daha o yuzden vicdanini aritamadi, belini dogrultamadi, hastalandi. Insanlik eski insanlik degil. Salt ikinci dunya savasindan dolayi insanligin yaraticilik gucu yara aldi. Almanya, oldurulen milyonlarca, Hitler'e karsi koyan isci, kitabi yakilan yazarlar, sanatcilar, bilginler olmasaydi insanligin lanetinden kurtulamazdi. Bugun Alman halki biraz rahatsa, azicik insanligin yuzune bakabiliyorsa Hitler'e canlari pahasina karsi koymus iscileri, aydinlari, bilginleri, sanatcilari yuzundendir. "Hitler'e karsi savasan Thomas Mann, Henrick Mann, Stefan Zweig, Brecht, Erich Maria Remarque ve benzerleri olmasaydi, bugun Almanlar boyle baslari dik insanlik icinde dolasamazlardi. Yine de derinlerde, yureklerinin bir kosesinde bir utanc duygusunu tasimamalarinin olanagi yok." Turkiye'deki demokratlar, yazarlar, bilim adamlari bu kanli, utanc verici, Turkiye'ye yakismayan, ama hic yakismayan bu savasi bitireceklerdir. Bu kanli, kirli savasi bitirmege mecburuz. Benim yazilarim halkimiza birer cagridir. Oncelikle batidaki, dogudaki cocuklari savasta olmus analari cagiriyorum. Bu savas en cok sizin yureginizi yakti. Herkesi cagiriyorum, sayin yargiclar sizleri de bu savasi durdurmak isteyenlere katilmaga cagiriyorum. Bu ulke hepimizindir ve bu ulke insanlik tarihinde cok uzun yasamaga layiktir. Hem de onuruyla yasamaga... Unutmayalim ki, bir ulkenin insanlarinin onuru en azindan topragi kadar kutsaldir. From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 24 19:07:22 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 24 May 1995 19:07:22 Subject: Mainstream news on kurdish struggle Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Mainstream news on kurdish struggle Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 0) id VT5723; Wed, 24 May 1995 18:57:03 -0800 Kurdish rebels raid village ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Kurdish rebels raided a village in southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border Monday, killing three people, the Anatolia news agency said. Eight Kurdish rebels attacked Karafakililar village in the Mediterranean coastal Hatay province and fired at homes, the official Turkish news agency said. Two other villagers were seriously wounded, it said. Turkey has long accused Syria of providing refuge to Kurdish rebels. The leader of the rebels, Abdullah Ocalan, lives in the Syrian city of Laskiye, according to the Turkish intelligence sources. Kurdish rebels have been fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey since 1984. More than 15,000 people, including civilians, soldiers and rebels, have died. Turkish troops boost forces against rebels Kurds TUNCELI, Turkey (Reuter) - Turkish military sources said Monday the number of troops in eastern Tunceli province would be boosted to 45,000 as part of the army's bid to finish off rebel Kurdish guerrillas. The Turkish foreign ministry meanwhile said Ankara would pay cash compensation to civilians whose property was damaged during Turkey's six-week incursion into northern Iraq against the rebels which ended three weeks ago. A 5,000-strong commando brigade was expected to arrive in the mountainious Tunceli province Tuesday, joining 40,000 troops backed by helicopters and tanks, the sources said. Both military and Kurdish rebel sources say about 2,000 guerrillas from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is fighting an 11-year battle for control of Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, operate in Tunceli. The Turkish army started an intensive operation against the PKK in Tunceli last September, but despite frequent promises the military has yet to wipe out the group or find regional commander Semdin Sakik. Turkish troops killed 12 PKK rebels in two separate clashes in southeast Turkey Monday, state-run television said. They killed nine rebels in the Cudi mountains near the Iraqi border and three others around Lice town in Diyarbakir province, it added. The foreign ministry said in a statement "damages of very limited amount" had occurred during the incursion into Kurdish-held northern Iraq and the government had decided "out of humanitarian considerations" to make cash payments to people who lost property or their representatives. The payments would be made Wednesday at the Habur crossing on the Iraq-Turkey border, it said. It did not say how much would be paid or how the damages would be assessed. More than 16,000 people have died since the PKK -- which claims to have some 15,000 guerrillas throughout eastern and southeast Turkey -- took up arms in 1984. Tabe From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 24 19:08:39 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 24 May 1995 19:08:39 Subject: Mainstream news on Kurdish war Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Mainstream news on Kurdish war Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Kurdish chief talks of political solution to war By Haitham Haddadin IN THE BEKAA VALLEY, Lebanon, May 23 (Reuter) - Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan called on Tuesday for a ceasefire in the separatist war with Turkey and said he was ready for peace if Ankara was ready for a political solution. "I am saying if the Turkish state stops operations against us and if they are ready for a political solution, then we are ready for a ceasefire or peace as an organisation," Ocalan, who heads the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), told Reuters in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. "If Ankara continues its campaign against the Kurdish people, the Kurdish people will fight," Ocalan said. "The Turkish state should stop all military destruction against us and be ready for a political solution." He said Ankara's efforts to impose a military solution in the Kurdish conflict could never work. Asked if a 1993 threat he made to wage all-out war on Turkey, including attacks on tourist sites, was still on the PKK agenda, Ocalan replied: "Since the Turkish state declared a whole war against us, we are having a whole war against the Turkish state... We are having a war to hurt the Turkish economy and to let it be known internationally that there is a war in Turkey and that the Turkish state is not a tourist area." Ocalan, with the PKK red banner behind him, said Turkish forces had destroyed all economic potential in Kurdistan. "They even burn horses and homes...not even Kurdish names are allowed in Turkey," said Ocalan, speaking in Turkish. Dismissing Ankara's recent campaign launched with 35,000 troops against his guerrillas in northern Iraq as a failure, Ocalan said he suspected Turkey might repeat the operation. "Our presence in northern Iraq is strong...They (Turkish troops) feel the need to enter northern Iraq to be successful," Ocalan said. "They are preparing a bigger operation. "The PKK presence in northern Iraq became larger as a result of the operation. We established many important strategic places," Ocalan said. "We managed to draw people's attention to us." Turkey declared the northern Iraqi campaign, which ended on May 2, as a complete success, saying 555 PKK fighters and 61 soldiers died. Ocalan said Ankara reversed the actual casualty figures. He put Turkish deaths at 800 against 60 PKK dead. Turkish military sources said on Monday the number of troops in Turkey's eastern Tunceli province would be boosted to 45,000 as part of the army's bid to finish off the Kurdish rebels. Ocalan warned the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraqi Kurdish chief Massoud Barzani against joining Turkish forces in the war against the PKK, saying they would be finished if they did. He said Ankara had offered the KDP control of strategic points along the Turkish-Iraqi border to stop cross-frontier raids by the PKK. "I don't think Barzani will accept," he added. Reuters correspondents were driven from Beirut to a secret PKK location in the Bekaa Valley for the interview with Ocalan, and waited for hours before he showed up with three bodyguards armed with AK-47 assault rifles. Kurdish chief plays cloak & dagger with press By Haitham Haddadin IN THE BEKAA VALLEY, Lebanon, May 23 (Reuter) - Interviews in which guerrilla chief Abdullah Ocalan called on Tuesday for a ceasefire in the Kurds' separatist war with Turkey were to have been held in a Beirut hotel, but reporters knew better. A long-distance caller said the meeting would be in a luxury hostelry, but when reporters met up with the elusive guerrilla leader it was after another cloak-and-dagger trek to eastern Lebanon's Syrian-policed Bekaa Valley -- a haven for Moslem militants and leftist groups during Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war. Times have changed for the husky, coarse-voiced Marxist chief of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) since he was declared persona non grata by Beirut in 1993. Lebanon's Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri no longer wants PKK guerrillas preparing in Lebanon for attacks in Turkey and has vowed that if Ocalan is caught he will be thrown out. Our guide, who identified himself as a PKK supporter, would not disclose the venue but told us at the hotel lobby to drive behind him to a Bekaa town an hour after a 2 p.m. interview deadline had passed. The town he named was another decoy. When we finally arrived at the actual site we waited for two more hours at a modest house before Ocalan, dressed in a khaki shirt, showed up with three bodyguards brandishing AK-47 machineguns. "We are sorry for the inconvenience but this is for security reasons," the soft-spoken guide, who declined to be named, said in broken Arabic. The moustachoied Ocalan, raising his fist in the air often as he spoke, rapped the United States saying it was pressuring Syria and Iran -- where 600,000 and 3.5 million Kurds live respectively -- to stop supporting the PKK. Sitting with the red PKK guerrilla flag behind him, it seemed almost ironic that he spoke in Turkish not Kurdish, a language he says the Turks are trying to ban. He told reporters he was ready for peace if Ankara was ready for a political solution to the separatist campaign that has killed 15,000 people since 1984. Turkey has responded by saying it would not negotiate with terrorists. At New Rouz festivities marking the Kurdish new year, PKK guerrillas usually wave pictures of Ocalan, known to them as "Apo," and chant "Biji Apo, Biji PKK (Long Live Apo, Long Live PKK)." After the interview, the Kurdish guide politely asked our driver to bring the car close to the house so the television crew could put the camera in the boot and not arouse suspicions among Lebanese neighbours. Euro MPs to discuss democracy in Turkey ANKARA, May 23 (Reuter) - A group of leftist European parliamentarians arrived in Ankara on Tuesday to discuss Turkish-European relations, strained by human rights issues and Ankara's recent attacks on rebel Kurds in northern Iraq. Socialist Group leader Pauline Green and Catherine Lalumiere, head of the European Radical Alliance, told Anatolian news agency on their arrival they hoped to meet Prime Minister Tansu Ciller, some ministers and other parliamentarians during their trip. "We will have the opportunity to tell them just how weak relations between the European Parliament, the European Union and Turkey are at the moment," Green said. She said they would be making enquiries about democracy reforms urged by the West, and long-promised by Ankara. Cabinet minister Necmettin Cevheri said last Thursday Turkey had delayed plans to ease a law restricting freedom of expression, part of the reforms, until after local by-elections in June. The European Parliament has warned it will veto a planned customs union between Turkey and the European Union in the autumn unless Turkey improves its human rights and democracy record. Lalumiere said the end on May 2 of Turkey's six-week incursion into northern Iraq was welcome, but merely a factor in what she called the generally "saddening" state of Turkey-Europe ties. Claudia Roth, leader of the Greens group, is also expected to join the trip, which ends on Thursday. From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 24 19:09:41 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 24 May 1995 19:09:41 Subject: TRKNWS-L News Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TRKNWS-L News Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl id VT5737; Wed, 24 May 1995 18:57:11 -0800 * Kurdish Rebels Raid Village * Iraqi Kurds Request Money Kurdish Rebels Raid Village (5/22) ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Kurdish rebels raided a village in southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border Monday, killing three people, the Anatolia news agency said. Eight Kurdish rebels attacked Karafakililar village in the Mediterranean coastal Hatay province and fired at homes, the official Turkish news agency said. Two other villagers were seriously wounded, it said. Turkey has long accused Syria of providing refuge to Kurdish rebels. The leader of the rebels, Abdullah Ocalan, lives in the Syrian city of Laskiye, according to the Turkish intelligence sources. Kurdish rebels have been fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey since 1984. More than 15,000 people, including civilians, soldiers and rebels, have died. Iraqi Kurds Request Money (5/20) ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- An Iraqi Kurdish group asked Turkey for $30 million to set up a security system to keep Turkish Kurdish separatists from filtering across the border, a Turkish newspaper reported Saturday. The Kurdistan Democratic Party has proposed building police stations and watchtowers and positioning some 20,000 guerrillas along the 220-mile-long border, Sabah reported. In exchange for the KDP's cooperation in fighting Turkish Kurdish rebels, Ankara would have to earmark some of the $30 million to rebuild 350 villages, five bridges and 120 miles of road in the area of northern Iraq that the KDP controls, the report said. Some 35,000 Turkish soldiers invaded northern Iraq earlier this spring to wipe out camps Turkish Kurdish rebels used for hit-and-run attacks against Turkey. Most Turkish troops pulled out last month but 5,000 remain to cut off entry routes. The area, patrolled by allied warplanes since the end of the Gulf War, is an autonomous Iraqi Kurdish enclave beyond the reach of Iraq's military. Turkey has been negotiating with Iraqi Kurdish leaders about security arrangements for the border area. There was no immediate reaction from the Turkish government to the reported KDP proposal. Kurdish rebels have been fighting for autonomy in southeastern Turkey since 1984. More than 15,000 people have been killed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- You can read trknws-l from http://www.eecs.nwu.edu/~yusuf/turkey/trknws ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0) From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Thu May 25 14:05:08 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 25 May 1995 14:05:08 Subject: ERNK: "We Will Prevail" Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc%infoweb at mailbox2.ucsd.edu (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: ERNK: "We Will Prevail" National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) Press Release 25 May 25, 1995 We Will Prevail Turkey's largest military foray into South Kurdistan ended with a failure. It was supposed to be the operation of 1995 with the most promising results. Its aim was to finish off the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), something Turkey had planned to do in 1994, but without any hope of success. Neither the plan nor the calculation had any results. It was not surprising that this occupation incursion would result in a total fiasco. The military wing of the PKK, the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK), had advance notice of the impending Turkish invasion and had prepared itself accordingly. A significant resistance was displayed; the Turkish army was routed. This result has given birth to new developments. Voices of dissent and dismay have been expressed both in Turkey and abroad. It has become rather clear that blind force is no panacea for the problem at hand and that to insist on such a course will mean an escalation of the crisis. Again, the most recent Turkish bombardment of South Kurdistan proves this anew. Our forces are well armed and well prepared to counter these attacks. Turkey itself has come to this realization. But it still continues to place large numbers of its soldiers in the border region and now and then undertakes aerial attacks to engage our forces so as to gain more time. The dead end that Turkey finds itself in offers us favourable opportunities. The PKK, taking advantage of optimum conditions, is intent on utilizing these military and political advantages for the resolution of the conflict. One more thing has become clear: The PKK is an unbeatable force in the region. This fact is now also dawning on the Western governments as well. They too are realizing that the policy of blind force in Turkey is harming their own interests. To that end, they are urging Turkey to be open to the idea of a political solution to this conflict. Turkey, by way of a response, has increased its level of atrocities. To dampen the prospects of large-scale uprisings on the part of the people, it has activated its dark forces, the contra- guerrilla, to murder innocent civilians. Seeing that these policies of oppression and massacres are not working, the Turkish Special War Department has begun to establish so-called "strategic villages" in order to control popular resistance. This policy is now in effect in the Botan region where villagers are forced to sign statements stating that they were forced to flee their homes because of PKK pressure. These villagers are then collected in certain centres. The latest news is that the villagers of Suke and Bure were forced to flee their homes and settle in Ertus. The villagers of Libis and those of Jiyanis on the other hand have been collected in Diyari village. The same fate has also met the villages of Sifrezan, Erbis, and Tahta, whose residents have been forced to seek refuge in Bilican. Cukurca town in Hakkari province has also seen an upsurge of new residents. It looks like Botan is setting the precedent for this practice; other regions of Kurdistan will soon follow. This can only be construed as a sign of defeat for the Turkish government. There are plans to station large contingencies of Turkish soldiers in these so-called "strategic villages". This development also connotes a new phase in the war between the forces of the Turkish government and those of the PKK. The Turkish army, losing ground to our guerrilla forces, is avenging its losses on the people. Atrocities and massacres have become the order of the day. These tactics will not bring a solution to the question at hand. On the contrary, they will unite our people and help them to organize better. Turkey needs to stop these acts of barbarity. To do otherwise is to hasten its downfall. If its policy of force has not brought a solution by now then it is not going to help today either. Such policies have an unavoidable answer and that is defeat, nothing else. In an interview with the Reuters news agency on May 23, 1995, the Chairperson of the PKK, Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, again indicated his willingness to end this war. He said: "If the Turkish state stops its operations of annihilating [the Kurds] in favour of a political solution, we are ready for a cease-fire and peace." Our party makes this call for political solution because it feels strong both in the military and the political field. If the Turkish government is not afraid of political solutions then it ought to respond. We feel the need to state one obvious truism about ourselves: No power, above all the Turkish state, ought to make plans to have the PKK subscribe to their brand of "solution". The PKK is the strongest it has ever been. With a policy of total mobilization, it has the power to resist the designs of its adversaries. It is waging a war in the mountains, on the plains, in rural area and urban centres, and even in the prisons. Its guerrilla forces keep attacking the Turkish army on a continual basis. These operations that have the annihilation of the Kurds as their aim and these plans to have the Kurds be collected in strategic hamlets are destined to fail because we have the strength to foil them and prevail. Having said this, we want the public to know, again, that we are ready for a political solution to this conflict. ERNK European Representation ----- 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 Thu May 25 23:21:22 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 25 May 1995 23:21:22 Subject: Mainstream news on the war in Kurdi Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Mainstream news on the war in Kurdistan Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl Turkish newspaper owner assassinated ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Assailants opened fire from a speeding car Tuesday, killing the owner of an Istanbul newspaper that supports the government's stand against the separatist Kurdish insurgency. Police said Bekir Kutmangil, 39, was shot to death as he drove his car to work. His 14-year-old daughter, a passenger in the car, was not injured. Police detained one suspect several hours later and released a composite sketch of a second assailant, state television said, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility. The newspaper, Yeni Gunaydin, has a daily circulation of about 25,000, and backs Turkey's actions to quell the Kurdish insurgency movement. The assassination came two days after Turkish jetfighters reportedly attacked across the border in northern Iraq, killing a Kurdish villager and wounding four. Iraqi Kurdish officials said the attack was staged Sunday in the Batufa region, nine miles from Turkey, apparently to prevent Kurdish rebels from returning to bases near the Turkish border. Turkey staged a six-week operation in northern Iraq with 35,000 soldiers to wipe out camps used for hit-and-run attacks by Kurdish rebels. Turkey withdrew most of the troops last month. Police said the getaway car in Tuesday's assassination was found abandoned on a nearby side street. Kutmangil, married with two children, also owned the Gunaydin FM Radio and two smaller papers. Turkey Car Bombings Injure 4 ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- A car bomb explosion in front of political offices injured three passers-by, one seriously, in suburban Istanbul on Wednesday. In the southeast, where Kurdish rebels have been fighting for autonomy, another car bomb blast injured the son of a local politician, news reports said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for either attack. The bomb in Sefakoy, an Istanbul suburb near the airport, was in a car parked in front of a building housing the district offices of three political parties, the Anatolia news agency said. They are the True Path Party, the government's main coalition party; the Peoples' Republican Party, the junior coalition partner, and the opposition Nationalist Action Party. In the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, the main city in the Kurdish region, the son of the local representative of the Muslim fundamentalist Welfare Party was hurt by the blast there. Several underground organizations are active in major Turkish cities, including the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for autonomy in the southeast since 1984. Turkish troops killed 12 Kurdish guerrillas in three separate clashes Wednesday in the southeastern provinces of Sirnak and Diyarbakir and Van, the regional governor's office said. Car bomb wounds three in Istanbul LONDON, May 24 (Reuter) - A car bomb exploded in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Wednesday, wounding three people who were passing the party offices of the prime minister and her deputy, Turkish television reported. Security officials said the bomb, which they described as powerful, had been planted in a car stolen in the city 15 days ago. The wounded passers-by were taken to hospital. The television, monitored by the British Broadcasting Corporation, said the bomb went off outside a building which housed the district offices of Prime Minister Tansu Ciller's True Path Party and the Republican People's Party of Deputy Prime Minister Hikmet Cetin. Turkey suspends military trade with South Africa By Ercan Ersoy ANKARA, May 24 (Reuter) - Turkey has added South Africa to its "red list" of countries banned from supplying military equipment, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday. "After South Africa's decision to stop arms sales to Turkey, ...no new military equipment will be bought from South Africa and its companies will not be allowed to take part in military tenders," spokesman Nurettin Nurkan told a news briefing. Military officials said Turkey, the world's top recipient of military goods in 1994, had negligible military trade with South Africa. On Tuesday, Pretoria said it was suspending the delivery of certain types of arms to Turkey. A statement from South African embassy in Ankara said the embargo was "in line with similar actions already taken by several other countries." A Turkish diplomat told the English-language Turkish Daily News: "We consider this an outrageous decision and attribute it to the past links with the African National Congress (ANC)." His comment referred to Ankara's conviction that the ANC has tacitly supported the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been waging a separatist struggle in Turkey since 1984. In April, Turkey banned all military purchases from the Netherlands after the creation of a self-proclaimed Kurdish government-in-exile in the Hague. >From 1987-1994, Turkey purchased military goods worth about $22 million, mainly transmission parts for tanks, from its NATO ally the Netherlands. Defence ministry officials said Turkey would still receive two deliveries agreed before -- a naval refuelling system for $1.25 million and computer software worth $2.75 million. The Netherlands was jointly producing Stinger missiles and artillery shells with Turkey's state-run MKE, and military-controlled firms of Aselsan and Roketsan, they said. "No country, including the Netherlands, is irreplaceable in military purchases. The same equipment is being produced in other countries and purchases can be made from the best bidder," said a defence ministry official, who asked for anonymity. He did not say whether the embargo would mean a halt to the joint ventures. In March, Norway banned military exports to Turkey to protest against Turkey's push into north Iraq to destroy PKK bases there. The six-week long incursion ended on May 2. Turkey, the biggest beneficiary of NATO military transfers, has received more than 1,000 tanks including U.S. M-60s and German Leopard-1s, 600 armoured vehicles and 70 artillery pieces, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Fri May 26 17:27:47 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 26 May 1995 17:27:47 Subject: Interview With PKK Leader Abdullah Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: Arm The Spirit Subject: Interview With PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan [From Kurdistan Committee of Canada, kcc at magi.com] Interview With PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan In light of the contradictory reports about the aims and policies of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Washington based writer and former diplomat David Korn recently submitted a list of questions to PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. The following are Mr. Ocalan's preliminary remarks and his responses, translated from Turkish, along with Korn's questions. Ocalan: The international press and media have been manufacturing unfair and grossly distorted views about our party. The USA plays a significant role in promoting these negative views. The chief of the CIA has referred to our party as a foremost international terrorist organization. Such a portrayal of the PKK obviously does not rely on facts but on deliberate distortions. The PKK has no other role but to promote the demands of the Kurds for their own national identity and national rights, as they today face genocide. How can our resistance against this genocide be mistaken for terrorism? The chief of the CIA should understand that we are the victims of terrorism. The Republic of Turkey is a well known perpetrator of genocide and of the destruction of cultures. Korn: The international media continue for the most part to describe the PKK as a separatist organization that seeks independence from Turkey and the establishment of a Marxist- Leninist state. Could you comment on this? Specifically, is independence in fact the goal of the PKK, and is it correct to say that Marxism-Leninism is the PKK's political doctrine? Ocalan: It is a gross blunder to persistently regard our party as a strictly separatist organization that aims to establish an independent state. It is also groundless to compare the PKK to classic Communist parties. The political and ideological perspective of our party are not the same as those of classic Communist parties. Were that the case, we would have disappeared long ago. It is correct to say that our party from the beginning advocated socialism, but it has been built on scientific socialism. We are seeking to develop a socialist model specific to our nation. I believe that Marxist socialism and the parties that embraced it have failed to evaluate Kurdish realities, and thus they provided Turkey with opportunities to deny the existence of the Kurdish people. The PKK and the Kurds have suffered a lot from Marxist socialism and communism. We have a political manifesto that is humanistic in essence and that challenges inequality and injustice, not only among nations but also among cultures, religions, and genders. Our socialism is not the kind within which the rights of individuals disappear in favor of state authority. We are dedicated to a philosophy that is based on democracy and pluralism, not on the power of the state. We favor a synthesis of capitalism and socialism, an economic structure in which individuals will freely develop to their fullest potential. We are against all ideologies that defend absolute authority for the state at the expense of individual freedom. As for the question of separatism, we do not insist on a separate state, on the contrary, we defend a form of government that respects our people's distinct cultural, social, political, and economic rights. These rights can be realized under one state just as they would be under two states. It is inappropriate in today's political reality to conceive of forms of government as either unitary or separatist. We live in an age within which distinct political and social groups come together to form federal states. Belgium is a federal state composed of two distinct national groups. Spain is also an example, and I should also mention the Russian Federation. Considering these realities, it is unrealistic for the PKK to insist on a separate state, but it is also impossible for the PKK to yield to a unitary state structure that is governed by the dictates of exclusiveness, authoritarianism, and of one nation under one state. Evidently under the influence of socialism of Stalin and the fascism of Mussolini and Hitler, Mustafa Kemal developed the Turkish style unitary state. You certainly know that the Turkish state is not democratic. There is no cultural freedom for non-Turkish groups. Turkish democracy is a sham, and it is in reality under the control of the military junta. The Turkish government not only disregards the human rights of the Kurdish people but it also oppresses its own Turkish people. The PKK struggles for democracy against such an anti-democratic government. To refer to our struggle as separatist is to ignore reality. The Kemalist regime has reached a point where either it will survive by reforming itself or it will destroy itself by becoming trapped in the narrow structure of a unitary state. We have often stated that we are ready to participate in any political process that the Turkish government will undertake to make democratic reforms. We hereby explicitly state that we do not insist on a separate state of our own. Should the Turkish side be open for dialogue, we can reach solutions based on the equality and liberty of both peoples within the existing borders. It is nonsense to see our demands as separatist in intention. We want a Spanish or American style of federalism. Korn: In recent years the PKK appears to have won the sympathy of a great many Turkish Kurds, and in some cases their active support. To what do you attribute this? Ocalan: It is due to the fact that the PKK has emerged as an answer, although very limited, to the historical expectations of our people. The support of the Kurdish people is largely based on their keen observation of the collective and individual sacrifices for democracy and national identity that our members have made under the most difficult circumstances. The Kurdish people have been deceived many times in the past by pseudo-leaders. But when they are convinced of the sacrifices of the freedom fighters, they mobilize for them. That is what has happened. With its twenty years of experience with strategies and tactics compatible with social and political realities, the PKK movement has gone beyond the earlier sectarian Kurdish revolts that were limited to traditional alliances of tribes and religious sects and which were suppressed within a few months. Here lies the real reason for the Kurdish people's support for the PKK. The Kurdish people as a whole avoided supporting regional and traditional Kurdish rebellions in the past because they knew that these types of rebellions usually resulted in conditions worse than the status quo. However, because they have witnessed our ability to survive for so long without defeat, they have given their support with incredible enthusiasm. No doubt the people's support is essentially reinforced by the PKK's organizational and propaganda skills, as well as by its military successes and its ability to take appropriate tactical steps consistent with the circumstances and to launch comprehensive peace initiatives. Korn: What response have you received from the Turkish government to your calls for negotiation? Ocalan: Unfortunately, our opponents pretend not to hear our calls. It seems as if we were talking to a wall. I think that there is no other regime in the world which is so inflexible. The Turkish state has never recognized the existence of other peoples or distinct ethnic groups within its territory. It waged wars on those ethnic groups who demanded the same rights as the Turks themselves and, as in the case of the Armenian extermination, served the Turkish goal of maintaining a unitary state. Now the Turkish regime seems to be deaf to any proposals made by us for civilized and democratic solutions to the conflict between us. Indeed, the Turkish government is more resolved than ever to solve the Kurdish question by bloodshed. The Turkish government has no tolerance for the Kurdish question. It has brutally repressed all Kurdish uprisings in the past. Turkish President Demirel has boasted of crushing the twenty-ninth uprising. During his visit to Chile, Demirel vehemently denied the existence of a Kurdish question in Turkey. The Turkish authorities continue to ignore any just solution to this conflict due to the mixed signals and encouragements they receive from NATO countries. All our reform proposals have been turned down by the Turkish government. It rejects formal or informal dialogue even with non-armed Kurdish political organizations. Korn: Even supposing that the Turkish government were to agree to a federal status for the Kurdish minority, how could such an arrangement be made effective given the fact that very large numbers of Kurds now live in Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, and other large cities outside of the southeast? Ocalan: It is true that almost half of the Kurdish population has moved to the metropolitan areas. However, the Kurds still constitute a majority of the population in Kurdistan proper. The presence of such a large Kurdish population in the metropolitan areas is because of the economic inequalities and political repression that our people face. The infrastructure of these cities is far from accommodating such a large migration. A solution such as federalism could reverse this trend of outward migration from Kurdistan. Moreover, the problem of the Kurds who stay outside of Kurdistan can be addressed in a democratic framework. A federal system is necessary for historical, political, and cultural reasons. It is erroneous to suggest that a federal system is not suitable due to the demographic distribution of the Kurds in Turkey. Of course, there are other alternatives, such as autonomy. However, all the possible avenues can only be explored through dialogue and democratic processes. We believe that constitutional reform which will accommodate federalism is the only reasonable way to overcome the present crisis. Korn: Turkish spokesmen claim that last year's Turkish army offensive dealt a serious blow to PKK military capabilities inside Turkey. Could you comment on this claim? Ocalan: Our military strength has been evident in our success during the Turkish military campaign in South Kurdistan this year. Moreover, the Turkish army is still conducting military operations in Dersim and even in the northernmost corner of Kurdistan. Why is there a need for such large scale operations if our military strength was indeed broken? In fact, these are not limited operations but acts of war; operations that depend on the support of F-16s, helicopters, tanks, and heavy artillery are correctly defined as wars. We have faced a middle scale war for years in both South and North Kurdistan. As a result of our past experience and tactical gains, our military strength has improved a great deal. From now on we will be able to conduct better guerrilla warfare in addition to our political initiatives. For the first time, we are in a position to spread our guerrilla campaign all over Kurdistan. In a guerrilla movement, what counts is not the quantity but the quality of units and their levels of training and experience. We already see a substantial improvement in these areas. The latest Turkish operations have proven to be a total disaster for them. While our casualties number around 30, the Turkish army has lost over 900 soldiers. Even though we are unable to obtain a militarily advantaged position, we are far from defeat. We can maintain this situation for many more years. Korn: The governments of Turkey and the United States both consider the PKK a terrorist organization. If, in your view, this is not a correct assessment, what steps would you propose to take to correct it? Ocalan: In my answer to the first question, I have explained who the real terrorists are and how they control entire Kurdish populations with state terrorism. We have not deliberately shed the blood of any innocent individual. However, we have no other choice but to resist, whether by means of armed struggle or diplomacy, the repression of our national identity and rights by the Turkish state. Is this terrorism? If our democratic rights are assured, we will cease armed resistance at once. But the fact is that both the U.S. and Turkish governments do not seem to recognize our democratic national rights. Turkish official ideology still denies the existence of our people in Turkey and manufactures scientific garbage to prove that the Kurds are of Turkish origin, as demonstrated in the recent Turkish attempt to prove that Newroz, our national festival, originated among Turkish tribes in central Asia. Such denial of our existence is the most barbaric form of terrorism. American history is full of examples of anti-colonial resistance against Great Britain. Were your founding fathers terrorists? Unlike your founding fathers who sought freedom from the British crown, our political demands are not solely based on the idea of full separation. On the contrary, we want real democratic national identity and culture and to develop our political and economic institutions. We struggle in Kurdistan not only for the rights of our people but also for the rights of ethnic Armenians, Assyrians, and Suryani-Chaldeans who also face a reign of terror. Yes, we have a problem of terrorism in our country, but it is Turkish state terrorism. Korn: Turkey and others allege that the PKK finances itself through trade in illegal narcotics. Could you comment on this allegation? Ocalan: The Turkish government fabricated this lie in order to cover up its own genocidal crime against our people and to justify military measures against the PKK. Such charges first surfaced right after the military coup of September 1980, which also marked the escalation of military operations against the civilian population of Kurdistan. These charges serve the desire of the Turkish intelligence agency to cover up the sources that finance the contra-guerrilla and death squad activities Kurdistan. The same sources that accused us of assassinating Olaf Palme now attempt to vilify the PKK by spreading baseless rumors of our supposed involvement in the heroin trade. If Turkish intelligence wants, they can close all the drug routes in one day. However, the drug trade serves the Turkish government's aim of preventing at least some Kurdish youth in Europe from joining the national struggle. Likewise, they aim to control Kurdish youth in Kurdistan by encouraging them to join religious organizations like Hizb-i-relami Kurd, which is financed by the Turkish government as an alternative to the PKK. We regard drug trafficking as a serious crime and detrimental to our national goals. Korn: To what extent is the PKK associated with, or does it give aid to, extremist Palestinian groups that conduct terrorist operations against Israel? Ocalan: We had some relations with them in 1980. However, after the Palestine Liberation Organization opened a diplomatic bureau in Ankara in 1982, its representatives gave a cold shoulder to our interest in maintaining the friendship between our two organizations. Since then we have been on our own. As for Israel, we have no hostility towards Israel. Nevertheless we know that the Israeli and Jewish lobbyists have a significant influence on U.S. belligerence towards us. We don't understand Israel's enthusiasm and support for the Turkish genocide of our people. Korn: Is it now, or has it ever been, PKK policy to attack U.S. installations, interests, or personnel in Turkey or elsewhere? Ocalan: Certainly not. Even several Americans who were captured during our operations in Kurdistan were treated with respect and released without harm. Although we have no military or political conflict with the United States, it constantly provokes us by providing Turkey with intelligence, military, and political support against us. Even supposing that the U.S. is against the PKK because of its political position, there are many other moderate Kurdish organizations that the U.S. entirely ignores in favor of Turkish violations of all international treaties regarding human rights. By its support for the Turkish government in this conflict, the United States becomes party to the genocide of the Kurdish people. It is not the forces of darkness, like Turkey, but the forces of democracy and human rights that deserve support. (Translated by AKIN from Serxwebun, April 1995) From kurdeng at aps.nl Fri May 26 23:22:36 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 26 May 1995 23:22:36 Subject: Interview With PKK Leader Abdullah References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Interview With PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ------------------------ Forwarded from : ats at etext.org ------------------------ [From Kurdistan Committee of Canada, kcc at magi.com] Interview With PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan In light of the contradictory reports about the aims and policies of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Washington based writer and former diplomat David Korn recently submitted a list of questions to PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. The following are Mr. Ocalan's preliminary remarks and his responses, translated from Turkish, along with Korn's questions. Ocalan: The international press and media have been manufacturing unfair and grossly distorted views about our party. The USA plays a significant role in promoting these negative views. The chief of the CIA has referred to our party as a foremost international terrorist organization. Such a portrayal of the PKK obviously does not rely on facts but on deliberate distortions. The PKK has no other role but to promote the demands of the Kurds for their own national identity and national rights, as they today face genocide. How can our resistance against this genocide be mistaken for terrorism? The chief of the CIA should understand that we are the victims of terrorism. The Republic of Turkey is a well known perpetrator of genocide and of the destruction of cultures. Korn: The international media continue for the most part to describe the PKK as a separatist organization that seeks independence from Turkey and the establishment of a Marxist- Leninist state. Could you comment on this? Specifically, is independence in fact the goal of the PKK, and is it correct to say that Marxism-Leninism is the PKK's political doctrine? Ocalan: It is a gross blunder to persistently regard our party as a strictly separatist organization that aims to establish an independent state. It is also groundless to compare the PKK to classic Communist parties. The political and ideological perspective of our party are not the same as those of classic Communist parties. Were that the case, we would have disappeared long ago. It is correct to say that our party from the beginning advocated socialism, but it has been built on scientific socialism. We are seeking to develop a socialist model specific to our nation. I believe that Marxist socialism and the parties that embraced it have failed to evaluate Kurdish realities, and thus they provided Turkey with opportunities to deny the existence of the Kurdish people. The PKK and the Kurds have suffered a lot from Marxist socialism and communism. We have a political manifesto that is humanistic in essence and that challenges inequality and injustice, not only among nations but also among cultures, religions, and genders. Our socialism is not the kind within which the rights of individuals disappear in favor of state authority. We are dedicated to a philosophy that is based on democracy and pluralism, not on the power of the state. We favor a synthesis of capitalism and socialism, an economic structure in which individuals will freely develop to their fullest potential. We are against all ideologies that defend absolute authority for the state at the expense of individual freedom. As for the question of separatism, we do not insist on a separate state, on the contrary, we defend a form of government that respects our people's distinct cultural, social, political, and economic rights. These rights can be realized under one state just as they would be under two states. It is inappropriate in today's political reality to conceive of forms of government as either unitary or separatist. We live in an age within which distinct political and social groups come together to form federal states. Belgium is a federal state composed of two distinct national groups. Spain is also an example, and I should also mention the Russian Federation. Considering these realities, it is unrealistic for the PKK to insist on a separate state, but it is also impossible for the PKK to yield to a unitary state structure that is governed by the dictates of exclusiveness, authoritarianism, and of one nation under one state. Evidently under the influence of socialism of Stalin and the fascism of Mussolini and Hitler, Mustafa Kemal developed the Turkish style unitary state. You certainly know that the Turkish state is not democratic. There is no cultural freedom for non-Turkish groups. Turkish democracy is a sham, and it is in reality under the control of the military junta. The Turkish government not only disregards the human rights of the Kurdish people but it also oppresses its own Turkish people. The PKK struggles for democracy against such an anti-democratic government. To refer to our struggle as separatist is to ignore reality. The Kemalist regime has reached a point where either it will survive by reforming itself or it will destroy itself by becoming trapped in the narrow structure of a unitary state. We have often stated that we are ready to participate in any political process that the Turkish government will undertake to make democratic reforms. We hereby explicitly state that we do not insist on a separate state of our own. Should the Turkish side be open for dialogue, we can reach solutions based on the equality and liberty of both peoples within the existing borders. It is nonsense to see our demands as separatist in intention. We want a Spanish or American style of federalism. Korn: In recent years the PKK appears to have won the sympathy of a great many Turkish Kurds, and in some cases their active support. To what do you attribute this? Ocalan: It is due to the fact that the PKK has emerged as an answer, although very limited, to the historical expectations of our people. The support of the Kurdish people is largely based on their keen observation of the collective and individual sacrifices for democracy and national identity that our members have made under the most difficult circumstances. The Kurdish people have been deceived many times in the past by pseudo-leaders. But when they are convinced of the sacrifices of the freedom fighters, they mobilize for them. That is what has happened. With its twenty years of experience with strategies and tactics compatible with social and political realities, the PKK movement has gone beyond the earlier sectarian Kurdish revolts that were limited to traditional alliances of tribes and religious sects and which were suppressed within a few months. Here lies the real reason for the Kurdish people's support for the PKK. The Kurdish people as a whole avoided supporting regional and traditional Kurdish rebellions in the past because they knew that these types of rebellions usually resulted in conditions worse than the status quo. However, because they have witnessed our ability to survive for so long without defeat, they have given their support with incredible enthusiasm. No doubt the people's support is essentially reinforced by the PKK's organizational and propaganda skills, as well as by its military successes and its ability to take appropriate tactical steps consistent with the circumstances and to launch comprehensive peace initiatives. Korn: What response have you received from the Turkish government to your calls for negotiation? Ocalan: Unfortunately, our opponents pretend not to hear our calls. It seems as if we were talking to a wall. I think that there is no other regime in the world which is so inflexible. The Turkish state has never recognized the existence of other peoples or distinct ethnic groups within its territory. It waged wars on those ethnic groups who demanded the same rights as the Turks themselves and, as in the case of the Armenian extermination, served the Turkish goal of maintaining a unitary state. Now the Turkish regime seems to be deaf to any proposals made by us for civilized and democratic solutions to the conflict between us. Indeed, the Turkish government is more resolved than ever to solve the Kurdish question by bloodshed. The Turkish government has no tolerance for the Kurdish question. It has brutally repressed all Kurdish uprisings in the past. Turkish President Demirel has boasted of crushing the twenty-ninth uprising. During his visit to Chile, Demirel vehemently denied the existence of a Kurdish question in Turkey. The Turkish authorities continue to ignore any just solution to this conflict due to the mixed signals and encouragements they receive from NATO countries. All our reform proposals have been turned down by the Turkish government. It rejects formal or informal dialogue even with non-armed Kurdish political organizations. Korn: Even supposing that the Turkish government were to agree to a federal status for the Kurdish minority, how could such an arrangement be made effective given the fact that very large numbers of Kurds now live in Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, and other large cities outside of the southeast? Ocalan: It is true that almost half of the Kurdish population has moved to the metropolitan areas. However, the Kurds still constitute a majority of the population in Kurdistan proper. The presence of such a large Kurdish population in the metropolitan areas is because of the economic inequalities and political repression that our people face. The infrastructure of these cities is far from accommodating such a large migration. A solution such as federalism could reverse this trend of outward migration from Kurdistan. Moreover, the problem of the Kurds who stay outside of Kurdistan can be addressed in a democratic framework. A federal system is necessary for historical, political, and cultural reasons. It is erroneous to suggest that a federal system is not suitable due to the demographic distribution of the Kurds in Turkey. Of course, there are other alternatives, such as autonomy. However, all the possible avenues can only be explored through dialogue and democratic processes. We believe that constitutional reform which will accommodate federalism is the only reasonable way to overcome the present crisis. Korn: Turkish spokesmen claim that last year's Turkish army offensive dealt a serious blow to PKK military capabilities inside Turkey. Could you comment on this claim? Ocalan: Our military strength has been evident in our success during the Turkish military campaign in South Kurdistan this year. Moreover, the Turkish army is still conducting military operations in Dersim and even in the northernmost corner of Kurdistan. Why is there a need for such large scale operations if our military strength was indeed broken? In fact, these are not limited operations but acts of war; operations that depend on the support of F-16s, helicopters, tanks, and heavy artillery are correctly defined as wars. We have faced a middle scale war for years in both South and North Kurdistan. As a result of our past experience and tactical gains, our military strength has improved a great deal. From now on we will be able to conduct better guerrilla warfare in addition to our political initiatives. For the first time, we are in a position to spread our guerrilla campaign all over Kurdistan. In a guerrilla movement, what counts is not the quantity but the quality of units and their levels of training and experience. We already see a substantial improvement in these areas. The latest Turkish operations have proven to be a total disaster for them. While our casualties number around 30, the Turkish army has lost over 900 soldiers. Even though we are unable to obtain a militarily advantaged position, we are far from defeat. We can maintain this situation for many more years. Korn: The governments of Turkey and the United States both consider the PKK a terrorist organization. If, in your view, this is not a correct assessment, what steps would you propose to take to correct it? Ocalan: In my answer to the first question, I have explained who the real terrorists are and how they control entire Kurdish populations with state terrorism. We have not deliberately shed the blood of any innocent individual. However, we have no other choice but to resist, whether by means of armed struggle or diplomacy, the repression of our national identity and rights by the Turkish state. Is this terrorism? If our democratic rights are assured, we will cease armed resistance at once. But the fact is that both the U.S. and Turkish governments do not seem to recognize our democratic national rights. Turkish official ideology still denies the existence of our people in Turkey and manufactures scientific garbage to prove that the Kurds are of Turkish origin, as demonstrated in the recent Turkish attempt to prove that Newroz, our national festival, originated among Turkish tribes in central Asia. Such denial of our existence is the most barbaric form of terrorism. American history is full of examples of anti-colonial resistance against Great Britain. Were your founding fathers terrorists? Unlike your founding fathers who sought freedom from the British crown, our political demands are not solely based on the idea of full separation. On the contrary, we want real democratic national identity and culture and to develop our political and economic institutions. We struggle in Kurdistan not only for the rights of our people but also for the rights of ethnic Armenians, Assyrians, and Suryani-Chaldeans who also face a reign of terror. Yes, we have a problem of terrorism in our country, but it is Turkish state terrorism. Korn: Turkey and others allege that the PKK finances itself through trade in illegal narcotics. Could you comment on this allegation? Ocalan: The Turkish government fabricated this lie in order to cover up its own genocidal crime against our people and to justify military measures against the PKK. Such charges first surfaced right after the military coup of September 1980, which also marked the escalation of military operations against the civilian population of Kurdistan. These charges serve the desire of the Turkish intelligence agency to cover up the sources that finance the contra-guerrilla and death squad activities Kurdistan. The same sources that accused us of assassinating Olaf Palme now attempt to vilify the PKK by spreading baseless rumors of our supposed involvement in the heroin trade. If Turkish intelligence wants, they can close all the drug routes in one day. However, the drug trade serves the Turkish government's aim of preventing at least some Kurdish youth in Europe from joining the national struggle. Likewise, they aim to control Kurdish youth in Kurdistan by encouraging them to join religious organizations like Hizb-i-relami Kurd, which is financed by the Turkish government as an alternative to the PKK. We regard drug trafficking as a serious crime and detrimental to our national goals. Korn: To what extent is the PKK associated with, or does it give aid to, extremist Palestinian groups that conduct terrorist operations against Israel? Ocalan: We had some relations with them in 1980. However, after the Palestine Liberation Organization opened a diplomatic bureau in Ankara in 1982, its representatives gave a cold shoulder to our interest in maintaining the friendship between our two organizations. Since then we have been on our own. As for Israel, we have no hostility towards Israel. Nevertheless we know that the Israeli and Jewish lobbyists have a significant influence on U.S. belligerence towards us. We don't understand Israel's enthusiasm and support for the Turkish genocide of our people. Korn: Is it now, or has it ever been, PKK policy to attack U.S. installations, interests, or personnel in Turkey or elsewhere? Ocalan: Certainly not. Even several Americans who were captured during our operations in Kurdistan were treated with respect and released without harm. Although we have no military or political conflict with the United States, it constantly provokes us by providing Turkey with intelligence, military, and political support against us. Even supposing that the U.S. is against the PKK because of its political position, there are many other moderate Kurdish organizations that the U.S. entirely ignores in favor of Turkish violations of all international treaties regarding human rights. By its support for the Turkish government in this conflict, the United States becomes party to the genocide of the Kurdish people. It is not the forces of darkness, like Turkey, but the forces of democracy and human rights that deserve support. (Translated by AKIN from Serxwebun, April 1995) From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat May 27 07:05:25 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 27 May 1995 07:05:25 Subject: Turk court confiscates daily fo Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: Turk court confiscates daily for rebel interview Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl VT6179; Sat, 27 May 1995 05:23:16 -0800 -------------- Forwarded from : nytmx at mit.xs4all.nl (NY Transfer) -------------- Turk court confiscates daily for rebel interview ANKARA, May 24 (Reuter) - A Turkish court ordered a pro-Kurdish newspaper confiscated Wednesday for carrying a widely-published interview with a rebel Kurd leader, an editor at the daily Yeni Politika said. ``An Istanbul prosecutor ordered Yeni Politika confiscated after we published a Reuter interview with (Kurdistan Workers Party leader) Abdullah Ocalan in provincial editions,'' a Yeni Politika editor, who declined to be identified, told Reuters. The interview, given to Reuters in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, was carried by other major Turkish newspapers and the state-controlled Anatolian news agency. An Istanbul state security court prosecutor, who issued the confiscation order, said the article was ``separatist propaganda'' and therefore banned, the editor said. More than 16,000 people have been killed in Turkey since the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) took up arms in 1984 to fight for control of the southeast. Yeni Politika said 9,875 copies -- a third of those published -- were confiscated. Later city editions appeared with the front-page story censored, with only the headline and first paragraph printed, it said. The European Parliament has said it will veto a customs union between Turkey and the European Union unless Turkey improves its human rights and democracy record. Reut16:52 05-24-95 Reuter N:Copyright 1995, Reuters News Service From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat May 27 07:05:28 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 27 May 1995 07:05:28 Subject: Turkish troops boost forces aga Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: Turkish troops boost forces against rebels Kurds Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl id VT6122; Sat, 27 May 1995 05:21:01 -0800 -------------- Forwarded from : nytmx at mit.xs4all.nl (NY Transfer) -------------- Turkish troops boost forces against rebels Kurds TUNCELI, Turkey, May 22 (Reuter) - Turkish military sources said on Monday the number of troops in eastern Tunceli province would be boosted to 45,000 as part of the army's bid to finish off rebel Kurdish guerrillas. The Turkish foreign ministry said Ankara would pay cash compensation to civilians whose property was damaged during Turkey's six-week incursion into northern Iraq against the rebels which ended three weeks ago. A 5,000-strong commando brigade was expected to arrive in the mountainious Tunceli province on Tuesday, joining 40,000 troops backed by helicopters and tanks, the sources said. Both military and Kurdish rebel sources say about 2,000 guerrillas from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is fighting an 11-year battle for control of Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, operate in Tunceli. The Turkish army started an intensive operation against the PKK in Tunceli last September, but despite frequent promises the military has yet to wipe out the group or find regional commander Semdin Sakik. Turkish troops killed 12 PKK rebels in two separate clashes in southeast Turkey on Monday, state-run television said. They killed nine rebels in the Cudi mountains near the Iraqi border and three others around Lice town in Diyarbakir province, it added. The foreign ministry said in a statement ``damages of very limited amount'' had occurred during the incursion into Kurdish-held northern Iraq and the government had decided ``out of humanitarian considerations'' to make cash payments to people who lost property or their representatives. The payments would be made on Wednesday at the Habur crossing on the Iraq-Turkey border, it said. It did not say how much would be paid or how the damages would be assessed. More than 16,000 people have died since the PKK -- which claims to have some 15,000 guerrillas throughout eastern and southeast Turkey -- took up arms in 1984. Reut13:51 05-22-95 Reuter N:Copyright 1995, Reuters News Service From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat May 27 07:06:07 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 27 May 1995 07:06:07 Subject: FYI: newsflash: Kurdistani Fami Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: FYI: newsflash: Kurdistani Families Gran Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl at, 27 May 1995 05:23:21 -0800 ----------- Forwarded from : Zaken Mordechai ------------ ===================================================================== Israel Information Service Gopher Information Division Israel Foreign Ministry - Jerusalem Mail all Queries to ask at israel-info.gov.il ===================================================================== Jerusalem, 17 May 1995 KURDISTANI FAMILIES GRANTED TOURIST VISAS (Communicated by Interior Ministry Spokeswoman) The Interior Ministry has decided to grant tourist status, until the end of the year, to eight Kurdistani families who recently immigrated to Israel using false identities. Upon arriving in Israel, the families received immigrant status and the children were granted permanent residency, after they were falsely identified as relatives of Jewish families living in the country. After the Interior Ministry learned that the families were using borrowed identities, a hearing was convened, during which the families admitted their deceit. As a result, the Interior Ministry decided to revoke their immigrant status and to give them temporary documents. This week, taking the human dimension of the situation into consideration, the Interior Ministry decided to grant the heads of the families tourist status with a work permit, and the rest of the family members tourist status, until the end of the year. Throughout all stages of the affair, the Interior Minister never issued expulsion orders against the families. The Ministry has also recommended to the families that they search for another country that would be prepared to accept them by the end of the year. From kurdeng at aps.nl Sat May 27 07:07:04 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 27 May 1995 07:07:04 Subject: FYI: newsflash: Kurdistani Fami References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: FYI: newsflash: Kurdistani Families Gran Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 31 09:24:03 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 31 May 1995 09:24:03 Subject: TRT charged for Genocide! (German) Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: TRT charged for Genocide! (German) Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl -0800 - Strafanzeige gegen tuerkischen Fernsehsender im deutschen KabelDie Medienagentur fuer Menschenrechte hat Strafanzeige gegen dentuerkischen Fernsehsender TRTINT erstattet. Die Menschenrechtler werfendem Sender Volksverhetzung und Beihilfe zum Voelkermord vor. TRTINT istein Auslandsprogramm des tuerkischen Staatsfernsehens, das in Deutschlandins Kabel eingespeist wird. Im April hat der Sender zu Spenden fuer dentuerkischen Feldzug gegen die Kurden im Nordirak aufgerufen. From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Wed May 31 13:03:31 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 31 May 1995 13:03:31 Subject: ERNK - May 27, 1995 Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: ERNK - May 27, 1995 National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) Press Release 26 May 27, 1995 PKK Chair Again Declares His Willingness For Cease-Fire And Peace PKK Chair Abdullah Ocalan has made another call for peace. In an interview with the Reuters news agency on May 23, 1995, he made the following statement: "If the Turkish state stops its operations against us and is willing to resolve this conflict through political dialogue, we are ready to declare a cease-fire and opt for peace." This is an unequivocally clear message. We are the side seeking peace. It is a political solution that we seek. On March 17, 1993, the Chair of our party, Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, declared an unconditional cease-fire to pave the way for a political solution to this question. Lest the other side did not have enough time to respond in the affirmative, the deadline for the cease-fire was extended. Again on March 12, 1994, an offer for a peaceful resolution of this conflict was made at the International Conference on North-West Kurdistan in Brussels, Belgium. Another call for peace was made through a letter sent to the members of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) on November 14, 1994. To our messages of peace, the Turkish state has responded with military violence. This policy has brought no solutions, rather it has only escalated the crisis. This was the upshot of the Turkish military occupation of South Kurdistan. While the world, in unison, has condemned this Turkish policy and belligerency, the so-called message of support coming from Washington is quite peculiar. As the Kurdish side, we believe and insist on a political solution of this conflict and we assert that only this engagement can bring peace and prosperity to both Kurds and Turks. To that end, we keep repeating our calls for a peaceful resolution of this conflict. Those who value peace should not support Turkey in its policy of belligerency. It ought not to be forgotten that this blind faith in the policy of violence is a denial of the principle of peoples rights to self-determination. In this lies the source of instability and the threat of perpetual war in the Middle East. The Turkish state is aiming at subduing us by way of military force with the hope of exterminating the Kurdish people. So long as these policies continue, we will use out right to defend ourselves with no reservations. ERNK European Representation ----- 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 Wed May 31 23:24:58 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 31 May 1995 23:24:58 Subject: ERNK - May 27, 1995 References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: ERNK - May 27, 1995 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ) id VT6516; Wed, 31 May 1995 21:53:52 -0800 ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) Press Release 26 May 27, 1995 PKK Chair Again Declares His Willingness For Cease-Fire And Peace PKK Chair Abdullah Ocalan has made another call for peace. In an interview with the Reuters news agency on May 23, 1995, he made the following statement: "If the Turkish state stops its operations against us and is willing to resolve this conflict through political dialogue, we are ready to declare a cease-fire and opt for peace." This is an unequivocally clear message. We are the side seeking peace. It is a political solution that we seek. On March 17, 1993, the Chair of our party, Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, declared an unconditional cease-fire to pave the way for a political solution to this question. Lest the other side did not have enough time to respond in the affirmative, the deadline for the cease-fire was extended. Again on March 12, 1994, an offer for a peaceful resolution of this conflict was made at the International Conference on North-West Kurdistan in Brussels, Belgium. Another call for peace was made through a letter sent to the members of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) on November 14, 1994. To our messages of peace, the Turkish state has responded with military violence. This policy has brought no solutions, rather it has only escalated the crisis. This was the upshot of the Turkish military occupation of South Kurdistan. While the world, in unison, has condemned this Turkish policy and belligerency, the so-called message of support coming from Washington is quite peculiar. As the Kurdish side, we believe and insist on a political solution of this conflict and we assert that only this engagement can bring peace and prosperity to both Kurds and Turks. To that end, we keep repeating our calls for a peaceful resolution of this conflict. Those who value peace should not support Turkey in its policy of belligerency. It ought not to be forgotten that this blind faith in the policy of violence is a denial of the principle of peoples rights to self-determination. In this lies the source of instability and the threat of perpetual war in the Middle East. The Turkish state is aiming at subduing us by way of military force with the hope of exterminating the Kurdish people. So long as these policies continue, we will use out right to defend ourselves with no reservations. ERNK European Representation ----- 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 kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Wed May 31 13:05:24 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 31 May 1995 13:05:24 Subject: ERNK- May 28, 1995 Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: ERNK- May 28, 1995 National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) Press Release 27 May 28, 1995 The Massacre In Igdir Was The Work Of The Turkish Government The Turkish death squads, the contra-guerrilla, have struck again, this time in Ozdemir village in Igdir on May 25, 1995. As a result of this attack, four children and their mother have lost their lives. The dead are Cuneyt Aras (3), Ferdi Aras (5), Ergun Aras (8), Pinar Aras (12), and Birgul Aras, their mother. The victims were all gunned down by automatic weapons fire. Our findings reveal that the villagers of Ozdemir had refused to become village guards. As a result, the Turkish death squads targeted the Aras family, not only to teach a lesson and to punish those who refused to cooperate, but also to set an example for other Kurds who might have contemplated doing the same. The Turkish media portrayed this massacre as a deed of Kurdish fighters, members of the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK). This is a ploy to hide the real culprits, the members of the Turkish death squads. When one considers the recent developments that are taking place in Kurdistan and in the world, one cannot help but reach the conclusion that this was a well-planned and well-executed incident designed to serve a specific need. The Turkish media, which is a special wing of the Turkish war government, has covered this event in detail, blaming PKK fighters for the deed. The act comes at a time when the Turkish government finds itself at a dead-end both politically and militarily. There is one other thing that seems to have baffled the Turkish side, and that is the call for peace which was made by Mr. Ocalan, Chair of the PKK, to the Reuters news agency on May 23, 1995. It was a message that resonated well with the international community. By means of this barbaric act, the Turkish government wants to deflect attention away from the message of peace. It basically wants to say that the PKK is not interested in peace and that it is engaged in the act of killing civilians and other acts of terror, notwithstanding its call for a political solution. All this is done to mislead the public and foreign dignitaries, among whom a delegation of European Parliament MPs who were and still are conducting missions to Turkey. Again, we are urging the public not to be mislead by these dark deeds of the Turkish military circles. We expect the acts of provocation will continue and that more massacres are in the making. The Special War Department of the Turkish government wants to derail the goodwill step that the PKK leadership has taken relative to the war. It fears, rightly so, that public opinion is in favor of peace. We want you to see these facts. We await your condemnation of this act. Ali Sapan, ERNK European Spokesperson ----- 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 Wed May 31 17:15:44 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 31 May 1995 17:15:44 Subject: ERNK- May 28, 1995 References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: ERNK- May 28, 1995 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl 20) id VT6420; Wed, 31 May 1995 16:38:12 -0800 ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK) Press Release 27 May 28, 1995 The Massacre In Igdir Was The Work Of The Turkish Government The Turkish death squads, the contra-guerrilla, have struck again, this time in Ozdemir village in Igdir on May 25, 1995. As a result of this attack, four children and their mother have lost their lives. The dead are Cuneyt Aras (3), Ferdi Aras (5), Ergun Aras (8), Pinar Aras (12), and Birgul Aras, their mother. The victims were all gunned down by automatic weapons fire. Our findings reveal that the villagers of Ozdemir had refused to become village guards. As a result, the Turkish death squads targeted the Aras family, not only to teach a lesson and to punish those who refused to cooperate, but also to set an example for other Kurds who might have contemplated doing the same. The Turkish media portrayed this massacre as a deed of Kurdish fighters, members of the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK). This is a ploy to hide the real culprits, the members of the Turkish death squads. When one considers the recent developments that are taking place in Kurdistan and in the world, one cannot help but reach the conclusion that this was a well-planned and well-executed incident designed to serve a specific need. The Turkish media, which is a special wing of the Turkish war government, has covered this event in detail, blaming PKK fighters for the deed. The act comes at a time when the Turkish government finds itself at a dead-end both politically and militarily. There is one other thing that seems to have baffled the Turkish side, and that is the call for peace which was made by Mr. Ocalan, Chair of the PKK, to the Reuters news agency on May 23, 1995. It was a message that resonated well with the international community. By means of this barbaric act, the Turkish government wants to deflect attention away from the message of peace. It basically wants to say that the PKK is not interested in peace and that it is engaged in the act of killing civilians and other acts of terror, notwithstanding its call for a political solution. All this is done to mislead the public and foreign dignitaries, among whom a delegation of European Parliament MPs who were and still are conducting missions to Turkey. Again, we are urging the public not to be mislead by these dark deeds of the Turkish military circles. We expect the acts of provocation will continue and that more massacres are in the making. The Special War Department of the Turkish government wants to derail the goodwill step that the PKK leadership has taken relative to the war. It fears, rightly so, that public opinion is in favor of peace. We want you to see these facts. We await your condemnation of this act. Ali Sapan, ERNK European Spokesperson ----- 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 Wed May 31 13:06:26 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 31 May 1995 13:06:26 Subject: Kurdish News #17 - June 1995 Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: Kurdish News #17 - June 1995 Kurdish News A Monthly Publication Of The Kurdistan Committee Of Canada Number 17 - June 1995 Index: 1) Interview With PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan 2) Free Kani Yilmaz! 3) Statement To The Public 4) We Will Prevail 5) The International Solidarity Movement Will Not Be Intimidated 6) Turkish Writer Goes On Trial 7) Turkey's War Of Words - By Yashar Kemal 8) MED-TV: Kurdish Television From Britain 9) Yeni Politika News Briefs 10) PKK Leader Ready For Peace 1) Interview With PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan In light of the contradictory reports about the aims and policies of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Washington based writer and former diplomat David Korn recently submitted a list of questions to PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. The following are Mr. Ocalan's preliminary remarks and his responses, translated from Turkish, along with Korn's questions. Ocalan: The international press and media have been manufacturing unfair and grossly distorted views about our party. The USA plays a significant role in promoting these negative views. The chief of the CIA has referred to our party as a foremost international terrorist organization. Such a portrayal of the PKK obviously does not rely on facts but on deliberate distortions. The PKK has no other role but to promote the demands of the Kurds for their own national identity and national rights, as they today face genocide. How can our resistance against this genocide be mistaken for terrorism? The chief of the CIA should understand that we are the victims of terrorism. The Republic of Turkey is a well known perpetrator of genocide and of the destruction of cultures. Korn: The international media continue for the most part to describe the PKK as a separatist organization that seeks independence from Turkey and the establishment of a Marxist-Leninist state. Could you comment on this? Specifically, is independence in fact the goal of the PKK, and is it correct to say that Marxism-Leninism is the PKK's political doctrine? Ocalan: It is a gross blunder to persistently regard our party as a strictly separatist organization that aims to establish an independent state. It is also groundless to compare the PKK to classic Communist parties. The political and ideological perspective of our party are not the same as those of classic Communist parties. Were that the case, we would have disappeared long ago. It is correct to say that our party from the beginning advocated socialism, but it has been built on scientific socialism. We are seeking to develop a socialist model specific to our nation. I believe that Marxist socialism and the parties that embraced it have failed to evaluate Kurdish realities, and thus they provided Turkey with opportunities to deny the existence of the Kurdish people. The PKK and the Kurds have suffered a lot from Marxist socialism and communism. We have a political manifesto that is humanistic in essence and that challenges inequality and injustice, not only among nations but also among cultures, religions, and genders. Our socialism is not the kind within which the rights of individuals disappear in favor of state authority. We are dedicated to a philosophy that is based on democracy and pluralism, not on the power of the state. We favor a synthesis of capitalism and socialism, an economic structure in which individuals will freely develop to their fullest potential. We are against all ideologies that defend absolute authority for the state at the expense of individual freedom. As for the question of separatism, we do not insist on a separate state, on the contrary, we defend a form of government that respects our people's distinct cultural, social, political, and economic rights. These rights can be realized under one state just as they would be under two states. It is inappropriate in today's political reality to conceive of forms of government as either unitary or separatist. We live in an age within which distinct political and social groups come together to form federal states. Belgium is a federal state composed of two distinct national groups. Spain is also an example, and I should also mention the Russian Federation. Considering these realities, it is unrealistic for the PKK to insist on a separate state, but it is also impossible for the PKK to yield to a unitary state structure that is governed by the dictates of exclusiveness, authoritarianism, and of one nation under one state. Evidently under the influence of socialism of Stalin and the fascism of Mussolini and Hitler, Mustafa Kemal developed the Turkish style unitary state. You certainly know that the Turkish state is not democratic. There is no cultural freedom for non-Turkish groups. Turkish democracy is a sham, and it is in reality under the control of the military junta. The Turkish government not only disregards the human rights of the Kurdish people but it also oppresses its own Turkish people. The PKK struggles for democracy against such an anti-democratic government. To refer to our struggle as separatist is to ignore reality. The Kemalist regime has reached a point where either it will survive by reforming itself or it will destroy itself by becoming trapped in the narrow structure of a unitary state. We have often stated that we are ready to participate in any political process that the Turkish government will undertake to make democratic reforms. We hereby explicitly state that we do not insist on a separate state of our own. Should the Turkish side be open for dialogue, we can reach solutions based on the equality and liberty of both peoples within the existing borders. It is nonsense to see our demands as separatist in intention. We want a Spanish or American style of federalism. Korn: In recent years the PKK appears to have won the sympathy of a great many Turkish Kurds, and in some cases their active support. To what do you attribute this? Ocalan: It is due to the fact that the PKK has emerged as an answer, although very limited, to the historical expectations of our people. The support of the Kurdish people is largely based on their keen observation of the collective and individual sacrifices for democracy and national identity that our members have made under the most difficult circumstances. The Kurdish people have been deceived many times in the past by pseudo-leaders. But when they are convinced of the sacrifices of the freedom fighters, they mobilize for them. That is what has happened. With its twenty years of experience with strategies and tactics compatible with social and political realities, the PKK movement has gone beyond the earlier sectarian Kurdish revolts that were limited to traditional alliances of tribes and religious sects and which were suppressed within a few months. Here lies the real reason for the Kurdish people's support for the PKK. The Kurdish people as a whole avoided supporting regional and traditional Kurdish rebellions in the past because they knew that these types of rebellions usually resulted in conditions worse than the status quo. However, because they have witnessed our ability to survive for so long without defeat, they have given their support with incredible enthusiasm. No doubt the people's support is essentially reinforced by the PKK's organizational and propaganda skills, as well as by its military successes and its ability to take appropriate tactical steps consistent with the circumstances and to launch comprehensive peace initiatives. Korn: What response have you received from the Turkish government to your calls for negotiation? Ocalan: Unfortunately, our opponents pretend not to hear our calls. It seems as if we were talking to a wall. I think that there is no other regime in the world which is so inflexible. The Turkish state has never recognized the existence of other peoples or distinct ethnic groups within its territory. It waged wars on those ethnic groups who demanded the same rights as the Turks themselves and, as in the case of the Armenian extermination, served the Turkish goal of maintaining a unitary state. Now the Turkish regime seems to be deaf to any proposals made by us for civilized and democratic solutions to the conflict between us. Indeed, the Turkish government is more resolved than ever to solve the Kurdish question by bloodshed. The Turkish government has no tolerance for the Kurdish question. It has brutally repressed all Kurdish uprisings in the past. Turkish President Demirel has boasted of crushing the twenty-ninth uprising. During his visit to Chile, Demirel vehemently denied the existence of a Kurdish question in Turkey. The Turkish authorities continue to ignore any just solution to this conflict due to the mixed signals and encouragements they receive from NATO countries. All our reform proposals have been turned down by the Turkish government. It rejects formal or informal dialogue even with non-armed Kurdish political organizations. Korn: Even supposing that the Turkish government were to agree to a federal status for the Kurdish minority, how could such an arrangement be made effective given the fact that very large numbers of Kurds now live in Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, and other large cities outside of the southeast? Ocalan: It is true that almost half of the Kurdish population has moved to the metropolitan areas. However, the Kurds still constitute a majority of the population in Kurdistan proper. The presence of such a large Kurdish population in the metropolitan areas is because of the economic inequalities and political repression that our people face. The infrastructure of these cities is far from accommodating such a large migration. A solution such as federalism could reverse this trend of outward migration from Kurdistan. Moreover, the problem of the Kurds who stay outside of Kurdistan can be addressed in a democratic framework. A federal system is necessary for historical, political, and cultural reasons. It is erroneous to suggest that a federal system is not suitable due to the demographic distribution of the Kurds in Turkey. Of course, there are other alternatives, such as autonomy. However, all the possible avenues can only be explored through dialogue and democratic processes. We believe that constitutional reform which will accommodate federalism is the only reasonable way to overcome the present crisis. Korn: Turkish spokesmen claim that last year's Turkish army offensive dealt a serious blow to PKK military capabilities inside Turkey. Could you comment on this claim? Ocalan: Our military strength has been evident in our success during the Turkish military campaign in South Kurdistan this year. Moreover, the Turkish army is still conducting military operations in Dersim and even in the northernmost corner of Kurdistan. Why is there a need for such large scale operations if our military strength was indeed broken? In fact, these are not limited operations but acts of war; operations that depend on the support of F-16s, helicopters, tanks, and heavy artillery are correctly defined as wars. We have faced a middle scale war for years in both South and North Kurdistan. As a result of our past experience and tactical gains, our military strength has improved a great deal. From now on we will be able to conduct better guerrilla warfare in addition to our political initiatives. For the first time, we are in a position to spread our guerrilla campaign all over Kurdistan. In a guerrilla movement, what counts is not the quantity but the quality of units and their levels of training and experience. We already see a substantial improvement in these areas. The latest Turkish operations have proven to be a total disaster for them. While our casualties number around 30, the Turkish army has lost over 900 soldiers. Even though we are unable to obtain a militarily advantaged position, we are far from defeat. We can maintain this situation for many more years. Korn: The governments of Turkey and the United States both consider the PKK a terrorist organization. If, in your view, this is not a correct assessment, what steps would you propose to take to correct it? Ocalan: In my answer to the first question, I have explained who the real terrorists are and how they control entire Kurdish populations with state terrorism. We have not deliberately shed the blood of any innocent individual. However, we have no other choice but to resist, whether by means of armed struggle or diplomacy, the repression of our national identity and rights by the Turkish state. Is this terrorism? If our democratic rights are assured, we will cease armed resistance at once. But the fact is that both the U.S. and Turkish governments do not seem to recognize our democratic national rights. Turkish official ideology still denies the existence of our people in Turkey and manufactures scientific garbage to prove that the Kurds are of Turkish origin, as demonstrated in the recent Turkish attempt to prove that Newroz, our national festival, originated among Turkish tribes in central Asia. Such denial of our existence is the most barbaric form of terrorism. American history is full of examples of anti-colonial resistance against Great Britain. Were your founding fathers terrorists? Unlike your founding fathers who sought freedom from the British crown, our political demands are not solely based on the idea of full separation. On the contrary, we want real democratic national identity and culture and to develop our political and economic institutions. We struggle in Kurdistan not only for the rights of our people but also for the rights of ethnic Armenians, Assyrians, and Suryani- Chaldeans who also face a reign of terror. Yes, we have a problem of terrorism in our country, but it is Turkish state terrorism. Korn: Turkey and others allege that the PKK finances itself through trade in illegal narcotics. Could you comment on this allegation? Ocalan: The Turkish government fabricated this lie in order to cover up its own genocidal crime against our people and to justify military measures against the PKK. Such charges first surfaced right after the military coup of September 1980, which also marked the escalation of military operations against the civilian population of Kurdistan. These charges serve the desire of the Turkish intelligence agency to cover up the sources that finance the contra-guerrilla and death squad activities Kurdistan. The same sources that accused us of assassinating Olaf Palme now attempt to vilify the PKK by spreading baseless rumors of our supposed involvement in the heroin trade. If Turkish intelligence wants, they can close all the drug routes in one day. However, the drug trade serves the Turkish government's aim of preventing at least some Kurdish youth in Europe from joining the national struggle. Likewise, they aim to control Kurdish youth in Kurdistan by encouraging them to join religious organizations like Hizb-i-relami Kurd, which is financed by the Turkish government as an alternative to the PKK. We regard drug trafficking as a serious crime and detrimental to our national goals. Korn: To what extent is the PKK associated with, or does it give aid to, extremist Palestinian groups that conduct terrorist operations against Israel? Ocalan: We had some relations with them in 1980. However, after the Palestine Liberation Organization opened a diplomatic bureau in Ankara in 1982, its representatives gave a cold shoulder to our interest in maintaining the friendship between our two organizations. Since then we have been on our own. As for Israel, we have no hostility towards Israel. Nevertheless we know that the Israeli and Jewish lobbyists have a significant influence on U.S. belligerence towards us. We don't understand Israel's enthusiasm and support for the Turkish genocide of our people. Korn: Is it now, or has it ever been, PKK policy to attack U.S. installations, interests, or personnel in Turkey or elsewhere? Ocalan: Certainly not. Even several Americans who were captured during our operations in Kurdistan were treated with respect and released without harm. Although we have no military or political conflict with the United States, it constantly provokes us by providing Turkey with intelligence, military, and political support against us. Even supposing that the U.S. is against the PKK because of its political position, there are many other moderate Kurdish organizations that the U.S. entirely ignores in favor of Turkish violations of all international treaties regarding human rights. By its support for the Turkish government in this conflict, the United States becomes party to the genocide of the Kurdish people. It is not the forces of darkness, like Turkey, but the forces of democracy and human rights that deserve support. (Translated by AKIN from Serxwebun, April 1995.) 2) Free Kani Yilmaz! In October 1994, Kani Yilmaz, the European Representative of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was arrested on the most flimsy charges. It is difficult to comprehend the actions of the British authorities in this matter. There are political reasons behind the long duration of his detention. Great Britain isn't even afraid to break its own laws to do this. The arrest of Kani Yilmaz was a refined attack against the Kurdish movement. His extradition to Germany is part of this scenario. The recent wave of arrests against Kurdish politicians have also been carried out for dubious reasons. Great Britain cannot hide behind its argument that Kani Yilmaz is simply being deported to Germany. After his trial, which begins on May 4, Kani Yilmaz must be set free. The detention of Kani Yilmaz is a service to the destructive special war being waged by the Turkish army. Instead of allowing the conflict to become worse, steps must be taken to find a political and democratic solution. The current negotiations between Great Britain and Iran, at a time when Great Britain is acting as a party for the Turkish occupation army and Turkish state terrorism, are a contradiction. The continued detention of Kani Yilmaz, who is a man honoured by our people, is trying the patience and sensibilities of our people. The increasing tension which is caused by the continued detention of Kani Yilmaz is not in Great Britain's interest. We call on the British public to protest against these politics and to show solidarity with the Kurdish people. Ali Garzan, ERNK European Spokesperson, May 4, 1995 3) Statement To The Public The people of the world are currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War in which millions of people lost their lives, became disabled, and suffered irreparable agony; this as the direct result of the redivision and redistribution of the world under the fascist imperialist system. Traces of this linger on to this day. Today people throughout the world join in commemorative activities in order not to forget the disasters that war brings and to ensure that these sorrows will never be relived. It should never be forgotten that an end to war on this earth is inextricably tied to the end of colonialism, oppression, and atrocities. Tragically, this is not yet the case; wars are being waged in various parts of the world. It is the imperialist system that holds sole responsibility for the division of Kurdistan and for failing to resolve the problem of ongoing oppression. The problem of Kurdistan is therefore the concern of all humanity. The fascist Turkish state is waging genocide against the people of Kurdistan, as the Ottoman Empire had done before it. Our people are living in great pain. As the result of state policies of oppression, assimilation, and forced repatriation, half of our people must live abroad, tens of thousands of them have been slaughtered, tortured, and arrested. More than 2,500 villages have been destroyed and emptied. Our natural wealth has been looted, our forests burnt down. Everything that represents our national identity has been damaged and destroyed. And the Turkish state can only continue this savage war with help from the outside world. Our people show great resistance in this war against their culture, their history, and their whole existence. Their struggle is in self-defence, is legitimate, and represents a struggle for all humankind. As we all come together today to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, we call on the whole world not to remain silent in the face of the destruction of our culture and heritage which is now taking place in Kurdistan, the very birthplace of civilization; not to condone this war which casts shame upon the whole of humanity. We call on the United Nations and all international organizations, most particularly the United States of America and all European countries, to seek a political solution that will bring about an end to the war in Kurdistan. Once again we stress the readiness of the peoples of Kurdistan for peace within the framework of national democratic rights. It is within this framework that we can hope to find democratic, political resolutions for all nations under colonial oppression and, in so doing, serve to bring about peace in this world. We wish for peace and an end to colonialism for all the peoples of the world. Kurdistan Parliament in Exile, Executive Council, May 7, 1995 4) We Will Prevail Turkey's largest military foray into South Kurdistan ended with a failure. It was supposed to be the operation of 1995 with the most promising results. Its aim was to finish off the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), something Turkey had planned to do in 1994, but without any hope of success. Neither the plan nor the calculation had any results. It was not surprising that this occupation incursion would result in a total fiasco. The military wing of the PKK, the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK), had advance notice of the impending Turkish invasion and had prepared itself accordingly. A significant resistance was displayed; the Turkish army was routed. This result has given birth to new developments. Voices of dissent and dismay have been expressed both in Turkey and abroad. It has become rather clear that blind force is no panacea for the problem at hand and that to insist on such a course will mean an escalation of the crisis. Again, the most recent Turkish bombardment of South Kurdistan proves this anew. Our forces are well armed and well prepared to counter these attacks. Turkey itself has come to this realization. But it still continues to place large numbers of its soldiers in the border region and now and then undertakes aerial attacks to engage our forces so as to gain more time. The dead end that Turkey finds itself in offers us favourable opportunities. The PKK, taking advantage of optimum conditions, is intent on utilizing these military and political advantages for the resolution of the conflict. One more thing has become clear: The PKK is an unbeatable force in the region. This fact is now also dawning on the Western governments as well. They too are realizing that the policy of blind force in Turkey is harming their own interests. To that end, they are urging Turkey to be open to the idea of a political solution to this conflict. Turkey, by way of a response, has increased its level of atrocities. To dampen the prospects of large-scale uprisings on the part of the people, it has activated its dark forces, the contra-guerrilla, to murder innocent civilians. Seeing that these policies of oppression and massacres are not working, the Turkish Special War Department has begun to establish so-called "strategic villages" in order to control popular resistance. This policy is now in effect in the Botan region where villagers are forced to sign statements stating that they were forced to flee their homes because of PKK pressure. These villagers are then collected in certain centres. The latest news is that the villagers of Suke and Bure were forced to flee their homes and settle in Ertus. The villagers of Libis and those of Jiyanis on the other hand have been collected in Diyari village. The same fate has also met the villages of Sifrezan, Erbis, and Tahta, whose residents have been forced to seek refuge in Bilican. Cukurca town in Hakkari province has also seen an upsurge of new residents. It looks like Botan is setting the precedent for this practice; other regions of Kurdistan will soon follow. This can only be construed as a sign of defeat for the Turkish government. There are plans to station large contingencies of Turkish soldiers in these so-called "strategic villages". This development also connotes a new phase in the war between the forces of the Turkish government and those of the PKK. The Turkish army, losing ground to our guerrilla forces, is avenging its losses on the people. Atrocities and massacres have become the order of the day. These tactics will not bring a solution to the question at hand. On the contrary, they will unite our people and help them to organize better. Turkey needs to stop these acts of barbarity. To do otherwise is to hasten its downfall. If its policy of force has not brought a solution by now then it is not going to help today either. Such policies have an unavoidable answer and that is defeat, nothing else. In an interview with the Reuters news agency on May 23, 1995, the Chairperson of the PKK, Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, again indicated his willingness to end this war. He said: "If the Turkish state stops its operations of annihilating [the Kurds] in favour of a political solution, we are ready for a cease-fire and peace." Our party makes this call for political solution because it feels strong both in the military and the political field. If the Turkish government is not afraid of political solutions then it ought to respond. We feel the need to state one obvious truism about ourselves: No power, above all the Turkish state, ought to make plans to have the PKK subscribe to their brand of "solution". The PKK is the strongest it has ever been. With a policy of total mobilization, it has the power to resist the designs of its adversaries. It is waging a war in the mountains, on the plains, in rural area and urban centres, and even in the prisons. Its guerrilla forces keep attacking the Turkish army on a continual basis. These operations that have the annihilation of the Kurds as their aim and these plans to have the Kurds be collected in strategic hamlets are destined to fail because we have the strength to foil them and prevail. Having said this, we want the public to know, again, that we are ready for a political solution to this conflict. National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK), European Representation, May 25, 1995 5) The International Solidarity Movement Will Not Be Intimidated The U.S. government has seized on the April 19 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City as an occasion for promoting a series of measures restricting political dissent. The measure that most directly affects activists working on international issues is the Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of 1995. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and drafted by the Justice Department with help from the White House and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was languishing in Congress until the Oklahoma City tragedy suddenly gave it new life. One provision would allow the government to use secret evidence and unnamed accusers to deport foreign residents allegedly involved in terrorism; the accused would have no right to defend themselves against the charges. Another provision would forbid raising funds for any foreign organization the U.S. President designates as terrorist, with a prison term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $50,000; U.S. agencies would be free to investigate -- that is, infiltrate -- U.S.-based groups that give money to organizations branded terrorist. The Clinton administration claims that this law would be used to protect U.S. citizens from the sort of shadowy right-wing organizations, domestic and foreign, that are accused in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and this year's Oklahoma City atrocity. The reality is that the bill's principal victims would be open, legal organizations on the left. The record speaks for itself: Until recently, the U.S. government's terrorist organization list included the African National Congress (ANC); the most prominent known target of an FBI counter-terrorist probe in the last 15 years was the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES); in 1993, Congressional liberals and the Clinton White House tried repeatedly, although unsuccessfully, to implicate the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in the World Trade Center bombing; each year Cuba is put on the U.S. State Department's "terrorist nation" list. Throughout history, governments have turned to "counter-terrorist" measures -- secret charges, anonymous accusers, spies, informers, and agent provocateurs -- at times when the ruling elite feared organized resistance to unpopular policies. This new campaign coincides with a frantic push to cut back services and benefits for the working majority domestically and, on the international front, a renewed drive to subject developing nations to "neo-liberal" programs of tight money, privatization, and "free trade." Both the domestic and the international policies have been disasters. Inside the U.S. the austerity budgets have met with strong grassroots resistance, especially from youth, women, and African-American and immigrant communities. In its international form, the austerity drive faces a resurgence of grassroots organizing in much of the world, an indigenous rebellion in Mexico, new revelations of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) atrocities in Haiti and Guatemala, and a dramatic decline in the value of the U.S. dollar itself. This is the context in which the Clinton administration is asking for broad new powers to spy and deport. The best defense for international solidarity organizations is to continue our open, legal efforts to educate the public on international issues, support legitimate resistance movements at home and abroad, and carry out the real fight against terrorism by demanding an end to the CIA and the School of the Americas. We must make it clear that we will not be intimidated by the current Red Scare atmosphere and that we will treat any dirty tricks against us as an admission by the U.S. government that it is unable -- despite its overwhelming advantage in financial and media resources -- to defeat us through open, legal debate. Just as in the Central America controversies of the 1980s, we will make sure that any effort to repress our movements will only strengthen our commitment and bring more adherents to our cause. Nicaragua Solidarity Network, May 15, 1995 Please call or write if you or your organization wish to endorse this statement: Nicaragua Solidarity Network, 339 Lafayette St New York, New York 10012 USA tel: 212-674-9499 fax: 212-674-9139 e-mail: nicadlw at blythe.org 6) Turkish Writer Goes On Trial By Aliza Marcus Renowned Turkish author Yashar Kemal went on trial on Friday charged under a controversial anti-terror law which the European Union wants removed as a condition for closer ties with Turkey. Kemal, who wrote an article criticising the state's treatment of Kurds, faces up to 5 years in prison if convicted under Article 8 of the Anti-Terror Law, generally used against people who speak out against Turkey's policies towards its Kurdish minority. Accompanied by Turkish luminaries from the arts, Kemal, 73, defended his article in the German magazine Der Spiegel by arguing that Turkey's fight against separatist Kurdish rebels in the southeast was a "dirty and dirtying war". He said the real crime was the state's alleged burning of forests to kill guerrillas from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), fighting since 1984 for autonomy or independence in the country's largely Kurdish southeast. "Isn't it true that the forests were burnt? Do I not have the right to blame the state for this act? Wasn't Turkey declared among the countries ranking high in torture?" he told the court, reading from a prepared statement. "Weren't thousands of villages burned down...? Didn't we make our country ashamed to face humanity as a result of such inhuman actions?" he said, as dozens of photographers jostled to take a picture of the country's perennial Nobel Prize candidate standing in the dock in an Istanbul courtroom. Article 8 bans "propaganda...aimed at damaging the indivisible unity of the state...regardless of method, intention, and ideas." Dozens of intellectuals have been jailed under it and the European Union has called for its removal. The European Parliament has said it will veto Turkey's planned customs deal with the European Union unless Ankara betters its human rights record before the parliament votes to ratify the agreement late this year. Western diplomats say easing restrictions on freedom of expression -- especially non-violent Kurdish protest -- is crucial if Turkey wants to assuage critics and strengthen its position in Europe. Kemal, author of the acclaimed 'Ince Memed' (Memed, My Falcon), joked with observers while his lawyers unsuccessfully argued Article 8 was contrary to Turkish law because the country has signed international human rights conventions. "Since Turkey has never been a democratic country, Turkey has been a huge prison for all of us. A prison that is smaller does not make a difference for me," said Kemal, before the judges set the next hearing for July 12. Prime Minister Tansu Ciller has repeatedly said she intends to change the harsh anti-terror laws, but some hardliners in her party refuse to consider lifting Article 8. Others will support the move if the article's provisions are essentially restated in the penal code. Human rights activists caution that while many people are charged with Article 8, Turkey has numerous laws and constitutional articles that could still be used to jail people for expressing unpopular ideas. (Reuters 05.05.95) 7) Turkey's War Of Words By Yashar Kemal (Yashar Kemal, author of 36 books, is Turkey's pre-eminent man of letters and a perennial candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He recently went on trial in Istanbul on charges of violating Turkey's anti-terrorism laws. The charges stem from an article about the oppression of Turkish Kurds that he wrote for the German magazine Der Spiegel. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. This article was published as an op-ed piece in the New York Times on Saturday, May 6, 1995.) One of the greatest tragedies in Turkey's history is happening now. Our Kurdish brothers are being slaughtered, and apart from a couple of hesitant voices, no one is standing up and demanding to know what the government is doing. No one is saying: "You are riding towards doomsday, leaving the earth scorched in your wake." What will come of all this? Fearing that Kurdish nationalist spirit threatens Turkish sovereignty over its eastern regions, the government has resolved to drain the pool to catch a few fish. The world is aware of it. Only the people of Turkey have been kept in ignorance; newspapers have apparently been forbidden to write about the drainage. Or maybe there is no need for censorship? Maybe our press, with its sense of patriotism and strong nationalist sentiment, chooses not to write about it, assuming the world will neither hear nor see what is happening. Our Kurdish brothers are at war to win their rights -- to save their language and their culture. During the War of Independence of 1919 to 1922, we fought shoulder to shoulder. We established this state together. Should a man cut out the tongue of his brother? Already over 1,700 people have been murdered. The houses of nearly 2,000 villages have been burned. People and animals have been burned inside them. The government has burned almost all the forests of eastern Anatolia to find the guerrillas hiding out in them. Not much that could be called forest is left. Turkey is disappearing in flames along with its forests -- anonymous acts of genocide -- and 2.5 million people have been exiled from their homes, in desperate poverty, forced to take to the road. Last fall, the village elders of the eastern town of Ovacik said that soldiers had burned their village; they were found dead in the burned forests nearby a few days later. The Minister for Human Rights, Azimet Koyluoglu, at first admitted that soldiers were burning villages, but quickly went back on his word, blaming the Kurdish separatists. The government has also put an embargo on food in the eastern regions. One must get a certificate from the police station in order to buy food (because some villagers have been feeding the guerrillas). Intellectuals in the West have begun to debate whether this is a new genocide; the possibility of a human rights court for Turkey's politicians and of an economic boycott against the country are being discussed. Turkey's leaders have gotten so carried away that intellectual crimes have been regarded as among the most serious; people have rotted away in prisons, been killed and exiled for writing or speaking their minds. Over 200 people are serving sentences for crimes of thought; hundreds more are on trial. Among them are professors, journalists, writers, and union leaders. As if a racist, oppressive regime were not enough, there have been three military coups in our 70 years as a nation. Each coup has made the Turkish people a little more debased. They have rotted from the root -- their culture, their humanity, their language. There is no reason at all for this inhuman, purposeless war. This world is a graveyard of wrecked languages and cultures. How many societies whose names and reputations we have never even heard of have come and gone in this world? As a cultural mosaic, Anatolia has been a source of many modern societies. If Turkey's leaders had not tried to prohibit and destroy other languages and other cultures than those of the Turkish people Anatolia would still be a fountainhead of civilization. Instead, we are a country half-famished, its creative power draining away. The sole reason for this war is that cancer of humanity, racism. Otherwise, would it be possible for right-wing, racist magazines and newspapers to declare that "the Turkish race is superior to every other"? Another popular saying is: "Happy is he who calls himself a Turk." When I first went to eastern Turkey in 1951, this slogan had been written on the mountainsides everywhere in enormous letters visible from five miles away. Even the slopes of Mount Ararat were so embellished. The entire mountain had become happy to be Turkish. Each morning, they made the children declare: "I am a Turk, I am honest, I am hard-working." Throughout history, all cultures have fed one another, been grafted onto one another, and, in the process, our world has been enriched. The disappearance of a culture is the loss of a colour, a different light. Anatolia has always been a mosaic of flowers, filling the world with flowers and light. I want it to be the same today. If the people of a country choose to live like human beings, choose happiness and beauty, their way lies first through universal human rights and unlimited freedom of thought. The people of countries that have opposed this will enter the 21st century without honour. 8) MED-TV: Kurdish Television From Britain By Aliza Marcus It's showtime in Turkey and the latest television programme to hit the crowded airwaves favours documentaries about village life and children's game shows. But despite the ponderous -- some would say boring -- nature of the broadcasts, British-based MED-TV has its intensely loyal viewers, and all because the language of choice is Kurdish. "Every night from 7 pm to 10 pm you can find me right here, in front of the television", said a Kurdish businessman, chuckling as children draped in the red, yellow, and red colours of Kurdish nationalism danced across the screen. "Imagine, for the first time in history, we have our own television, which is being broadcast to Kurds all over the world", he said. Turkish officials are less than pleased about the British- licensed MED-TV, which uses satellite technology to beam from London into Turkey and evade Turkish laws forbidding broadcasts in Kurdish. Turkey, worried MED-TV is being used by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla group to promote demands for Kurdish autonomy or independence in Turkey, has asked Britain's licensing agency to monitor broadcasts. "I think this goes against the European conventions on television and human rights, because it stirs up racial hatred and is against the territorial integrity of Turkey", said an official with Turkey's Radio and Television High Commission. Whether it is linked to the PKK or not -- MED-TV officials say a wide variety of groups and businessmen are financd in Diyarbakir. May 12 -- Village guards acting as mercenary forces for the Turkish army visited the villages of Meskina, Siltok, Kodore, Robelme, Varga, Xemse, Kizil, Kizlere, Remok, and Sayhan. They collected all satellite dishes from the villagers and warned them not to watch the Kurdish television channel MED- TV...Hasan Ezer, a 34-year-old Kurd, was murdered in the Huzur Evleri district of Diyarbakir. May 13 -- Villages in the vicinity of Diyarbakir now have a new policy to follow: they all have to buy Turkish flags to hang on their houses to prove their loyalty to visiting foreign delegations. May 14 -- Mehmet Alcan, another Kurdish youth, was taken into custody in the Baglar district of Diyarbakir. His family is fearing for his life since the Turkish authorities are denying any knowledge of his whereabouts...A total of 146 people have applied to the Turkish Human Rights Foundation in the first four months of this year for help at its rehabilitation centres. The total number for last year was 472. May 15 -- The village of Sutluce (Tuluk in Kurdish) in Tunceli (Dersim in Kurdish) was machine gunned on May 10. Many houses received bullet holes, but there were no casualties. The Turkish soldiers who visited the village afterwards declared that the residents were guilty of aiding Kurdish guerrillas and that they must vacate their homes immediately. For now, the villagers have packed but remain in their homes...The villagers of Gendune, Bekse, and Maristo in Sason district were asked to either become village guards or else face the prospects of migration. They too have packed but are still living in their villages...The villages of Ekrek, Osgeh, Ardixe, Uzakli, and Bikhe are in quarantine since May 9. They happen to be in a district called Alibogazi which since March 19 has seen some of the heaviest bombardment of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict...The Islamic ritual Kurban Bayrami is a celebration in which grave sites are visited by loved ones. This year, Turkish soldiers barred some of the new residents of Kulp and Lice from practicing this tradition. These were people who had left their villages because they had refused to become village guards for the government. May 16 -- A Kurdish patriot named Seyit Semso was killed by members of the 'Hizbikontra' contra-guerrilla. The city residents were so appalled by the murder that they took the law into their own hands and lynched three of the perpetrators...Ercan Bingol, an 8-year-old boy, died after stepping on a mine that was planted by Turkish soldiers in Kumludere village...Another mine exploded in Akdemir village in Tunceli, injuring children once again. Sahin Erol (6), Pelvin Erol (10), Sevgi Erol (8), and Erkan Erol (12) were all seriously hurt. Erkan Erol, who had received the deadly blast, lost both of his legs while his siblings are in better condition. Their mother, Sultan Erol, blamed the Turkish soldiers for mining the area...Berivan Kultay, in a study of executions in Turkey, notes that the Turkish claim that the death penalty does not exist in the country is simply untrue. Referring to the work of human rights advocates, she notes that, in the last four years, 874 people have died in custody with another 2,000 reported missing. May 17 -- Turkish commandos stationed in Gurpinar town in Van province held a soccer match with the town's Gurpinar Youth last Saturday. The commandos lost the game and then proceeded to fight with local residents, calling them "dirty Kurds". 9 people were injured. May 18 -- Hasan Ocak, a 29-year-old Istanbul shopkeeper missing since March 21, was found via pictures in the albums of the Cerrahpasa Hospital. The authorities said that his body was discovered in Beykoz on March 26 and later buried in a grave site for unknown persons. An autopsy revealed that he had been strangled with an iron wire. May 19 -- Naci Parmaksiz, the governor of Adana, in a scene reminiscent of what Prime Minister Tansu Ciller had done last year at the Holiday Inn in Istanbul, spoke of a list of businessmen who are supporting the PKK. He said, "You are benefitting from the riches of this country; I am asking you to think again." He did not give any names. After Ciller's threat, several Kurdish businessmen were kidnapped and killed in Istanbul. May 20 -- Ahmet Bulut (10), Rahim Kumru (10), and Huseyin Yilmaz (48) were killed in Gundik Mala Hato hamlet near Kermete village in Mardin province. They died in an attack by Turkish soldiers and village guards. May 21 -- 15,000 people gathered for the reburial ceremony of Hasan Ocak in Istanbul...Giyasettin Oruc, chairperson for the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) for Beykoz district, is missing. Eyewitnesses insist that they saw Mr. Oruc taken away by people who they said were civilian police but the authorities are denying the arrest. (The above news items were all translated from the pro-Kurdish daily newspaper Yeni Politika.) 10) PKK Leader Ready For Peace PKK Chair Abdullah Ocalan has made another call for peace. In an interview with the Reuters news agency on May 23, 1995, he made the following statement: "If the Turkish state stops its operations against us and is willing to resolve this conflict through political dialogue, we are ready to declare a cease-fire and opt for peace." This is an unequivocally clear message. We are the side seeking peace. It is a political solution that we seek. On March 17, 1993, the Chair of our party, Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, declared an unconditional cease-fire to pave the way for a political solution to this question. Lest the other side did not have enough time to respond in the affirmative, the deadline for the cease-fire was extended. Again on March 12, 1994, an offer for a peaceful resolution of this conflict was made at the International Conference on North-West Kurdistan in Brussels, Belgium. Another call for peace was made through a letter sent to the members of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) on November 14, 1994. To our messages of peace, the Turkish state has responded with military violence. This policy has brought no solutions, rather it has only escalated the crisis. This was the upshot of the Turkish military occupation of South Kurdistan. While the world, in unison, has condemned this Turkish policy and belligerency, the so-called message of support coming from Washington is quite peculiar. As the Kurdish side, we believe and insist on a political solution of this conflict and we assert that only this engagement can bring peace and prosperity to both Kurds and Turks. To that end, we keep repeating our calls for a peaceful resolution of this conflict. Those who value peace should not support Turkey in its policy of belligerency. It ought not to be forgotten that this blind faith in the policy of violence is a denial of the principle of peoples rights to self-determination. In this lies the source of instability and the threat of perpetual war in the Middle East. The Turkish state is aiming at subduing us by way of military force with the hope of exterminating the Kurdish people. So long as these policies continue, we will use out right to defend ourselves with no reservations. ERNK European Representation, May 27, 1995 ----- Kurdish News is published by: Kurdistan Committee of Canada 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 tel: (613) 733-9634 fax: (613) 733-0090 email: kcc at magi.com ----- From kurdeng at aps.nl Wed May 31 23:27:30 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 31 May 1995 23:27:30 Subject: Kurdish News #17 - June 1995 References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: Kurdish News #17 - June 1995 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- Kurdish News A Monthly Publication Of The Kurdistan Committee Of Canada Number 17 - June 1995 Index: 1) Interview With PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan 2) Free Kani Yilmaz! 3) Statement To The Public 4) We Will Prevail 5) The International Solidarity Movement Will Not Be Intimidated 6) Turkish Writer Goes On Trial 7) Turkey's War Of Words - By Yashar Kemal 8) MED-TV: Kurdish Television From Britain 9) Yeni Politika News Briefs 10) PKK Leader Ready For Peace 1) Interview With PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan In light of the contradictory reports about the aims and policies of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Washington based writer and former diplomat David Korn recently submitted a list of questions to PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. The following are Mr. Ocalan's preliminary remarks and his responses, translated from Turkish, along with Korn's questions. Ocalan: The international press and media have been manufacturing unfair and grossly distorted views about our party. The USA plays a significant role in promoting these negative views. The chief of the CIA has referred to our party as a foremost international terrorist organization. Such a portrayal of the PKK obviously does not rely on facts but on deliberate distortions. The PKK has no other role but to promote the demands of the Kurds for their own national identity and national rights, as they today face genocide. How can our resistance against this genocide be mistaken for terrorism? The chief of the CIA should understand that we are the victims of terrorism. The Republic of Turkey is a well known perpetrator of genocide and of the destruction of cultures. Korn: The international media continue for the most part to describe the PKK as a separatist organization that seeks independence from Turkey and the establishment of a Marxist-Leninist state. Could you comment on this? Specifically, is independence in fact the goal of the PKK, and is it correct to say that Marxism-Leninism is the PKK's political doctrine? Ocalan: It is a gross blunder to persistently regard our party as a strictly separatist organization that aims to establish an independent state. It is also groundless to compare the PKK to classic Communist parties. The political and ideological perspective of our party are not the same as those of classic Communist parties. Were that the case, we would have disappeared long ago. It is correct to say that our party from the beginning advocated socialism, but it has been built on scientific socialism. We are seeking to develop a socialist model specific to our nation. I believe that Marxist socialism and the parties that embraced it have failed to evaluate Kurdish realities, and thus they provided Turkey with opportunities to deny the existence of the Kurdish people. The PKK and the Kurds have suffered a lot from Marxist socialism and communism. We have a political manifesto that is humanistic in essence and that challenges inequality and injustice, not only among nations but also among cultures, religions, and genders. Our socialism is not the kind within which the rights of individuals disappear in favor of state authority. We are dedicated to a philosophy that is based on democracy and pluralism, not on the power of the state. We favor a synthesis of capitalism and socialism, an economic structure in which individuals will freely develop to their fullest potential. We are against all ideologies that defend absolute authority for the state at the expense of individual freedom. As for the question of separatism, we do not insist on a separate state, on the contrary, we defend a form of government that respects our people's distinct cultural, social, political, and economic rights. These rights can be realized under one state just as they would be under two states. It is inappropriate in today's political reality to conceive of forms of government as either unitary or separatist. We live in an age within which distinct political and social groups come together to form federal states. Belgium is a federal state composed of two distinct national groups. Spain is also an example, and I should also mention the Russian Federation. Considering these realities, it is unrealistic for the PKK to insist on a separate state, but it is also impossible for the PKK to yield to a unitary state structure that is governed by the dictates of exclusiveness, authoritarianism, and of one nation under one state. Evidently under the influence of socialism of Stalin and the fascism of Mussolini and Hitler, Mustafa Kemal developed the Turkish style unitary state. You certainly know that the Turkish state is not democratic. There is no cultural freedom for non-Turkish groups. Turkish democracy is a sham, and it is in reality under the control of the military junta. The Turkish government not only disregards the human rights of the Kurdish people but it also oppresses its own Turkish people. The PKK struggles for democracy against such an anti-democratic government. To refer to our struggle as separatist is to ignore reality. The Kemalist regime has reached a point where either it will survive by reforming itself or it will destroy itself by becoming trapped in the narrow structure of a unitary state. We have often stated that we are ready to participate in any political process that the Turkish government will undertake to make democratic reforms. We hereby explicitly state that we do not insist on a separate state of our own. Should the Turkish side be open for dialogue, we can reach solutions based on the equality and liberty of both peoples within the existing borders. It is nonsense to see our demands as separatist in intention. We want a Spanish or American style of federalism. Korn: In recent years the PKK appears to have won the sympathy of a great many Turkish Kurds, and in some cases their active support. To what do you attribute this? Ocalan: It is due to the fact that the PKK has emerged as an answer, although very limited, to the historical expectations of our people. The support of the Kurdish people is largely based on their keen observation of the collective and individual sacrifices for democracy and national identity that our members have made under the most difficult circumstances. The Kurdish people have been deceived many times in the past by pseudo-leaders. But when they are convinced of the sacrifices of the freedom fighters, they mobilize for them. That is what has happened. With its twenty years of experience with strategies and tactics compatible with social and political realities, the PKK movement has gone beyond the earlier sectarian Kurdish revolts that were limited to traditional alliances of tribes and religious sects and which were suppressed within a few months. Here lies the real reason for the Kurdish people's support for the PKK. The Kurdish people as a whole avoided supporting regional and traditional Kurdish rebellions in the past because they knew that these types of rebellions usually resulted in conditions worse than the status quo. However, because they have witnessed our ability to survive for so long without defeat, they have given their support with incredible enthusiasm. No doubt the people's support is essentially reinforced by the PKK's organizational and propaganda skills, as well as by its military successes and its ability to take appropriate tactical steps consistent with the circumstances and to launch comprehensive peace initiatives. Korn: What response have you received from the Turkish government to your calls for negotiation? Ocalan: Unfortunately, our opponents pretend not to hear our calls. It seems as if we were talking to a wall. I think that there is no other regime in the world which is so inflexible. The Turkish state has never recognized the existence of other peoples or distinct ethnic groups within its territory. It waged wars on those ethnic groups who demanded the same rights as the Turks themselves and, as in the case of the Armenian extermination, served the Turkish goal of maintaining a unitary state. Now the Turkish regime seems to be deaf to any proposals made by us for civilized and democratic solutions to the conflict between us. Indeed, the Turkish government is more resolved than ever to solve the Kurdish question by bloodshed. The Turkish government has no tolerance for the Kurdish question. It has brutally repressed all Kurdish uprisings in the past. Turkish President Demirel has boasted of crushing the twenty-ninth uprising. During his visit to Chile, Demirel vehemently denied the existence of a Kurdish question in Turkey. The Turkish authorities continue to ignore any just solution to this conflict due to the mixed signals and encouragements they receive from NATO countries. All our reform proposals have been turned down by the Turkish government. It rejects formal or informal dialogue even with non-armed Kurdish political organizations. Korn: Even supposing that the Turkish government were to agree to a federal status for the Kurdish minority, how could such an arrangement be made effective given the fact that very large numbers of Kurds now live in Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, and other large cities outside of the southeast? Ocalan: It is true that almost half of the Kurdish population has moved to the metropolitan areas. However, the Kurds still constitute a majority of the population in Kurdistan proper. The presence of such a large Kurdish population in the metropolitan areas is because of the economic inequalities and political repression that our people face. The infrastructure of these cities is far from accommodating such a large migration. A solution such as federalism could reverse this trend of outward migration from Kurdistan. Moreover, the problem of the Kurds who stay outside of Kurdistan can be addressed in a democratic framework. A federal system is necessary for historical, political, and cultural reasons. It is erroneous to suggest that a federal system is not suitable due to the demographic distribution of the Kurds in Turkey. Of course, there are other alternatives, such as autonomy. However, all the possible avenues can only be explored through dialogue and democratic processes. We believe that constitutional reform which will accommodate federalism is the only reasonable way to overcome the present crisis. Korn: Turkish spokesmen claim that last year's Turkish army offensive dealt a serious blow to PKK military capabilities inside Turkey. Could you comment on this claim? Ocalan: Our military strength has been evident in our success during the Turkish military campaign in South Kurdistan this year. Moreover, the Turkish army is still conducting military operations in Dersim and even in the northernmost corner of Kurdistan. Why is there a need for such large scale operations if our military strength was indeed broken? In fact, these are not limited operations but acts of war; operations that depend on the support of F-16s, helicopters, tanks, and heavy artillery are correctly defined as wars. We have faced a middle scale war for years in both South and North Kurdistan. As a result of our past experience and tactical gains, our military strength has improved a great deal. From now on we will be able to conduct better guerrilla warfare in addition to our political initiatives. For the first time, we are in a position to spread our guerrilla campaign all over Kurdistan. In a guerrilla movement, what counts is not the quantity but the quality of units and their levels of training and experience. We already see a substantial improvement in these areas. The latest Turkish operations have proven to be a total disaster for them. While our casualties number around 30, the Turkish army has lost over 900 soldiers. Even though we are unable to obtain a militarily advantaged position, we are far from defeat. We can maintain this situation for many more years. Korn: The governments of Turkey and the United States both consider the PKK a terrorist organization. If, in your view, this is not a correct assessment, what steps would you propose to take to correct it? Ocalan: In my answer to the first question, I have explained who the real terrorists are and how they control entire Kurdish populations with state terrorism. We have not deliberately shed the blood of any innocent individual. However, we have no other choice but to resist, whether by means of armed struggle or diplomacy, the repression of our national identity and rights by the Turkish state. Is this terrorism? If our democratic rights are assured, we will cease armed resistance at once. But the fact is that both the U.S. and Turkish governments do not seem to recognize our democratic national rights. Turkish official ideology still denies the existence of our people in Turkey and manufactures scientific garbage to prove that the Kurds are of Turkish origin, as demonstrated in the recent Turkish attempt to prove that Newroz, our national festival, originated among Turkish tribes in central Asia. Such denial of our existence is the most barbaric form of terrorism. American history is full of examples of anti-colonial resistance against Great Britain. Were your founding fathers terrorists? Unlike your founding fathers who sought freedom from the British crown, our political demands are not solely based on the idea of full separation. On the contrary, we want real democratic national identity and culture and to develop our political and economic institutions. We struggle in Kurdistan not only for the rights of our people but also for the rights of ethnic Armenians, Assyrians, and Suryani- Chaldeans who also face a reign of terror. Yes, we have a problem of terrorism in our country, but it is Turkish state terrorism. Korn: Turkey and others allege that the PKK finances itself through trade in illegal narcotics. Could you comment on this allegation? Ocalan: The Turkish government fabricated this lie in order to cover up its own genocidal crime against our people and to justify military measures against the PKK. Such charges first surfaced right after the military coup of September 1980, which also marked the escalation of military operations against the civilian population of Kurdistan. These charges serve the desire of the Turkish intelligence agency to cover up the sources that finance the contra-guerrilla and death squad activities Kurdistan. The same sources that accused us of assassinating Olaf Palme now attempt to vilify the PKK by spreading baseless rumors of our supposed involvement in the heroin trade. If Turkish intelligence wants, they can close all the drug routes in one day. However, the drug trade serves the Turkish government's aim of preventing at least some Kurdish youth in Europe from joining the national struggle. Likewise, they aim to control Kurdish youth in Kurdistan by encouraging them to join religious organizations like Hizb-i-relami Kurd, which is financed by the Turkish government as an alternative to the PKK. We regard drug trafficking as a serious crime and detrimental to our national goals. Korn: To what extent is the PKK associated with, or does it give aid to, extremist Palestinian groups that conduct terrorist operations against Israel? Ocalan: We had some relations with them in 1980. However, after the Palestine Liberation Organization opened a diplomatic bureau in Ankara in 1982, its representatives gave a cold shoulder to our interest in maintaining the friendship between our two organizations. Since then we have been on our own. As for Israel, we have no hostility towards Israel. Nevertheless we know that the Israeli and Jewish lobbyists have a significant influence on U.S. belligerence towards us. We don't understand Israel's enthusiasm and support for the Turkish genocide of our people. Korn: Is it now, or has it ever been, PKK policy to attack U.S. installations, interests, or personnel in Turkey or elsewhere? Ocalan: Certainly not. Even several Americans who were captured during our operations in Kurdistan were treated with respect and released without harm. Although we have no military or political conflict with the United States, it constantly provokes us by providing Turkey with intelligence, military, and political support against us. Even supposing that the U.S. is against the PKK because of its political position, there are many other moderate Kurdish organizations that the U.S. entirely ignores in favor of Turkish violations of all international treaties regarding human rights. By its support for the Turkish government in this conflict, the United States becomes party to the genocide of the Kurdish people. It is not the forces of darkness, like Turkey, but the forces of democracy and human rights that deserve support. (Translated by AKIN from Serxwebun, April 1995.) 2) Free Kani Yilmaz! In October 1994, Kani Yilmaz, the European Representative of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was arrested on the most flimsy charges. It is difficult to comprehend the actions of the British authorities in this matter. There are political reasons behind the long duration of his detention. Great Britain isn't even afraid to break its own laws to do this. The arrest of Kani Yilmaz was a refined attack against the Kurdish movement. His extradition to Germany is part of this scenario. The recent wave of arrests against Kurdish politicians have also been carried out for dubious reasons. Great Britain cannot hide behind its argument that Kani Yilmaz is simply being deported to Germany. After his trial, which begins on May 4, Kani Yilmaz must be set free. The detention of Kani Yilmaz is a service to the destructive special war being waged by the Turkish army. Instead of allowing the conflict to become worse, steps must be taken to find a political and democratic solution. The current negotiations between Great Britain and Iran, at a time when Great Britain is acting as a party for the Turkish occupation army and Turkish state terrorism, are a contradiction. The continued detention of Kani Yilmaz, who is a man honoured by our people, is trying the patience and sensibilities of our people. The increasing tension which is caused by the continued detention of Kani Yilmaz is not in Great Britain's interest. We call on the British public to protest against these politics and to show solidarity with the Kurdish people. Ali Garzan, ERNK European Spokesperson, May 4, 1995 3) Statement To The Public The people of the world are currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War in which millions of people lost their lives, became disabled, and suffered irreparable agony; this as the direct result of the redivision and redistribution of the world under the fascist imperialist system. Traces of this linger on to this day. Today people throughout the world join in commemorative activities in order not to forget the disasters that war brings and to ensure that these sorrows will never be relived. It should never be forgotten that an end to war on this earth is inextricably tied to the end of colonialism, oppression, and atrocities. Tragically, this is not yet the case; wars are being waged in various parts of the world. It is the imperialist system that holds sole responsibility for the division of Kurdistan and for failing to resolve the problem of ongoing oppression. The problem of Kurdistan is therefore the concern of all humanity. The fascist Turkish state is waging genocide against the people of Kurdistan, as the Ottoman Empire had done before it. Our people are living in great pain. As the result of state policies of oppression, assimilation, and forced repatriation, half of our people must live abroad, tens of thousands of them have been slaughtered, tortured, and arrested. More than 2,500 villages have been destroyed and emptied. Our natural wealth has been looted, our forests burnt down. Everything that represents our national identity has been damaged and destroyed. And the Turkish state can only continue this savage war with help from the outside world. Our people show great resistance in this war against their culture, their history, and their whole existence. Their struggle is in self-defence, is legitimate, and represents a struggle for all humankind. As we all come together today to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, we call on the whole world not to remain silent in the face of the destruction of our culture and heritage which is now taking place in Kurdistan, the very birthplace of civilization; not to condone this war which casts shame upon the whole of humanity. We call on the United Nations and all international organizations, most particularly the United States of America and all European countries, to seek a political solution that will bring about an end to the war in Kurdistan. Once again we stress the readiness of the peoples of Kurdistan for peace within the framework of national democratic rights. It is within this framework that we can hope to find democratic, political resolutions for all nations under colonial oppression and, in so doing, serve to bring about peace in this world. We wish for peace and an end to colonialism for all the peoples of the world. Kurdistan Parliament in Exile, Executive Council, May 7, 1995 4) We Will Prevail Turkey's largest military foray into South Kurdistan ended with a failure. It was supposed to be the operation of 1995 with the most promising results. Its aim was to finish off the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), something Turkey had planned to do in 1994, but without any hope of success. Neither the plan nor the calculation had any results. It was not surprising that this occupation incursion would result in a total fiasco. The military wing of the PKK, the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan (ARGK), had advance notice of the impending Turkish invasion and had prepared itself accordingly. A significant resistance was displayed; the Turkish army was routed. This result has given birth to new developments. Voices of dissent and dismay have been expressed both in Turkey and abroad. It has become rather clear that blind force is no panacea for the problem at hand and that to insist on such a course will mean an escalation of the crisis. Again, the most recent Turkish bombardment of South Kurdistan proves this anew. Our forces are well armed and well prepared to counter these attacks. Turkey itself has come to this realization. But it still continues to place large numbers of its soldiers in the border region and now and then undertakes aerial attacks to engage our forces so as to gain more time. The dead end that Turkey finds itself in offers us favourable opportunities. The PKK, taking advantage of optimum conditions, is intent on utilizing these military and political advantages for the resolution of the conflict. One more thing has become clear: The PKK is an unbeatable force in the region. This fact is now also dawning on the Western governments as well. They too are realizing that the policy of blind force in Turkey is harming their own interests. To that end, they are urging Turkey to be open to the idea of a political solution to this conflict. Turkey, by way of a response, has increased its level of atrocities. To dampen the prospects of large-scale uprisings on the part of the people, it has activated its dark forces, the contra-guerrilla, to murder innocent civilians. Seeing that these policies of oppression and massacres are not working, the Turkish Special War Department has begun to establish so-called "strategic villages" in order to control popular resistance. This policy is now in effect in the Botan region where villagers are forced to sign statements stating that they were forced to flee their homes because of PKK pressure. These villagers are then collected in certain centres. The latest news is that the villagers of Suke and Bure were forced to flee their homes and settle in Ertus. The villagers of Libis and those of Jiyanis on the other hand have been collected in Diyari village. The same fate has also met the villages of Sifrezan, Erbis, and Tahta, whose residents have been forced to seek refuge in Bilican. Cukurca town in Hakkari province has also seen an upsurge of new residents. It looks like Botan is setting the precedent for this practice; other regions of Kurdistan will soon follow. This can only be construed as a sign of defeat for the Turkish government. There are plans to station large contingencies of Turkish soldiers in these so-called "strategic villages". This development also connotes a new phase in the war between the forces of the Turkish government and those of the PKK. The Turkish army, losing ground to our guerrilla forces, is avenging its losses on the people. Atrocities and massacres have become the order of the day. These tactics will not bring a solution to the question at hand. On the contrary, they will unite our people and help them to organize better. Turkey needs to stop these acts of barbarity. To do otherwise is to hasten its downfall. If its policy of force has not brought a solution by now then it is not going to help today either. Such policies have an unavoidable answer and that is defeat, nothing else. In an interview with the Reuters news agency on May 23, 1995, the Chairperson of the PKK, Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, again indicated his willingness to end this war. He said: "If the Turkish state stops its operations of annihilating [the Kurds] in favour of a political solution, we are ready for a cease-fire and peace." Our party makes this call for political solution because it feels strong both in the military and the political field. If the Turkish government is not afraid of political solutions then it ought to respond. We feel the need to state one obvious truism about ourselves: No power, above all the Turkish state, ought to make plans to have the PKK subscribe to their brand of "solution". The PKK is the strongest it has ever been. With a policy of total mobilization, it has the power to resist the designs of its adversaries. It is waging a war in the mountains, on the plains, in rural area and urban centres, and even in the prisons. Its guerrilla forces keep attacking the Turkish army on a continual basis. These operations that have the annihilation of the Kurds as their aim and these plans to have the Kurds be collected in strategic hamlets are destined to fail because we have the strength to foil them and prevail. Having said this, we want the public to know, again, that we are ready for a political solution to this conflict. National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK), European Representation, May 25, 1995 5) The International Solidarity Movement Will Not Be Intimidated The U.S. government has seized on the April 19 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City as an occasion for promoting a series of measures restricting political dissent. The measure that most directly affects activists working on international issues is the Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of 1995. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and drafted by the Justice Department with help from the White House and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was languishing in Congress until the Oklahoma City tragedy suddenly gave it new life. One provision would allow the government to use secret evidence and unnamed accusers to deport foreign residents allegedly involved in terrorism; the accused would have no right to defend themselves against the charges. Another provision would forbid raising funds for any foreign organization the U.S. President designates as terrorist, with a prison term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $50,000; U.S. agencies would be free to investigate -- that is, infiltrate -- U.S.-based groups that give money to organizations branded terrorist. The Clinton administration claims that this law would be used to protect U.S. citizens from the sort of shadowy right-wing organizations, domestic and foreign, that are accused in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and this year's Oklahoma City atrocity. The reality is that the bill's principal victims would be open, legal organizations on the left. The record speaks for itself: Until recently, the U.S. government's terrorist organization list included the African National Congress (ANC); the most prominent known target of an FBI counter-terrorist probe in the last 15 years was the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES); in 1993, Congressional liberals and the Clinton White House tried repeatedly, although unsuccessfully, to implicate the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in the World Trade Center bombing; each year Cuba is put on the U.S. State Department's "terrorist nation" list. Throughout history, governments have turned to "counter-terrorist" measures -- secret charges, anonymous accusers, spies, informers, and agent provocateurs -- at times when the ruling elite feared organized resistance to unpopular policies. This new campaign coincides with a frantic push to cut back services and benefits for the working majority domestically and, on the international front, a renewed drive to subject developing nations to "neo-liberal" programs of tight money, privatization, and "free trade." Both the domestic and the international policies have been disasters. Inside the U.S. the austerity budgets have met with strong grassroots resistance, especially from youth, women, and African-American and immigrant communities. In its international form, the austerity drive faces a resurgence of grassroots organizing in much of the world, an indigenous rebellion in Mexico, new revelations of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) atrocities in Haiti and Guatemala, and a dramatic decline in the value of the U.S. dollar itself. This is the context in which the Clinton administration is asking for broad new powers to spy and deport. The best defense for international solidarity organizations is to continue our open, legal efforts to educate the public on international issues, support legitimate resistance movements at home and abroad, and carry out the real fight against terrorism by demanding an end to the CIA and the School of the Americas. We must make it clear that we will not be intimidated by the current Red Scare atmosphere and that we will treat any dirty tricks against us as an admission by the U.S. government that it is unable -- despite its overwhelming advantage in financial and media resources -- to defeat us through open, legal debate. Just as in the Central America controversies of the 1980s, we will make sure that any effort to repress our movements will only strengthen our commitment and bring more adherents to our cause. Nicaragua Solidarity Network, May 15, 1995 Please call or write if you or your organization wish to endorse this statement: Nicaragua Solidarity Network, 339 Lafayette St New York, New York 10012 USA tel: 212-674-9499 fax: 212-674-9139 e-mail: nicadlw at blythe.org 6) Turkish Writer Goes On Trial By Aliza Marcus Renowned Turkish author Yashar Kemal went on trial on Friday charged under a controversial anti-terror law which the European Union wants removed as a condition for closer ties with Turkey. Kemal, who wrote an article criticising the state's treatment of Kurds, faces up to 5 years in prison if convicted under Article 8 of the Anti-Terror Law, generally used against people who speak out against Turkey's policies towards its Kurdish minority. Accompanied by Turkish luminaries from the arts, Kemal, 73, defended his article in the German magazine Der Spiegel by arguing that Turkey's fight against separatist Kurdish rebels in the southeast was a "dirty and dirtying war". He said the real crime was the state's alleged burning of forests to kill guerrillas from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), fighting since 1984 for autonomy or independence in the country's largely Kurdish southeast. "Isn't it true that the forests were burnt? Do I not have the right to blame the state for this act? Wasn't Turkey declared among the countries ranking high in torture?" he told the court, reading from a prepared statement. "Weren't thousands of villages burned down...? Didn't we make our country ashamed to face humanity as a result of such inhuman actions?" he said, as dozens of photographers jostled to take a picture of the country's perennial Nobel Prize candidate standing in the dock in an Istanbul courtroom. Article 8 bans "propaganda...aimed at damaging the indivisible unity of the state...regardless of method, intention, and ideas." Dozens of intellectuals have been jailed under it and the European Union has called for its removal. The European Parliament has said it will veto Turkey's planned customs deal with the European Union unless Ankara betters its human rights record before the parliament votes to ratify the agreement late this year. Western diplomats say easing restrictions on freedom of expression -- especially non-violent Kurdish protest -- is crucial if Turkey wants to assuage critics and strengthen its position in Europe. Kemal, author of the acclaimed 'Ince Memed' (Memed, My Falcon), joked with observers while his lawyers unsuccessfully argued Article 8 was contrary to Turkish law because the country has signed international human rights conventions. "Since Turkey has never been a democratic country, Turkey has been a huge prison for all of us. A prison that is smaller does not make a difference for me," said Kemal, before the judges set the next hearing for July 12. Prime Minister Tansu Ciller has repeatedly said she intends to change the harsh anti-terror laws, but some hardliners in her party refuse to consider lifting Article 8. Others will support the move if the article's provisions are essentially restated in the penal code. Human rights activists caution that while many people are charged with Article 8, Turkey has numerous laws and constitutional articles that could still be used to jail people for expressing unpopular ideas. (Reuters 05.05.95) 7) Turkey's War Of Words By Yashar Kemal (Yashar Kemal, author of 36 books, is Turkey's pre-eminent man of letters and a perennial candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He recently went on trial in Istanbul on charges of violating Turkey's anti-terrorism laws. The charges stem from an article about the oppression of Turkish Kurds that he wrote for the German magazine Der Spiegel. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. This article was published as an op-ed piece in the New York Times on Saturday, May 6, 1995.) One of the greatest tragedies in Turkey's history is happening now. Our Kurdish brothers are being slaughtered, and apart from a couple of hesitant voices, no one is standing up and demanding to know what the government is doing. No one is saying: "You are riding towards doomsday, leaving the earth scorched in your wake." What will come of all this? Fearing that Kurdish nationalist spirit threatens Turkish sovereignty over its eastern regions, the government has resolved to drain the pool to catch a few fish. The world is aware of it. Only the people of Turkey have been kept in ignorance; newspapers have apparently been forbidden to write about the drainage. Or maybe there is no need for censorship? Maybe our press, with its sense of patriotism and strong nationalist sentiment, chooses not to write about it, assuming the world will neither hear nor see what is happening. Our Kurdish brothers are at war to win their rights -- to save their language and their culture. During the War of Independence of 1919 to 1922, we fought shoulder to shoulder. We established this state together. Should a man cut out the tongue of his brother? Already over 1,700 people have been murdered. The houses of nearly 2,000 villages have been burned. People and animals have been burned inside them. The government has burned almost all the forests of eastern Anatolia to find the guerrillas hiding out in them. Not much that could be called forest is left. Turkey is disappearing in flames along with its forests -- anonymous acts of genocide -- and 2.5 million people have been exiled from their homes, in desperate poverty, forced to take to the road. Last fall, the village elders of the eastern town of Ovacik said that soldiers had burned their village; they were found dead in the burned forests nearby a few days later. The Minister for Human Rights, Azimet Koyluoglu, at first admitted that soldiers were burning villages, but quickly went back on his word, blaming the Kurdish separatists. The government has also put an embargo on food in the eastern regions. One must get a certificate from the police station in order to buy food (because some villagers have been feeding the guerrillas). Intellectuals in the West have begun to debate whether this is a new genocide; the possibility of a human rights court for Turkey's politicians and of an economic boycott against the country are being discussed. Turkey's leaders have gotten so carried away that intellectual crimes have been regarded as among the most serious; people have rotted away in prisons, been killed and exiled for writing or speaking their minds. Over 200 people are serving sentences for crimes of thought; hundreds more are on trial. Among them are professors, journalists, writers, and union leaders. As if a racist, oppressive regime were not enough, there have been three military coups in our 70 years as a nation. Each coup has made the Turkish people a little more debased. They have rotted from the root -- their culture, their humanity, their language. There is no reason at all for this inhuman, purposeless war. This world is a graveyard of wrecked languages and cultures. How many societies whose names and reputations we have never even heard of have come and gone in this world? As a cultural mosaic, Anatolia has been a source of many modern societies. If Turkey's leaders had not tried to prohibit and destroy other languages and other cultures than those of the Turkish people Anatolia would still be a fountainhead of civilization. Instead, we are a country half-famished, its creative power draining away. The sole reason for this war is that cancer of humanity, racism. Otherwise, would it be possible for right-wing, racist magazines and newspapers to declare that "the Turkish race is superior to every other"? Another popular saying is: "Happy is he who calls himself a Turk." When I first went to eastern Turkey in 1951, this slogan had been written on the mountainsides everywhere in enormous letters visible from five miles away. Even the slopes of Mount Ararat were so embellished. The entire mountain had become happy to be Turkish. Each morning, they made the children declare: "I am a Turk, I am honest, I am hard-working." Throughout history, all cultures have fed one another, been grafted onto one another, and, in the process, our world has been enriched. The disappearance of a culture is the loss of a colour, a different light. Anatolia has always been a mosaic of flowers, filling the world with flowers and light. I want it to be the same today. If the people of a country choose to live like human beings, choose happiness and beauty, their way lies first through universal human rights and unlimited freedom of thought. The people of countries that have opposed this will enter the 21st century without honour. 8) MED-TV: Kurdish Television From Britain By Aliza Marcus It's showtime in Turkey and the latest television programme to hit the crowded airwaves favours documentaries about village life and children's game shows. But despite the ponderous -- some would say boring -- nature of the broadcasts, British-based MED-TV has its intensely loyal viewers, and all because the language of choice is Kurdish. "Every night from 7 pm to 10 pm you can find me right here, in front of the television", said a Kurdish businessman, chuckling as children draped in the red, yellow, and red colours of Kurdish nationalism danced across the screen. "Imagine, for the first time in history, we have our own television, which is being broadcast to Kurds all over the world", he said. Turkish officials are less than pleased about the British- licensed MED-TV, which uses satellite technology to beam from London into Turkey and evade Turkish laws forbidding broadcasts in Kurdish. Turkey, worried MED-TV is being used by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) guerrilla group to promote demands for Kurdish autonomy or independence in Turkey, has asked Britain's licensing agency to monitor broadcasts. "I think this goes against the European conventions on television and human rights, because it stirs up racial hatred and is against the territorial integrity of Turkey", said an official with Turkey's Radio and Television High Commission. Whether it is linked to the PKK or not -- MED-TV officials say a wide variety of groups and businessmen are financd in Diyarbakir. May 12 -- Village guards acting as mercenary forces for the Turkish army visited the villages of Meskina, Siltok, Kodore, Robelme, Varga, Xemse, Kizil, Kizlere, Remok, and Sayhan. They collected all satellite dishes from the villagers and warned them not to watch the Kurdish television channel MED- TV...Hasan Ezer, a 34-year-old Kurd, was murdered in the Huzur Evleri district of Diyarbakir. May 13 -- Villages in the vicinity of Diyarbakir now have a new policy to follow: they all have to buy Turkish flags to hang on their houses to prove their loyalty to visiting foreign delegations. May 14 -- Mehmet Alcan, another Kurdish youth, was taken into custody in the Baglar district of Diyarbakir. His family is fearing for his life since the Turkish authorities are denying any knowledge of his whereabouts...A total of 146 people have applied to the Turkish Human Rights Foundation in the first four months of this year for help at its rehabilitation centres. The total number for last year was 472. May 15 -- The village of Sutluce (Tuluk in Kurdish) in Tunceli (Dersim in Kurdish) was machine gunned on May 10. Many houses received bullet holes, but there were no casualties. The Turkish soldiers who visited the village afterwards declared that the residents were guilty of aiding Kurdish guerrillas and that they must vacate their homes immediately. For now, the villagers have packed but remain in their homes...The villagers of Gendune, Bekse, and Maristo in Sason district were asked to either become village guards or else face the prospects of migration. They too have packed but are still living in their villages...The villages of Ekrek, Osgeh, Ardixe, Uzakli, and Bikhe are in quarantine since May 9. They happen to be in a district called Alibogazi which since March 19 has seen some of the heaviest bombardment of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict...The Islamic ritual Kurban Bayrami is a celebration in which grave sites are visited by loved ones. This year, Turkish soldiers barred some of the new residents of Kulp and Lice from practicing this tradition. These were people who had left their villages because they had refused to become village guards for the government. May 16 -- A Kurdish patriot named Seyit Semso was killed by members of the 'Hizbikontra' contra-guerrilla. The city residents were so appalled by the murder that they took the law into their own hands and lynched three of the perpetrators...Ercan Bingol, an 8-year-old boy, died after stepping on a mine that was planted by Turkish soldiers in Kumludere village...Another mine exploded in Akdemir village in Tunceli, injuring children once again. Sahin Erol (6), Pelvin Erol (10), Sevgi Erol (8), and Erkan Erol (12) were all seriously hurt. Erkan Erol, who had received the deadly blast, lost both of his legs while his siblings are in better condition. Their mother, Sultan Erol, blamed the Turkish soldiers for mining the area...Berivan Kultay, in a study of executions in Turkey, notes that the Turkish claim that the death penalty does not exist in the country is simply untrue. Referring to the work of human rights advocates, she notes that, in the last four years, 874 people have died in custody with another 2,000 reported missing. May 17 -- Turkish commandos stationed in Gurpinar town in Van province held a soccer match with the town's Gurpinar Youth last Saturday. The commandos lost the game and then proceeded to fight with local residents, calling them "dirty Kurds". 9 people were injured. May 18 -- Hasan Ocak, a 29-year-old Istanbul shopkeeper missing since March 21, was found via pictures in the albums of the Cerrahpasa Hospital. The authorities said that his body was discovered in Beykoz on March 26 and later buried in a grave site for unknown persons. An autopsy revealed that he had been strangled with an iron wire. May 19 -- Naci Parmaksiz, the governor of Adana, in a scene reminiscent of what Prime Minister Tansu Ciller had done last year at the Holiday Inn in Istanbul, spoke of a list of businessmen who are supporting the PKK. He said, "You are benefitting from the riches of this country; I am asking you to think again." He did not give any names. After Ciller's threat, several Kurdish businessmen were kidnapped and killed in Istanbul. May 20 -- Ahmet Bulut (10), Rahim Kumru (10), and Huseyin Yilmaz (48) were killed in Gundik Mala Hato hamlet near Kermete village in Mardin province. They died in an attack by Turkish soldiers and village guards. May 21 -- 15,000 people gathered for the reburial ceremony of Hasan Ocak in Istanbul...Giyasettin Oruc, chairperson for the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) for Beykoz district, is missing. Eyewitnesses insist that they saw Mr. Oruc taken away by people who they said were civilian police but the authorities are denying the arrest. (The above news items were all translated from the pro-Kurdish daily newspaper Yeni Politika.) 10) PKK Leader Ready For Peace PKK Chair Abdullah Ocalan has made another call for peace. In an interview with the Reuters news agency on May 23, 1995, he made the following statement: "If the Turkish state stops its operations against us and is willing to resolve this conflict through political dialogue, we are ready to declare a cease-fire and opt for peace." This is an unequivocally clear message. We are the side seeking peace. It is a political solution that we seek. On March 17, 1993, the Chair of our party, Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, declared an unconditional cease-fire to pave the way for a political solution to this question. Lest the other side did not have enough time to respond in the affirmative, the deadline for the cease-fire was extended. Again on March 12, 1994, an offer for a peaceful resolution of this conflict was made at the International Conference on North-West Kurdistan in Brussels, Belgium. Another call for peace was made through a letter sent to the members of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) on November 14, 1994. To our messages of peace, the Turkish state has responded with military violence. This policy has brought no solutions, rather it has only escalated the crisis. This was the upshot of the Turkish military occupation of South Kurdistan. While the world, in unison, has condemned this Turkish policy and belligerency, the so-called message of support coming from Washington is quite peculiar. As the Kurdish side, we believe and insist on a political solution of this conflict and we assert that only this engagement can bring peace and prosperity to both Kurds and Turks. To that end, we keep repeating our calls for a peaceful resolution of this conflict. Those who value peace should not support Turkey in its policy of belligerency. It ought not to be forgotten that this blind faith in the policy of violence is a denial of the principle of peoples rights to self-determination. In this lies the source of instability and the threat of perpetual war in the Middle East. The Turkish state is aiming at subduing us by way of military force with the hope of exterminating the Kurdish people. So long as these policies continue, we will use out right to defend ourselves with no reservations. ERNK European Representation, May 27, 1995 ----- Kurdish News is published by: Kurdistan Committee of Canada 2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203 Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9 tel: (613) 733-9634 fax: (613) 733-0090 email: kcc at magi.com ----- ----------------------------- End forwarded message -------------------------- From kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu Wed May 31 14:52:08 1995 From: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu (kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu) Date: 31 May 1995 14:52:08 Subject: Yeni Politika - May 22-26, 1995 Message-ID: Reply-To: kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu From: kcc at magi.com (Kurdistan Committee of Canada) Subject: Yeni Politika - May 22-26, 1995 Yeni Politika News Briefs May 22-26, 1995 May 22, 1995 / Mardin -- The village of Sirecke (Tandir) in the Nusaybin region of Mardin province was set on fire by Turkish soldiers. The houses belonging to Temo Onler and Sukru Ornek went up in flames along with their household goods. The other villagers left their homes. Once a vibrant community, Sirecke is now a ghost town. May 22, 1995 / Mardin -- The villages of Xerebebaba (Kurukoy), Gurik (Kuskaya), Hatxe (Yandere), and Kuzo (Dogus) in the Nusaybin region of Mardin province were evacuated by Turkish soldiers. Some of the villagers asked the District Attorney in Nusaybin if they could stay with some of their relatives in nearby villages. The request was denied. May 22, 1995 / Lice -- The residents of the village of Tutek (Yaprak) were given a choice yesterday, either accept becoming village guards, meaning to arm themselves to fight against Kurdish fighters, or face the prospect of migration. The villagers who refused to become village guards have begun to leave their homes. May 23, 1995 / Mardin -- The villagers of Cinata (Kucukkardes) in the Nusaybin region of Mardin province were also forced to leave their homes. The village had been home to some 200 families. They too had been given the choice of either becoming village guards or facing the prospect of migration. The villagers opted for the latter. May 24, 1995 / Hakkari -- The villages of Erbis (Caglayan) and Sivarezan (Cinarli) in the Cukurca region of Hakkari province were visited by Turkish troops stationed nearby. 35 families in Erbis and 45 families in Sivarezan were told that they had to either be village guards or face the prospect of migration. They too have decided to move out. May 24, 1995 / Erzincan -- The villages of Qalacux (Kalecik), Sirnas (Yamacli), Kismikor (Gunbagi), Maxacor (Tatlisu), and the hamlets of Cukurmezra and Koytas were visited by the Turkish Special Teams. Villagers were harassed and their food was spoiled. They were accused of giving aid to Kurdish fighters and told not to do so anymore. May 25, 1995 / Diyarbakir -- A young girl (16-years-old) was attacked with meat cleavers yesterday in the 5 Nisan district of Diyarbakir. She is in critical condition. Her father, Lutfi Demir, has no clues as to the identity of her attackers. May 25, 1995 / Van -- The family of Kadir Keremoglu is still looking for him. He was kidnapped on April 14, 1995 by four people who forced him into a car as he was leaving Friday prayers. The relatives of Mr. Keremoglu have found the car, but it was a stolen vehicle. They are fearing for his life. May 26, 1995 / Istanbul -- The families of prisoners of conscience in Erzurum jail have begun a hunger strike to alert the authorities to the plight of their loved ones. The hunger strikers in the Kadikoy and Bahcelievler districts of Istanbul are noting worsening conditions, similar to those once endured by inmates of Diyarbakir prison in the early 1980s. During those dark days, 57 Kurdish prisoners died of torture in a period of four years. May 26, 1995 / Elazig -- Bulent Doganay and Ali Z. Dogan, two students at the University of Elazig, were taken away from their homes by the civilian police. May 26, 1995 / Hakkari -- Sakir Temel, a resident of Yuksekova in Hakkari province, was taken away by the civilian police. His family's repeated attempts to have the police account for Mr. Temel have led nowhere. They are afraid that he may be killed without a trial. ----- 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 Wed May 31 23:33:53 1995 From: kurdeng at aps.nl (kurdeng at aps.nl) Date: 31 May 1995 23:33:53 Subject: Yeni Politika - May 22-26, 1995 References: Message-ID: From: tabe at newsdesk.aps.nl Subject: Re: Yeni Politika - May 22-26, 1995 Reply-To: kurdeng at aps.nl ------------------------ Forwarded from : kcc at magi.com ------------------------- Yeni Politika News Briefs May 22-26, 1995 May 22, 1995 / Mardin -- The village of Sirecke (Tandir) in the Nusaybin region of Mardin province was set on fire by Turkish soldiers. The houses belonging to Temo Onler and Sukru Ornek went up in flames along with their household goods. The other villagers left their homes. Once a vibrant community, Sirecke is now a ghost town. May 22, 1995 / Mardin -- The villages of Xerebebaba (Kurukoy), Gurik (Kuskaya), Hatxe (Yandere), and Kuzo (Dogus) in the Nusaybin region of Mardin province were evacuated by Turkish soldiers. Some of the villagers asked the District Attorney in Nusaybin if they could stay with some of their relatives in nearby villages. The request was denied. May 22, 1995 / Lice -- The residents of the village of Tutek (Yaprak) were given a choice yesterday, either accept becoming village guards, meaning to arm themselves to fight against Kurdish fighters, or face the prospect of migration. The villagers who refused to become village guards have begun to leave their homes. May 23, 1995 / Mardin -- The villagers of Cinata (Kucukkardes) in the Nusaybin region of Mardin province were also forced to leave their homes. The village had been home to some 200 families. They too had been given the choice of either becoming village guards or facing the prospect of migration. The villagers opted for the latter. May 24, 1995 / Hakkari -- The villages of Erbis (Caglayan) and Sivarezan (Cinarli) in the Cukurca region of Hakkari province were visited by Turkish troops stationed nearby. 35 families in Erbis and 45 families in Sivarezan were told that they had to either be village guards or face the prospect of migration. They too have decided to move out. May 24, 1995 / Erzincan -- The villages of Qalacux (Kalecik), Sirnas (Yamacli), Kismikor (Gunbagi), Maxacor (Tatlisu), and the hamlets of Cukurmezra and Koytas were visited by the Turkish Special Teams. Villagers were harassed and their food was spoiled. They were accused of giving aid to Kurdish fighters and told not to do so anymore. May 25, 1995 / Diyarbakir -- A young girl (16-years-old) was attacked with meat cleavers yesterday in the 5 Nisan district of Diyarbakir. She is in critical condition. Her father, Lutfi Demir, has no clues as to the identity of her attackers. May 25, 1995 / Van -- The family of Kadir Keremoglu is still looking for him. He was kidnapped on April 14, 1995 by four people who forced him into a car as he was leaving Friday prayers. The relatives of Mr. Keremoglu have found the car, but it was a stolen vehicle. They are fearing for his life. May 26, 1995 / Istanbul -- The families of prisoners of conscience in Erzurum jail have begun a hunger strike to alert the authorities to the plight of their loved ones. The hunger strikers in the Kadikoy and Bahcelievler districts of Istanbul are noting worsening conditions, similar to those once endured by inmates of Diyarbakir prison in the early 1980s. During those dark days, 57 Kurdish prisoners died of torture in a period of four years. May 26, 1995 / Elazig -- Bulent Doganay and Ali Z. Dogan, two students at the University of Elazig, were taken away from their homes by the civilian police. May 26, 1995 / Hakkari -- Sakir Temel, a resident of Yuksekova in Hakkari province, was taken away by the civilian police. His family's repeated attempts to have the police account for Mr. Temel have led nowhere. They are afraid that he may be killed without a trial. ----- 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 --------------------------