TURKISH DAILY NEWS / 10 OCTOBER 199

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

Subject: TURKISH DAILY NEWS / 10 OCTOBER 1995



 KDP : Iraq Atrush camp under control



Turkish Daily News
  _________________________________________________________________



ANKARA- The Atrush camp in northern Iraq, which Turkey has
complained is used as a base for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK), is completely surrounded, Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP)
members have said.

KDP sources, quoted by the Anatolia news agency, said that the area
around the camp was under "complete control," but they would like to
conduct a search of the camp. The camp was established by the U.N.
High Commission for Refugees and is under its control. Ankara has
previously expressed its concern to the U.N., asking them to
"effectively control the camp or move it elsewhere" away from the
strategically important Gara region.
  _________________________________________________________________
 Turkey urges Amsterdam to curb PKK activity on Netherlands soil

Turkish Daily News
  _________________________________________________________________



ANKARA- Turkey has urged the Netherlands to extend its cooperation
in the prevention of terrorist activity and drug trafficking by the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and by Dev-Sol, an ultra-left
urban terrorist group.

Turkish Interior Minister Nahit Mentese, who met with his Dutch
counterpart, Hans F. Dijkstal, on Monday, said that Turkey wanted the
finalization of a Security Cooperation Agreement between the two
countries. The accord was presented to Amsterdam by Ankara in 1993.

"It is impossible for nations to fight alone against organized crimes
such as terrorism and against its financial source, drug trafficking,"
Mentese told Dijkstal. "The need for international cooperation against
such crimes is very clear."

Mentese cited the PKK, Dev-Sol and various ultra-rightist groups as
the centers of organized crime.

Turco-Dutch ties soured over the meeting of the so-called "Kurdish
Parliament-in-exile" in the Hague in April 1994. Ankara accused
Amsterdam of not preventing the meeting, while the Dutch said that,
under their constitution, the government had no means of doings so.
Relations have gradually improved since then, however, particularly
after the Dutch prevented the Kurdish Parliament-in-exile's intended
meeting in Rotterdam.

A month before the visit of Dijkstal, who also holds the post of
deputy prime minister, Dutch Foreign Minister Hans Van Mierlo arrived
in Turkey to seal improved relations. Dijkstal's visit is to further
measures in cooperation against organized crime as well as matters
related to the Turkish community in the Netherlands.

"Turkey is very important for us," Dijkstal was quoted by the Anatolia
news agency as saying. "We have appointed a liaison officer for
intelligence between our police forces. This appointment demonstrates
that we acknowledge our common problems." He added that he was also
responsible for the coordination of minority policies in the
Netherlands. "We are happy with the presence of Turks in Holland, but
this also brings a number of problems which need to be solved," the
Dutch minister was quoted as saying. "We want to work with the Turkish
government in overcoming these problems."
  _________________________________________________________________
 Ankara says operation into northern Iraq was 'limited'

Turkish Daily News
  _________________________________________________________________



ANKARA- Ankara said on Monday that the weekend cross-border
operation into northern Iraq was over.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Omer Akbel confirmed that an incursion into
northern Iraq had indeed taken place.

"The operation to prevent a group of terrorists from infiltrating into
Turkish territory to stage attacks against Turkish targets was very
limited in scope.

As far I know, it is now over," Akbel said.

Akbel denied that any civilians had been killed, wounded or suffered
material damage during the operation.

The spokesman's statement contradicted an earlier statement from
Baghdad which carried a condemnation of what it called a fresh
violation of its sovereignty.

"Turkish special forces, backed by planes, launched an incursion
Friday in the region of Kani Mani in northern Iraq, on the pretext of
pursuing Turkish Kurd armed separatists," an Iraqi Foreign Ministry
spokesman said.

The Iraqi spokesman, quoted by the official Iraqi news agency INA,
said the incursion caused damage and there were Iraqi Kurd victims.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry had summoned the Turkish charge d'affaires
to voice the government's protest and demand a "total and immediate
withdrawal of Turkish forces," he added.

---
 * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0)