7 April 2006

1. "Clashes Steer Kurds and Turkey Back on a Rocky Path", violent clashes between Kurds and security forces in Turkey over the past week have jolted memories here back to an old conflict that remains a dangerous barrier on the nation's path toward greater prosperity and democracy.

2. "Six killed as violence plagues Turkey", Kurdish rebels killed five soldiers and a policeman in Turkey's southeast, officials said Wednesday, as violence continued to plague the country in the wake of deadly Kurdish riots.

3. "Turkey: Fighting Internal and External Battles", Turkey's government is responding with an iron-fist policy to a surge in Kurdish rebel activities. Both sides' moves place the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in a difficult spot between domestic critics and those within the European Union. In its actions on the Kurdish issue, AK's domestic interests will take precedence over foreign policy.

4. "EU executive urges more rights for Kurds in Turkey", the European Commission and European lawmakers urged Turkey on Thursday to grant Kurds more economic and cultural rights and voiced concern over violence in the country's southeast.

5. "Kurdish terrorists of Turkey!", it has become Turkish logic that every Kurd is a potential terrorist. Under the Turkish regime, Kurds are now put in an impossible position.

6. "Political elite in Turkey unaware of the Kurdish realities", debates in Parliament on Tuesday on the recent violent events in southeastern Turkey simply show that neither political parties nor the political elite of our country are really aware of the Kurdish reality.

1. - The New York Times - "Clashes Steer Kurds and Turkey Back on a Rocky Path":

6 April 2006

Violent clashes between Kurds and security forces in Turkey over the past week have jolted memories here back to an old conflict that remains a dangerous barrier on the nation's path toward greater prosperity and democracy.

After a decade of calm, at least 15 people have been killed in protests in recent days, most in the guerrilla battleground of the Kurdish southeast, but some in cosmopolitan Istanbul. Among the dead were a 6-year-old boy and a 78-year-old man, Halit Sogut, whose relatives asked on Tuesday how such violence was still possible in a nation that considered its rightful place to be as a member of the European Union.

"In France, a million and seven hundred thousand people were in the streets," said a nephew, Devrim, 25, referring to the mass protests in France over employment contracts. "And no one got a nosebleed." He predicted that the protests here would continue until Turkey finally granted full rights to its Kurdish minority.

A guerrilla insurgency in southern Turkey over Kurdish rights killed more than 30,000 people during the 1980's. After years of relative peace, Kurds seem conflicted over whether they should return to the use of violence if continued pressure by the European Union over the prospect of Turkey's membership might bring change more peacefully.

The roots of the current protests are complicated, primed slowly by low-level incidents in the past two years after the Kurdistan Workers' Party called off a unilateral cease-fire that began in 1999. Then, last week, on Tuesday, funerals here for 14 members of the party killed in combat with Turkish soldiers the previous weekend swelled into large protests, and last Wednesday they turned violent.

"I neither want state terror, nor terror of any kind," said one of Mr. Sogut's relatives, who would not give his full name because he is a public employee, and talking politics could cause him trouble. "More than 30,000 people died. This is enough. There should be a solution."

His comments seemed to reflect a quiet questioning among many Kurds of the relevance and tactics of the Kurdistan Workers' Party. Some experts see the current protests as a way for the group to try to create a role for itself as political and economic changes continue in Turkey, including some concessions to Kurds.

In recent years, and largely under European pressure, the government lifted emergency rule in the southeast, began compensating Kurds for losses when Turkish troops razed villages and granted other cultural rights to the Kurds.

Many Kurds here complain, however, that this has not been enough, considering the low wages, high unemployment and lack of foreign investment in the southeast. The Kurds' frustration exploded in the protests that began here last week.

"So many promises were made and not fulfilled," said Cihan Sincar, the mayor of Kiziltepe, near the Syrian border, where two protesters were killed over the weekend.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has at least acknowledged the problems Kurds face, something that past prime ministers have been reluctant to do. In confronting the current crisis, his government's approach has been to offer hope to Kurds not eager for a resumption of the rebel group's violence.

"While they try to capitalize on hatred and enmity, we will build more roads, more hospitals, more schools and more workplaces" in Kurdish areas, Mr. Erdogan told the Parliament on Tuesday. "We will bring more freedoms, more democracy, more welfare, more rights and justice."

But a more immediate test seems to be whether the government will also engage in heavy-handed tactics against the Kurdistan Workers' Party that could endanger the nation's desire to join the European Union and return Turkey to the violence of a decade ago.

On Tuesday, the foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, talked about "a thin line" in the struggle against terrorism and the need to preserve democracy, even as he pledged to show no mercy for the rebel group.

At a minimum, there is a sense here that the gains made by Kurds in recent years may have been reversed in a few short days. "Since 1994, we haven't seen anything like this," said Tacettin Bahadiroglu, 32, the owner of a jewelry store in Kiziltepe, as tense, blue-bereted Turkish soldiers in armored personnel carriers set up in front of the regional governor's office on Monday. "It has pushed us 12 years behind."

As the protests turned violent, shopkeepers rolled down the shutters of their shops at the urging of a Kurdish satellite station, and gangs of youths began to clash with soldiers. Three people were killed, including Mr. Sogut, whose own family could not agree if he had been a bystander or had joined in the protests.

In the following days, the protests spread to the city of Batman to the southeast, where one person was killed, and to Kiziltepe, home to tens of thousand of Kurds displaced by the fighting a decade ago, where two others died. On Sunday, the protests ignited in Istanbul, where protesters hurled homemade firebombs at a bus, and three people were killed, apparently crushed by the bus.

By early this week, at least 9 people, and possibly 10, were dead in Diyarbakir. More than 500 people have been detained.

On Wednesday officials said five soldiers had been killed, two by a land mine while they were on patrol in the Kurdish region and three in an ambush, Agence France-Presse reported. The report said that a police officer was killed late Tuesday when rebels opened fire on a police station.

The violence has left a wake of anger and bafflement that Kurds said would not be quickly healed.

"What is going to be our future?" asked a 27-year-old man who would give only his first name, Tolga, because he took part in the protest. He was among the mourners in Kiziltepe for Mehmet Siddik Onder, who was shot during the demonstration.

"He was only 22 years old," Tolga said. "He was just back from his military service. Where are we going?"

The regional administrator, Fecri Fikret Celik, who represents the Turkish government in Kiziltepe, said the state had not done enough for Kurds but was genuinely trying, with new roads, four new schools under construction and better services at hospitals.

He blamed the rebel group, which he contended had organized the protests for its own reasons. "What could have been the reason to provoke people?" he said.

Sezgin Tanrikulu, a human rights lawyer in Diyarbakir, said he believed that only bold action by both sides could head off more violence, though he said such steps were unlikely soon. The rebels should give up their arms, he said, and the government should develop a more aggressive plan to improve Kurds' lives. "This is not a random or one-time event," he said. "If we fail to see the graveness of the problem, we will see worse times in the future."

2. - AFP - "Six killed as violence plagues Turkey":

DIYARBAKIR / 5 April 2006

Kurdish rebels killed five soldiers and a policeman in Turkey's southeast, officials said Wednesday, as violence continued to plague the country in the wake of deadly Kurdish riots.

A group of radical Kurdish militants also claimed responsibility for a bomb attack Wednesday against an office of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Istanbul in what it described as a reprisal attack for the unrest.

Two of the slain soldiers died while on patrol in the mountains of Sirnak province near Iraq when they stepped on a landmine planted by militants of the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the local governor's office said in a statement.

Three others were shot dead in an ambush as security forces launched a search operation in the area to hunt down those responsible for the mine attack.

Separately, a policeman died from his injuries after PKK rebels opened fire with automatic weapons on a police station in the town of Genc, Bingol province, late Tuesday, hospital sources said.

More than 37,000 people have been killed since 1984, when the PKK took up arms for self-rule in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey.

The latest deaths followed a week of violence that claimed 15 lives as Kurdish rioters clashed with security forces in the southeast and in Istanbul, in the worst urban unrest in the country for years.

Police opened fire to disperse the demonstrators, many of them teenagers and children, who torched banks and public buildings, vandalized shops and threw Molotov cocktails.

The victims included three women killed Sunday in Istanbul when a petrol bomb attack set a bus on fire, causing it to crash into another vehicle.

The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) said Wednesday that it had placed a bomb at the AKP's office in Esenyurt district in Istanbul in revenge of the government's harsh response to the protests.

In a statement published on its website, TAK warned of fresh attacks if the government does not drop its policy of "repression" against the Kurds.

"The child murderers ... who are dealing massacre and death to our people ... will not be able to escape our reprisal units," the statement said.

"We will pursue acts against the fascist AKP and all fascist institutions which support and carry out the massacre of our people," it added.

Three people sustained slight injuries when the bomb placed in a garbage bin at the entrance of the office went off, a party official told AFP.

TAK has also claimed a bomb attack on an Istanbul bus station on Friday which killed a street vendor.

An AKP office in Kiziltepe, near the Syrian border, was ransacked Saturday when hundreds of Kurdish youths went on a rampage in the town.

Earlier Wednesday, officials said 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of plastic explosive of a type generally used by Kurdish militants were found at a cemetery in the same district where the bombed AKP office was located.

The government has accused the PKK of orchestrating the riots that first erupted on March 28 in Diyarbakir, the biggest city in the southeast, after the funerals of PKK militants killed in clashes with the army.

3. - Stratfor.com - "Turkey: Fighting Internal and External Battles":

6 April 2006

Turkey's government is responding with an iron-fist policy to a surge in Kurdish rebel activities. Both sides' moves place the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in a difficult spot between domestic critics and those within the European Union. In its actions on the Kurdish issue, AK's domestic interests will take precedence over foreign policy.

Analysis

An explosion rocked the offices of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in the outskirts of Istanbul on April 5, injuring two people. Also on April 5, two soldiers died while on patrol in the mountains of Sirnak province near the Iraqi border when they stepped on a landmine planted by the rebel separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Three more were shot dead in an ambush as troops launched an operation to hunt down those responsible for the mine attack. Late on April 4, two PKK militants shot shoulder-fired rockets at a police station in the southeastern province of Bimgol, killing one policeman and injuring seven others. Security personnel also defused a grenade attached to 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of plastic explosives at the scene. These attacks came after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for national unity as Ankara sought to halt rioting from Kurdish protesters which left 16 people dead. In a speech to parliament on April 4, Erdogan condemned the PKK, accusing it of being behind the protests.

Kurdish rebel forces, sensing that Ankara's bid to gain membership in the European Union and the Kurds' rise to power in Iraq have created an opportunity, are trying to advance their interests by forcing the government to deal with their demands. Not only does the AK government not want to give the Kurds ground, but this specific government must also demonstrate that its policy on the Kurdish issue is not lax. Domestically, Erdogan needs to maintain a "Tough on Kurds" attitude to offset criticism from the secular opposition and keep generals from raising their eyebrows. Therefore, negotiations with the Kurds will not happen any time soon.

Although Erdogan is concerned about the adverse effects that an iron-fisted approach to the Kurds could have on Ankara's bid for EU membership, a more pressing issue is trying to sustain and even enhance his hold over power at home, especially since both parliamentary and presidential elections are to take place in 2007 (in November and May, respectively). In a sense, Erdogan has to balance domestic policy and foreign policy. Erdogan hopes to use the European Union's hard-line stance against terrorism to contain any criticism from the Europeans that Ankara is engaged in human- and civil-rights abuses.

The AK wants to not only maintain its majority in parliament but also capture the presidency. Between these domestic concerns and the uncertainty in neighboring Iraq, Ankara will put European concerns on the back burner and continue to uphold an uncompromising position on the Kurdish question.

4. - Reuters - "EU executive urges more rights for Kurds in Turkey":

STRASBOURG / 6 April 2006

The European Commission and European lawmakers urged Turkey on Thursday to grant Kurds more economic and cultural rights and voiced concern over violence in the country's southeast.

Sixteen people have been killed and more than 300 injured in street clashes since last week between Kurdish protesters and police sparked by the funerals of 14 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels killed in clashes with troops.

"The (European) Commission is concerned about ... the outburst of violence and armed attacks," EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou told members of the European Parliament.

Kyprianou, speaking on behalf of the EU executive, recalled that the PKK was included in the bloc's list of "terrorist organisations" but urged the Turkish government to fulfill its commitments to improve the rights of Kurds.

"We urge the Turkish government to address in a comprehensive manner, and not only from a security point of view, the problems of this region and of its people," he said.

Ankara has lifted restrictions on the Kurdish language and culture in recent years, hoping to further its bid to join the 25-nation EU, but critics say it needs to do much more.

More than 30,000 people have been killed in the armed conflict since the PKK took up arms against the state in 1984 with the aim of carving out an ethnic homeland in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey.

Turkey began membership talks with the EU last October, and Kyprianou reminded Turkey that ensuring cultural diversity was a condition for accession.

"The Turkish government should take action with a view to enhancing and ensuring economic, social and cultural opportunities for all Turkish citizens," he said.

Kyprianou also called on Turkey to facilitate the return of displaced Kurds to their region of origin and stop deploying state-armed militiamen in villages.

The protection of Kurds' rights is "an absolute precondition for membership of the EU", said Emine Bozkurt, of the European Parliament's Socialist group.

"If violence ceases, then the tanks must leave the streets of villages and towns of southeast Turkey," she said.

Several lawmakers also urged Turkey to engage into a political dialogue with moderate Kurds.

5. - Kurdish Media - "Kurdish terrorists of Turkey!":

7 April 2006 / by Dr Rebwar Fatah

It has become Turkish logic that every Kurd is a potential terrorist. Under the Turkish regime, Kurds are now put in an impossible position. A citizen of Turkey must have Turkish blood. Therefore a Kurd in Turkey cannot be called a citizen. However, refusing to become “Turkish” (when one is Kurdish) instantly makes one a “separatist”: a term often used to describe “terrorists”. Hence Turkey no longer bothers to distinguish between “Kurds” and “terrorists”.

So I must declare that I am a “terrorist” as I am a staunch believer in the establishment of a Kurdish state in Northern Kurdistan. And I have no doubt many of you are also ‘terrorists’ under this Turkish logic.

And now the Turkish Prime Minster has labelled Kurdish women and children pawns of terrorists. “Our security will make the necessary intervention against those who have become the pawns of terrorism, even if they are children or women,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Turkish definition of ‘terrorist’ expands to all aspects of Kurdish and Kurdistani life, and has recently been taken to a new extreme. The Turkish government have changed the names of three animals found on its territory to remove references to Kurdistan or Armenia. The ministry said the old names were contrary to Turkish unity. Are we to suppose that a red fox, formerly known as the Vulpes Vulpes Kurdistanica and now known simply as Vulpes Vulpes, is a terrorist threat too?

In a word, yes. Some Turkish officials say the names are being used to argue that Kurds had lived in the areas where the animals were found. So the Turkish government have changed these animal’s names because they are separatists. Turkey believes that many old names were contrary to Turkish unity, “Unfortunately there are many other species in Turkey which were named this way with ill intentions. This ill intent is so obvious that even species only found in our country were given names against Turkey’s unity," said a statement made by the Turkish Environment Ministry.

These simple examples show how insecure the Turks are, and perhaps they have reason to be. After all, Turkey has been built on the foundations of Kurds, Armenians and Greeks. And any form of rebellion is met with instant oppression. A Kurdish youth was recently crushed to death by an armoured Turkish vehicle. Turkish Security went on to kill 16 Kurds and arrest hundreds more. Are we really to believe that this is based solely on Turkey’s fear all Kurds are potential terrorists?

In his recent visit the United Nations, Special Rapporteur observed that, “the definition of terrorism as contained in article 1 of the Anti-Terror Act of 1991, which defines terrorism based on its purpose or aims rather than referring to specific criminal acts, is formulated vaguely and in very broad terms.”

The question boils down to this: who is a terrorist?

The Special Rapporteur stated, “It therefore raises concerns in respect of the principle of legality as prescribed in article 15 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a provision that allows for no derogation even during states of emergency. When applied in conjunction with other provisions of the Act, this definition of terrorism may result in prosecution and conviction in cases where the individual concerned is not personally linked to any terrorist acts properly defined, i.e. acts of deadly or otherwise grave violence against persons, or the taking of hostages, in the furtherance of aims covered by the international understanding of ‘terrorism’.”

Turkey argue that they legislated terrorism laws to combat international terror. The UN Special Rapporteur does not think so. “The Anti-Terror Act of 1991 does not meet the requirements of international conventions in the fight against terrorism. Not all specific forms of international terrorism, as defined in these conventions, are covered by article 1 of the Act, which was drafted at a different time in response to domestic needs. Whereas the Special Rapporteur received indications that the 1991 Act was being reconsidered, he was unable to obtain specific information about the review and the relevant timelines.”

So who are the terrorists in Turkey? The Turkish Prime Minister has the answer. They are Kurdish women and children. Or foxes.

6. - The New Anatolian - "Political elite in Turkey unaware of the Kurdish realities":

6 April 2006 / by Ilnur Cevik

Debates in Parliament on Tuesday on the recent violent events in southeastern Turkey simply show that neither political parties nor the political elite of our country are really aware of the Kurdish reality.

They approach the issue purely from a nationalistic angle and with the same old, classic arguments that have done nothing to solve the issue that's claimed more than 38,000 lives since 1984.

All politicians did on Tuesday was to accuse the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) of allegedly engineering the violent incidents in southeastern Turkey on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and also accuse each other for the rise in violence.

None of the politicians who addressed Parliament on Tuesday really managed to put their fingers on the real issues and their causes, which was a great shame.

The military has been going to great pains for the past five years to tell politicians that security measures aren't enough to solve the problem and that they have to be complemented with economic and social measures.

On Tuesday Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the incidents will not deter the government and investments in the region will continue. That was a really awkward statement. The prime minister seems to think that there is investment in southeastern Turkey, which is shocking.

There's no real investment in southeastern Turkey so the prime minister can't continue doing something that doesn't exist.

There are no social programs or any serious investment plans for the region which thus is creating deep resentment and frustration among the people there.

The elite of Turkey should show more interest in the problems of the southeast. Unfortunately our politicians and most of our intellectuals are barely aware of the facts about the southeast and the problems of our citizens of Kurdish origin who try to live there.

When you start addressing the Kurds with Turkish nationalist slogans all you get is more violence and a lack of general understanding. It's sad that while we have so many deputies of Kurdish origin and so many deputies from the southeastern provinces it seems that none of them are telling their party leaders the real facts or the party leaders simply don't want to hear.

Instead of finding ways to establish some form of dialogue with the DTP and try to make them see your side of the coin, if you alienate them and shut the door in their faces all you'll get is more discord and violence.

It's sad that Devlet Bahceli, the chair of the conservative Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has a much more positive approach to the issue in the southeast than his counterparts who are represented in Parliament.