26 March 2007

1. "Turks lukewarm to broader rights for Kurdish minority", about a third of Turks back Kurdish-language education and broadcasts as a means of ending the two-decade Kurdish conflict in Turkey, while a majority believe that combatting Kurdish rebels is the way out, a poll showed Saturday.

2. "‘Non-violent environment’: A new beginning in the Kurdish problem", Turks have coexisted with political turmoil for many years. The ideological polarizations that began in the late 1960s prompted resurgence in violent events. This year the difference was marked in Kurdish politics and intelligence. The celebrations concluded nonviolently mainly because of the Democratic Society Party (DTP), Kurdish politicians striving to associate Nevruz as the symbol of struggle for independence.

3. "Kurdish party official detained in Turkey", Orhan Miroglu, deputy chairman of the Democratic Society Party (DTP), was detained after he referred to Ocalan as "sayin" -- a word that means esteemed or honourable but also doubles for "mister" in Turkish, the report said.

4. "Mine kills three, wounds two in SE Turkey", a mine laid by Kurdish rebels killed three Turkish soldiers and wounded two on Friday during a fire fight against the rebels in Turkey's Kurdish southeast, Turkish security forces said on Friday.

5. "Turkish police detain right-wing politician in the killing of ethnic Armenian journalist", Turkish police late Sunday detained a right-wing politician for interrogation in connection with the killing of an ethnic Armenian journalist, a news channel reported.

6. "Turkey rattles sabre at Iraqi Kurdistan —again", the PKK has responded to the bellicose rhetoric in kind. Murat Karayilan, a PKK leader, said this week that a "mad war" was in prospect unless Ankara backed off.

1. - AFP - "Turks lukewarm to broader rights for Kurdish minority":

ANKARA / 24 March 2007

About a third of Turks back Kurdish-language education and broadcasts as a means of ending the two-decade Kurdish conflict in Turkey, while a majority believe that combatting Kurdish rebels is the way out, a poll showed Saturday.

The survey, published in the popular Milliyet daily, found that 34.9 percent believe that granting the Kurdish minority the right to education in its mother tongue would be a "right" way to resolve the conflict, while the remaining respondants said it would be "wrong."

Another 36.3 percent backed Kurdish-language broadcasts.

About 39 percent expressed support for removing a 10-percent national threshold for parties to enter parliament, which has kept Kurdish political movements from obtaining parliamentary representation.

More people -- 42.4 percent -- were in favour of extending state support to preserve Kurdish culture and traditions and 48.3 percent said the powers of local administrations should be broadened.

A solid majority of 80.3 percent said "eradicating terrorism" is the way to end the conflict, which has claimed more than 37,000 lives since the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community, took up arms in 1984.

The survey was conducted by the Konda polling company among 48,000 people across Turkey in October.

Under European Union pressure, Turkey has in recent years broadened Kurdish cultural freedoms, legalising the teaching of the Kurdish language at private courses and allowing limited Kurdish-language television and radio broadcasts.

But Kurdish activists say the reforms are inadequate and have called notably for lowering the 10-percent election threshold and granting general amnesty for PKK militants to encourage them to end their armed campaign in the southeast.

Other parts of the poll, published in Milliyet this week, projected the number of Kurds in Turkey at 11.5 million, or 15.7 percent of the 73-million-strong population.

2. - Today's Zaman - "‘Non-violent environment’: A new beginning in the Kurdish problem":

26 March 2007 / by Mumtaz Turkone

Turks have coexisted with political turmoil for many years. The ideological polarizations that began in the late 1960s prompted resurgence in violent events.

By 1980 Turkey had lost 5,000 citizens, mainly university students, to violence. The Sept. 12 military intervention temporarily halted the unrest until the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) began to take its toll. By 1999 30,000 people had died in terror-related events. The violence had worsened Turkey’s main ethnic problem; the Kurdish problem. Last Wednesday, March 21, Turkey celebrated Nevruz, the New Year of Nature. People were surprised and hopeful for accord when celebrations ended peacefully.

It is evident that violence has lost meaning and strength. The determination and support for resolving matters with violence has clearly diminished. Since this year’s Nevruz celebrations were signs of a peaceful and non-violent future, I believe it deserves a closer look.

Nevruz: a new year, a new beginning

The beginning of nature, the coming of spring, was very important for ancient societies. Thus the beginning of spring on March 21, 2007 was also perceived as the first day of a new year. Literally Nevruz means a “new day” and figuratively it means “first day of a new year.” In short, it means “New Year.” Pagan societies were dependent on nature in many ways and therefore the ending of cold and difficult winter days and the beginning of spring was considered a holiday for them. On March 21 of every year, Hittites Sumerians, Egyptians and Greeks celebrated the New Year with festivals in dedication to their gods. While the tradition has traces extending back to Zoroastrianism, in Turkey both Turks and Kurds have kept the tradition alive. Over time people have forgotten the religious meaning and purpose of this ancient tradition, yet it continues to survive.

March 21 is celebrated among many different societies in the Middle East and Anatolia. It is also a joint holiday among Turks and Kurds. However Turks don’t attach as much importance to the holiday as Kurds do. Most often Turks celebrate the day because of state politics, particularly since the state does not want March 21 to become another basis for separation among Turks and Kurds. Nevruz, a holiday associated with ethnicity amongst Kurds, was officially recognized and called the “Ergenekon Holiday.” Thus every year senior officials and politicians participate in Nevruz celebrations. On TV we see them jumping over burning fire, a ritual that comes from Zoroastrian tradition. We saw the same images again this year.

This year the difference was marked in Kurdish politics and intelligence. The celebrations concluded nonviolently mainly because of the Democratic Society Party (DTP), Kurdish politicians striving to associate Nevruz as the symbol of struggle for independence.

Why the change?

Abdullah Öcalan, who is at Imrali prison under special security, is without doubt still the leader of the PKK. Öcalan determines the basic strategy of his organization and communicates messages to his supporters with the notes he makes his lawyers write. According to the notes written by the lawyers and published at a later time, Öcalan believes there is a Turkish-US alliance to destroy the PKK. His strategy to prevent such a movement comprises a few main tenets. The first of these is for the PKK to accept and support Turkey’s unitarian structure. This tenet will prevent the formation of any Kurdish political party formed without PKK initiative, such as the northern Iraq supported Rights and Freedoms Party (HAK-PAR) and Participatory Democracy Party (KADEP). By acting against such parties that lobby for a Kurdish federation within Turkey, it will defend Turkey’s unitarian structure and at the same time strengthen its own hand. Secondly, Öcalan wants an atmosphere of non-violence to replace the threat of terror activities. It appears that Öcalan has understood that more violence will only justify the need to dissolve the organization.

The empowering of a Kurdish political existence in northern Iraq has prompted a paradox-laden basic division in Kurdish politics in Turkey. Massoud Barzani’s influence in southeast Anatolia and the increase in the population has disturbed many Kurds in Turkey, especially the PKK. Turkish Kurds perceive themselves as being better then the other because of their political experience and intellectual talents. Turkey’s Kurdish population has rapidly changed tribal traditions, abandoned strict religious orders and has rapidly become individualized. Also, unlike other Kurds, those in Turkey are moving further and further away from regional homogeneity. More than half of the Kurdish population lives outside of their autochthonic region in the West owing to rapid urbanization and economic development. Of course this is another reason PKK and DTP politicians don’t want a geographic or political federation.

New balances in ethnic politics

Determined and sincere peace initiatives were introduced in the Ankara conference “Turkey Seeking its Peace,” held on Jan. 13. But when debates erupted during the preparation of the conclusion report, it showed that despite the will for such initiatives, the protection of internal balances in Kurdish politics would be difficult. Kurds demanded Turkey officially declare a cease-fire, a move Turkey would not be willing to take. Such impossible demands were perceived as implications for a temporary period of non-violence for balances to return to normal.

We witnessed the same signs of balance attempts during Wednesday’s Nevruz celebration. It is obvious that DTP leader Ahmet Turk’s call on Nevruz to “resolve problems in unity” (in other words with the Unitarian structure) and to fight against “destructive and negative” politics has not yet settled into the lingo of the new phase. Leyla Zana, a female Kurdish politician, also attempted to highlight a joint past and a national unity with her statement, “we proved ourselves in Çanakkale and in Cyprus.” It was regarded as strange when she listed Jalal Talabani, Barzani and Öcalan as Kurdish leaders.

The fire of the Kurdish problem is still aflame. Trust and a common language needs to be consolidated by both sides. Habits developed by violence and adopted and repeated without question must be re-evaluated. A moderate and constructive psychological atmosphere is also as important. More and more people are supporting the formation of a common ground; a ground that will include preventing violence and preferring peace over all else.

DTP deputy leader Sirri Sakik had made an announcement long before Nevruz that relieved public suspense. Sakik made a self-critique and said the publics’ interests would no longer go unnoticed. The fact that Nevruz ended in peace and nonviolence showed that the self-critique made by the DTP vice leader was sincere. No one gains by violence. In fact violence means to lose everything and to have to start all over again. That said, Nevruz was the biggest sign for us; it closed Turkey’s violent past and opened a new slate.

This is not the end; it is the beginning of a new start.

A tabula rasa stands before Turkey.

3. - AFP - "Kurdish party official detained in Turkey":

ANKARA / 25 March 2007

Turkish police on Sunday detained a senior member of Turkey's main Kurdish party for a speech in which he allegedly praised jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, Anatolia news agency reported.

Orhan Miroglu, deputy chairman of the Democratic Society Party (DTP), was detained after he referred to Ocalan as "sayin" -- a word that means esteemed or honourable but also doubles for "mister" in Turkish, the report said.

Ocalan, serving a life sentence for treason since 1999, is the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a bloody armed campaign in the mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984. It is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey and other countries.

DTP members have increasingly become the target of judicial action in recent weeks for supporting the PKK.

Miroglu made the speech at a rally in Ankara, which was part of festivities this week to celebrate the Kurdish New Year, Newroz Day, the biggest Kurdish festival.

He was to be released or formally arrested after being questioned.

4. - Reuters - "Mine kills three, wounds two in SE Turkey":

DIYARBAKIR / 23 March 2007

A mine laid by Kurdish rebels killed three Turkish soldiers and wounded two on Friday during a fire fight against the rebels in Turkey's Kurdish southeast, Turkish security forces said on Friday.

As part of the first operations in an annual Spring offensive against the rebels, Turkish military forces were working with special forces teams and local village guards.

Security forces said they were opposed by as many as 20 members of the armed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

A Turkish solider was wounded near Diyarbakir on Thursday during clashes throughout Turkey's poor, mainly Kurdish southeast region.

They followed Newroz, a popular Kurdish New Year's holiday with Zoroastrian roots which is often a flashpoint for violence.

The celebrations passed with no major incidents, despite claims, denied by the authorities, that former PKK-leader Abdullah Ocalan had been poisoned in prison and the arrests of Kurdish politicians leading up to the holiday.

Violence between the Turkish military and PKK began in 1984, when the group took up arms to fight for a Kurdish homeland. Some 30,000 people have been killed.

5. - AP - "Turkish police detain right-wing politician in the killing of ethnic Armenian journalist":

ISTANBUL / 25 March 2007

Turkish police late Sunday detained a right-wing politician for interrogation in connection with the killing of an ethnic Armenian journalist, a news channel reported.

The police detained Yasar Cihan, head of the local branch of the conservative and nationalist Great Unity Party in the Black Sea port city of Trabzon, private NTV television reported.

The detention came several hours after Patriarch Mesrob II, the spiritual head of the Armenian Orthodox community in Turkey, on Sunday criticized authorities for failing to find those who ordered the killing of the journalist Hrant Dink.

Dink was killed outside his paper, Agos, in Istanbul on Jan. 19. Prosecutors have pressed charges against 10 suspects, including some former members of the youth wing of Great Unity.

According to NTV, police were still looking for another leading member of Great Unity, Halis Egemen.

Dink's killing prompted international condemnation as well as debate within Turkey about free speech, and whether state institutions were tolerant of militant nationalists.

Dink, the 52-year-old editor of the bilingual Agos newspaper, had been brought to trial numerous times for allegedly "insulting Turkishness," a crime under Turkey's penal code.

6. - World War 4 Report - "Turkey rattles sabre at Iraqi Kurdistan —again":

23 March 2007 / by Bill Weinberg

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, joined by MPs, military chiefs and diplomats, say up to 3,800 PKK fighters in Iraqi Kurdistan are preparing for attacks into Turkish territory—and Turkey is ready to hit back if the US fails to act. Said Gul: "We will do what we have to do, we will do what is necessary. Nothing is ruled out. I have said to the Americans many times: suppose there is a terrorist organisation in Mexico attacking America. What would you do?... We are hopeful. We have high expectations. But we cannot just wait forever."

"If they are killing our soldiers ... and if public pressure on the government increases, of course we will have to intervene," said Ali Riza Alaboyun, an MP for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development party. "It is the legal right of any country to protect its people and its borders."

Turkish sources told The Guardian that "hot pursuit" special forces operations into northern Iraq's Khaftanin and Qanimasi regions are already underway.

The PKK has responded to the bellicose rhetoric in kind. Murat Karayilan, a PKK leader, said this week that a "mad war" was in prospect unless Ankara backed off.

Fighting between Turkish security forces and Kurdish guerillas has claimed 37,000 lives since 1984. The last Turkish incursion into Iraq occurred 10 years ago, when 40,000 troops were sent across the border to hunt down PKK stronholds.

The Guardian reports a firm Turkish belief that the US is playing a "double game" in Iraqi Kurdistan. Officials say the CIA is covertly arming the PKK's sister organisation, the Iran-based Kurdistan Free Life party, to destabilise the Iranian government.

The Guardian also cites US acquiescence in plans to hold a referendum in oil-rich Kirkuk in northern Iraq. Turkey suspects Iraqi Kurds are seeking control of Kirkuk as a prelude to the creation of an independent Kurdistan.

The Turks are also incensed by a pending US Congressional resolution blaming Turkey for genocide against the Armenians in 1915. Faruk Logoglu, a former ambassador to Washington, said that if the resolution passed, relations "could take generations to recover."