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Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti
Turkish Daily News Bahçeli lashes out at all parties
November 14. 2007
Leader of the Nationalist Movement
Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, criticized
all the political parties in Parliament yes¬
terday for the stance adopted by them
toward the terrorists and said terror had
entered Parliament with the arrival of the
pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party's
(DTP) deputies.
"The aim is to divide Turkey," Bahçeli
said, addressing his deputies during his
party's group meeting in Parliament. "The
axis of betrayal is composed of the mur¬
derer on imrah Island (Abdullah Ôcalan,
imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdis¬
tan Workers' Party [PKK]), the PKK's
affiliate in Parliament the DTP, Barzani (
[Massoud] president of the semiautonomous
administration in northern
Iraq) and ethnic separatists within Tur¬
key," Bahçeli said.
Criticizing the government for not ins¬
tructing the army to launch a cross-border
military offensive even though parliamen¬
tary authorization for such a move was
Turkish Daily News
November 14. 2007
ANKARA - TDN Parliamentary Bureau
The lynching campaign continues
against the pro-Kurdish Democratic
Society Party (DTP), the party's former
leader said yesterday.
"Nobody can tame us with pressure. We
are not the public servant of anybody. We
came here with elections and will go in the
same way," Ahmet Turk, former DTP lea¬
der and deputy, said during a
DTP parliamentary group meeting.
Referring to photographs published by
the Turkish media showing DTP Van Depu¬
ty Fatma Kurtulan in northern Iraq
amid outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK) terrorists, wearing the terrorists'
style of clothing and carrying an automatic
weapon, Turk said: "The campaign of
criticism continues although it is known
that the photo displayed in the me¬
dia didn't belong to Kurtulan and that
some were informed of the real identity of
the person. This is a conspiracy aimed at
inciting the public against our party, and it
shows that
nues."
the lynching campaign conti¬
Kurtulan became a member of the DTP in
the 1990s and was a deputy candidate in
the 1999 and 2002 elections. She was
elected Van deputy in the 2007 elections.
"She has been involved in democratic
politics for a long time. But some want to
create a picture that paints Kurtulan as if
84
granted 27 days ago, Bahçeli said, "Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has shown
once again that he is not sincere in figh¬
ting against terrorists." The influence and
deterrent qualities of Parliament's authori¬
zation has been eroded by the govern¬
ment itself," he said.
Bahçeli slammed the DTP for wanting
"democratic autonomy" in Turkey with 20
or 25 regional parliaments where all will
be represented by their own flags and
symbols and defined it as "the project of
betrayal." "The DTP should be banned
through a judicial process. One need not
look for the terrorists in the mountains.
Their spokespersons have already entered
Parliament", he said.
He also called on Erdogan to amend the
Constitution and remove the immunity
enjoyed by the lawmakers who act against
the unity of the republic.
Baykal assures Barzani
Bahçeli also criticized Deniz Baykal,
leader of the Republican People's Party
(CHP) for proposing a set of new measu¬
res to win the hearts of the Iraqi Kurdish
groups. "The CHP's proposals are assuran¬
ces to Barzani for establishing his own
independent state. Baykal also supported
Erdogan's policies," he added.
Lynching campaign continues,
says Turk
she ventured into politics by leaving the
PKK camps in the mountains behind. It
should be questioned which opportunities
we are losing by trying to harm the DTP,"
he said.
We want unity:
Turk said the DTP wanted unity in Tur¬
key and that such campaigns against the
party should be stopped.
"Our solutions don't intend to divide up
the country. What we want is more demo¬
cracy and a strengthened democratic
nationalized structure."
Those who mask their real intentions in
the fields of politics, human rights and
democracy are other factors that trigger
such campaigns against the DTP, he said.
"The DTP began to decipher the political
views of those who act under the auspices
of the military. That's the real reason for
this panicked atmosphere and initiatives
aimed at closing our party.
The DTP will continue to defend living in
Turkey with its own culture within the
same borders and under the same flag,
despite all kinds of oppression, he said.
Turk also drew attention to the inter¬
views Milliyet daily's Ankara representa¬
tive Fikret Bila conducted with retired
commanders who said that soldiers have
perceived the Kurdish issue wrongly for
the past 20 years.
"You self-criticize but continue to pursue
the wrong policy as well," he said.
"We didn't want violence. We always
defended peace and have struggled for it,"
he said in reference to Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement that all
kinds of thoughts should be able to be
expressed without violence.
"I am not the person in that photo':
Kurtulan, meanwhile, also denied allega¬
tions that she is a member of the PKK.
"You know very well that I am not the
person in that photo. I will file a suit," she
said in response to questions from the
press