Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
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REVUE DE PRESSE~PRESS REVIEW.BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ.RWISTA STAMPA~DENTRO DE LA PRENSA~BASIN ÖZETi<br />
.-<br />
.-<br />
week that it would suspend arms sales to<br />
Turkey. It gave no reason for the <strong>de</strong>cision.<br />
The South African Embassy, in response<br />
to an inquiry from Turkish Datly News, said<br />
that South Africa was suspending the <strong>de</strong>livery<br />
of certain arms to Turkey "m line with<br />
similar measures taken by several other<br />
states."<br />
"We consi<strong>de</strong>r this an outrageous <strong>de</strong>cision<br />
and attribute it to tbe past finks with the<br />
African National Congress (ANC)," a<br />
Turkish diplomat, who requested anonymity,<br />
said. .<br />
This comment on a past link with the ANC<br />
is a thinly-veiled reference to Turkey's belief<br />
that the ANC, particularly in its days as a<br />
resistance gI'(>up,had ties with the outlawed<br />
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). When<br />
Nelson Man<strong>de</strong>la, prior to the all~ce elections<br />
that installed birn as presi<strong>de</strong>nt, <strong>de</strong>clined<br />
to accept the Atatürk Award offered to him<br />
by Turkey in 1992, some Turkish' circles<br />
attributed this to the influence of the PKK on<br />
the' ANC. Although South Africa has assured<br />
Turkey at every opportunity that it consi<strong>de</strong>rs<br />
the PKK a "terronst orgarnzation," the <strong>de</strong>cision<br />
to sus~nd arms to Turkey, along with<br />
rumors that Kurdish activists were increasiRg<br />
their presence in South Africa, has ma<strong>de</strong><br />
Ankara remember old wounds.<br />
"We consi<strong>de</strong>r th~ South African <strong>de</strong>cision<br />
an incomprehensible one at a time when we.<br />
are !I)'ing to enhance our relations," another<br />
Turkish diplomat told the Turkish Daily<br />
News. The two countries, which restored full<br />
diplomatic ties in 1992, conclu<strong>de</strong>d a number<br />
of economic accords last year to promote<br />
tra<strong>de</strong> and tourism."<br />
Turkish officials,' bowever, maintain that<br />
they will not apply economic. nor diplomatic<br />
sanctions to Soutli Africa. A note of protest<br />
from Turkey is also ruled out by the same<br />
circles. SilD11arly,the South African Embassy<br />
ruled out that they had initiated a total<br />
embar~o on Turkey. "Nor do (we) intend to<br />
do so, the embassy statement said.<br />
Öcalan pushes<br />
all 01 us to<br />
make a choice<br />
There are about 14 million citizens of<br />
Kurdish origin in Turkey while are<br />
there more than 50 million Turks living<br />
on this soil. Most of our citizens of<br />
Kurdish <strong>et</strong>hnic origin live in Western<br />
Turkey mingled with all of us. Only about<br />
three million are located in southeastern<br />
Turkey where the PKK terrorist organization<br />
is waging a separatist campaign ...<br />
In an interview with Reuters on<br />
Tuesday, PKK lea<strong>de</strong>r Abdullah Öcalan<br />
says he is prepared to lay down his arms<br />
and end his terrorist campaign provi<strong>de</strong>d<br />
that Ankara starts talking about a political<br />
solution for the Kurdish issue.<br />
What does this "political solution" mean?<br />
All we can,un<strong>de</strong>r-<br />
Language problem limits<br />
health care in Southeast<br />
'Physicians mostly believe that<br />
they cannot be effective enough as<br />
most of the patients do not mow<br />
Turkish, they know only Kurdish'<br />
Turkish Daily News<br />
ANKARA- Turkish-speaking health personnel face difficulties<br />
providing health services in the Southeast, the Turkish<br />
Medical Association (TMA) reported.<br />
In a report pllblished at the begillning of the month, the<br />
TMA saId language problems limit health services in<br />
Southeast, a predommantly Kurdish area ofTurkey.<br />
The report emphasized the importance of language in ren<br />
<strong>de</strong>ring services.<br />
J<br />
"Answers to a survey given on this matter by the physicians,<br />
midwives and nurses working at the health centers in the<br />
provincial center of Diyarbakir are interesting," the report said.<br />
"Physicians mostly believe that they cannot be effective<br />
enough as most of the patients do not know Turkish, they know<br />
only Kurdish." "<br />
The survey said that midwives and nurses faced difficulties<br />
with vaccinations, family planning, matemàl and child health<br />
care and in health education because of the language problem.<br />
Therefore they could not be effective enough ..<br />
The report also said that midwives anâ nurses who knew<br />
Kurdish said that they were more successful in ren<strong>de</strong>ring services.<br />
The TMA said that more than half of the physIcians<br />
nee<strong>de</strong>d a third person to communicate with patients and more<br />
than half of the physicians believe that they cannot be helpful<br />
enough to their patients because of the communication problem.<br />
As a result of the survey, the TMA suggested that pbysicians<br />
working in the region should know a socioeconomic conditions<br />
and learn the patient's language so that they could communicate.<br />
According to the TMA, third persons also should be<br />
employed for communication with the patients in the region.<br />
. stand from this is<br />
that Öcalan<br />
wants to a create ed,;to1"'ial<br />
a separate state '" "<br />
for the Kurds on<br />
this soil and<br />
divi<strong>de</strong> our country.<br />
So what he<br />
could not do<br />
through terrorism<br />
he wants to<br />
achieve through<br />
political means.<br />
Öcalan is not a<br />
man of peace. If<br />
he were then he<br />
would never have<br />
or<strong>de</strong>red the<br />
killing of innocent<br />
women and<br />
children for what<br />
he calls a "cause."<br />
He says, "if Ankara continues its campaign<br />
against the Kurdish people, the<br />
Kurdish people will fight." Turkey is riot<br />
involved in any campaign against its<br />
Kurdish population and out of the huge<br />
millions of people of J(urdish~rigin' in<br />
Turkey we see that onlya'handful o(mili-<br />
89