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-RIVISTA STAMPA-DENTRO DE lA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZET;<br />
Turkish Probe October 5, 1993 3<br />
will have from those military-introduced policies of<br />
today are not clear. What Parliament sources believe,<br />
however, is that the conditions of mo<strong>de</strong>rate<br />
policies no longer exist, that the government has<br />
compl<strong>et</strong>ely shelved the <strong>Paris</strong> Charter and rights --<br />
as far as the Kurdish issue goes -- and that the<br />
chances of any peaceful solution to the problem are<br />
being lost by the day. .<br />
In the coming three months a dramatic change in<br />
the regional picture is expected. On the Turkish<br />
si<strong>de</strong>, the war on terror is to be escalated -- apparently<br />
to the extent of repeating the $Irnak inci<strong>de</strong>nts<br />
over a vast area.<br />
On the PKK si<strong>de</strong>, the situation<br />
is worse. Öcalan, un<strong>de</strong>r<br />
pressure from his own constituents<br />
has the spirit to fight<br />
to the end.<br />
In the words of Active Television<br />
(ATV) news anchorman<br />
Güneri Civao1)lu,<br />
Öcalan a.K.a Apo, is like a<br />
cornered rat. Öcalan previous<br />
warning to Civao1)luand<br />
other journalists is that if an<br />
outlawed organization is cornered,<br />
it becomes more violent.<br />
Cornered he is, but not<br />
only because of Turkish operations.<br />
Looking at the<br />
PKK's problems today, it<br />
could be seen that it is cornered<br />
on four fronts. First,<br />
operations are concentrating<br />
on mountain units. Second,<br />
there are operations concentrating on urban s<strong>et</strong>tlements<br />
and hurting civilians. When these two come<br />
tog<strong>et</strong>her they create the circumstances for only two<br />
things: more recruits to the organization (at a rate it<br />
cannot train or indoctrinate) and more pressure for<br />
violence.<br />
This is where Öcalan is really cornered.• We will<br />
take harsher measures. In one day, 50 people could<br />
die. If we say this we will do it....We will not be responsible<br />
if 50 people die. We have no choiçe because<br />
they are <strong>de</strong>stroying Kurdistan,. said Öcalan<br />
" Wewill take<br />
harsher measures.<br />
In one day 50 people<br />
could die. If we<br />
say this we will do<br />
it....we will not be<br />
responsible if 50<br />
people die.<br />
Wehave no choice<br />
because they are<br />
<strong>de</strong>stroying<br />
Kurdistan ~<br />
Operations Un<strong>de</strong>rtyllY ' ' '.<br />
l\T<br />
in his recent press conference.<br />
At least 200 people have died on both si<strong>de</strong>s in the<br />
past week alone and, according to Reuters, more<br />
than 1,600 people have been killed in the region<br />
since May 24, 1993, when Apo called off a twomonth<br />
unilateral cease fire that Ankara ignored from<br />
the very beginning.<br />
"I have never been as confi<strong>de</strong>nt as today ...when<br />
we started, there was no one talking about the<br />
Kurdish i<strong>de</strong>ntity but now there is," Öcalan said, emphasizing<br />
correctly that the PKK enjoys strong popular<br />
support.<br />
About three months ago,<br />
when leading Turkish newspaper<br />
owners and directors<br />
were invited to the chief of<br />
general staff's office where<br />
they were "advised" what to<br />
write about and what not,<br />
they were told to avoid statements<br />
such as the above. A<br />
colonel then went to the extent<br />
of even giving a sli<strong>de</strong><br />
show of a recent commentary<br />
written by Sabah's Hasan<br />
Cemal, "pointing out"<br />
how damaging it was for<br />
Turkey. "The PKK has<br />
spread its roots among the<br />
people," Cemal said in his<br />
column then, which now<br />
rarely refers to the Kurdish<br />
issue.<br />
During the briefing it was<br />
ma<strong>de</strong> clear that although it<br />
should not be pronounced openly, wartime conditions<br />
prevailed in the Southeast and the national<br />
press should act accordingly; an argument that may<br />
be accepted as legitimate, if only what is happening<br />
-- or the policy put into practic~ -- was really in the<br />
national interests of Turkey.<br />
The key factor to PKK activities in the coming period<br />
will clearly be the amount of damage it will inflict<br />
on local people during Turkey's war on terrorism.<br />
In its first three years of violence, from 1984 to<br />
ews reaching Ankara from th<strong>et</strong>roubled' jU;~dYiheI'lTUrkiSh~ircrytft attacked the suspected<br />
~~~~:;a~~~e~:~;a~~ ~~~h~~n1~ca~~:~ ••••••• ~Jr:;s~::'cI:~el~':a~~a~f:~~u6i~;y~~~<strong>et</strong>~~r~~k~~:<br />
pe<strong>et</strong>ed crackdown on the Kurdistan Workers Party.. representativeof !h.eKurdistan Democratic party.<br />
(PKK) which is believed to have some.8 to 1Othou-Simllarattacksàt .the Nerwa region where the<br />
sand fighters in the region.<br />
bor<strong>de</strong>rs of Turkey, Iraq and Iran converge. killed<br />
There has been increased fighting In .tl'lemoun-... seven other Iraqi Kurds, ttlree of them women, Ditainous<br />
region and at least twooperations have' zayee .said.Ankara's civilian government has been<br />
been started on urban s<strong>et</strong>tlements: The<strong>de</strong>ath toll told by security officers that PKK camps have been<br />
is up at an average of about .20.per-day but in- established In the Iraqi bor<strong>de</strong>r region. In reality, the<br />
creasing rapidly. . PKK only' has mobile groups in the area and their<br />
During the weekend. Turkey shelled and number Is quite low.<br />
bombed what was claimed to be PKK targ<strong>et</strong>s In Cynics believe the aim of the new campaign is to<br />
Iraqi territory, although the Jraqi Kurds have distract attention from what is going on In Turkey<br />
claimed they were civilian s<strong>et</strong>tlements. An Iraqi and give the Turkish electorate a moral victory with<br />
Kurdish woman was killed and five men were in- a story whose veracity cannot be established.<br />
29