Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Impressions of Igdlr:
Another city crushed by terrorism ~ s: :;:Q
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• Locals demand urgent measures against terrorist activity has at least five wives and 20 children, 2. That Mount Agn be declared a "for- o
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which means that in a few years time, Kurds
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• Declaration of surrounding mountains as 'forbidden zones' bidden zone" and villagers living in the .., ~
will form the majority group in the area. mountains ....!...- such as Tendürek, Cudi, and .....
and resettlement of people living there a probable solution
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That is w~ the provincIal convention was Gabar - be resettled in secure areas with
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By Ernel Aktug DYPthere. annulled. et, thIS story repeats itself again the state com~nsating them for their finan- \Cl 'i:l
Jilrki.'h Daily N~ws As far as I am aware, the Social Democrat and again . cial losses. uch measures, they say, will ~
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\COIR- Life is difficult in Igdlr, an east- People' s Party (SHP) appoints its own An Azeri has a private TV station in prevent logistical support reaching PKK ~
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em Turkish province on the Annenian bor- symp3athizers to state posts, in an attempt Igdlr. The channel broadcasts eveR evening cadres in the mountams, and will break :;:Q
der. The locals eke out a £recarious exis- to win the nextlocal and general elections. for two to two and a half hours. e broad- communication lines with their symtathiztence.
li\'in!!. as it were. un er the banner of Tenders are usually awarded to SHP sup- casts ur~e the locals to arm themselves ers and militiamen down in the sett ement
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a state of terror. ~rters. In fact, they are all PKK supporters. against t e PKK if need be. Yet the local areas. This will ultimately bring the down- ~ ,
The Turkish state hardly exists here. It is KK members playa direct role where win- population is already anned to the teeth. Yet fall of the PKK, they add.
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as if militants of the outlawed Kurdistan ning tenders is concerned. Take, for another sad truth is that alll~dlr natives feel 3. That search operations be conducted trl
Workers' Party (PKK) have taken over the ~
instance. the contractor who won a tender compelled to hurry bac home every continuallt in villites known for sympa- ::I::
administration. after offering only a 3 percent discount. even1ß! when the clock strikes 4:30 p.m. thizin.fhvit the PK .
Curiously enough, they resemble the Klu Others had agreed to over 23 ~ercent dis- After p.m., the streets are all deserted. 4. at local tradesmen who close shops,
Klux Klan members in the United States. counts. I know for a fact that e was pro- Cou~led with fretuent blackouts at night, in compliance with PKK orders, be subject-
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During the day, they wile away their time at
PKK. It would appear that elections are not the ear of death eaves the locals with no ed to criminal investigation and higher
coffeehouses, platng cards with other possible in Igdlr and neighboring towns. other alternative but to rush back to the taxes. Those that ignore such orders must be
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locals. At night, t eir search for targets
under such circumstances. safety of their homes when evening falls. rewarded with tax exemptions, they say. trl> ,
be!!ins.
Mountainous and next door to Armenia
Two months ago, the PKK blew up the TI.. 5. That public servants sympathetic to the :;:Q
Tt seems thaI the locals know the identity
- 150 to 200 meters and you're actually in
75 billion substation supplying the province PKK be denied access to crucial infonnaof
the PKK members in their midst. Yet with electricity".
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afraid of reprisal, they choose to remain
Armenia - Igdlr is seventh heaven for a
No commercial activity is now possible 6. That soldiers deployed in the region be ~
silent. terrorist. Roads meander - so many unnecfor
the local populations of Kars, Igdlr, and not of Kurdish origin. Security forces must r.n
Just on the eve of my arrivalthere, terror- essary bends. So terrorists just lay in wait
Ardahan. The only ones able to cross the comprise young, d~namic, and patriotic
ists attacked the local daily, Ye~il Igdlf, for their prey. No risks are involved. After border are~nniless Azerbaijanis and PKK people. They add t at an increase in the
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hurling Molotov cocktails at its offices in the massacre, they rush to the Aras river "CI
militants. rade along the border is strictly number of special crack forces will also
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the city center. Fortunately, the fire was put marking the border between Turkey and ,
under PKK control. Watchtowers on the help greatly.
out. Without serious damage to the building. Annenia.1l is a mere 150 meters away from border were dismantled on the pretext that tl
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The Raper' s reporters know who attacked the highway. Although impassable in fall the "Communist threat" had been eliminat- Stratenic area Z
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their otfice. Yet they cannot reveal the per- and winter. the waters of the Aras. for the ed. There are only a few soldiers on ouard The declaration of Igdlr province as a
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petrators' identities, for fear of murdérous rest of the pear, are a mere 50 cm deep. duty from early morning till dusk. on tigh- strategically important area makes more 0
reprisals. They cannot report incidents The DY provincial convention was held, ways close to the border. Alas, these kIds sense, considenng the above mentioned ~
occurring under their very noses, either. onl~ to be declared null and void da~s later are easily gunned down by PKK snipers. facts. The proximity of Annenia is the most
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They can only wait for a bulletin to be - ecause the winner had picked 16 mem-
issued by the office of the emergency rule bers of his clan as dele&)tes. The total num- important factor accounting for the close
Proposals by local authorities
relations between Armenia and the PKK. 2 ~
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regional gO\ernor. If there are mant casual- ber of delegates was 3 . Still, he managed . Local aut~orities ~tIr0se th.e foll~~in~, The Yerevan agreement of 1935, between
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lies. the incident appears in the ulletin. to cling to his position and was re-elected m order to Wipe out K terronst aCl1Vltym the Annenians and the Kurds, attempting to
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Only then can reporters use the story in the on the strength of a complex delegate-listing the re~n: snatch the region away from Turkey, is still :::r ,
dailv. procedure. 1. at the Annenian and Iranian borders valid.
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Di!!or. the hometown of Mahmut Ahnak, Another point of interest is the conflict be mined and controlled by radar. They say Igdlr, recentl~eclared a province, enjoys ~
Democracy Party (DEP) ~Irnak deputy, is between the Azeri and Kurdish populations watchtowers must be erected and border sta- a mIld climate. e soil is fertile, like that of ~ Z
trapped dead in the middle of the triangle in the province. The birthrate among the