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
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
REVUE DE PRESSE~PRESS REVIEW~BERHEVOKAÇAPÊ~RNISTA STAMPA~DENTRO DE LA PRENSA~BASiN OZETi<br />
40<br />
But he. ma<strong>de</strong> no secr<strong>et</strong> of the fact that<br />
By Semih D. Idiz Washington's attention would be increasingly<br />
Turkish daily News focussed on human rights and <strong>de</strong>mocracy issue in<br />
ANKARA- Senior Western officials are pre- Turkey for a number of reasons, not the least of<br />
diclÎng-inc.rea::.illg isolation for Turkey if which is the growing interest in these issues by the<br />
Ankara's inability to institute reforms in the U.S. Congress. Sources on the U.S. si<strong>de</strong> say that<br />
human rights area - especially on Kurdish the pending trials of <strong>de</strong>puties from the Prorights<br />
- is not speedily overcome. Kurdish Democracy Party (DEP), which was<br />
Aware of the multidimensional onslaught recently banned by the Constitutional court, is a<br />
against Turkey from Western fora on this score cause for anger among U.S. Congressmen because<br />
Ankara seems 10 be preparing a "preemptive inclu<strong>de</strong>d in the charges brought against these<br />
strategy" aimed at reinforcing its image as a <strong>de</strong>puties are addresses they <strong>de</strong>lIvered to the U.S.<br />
country attempting to overcome its human legislature. Shattuck alsô mentioned this when<br />
rights shortcomings. Diplomats and. analysts' talking to reporters on Tuesday morning. .<br />
are, however. questioning wh<strong>et</strong>her the contra- "There is wi<strong>de</strong>spread concern in the United.<br />
States, especially in our Congress, about their freedictory<br />
positions of government members and dom of speech, their freedom of expression and<br />
politicians, as well as extraneous factors such the pOSSibility that they have been jailed for<br />
as a growi r ~ isolationi~~l ~i.\1ongthe Turkish speeches that they ma<strong>de</strong> in the United States when.<br />
public vis il'vis the WÇ'~t,'may not ma~e this they were visiting our Congress," he said referring<br />
search for a new strate-.' to the DEP <strong>de</strong>puties. This attention by the United<br />
gy "too little, too late." .States follows <strong>de</strong>velopments to Turkey's disad-<br />
The United States, a vantage on the same subjects in the parliamentary<br />
key ally of Turkey's in assemblies of the Council of Europe and the<br />
military matters, now appears to be taking the . Conference on Security and Cooperation.<br />
lead in giving Ankara a clear message concern- There is also said to be wi<strong>de</strong>spread anger in the<br />
ing <strong>de</strong>mocracy and human rights, with special European Parliament against the Turkisn governemphasis<br />
on the questions of the ill treatment . ment for the same reasons as the anger in the<br />
of prisoners in <strong>de</strong>tention and the freedom of Congress.<br />
speech and conscience. John Shattuck, U.S. Reports from Brussels in recent days have sugassistant<br />
secr<strong>et</strong>ary of state for <strong>de</strong>mocracy. gested that Euro-parliamentarians are livid that<br />
. d I b h '.1 . statements by pro-Kurdish <strong>de</strong>puties to the<br />
human nghts an a our, w 0 arnveu In European ParlIament couldbe used against these<br />
Ankara on Sunday for two days of oii"ial <strong>de</strong>puties as reasons for convicting them for treatalks,<br />
was reported by sources tu have giv\n son. Western diplomatic sources indicate that there<br />
. prominence to these<br />
points<br />
talks: Me<strong>et</strong>ing<br />
during<br />
a small<br />
his<br />
. .. group of journalists<br />
over breakfast on Tuesday Shattuck - who.<br />
while in Ankara also m<strong>et</strong> with pro-Kurdish<br />
<strong>de</strong>puties who have been stripped of their parliamentary<br />
immunity and thrown into prison -<br />
said they consi<strong>de</strong>red Turkey's combatting terrorism<br />
hy the outlawed Kurdistan Workers'<br />
is a growing feeling in the European Parliament to<br />
suspen<br />
d th<br />
e ac<br />
t'<br />
lVIles<br />
ï f h J' P r<br />
0 e omt ar lamentarx<br />
Commission with Turkey in<strong>de</strong>finiteIr" "untIl<br />
human rights abuses inTurkey are halted. '<br />
All of this is said to be prompting the govern-<br />
ment and the highest echelons of the State to try<br />
a~d work out a,st~ategy that will.h~l! th~ rapid ero-<br />
sIOnof Ankara s Image and credIbIlity m tile West'<br />
fro~ which Turkey appears to be drifting away..<br />
DIplomats and anarysts are assessing the Sum-<br />
Party (PKK) as legitimate.<br />
He also conce<strong>de</strong>d that the implementation of<br />
human rights could run into difficulties in the<br />
midst of such an effort. But Shattuckneverthe~<br />
less ma<strong>de</strong> his government's point clear and<br />
said, in categoric terms, that thefight against<br />
terrorism could not be accepted as a reason fot<br />
the suspension ofhuman rights. ..<br />
Shattuck ad<strong>de</strong>d that during his talks he had<br />
expressed the U.S. administration's "<strong>de</strong>ep concern"<br />
about increasing reports of human rights<br />
abuses in Turkey. .<br />
m,it neid by Presi<strong>de</strong>nt Demirel on Sunday with<br />
high level government officials and members of<br />
Parliament, as well as the me<strong>et</strong>ings with party<br />
lea<strong>de</strong>rs that he started on Monday, in this context.<br />
Presi<strong>de</strong>nt Demirel, who has himself been accused<br />
of blocking the path to reform on the Kurdish<br />
issue _ for blocking Kurdish TV and Kurdish lan-<br />
guage education, for example - is said to have<br />
become increasingly concerned by Turkey's growing<br />
isolation from the West. .<br />
One highly placed Turkish official, who wished<br />
to remain anonymous, told the Turkish Daily<br />
News that even this interest by the Presi<strong>de</strong>nt was a<br />
"The reports have grown more serious recently, sign that the growing pressures for human rights is<br />
particularly in the areas of alleged restrictions on hitting the mark iri Ankara and forcing political<br />
freedom of expression, allegatlonson the use of lea<strong>de</strong>rs to take note and seek means of a