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

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
22 March 2000, Copyright (Q Turkish Daily News
Nevruz reflects changing
climate
• Leaders praise Nevruz as an occasion when feelings of
brotherhood, friendship and peace are expressed as
Turkish people celebrate it with cultural events
Ankara - Turkish Daily News
Unlike the prohibited and often violent Nevruz celebrations in the
past, Turkey marked the "New Day" this year with limited
permission for celebrations in a peaceful atmosphere, reflecting
the climate of change in the country.
President Suleyman Demirel and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit united in declaring Nevruz an occasion when feelings of
brotherhood, friendship and peace were expressed. Still, there were isolated cases of violence staged by activists who
attempted to turn the occasion into a platform to demonstrate in favor of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Police have detained scores of demonstrators, but there were no mass arrests or excessive force used by police that have
marked the day in previous years. Compared to the recent past, Nevruz violence was at a negligible level.
In Istanbul, Turkey's largest metropolitan area, the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (HADEP) was denied
perinission by the Governor's Office to organize a Nevruz celebration because of a controversy over semantics. According
to the Governor's Office, approval was not given to HADEP because in the application for permission the party referred to
Nevruz as "Newroz."
"Written as it is, 'Newroz' is not a Turkish word," Deputy Governor Osman Demir said in a letter to HADEP, a copy of
which was obtained by Reuters. The Turkish alphabet has no letter "W."
"The Law on Political Parties states parties cannot use any language other than Turkish," it said. A fresh application using
the Turkish spellings Nevruz or Nevroz would be re-evaluated.
The city prepared for Nevruz with a meeting chaired by Governor Erol Cakir on Monday night. Third Army Corps
Commander Atilla Kurtaran, Police Chief Hasan Ozdemir, Gendarmerie Commander Lance Colonel Halil Ibrahim Tuysuz
and a number of security and military officials participated in the meeting held at Istanbul police headquarters.
Some 27,000 police were on state of alert, leaves were cancelled and a special crisis center was established. In addition to
police and gendarmerie forces, cadets from the Etiler and Florya police schools were called on duty.
The extraordinary police measures paid off yesterday, and Istanbul had one of its most peaceful Nevruz celebrations since
the separatist PKK and leftist urban terrorist groups started promoting the day as a Kurdish festivity in the early 1980s.
Police detained at least 10 people in Istanbul who turned up for one of the cancelled celebrations. In Ankara some 3,000
people gathered in Abdi Ipekcipark for Nevruz festivities. Nevruz celebrations around Ankara were also peaceful.
. .
Nevruz was not hampered by police in Izmir, but by torrential rain. Celebrations that started in a festive mood ended
abruptly with the onset of heavy rain.
In Diyarbakir, the largest city of southeastern Anatolia gripped with separatist terrorism since 1984, thousands of people
banged on drums and leapt over blazing bonfires to greet Nevruz, or the coming of spring.
Some 1,000 buses, trucks and minibuses ferried residents to an open concrete space eight kilometers (five miles) outside the
city. It was dominated by a bonfire lit by officials from HADEP, whose request for the Nevruz festivities to be held
downtown had been refused.
"We hope Newroz will bring peace, brotherhood and freedom," said HADEP Diyarbakir Mayor Feridun Celik, recently
released from prison and still facing charges of links to the PKK, as he helped the blaze primed with gasoline.
Police and armored cars surrounded the area.
Inside the city, police and fire crews rushed through the poorer suburbs to extinguish unauthorized fires of burning tires lit
by teenagers on street comers.
Young men leapt over and danced around the flames. .
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