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
us: 'We ,have excellent relations with Turkish military'
'We will not interfere with
Turkey's internal affairs'
UG-UR AKINO
Washington'.
Turkish lJaily News
• In the second day of commentary on the
recent escalation of tensions between the
Turkish National Security Council and the RP-
DYP government led by Islamist Prime
Minister Necmettin Erbakan, the Clinton
administration raised its level of public support
for the pro-secular warning delivered by the
Turkish military.
Still refraining from coming out openly with
full public support of the communique delivered
last Friday by the Turkish Armed Forces
(TAF), the State Department nevertheless put
on record the "excellent relationship" it has
with the Turkish military. The Department
clearly views the escalation of tensions
between TAF and Erbakan as a purely internal
affair.
Excellent relationship
"We have an excellent working relationship
with the Turkish military and the Turkish
general staff on a bilateral basis, on NATO
issues, and on bilateral Turkish-U.S. issues,"
said State Department spokesman Nicholas
Bums.
"So we're not going to interfere in internal
Turkish affairs, but we aœ going lO continue to
work with the various civilian and military officials
in Turkey to improve our relationship,"
Bums said. "We have the greatest respect for
many of the people who champion secular
democracy in Turkey," Bums added. The
Turkish General Staff has always maintained
that it is the vigilant guardian of Turkish secular
democracy .
Secularism
Bums reminded his listeners of the continuing
importance of secularism in Turkey for
America.
''Turkey is a great secular democracy and
that secular democracy, we believe, will,thrive.
The secular foundation of modem Turkey since
Ataturk is very important to the government of
Turkey," he said.
Civilian. rule
Bums expanded on his belief in civilian rule
when an American journalist asked if "a secular
democracy can be ruled by the military."
''Turkey has had a tradition of secular
democracy since, I believe - correct me -
1923, as the Great.Ataturk laid the foundation
of the state," Burns said. "We believe that civilian
rule is important.
It's an important part of democracy. We
encourage civilian rule. And NATO, of course,
16 countries, all ruled by civilians with a subordinate
relationship to the military. That's very
clear."
Ankara- Turldsh Daily'News
German parliamentarians speak out:
'Violence is no solution to the Kurdish problem'
Speaking about the Kurdish
....
issue, one parliamentarian
~ called the problem 'a thorn in
~ the side for Turkey. both
~ domestically and from the
~ point of view of foreign policy'
:J:
f-
~ • German parliamentarians urged
~ Turkey on Monday. ~ofind federal
~ solutions to its Kurdish and Cyprus '
è conflicts, saying these are intertwined
"':S problems which have a flow on effect
Q in Germany, home to nearly three
~ million Turks, at a conference orga- .
~ nized by the Konrad Adenauer
~ Foundation in Anka(a. Karl Lamers,
~ a parliamentarian from the Christian
Democrat Union (CÙU) - which has
nearly 242 seats in the German parliament
- said. "Wè favor a federal
. . . .. .
f~vored. mlht~ry option, which 10 fact
solution for the Cyprus conflict," Simply lI~tenslfied the proble~ and
when discussing one of the thorniest resulted 10 the country spe.ndmg enorissues
for Turkey in either the domes- mous sums of money. e~lllvalent to 3
tic or the foreign arena. When asked percent of the gross naUonal product.
about the latest deal by Greek Cyprus
to purchase anti-aircraft S-300 mis-
"This is a thorn in th~ side for
Turkey, both domestically and from
sHes from Russia, the German parlia- the point of view of foreign policy,"
mentarians assured the listeners, he said to the listeners among whom
including a number of Turkish parlia- there was also kurdish origined
mentarlans, that if the missile deploy- politicians.
ment takes place they "won't sit tight Dr. Heriberd Blen~, another
with their arms crossed." German parliamentanan, spoke to the
Discussions on EU expansion TON about Kurdish militants and
inevitably turned to human rights vio- members of the K~rdistan Workers'
rations in Turkey, with Lamers and Party (PKK) c~eat.mg .trouble in
his colleagues saying the number one qerma~y and.msugatmg demonstraproblem
in Turkey is the Kurdish Uons, ~Isturbmg the peace and
Issue, which also consistently gener- launchmg bomb and arson attacks
ates a great deal of interest in against Turkish citizens and business-
Germany.
Lamers said Turkey would never
es.
According to Blenz there are
find a solution using the currently an estimated 400,000 Turkish
33