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

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka
Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basln Özeti
6 March,1998
S The illusive Yesil
Following the accident at Susurluk on Novemher
3, 1996, Mahmut Yildirim, code named "Yesil",
was sought hut couldn't he found. First it was
announced that he was dead hut he's very much
alive.
HAKAN ASLANELI
Istanbul- Turkish Daily News
He was known by the code names Yesil (Green) and
Sakalli (Bearded). In Tunceli between 1990 and 1993
and for two more years in.Elazig, he spent his tim~
mixing with people to collect information for the
Gendarmerie Information Agency GITEM). It has
been further claimed that during these years he tortured
villagers and his name was linked to unsolved
murders. It has been proven that he collected $17million
in bribe money from Casino King Omer Lutfu
TopaI using the name Ahmet Demir. In order to capture
Yesil,who let it be known that he.worked for the
National Intelligence Agency (MIT), the police have.
started an operation which covers all of Tur~ey.
The "Green" operation
Police headquarters are now looking for Mahmut
Yildirim, code-named Yesil, a key name in the 1996
Susurluk traffic accident in which a top poÎice official
and a wanted criminal were killed and a member of
parliament injured. Within the past week the police
raided a house in Antalya which the press had found
and identified asbelonging to YesiI.The house in the
Lara dis.trict .of Antalya was exactly opposite the
Emperyal C~sino which belonged to the murdered
TopaI. Yesil's personal effects were found in the
house.
As a result of initiatives to catch Yesil which began
with this operation, a raid was carried out on the two
houses Yesilused inAnkara's Etlik district. These two
raids ended with Yesil'swife, daughter and older brother
being picked up by the police. At the same time
in Antalya, Yesil's sister's husband was taken into
custody. According to the statements these people
gave to the police, they hadn't seen Yesil for a year
and he could have been killed.
But the people who lived near Yesil's ,house in
Antalya, discovered by the press before the police
raid, said that they had seen Yesilas recently as three
months ago. .
Earlier a statement was issued by Prime Minister
Mesut Yilmaz in which it was announced that he was
dead. But the realities unfolding in front of one's eyes
lend credence to the belief that he is still alive.
Yet another shock accusation connected to Yesil has
been made' regarding Brigadier General Veli Kucuk.
In the Susurluk report prepared by the Prime
Ministry's Investigative Commission it was written
that Yesil and Veli Kucuk, the Giresun Gendarmerie
Commander, had been in contact with each other.
According to a claim made by KUtlu Savas who pr
pared the report the telephone which Yesil used
belonged to Brigadier General Kucuk. Prior to this,
while the latter was stationed in Kocaeli, the General
Staff had begun an investigation over Veli Kucuk
who, it was claimed, had been cooperating with
criminal elements in Kocaeli. '
Just two days ago, President Suleyman Demirel, who
was on an airplane on his way to Spain, said that
General Ismail Hakki Katadayi, the chairman of the
General Staff, had given him inform~tion about
Kucuk and said the man was innocent. Saying that
the claims which had been made conc~rning Kucuk
were groundless, President Demirel essentially said
that the man was not guilty. Asked whether therehad
been any progress or not over Susurfuk,: Demirel
replied as follows: "Everything is in the hands of the
judge, the prosecutors and the investig~ting offices.
What can anybody else do besides this?"
Who can do anything about Yesiland what? .
Some circles, claiming that the operations being
mounted throughout the country to arrest Yesilwere
just show, say that it is impossible to catch the man.
While the Susurluk accident' showed that the government
.was using some criminal parties at its own
command, it is acknowledged that Yesil was at the
headof these people.
'
Does the name Yesilbelong to a real per~on who was
responsible for everything from operations against
ASALA, the Armenian terrorist group, in Europe to
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