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
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Revue <strong>de</strong> Presse-Press Review-BerhevokaÇapê-Rivista<br />
Stampa-Dentro <strong>de</strong> la Prensa-Baszn Öz<strong>et</strong>i<br />
Why should<br />
Sakik?<br />
Turkey extradite Semdin<br />
• Sakik would pose a security hazard in Turkey, so he is b<strong>et</strong>ter off in northern<br />
Iraq un<strong>de</strong>r KDP protection<br />
Editorial by I1nur Cevik<br />
For months we have been reporting about the rift in the lea<strong>de</strong>rship of the Kurdistan<br />
Workers' Party (PKK). At the time many people tried to dismiss these reports as<br />
simple propaganda. The news that Semdin Sakik gave himself up to the authorities<br />
of the Iraqi Kurdistan Autonomous Administration proved how accurate our<br />
reporting was and that things are not as rosy in the PKK lea<strong>de</strong>rship as some people<br />
would like to think.<br />
Sakik was the terrorist lea<strong>de</strong>r who played havoc with our security forces for all these years. He was well-respected<br />
among the PKK militants, and he was the main adversary of PKK lea<strong>de</strong>r Abdullah Ocalan. He frequently accused<br />
Ocalan of failing to lead the PKK forces and, instead, of hiding away in Syria. Sakik criticized Ocalan as a<br />
comman<strong>de</strong>r trying to lead his forces by remote control.<br />
All that Sakik said was true. Ocalan remains holed up in Syria and cannot move out of the country for fear that he<br />
may be caught. As a matter of fact, the Syrians use him as a trump card against Turkey. In a way, Ocalan is a hostage<br />
in Damascus who also resi<strong>de</strong>s in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, which is un<strong>de</strong>r Syrian control.<br />
There are Turkish press reports that Ankara wants to extradite Sakik. These reports are erroneous and misleading.<br />
Turkey does not want to extradite Sakik. A team of intelligence officials have been sent to interview him because<br />
they feel they can obtain valuable information.<br />
The Kurdistan Democracy Party (KDP), led by Massoud Barzani, has always said if PKK people give themselves up<br />
to their authority, they will not be han<strong>de</strong>d over to Turkey. They will remam in northern Iraq in KDP custody.<br />
As a matter of fact this suits Turkey. Turkish officials feel Sakik would be "too hot to handle" and would pose<br />
serious problems for our authorities. "Where and how to you jail him? How do you provi<strong>de</strong> security for him?" So<br />
Turkish officials feel it is b<strong>et</strong>ter that Sakik remains in northern Iraq.<br />
KDP officials also say any extradition would also dissua<strong>de</strong> other PKK people from <strong>de</strong>fecting. "But if they see that.<br />
Sakik is not han<strong>de</strong>d over to Turkey, others may join him, and that would be very harmful for the PKK and<br />
Ocalan," a leading KDP source told the Turkish Daily News.<br />
Sakik's <strong>de</strong>fection should open new areas of cooperation b<strong>et</strong>ween the KDP and Turkey. Until now they have<br />
limited this cooperation to combatting the PKK only in northern Iraq. Now this cooperation can be exten<strong>de</strong>d to<br />
combatting the PKK on a global basis.<br />
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• Tension dominated thepolitical and social sphere and, late on Friday afternoon, the Turkish Armed Forces 8<br />
(TSK) ma<strong>de</strong> pointed statements referring to Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz. The very tough statements,<br />
Tense week in the political domain<br />
which mirrored the tone of Yilmaz's own statements, obviously referred to the Prime Minister<br />
Aktug<br />
Ankara - Last Friday, late in the afternoon, newspaper offices in Turkey experienced the calm before the storm.<br />
Ankara could sense this silence, knowing that a storm would soon follow. Thus, when it came, the Turkish<br />
Armed Forces' (TSK) note had the effect of a bomb in all circles in Turkey.<br />
Lr)<br />
N<br />
What were the sta~es that led to that note?<br />
Repuhlican Peopk'~ Party (CHP) Chairman Deniz Baykal, although he provi<strong>de</strong>d external support for the<br />
56