TURKISH DAILY NEWS / 31 AUGUST 1995

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

US: PKK has no constructive role to play anywhere

By Ugur Akinci

Turkish Daily News
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WASHINGTON- U.S. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns on
Tuesday repeated the administration's view that the "PKK is a
terrorist group" and that it "has no constructive role to play in
northern Iraq or anywhere else."

Responding to a TDN question concerning the attacks launched last week
by the PKK on KDP bases in northern Iraq, Burns said: "Both Kurdish
partners in the ongoing peace process facilitated by the United
States, that is the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan (PUK), have expressed support for Turkey's
legitimate security interests in its struggle against the PKK."

"We know that the PKK uses northern Iraq as a safe haven.

When the security situation is uncertain enough to allow it freedom of
movement and action, increased stability among the Kurds in northern
Iraq is the best way to deter PKK terrorists' operations inside
northern Iraq," Burns said.

 PKK is showing its true face

Editorial by ilnur cevik

Turkish Daily News
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The fact that 3,000 militants of Turkey's terrorist organization PKK
(the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party) have attacked the strongholds
of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in northern Iraq offers several
lessons to our Western friends who wanted to see the Kurdish
separatists in a political context...

PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has said the aim of the PKK attack against
Massoud Barzani's KDP was to sabotage the peace brokered between this
organization and its archrival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)
by the United States at a meeting in Ireland.

There are claims that Ocalan was encouraged to sabotage the peace
process in northern Iraq by Syria, which feels it should have a say in
what happens in northern Iraq...

Ocalan claimed the end of the peace process between KDP and the PUK
would be a blow to Turkey and confirmed a Turkish Daily News report
published on Tuesday that his aim was to provoke a Turkish military
intervention in northern Iraq.

What Ocalan does not seem to understand is that the U.S. was the
actual player behind the peace process in northern Iraq and the PKK is
sabotaging an American effort which will not go down too well in
Washington...

The PKK has always said it is fighting the Turkish state because it
claims the Kurdish people are subjected to injustices. Thus the PKK
says its sole aim is to set up a separate Kurdish state on Turkish
soil. The fact that the PKK is now involved in a power game in
northern Iraq shows that the terrorist organization has other ulterior
motives... Those who supported the Iraqi Kurds (especially in France)
and who always spoke out about their plight must now have something to
say when these people come under PKK attacks...

Maybe those who at least had some sympathies for the PKK in the West
will now see the true face of this terrorist organization, which has
very little regard even for their own brothers in northern Iraq...

When Turkey sent its incursion force into northern Iraq, our friends
in the West were all up in arms. Turkey said the PKK was a threat to
its national security and vowed not to allow the PKK to operate in
northern Iraq. After Turkey pulled its troops from the region under
severe Western pressure PKK returned to the area and had the courage
to attack the Iraqi Kurds. Now we expect those who opposed our
military incursion to do some explaining to us...

The Provide Comfort force was set up by the Western powers and Turkey
to protect the Iraqi Kurds against Saddam Hussein and his troops. Now
we see that the Iraqi Kurds are under threat from the PKK militants.
So are we to just sit on the sidelines and watch the PKK butcher Iraqi
Kurds as they did civilians inside Turkey? Or should we teach a lesson
to the PKK and Ocalan?

 Ciller: Turkey meets West's minimum standards for democracy

Turkish Daily News
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ISTANBUL- Prime Minister Tansu Ciller said yesterday that the West's
minimum standards for democracy, including open and free elections, an
independent way of living, an independent judiciary, a free and lively
press and freedom of religion have all been soundly established in
Turkey.

Speaking at a closed door breakfast meeting of the American think tank
Aspen Institute at the Ciragan Palace, Ciller said that following the
collapse of the Soviet Union Turkey was said to have lost its
"strategic importance", and much of its value to the West. She also
remarked on how as countries turn their attention to economics and
human rights, Turkey is subjected to criticism concerning its human
rights performance.

The prime minister stressed how far Turkey had gone in achieving a
democratic country, and pointed out the recent elimination of praise
for the army in the country's constitution.

She admitted she felt still a need for more democratization, by both
constitutional reforms and turning over some central government power
to local administrations. She said changing the constitution shows the
Turks' decisiveness in improving democracy and developing basic rights
for the future. She also emphasized the need to protect freedom of
thought and speech.

Ciller sounded the theme of Turkey's strategic importance for the
West, calling it a reality which cannot be ignored, but must be
developed and supported as relations between Turkey and Europe
improve.

Among the guests attending the sessions are United States Senators
Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, Bob Graham of Florida and the
powerful Alan Simpson of Wyoming, as well as Representatives Pat
Schroeder, William Clay, Arno Houghton and Nancy Johnson. American
Ambassador Mark Grossman participated as an observer, and members of
parliament from Russian, Italy, Poland, the Ukraine, Germany and
Britain were present as well. The conference's overall theme was "The
U.S.'s Relations with Russia, the Ukraine and Eastern Europe."
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 * Origin: APS Amsterdam (aps.nl), bbs +31-20-6842147 (16:31/2.0)