Ciller Resigns; PKK Postpones Cease

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

Subject: Ciller Resigns; PKK Postpones Cease-Fire

------------------ Forwarded from : mail06672 at pop.net (AKIN) -------------------

Press Release #1                                                             
September 21,
1995                                                                                     


Turkish Prime Minister Steps Down; PKK Cease-Fire is Postponed

   On September 20, 1995, following the first round of new coalition
talks, Turkish prime minister Tansu Ciller officially announced her
resignation. According to official statements, the continuation of the
coalition government between the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the
True Path Party (DYP) was no longer possible due to disagreements about
the terms of the coalition.
   The collapse of the government comes at a time when the number one
domestic problem in the country, the Kurdish question, was  having some
prospects of solution. On September 18, 1995, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader
of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), stated in a television interview
that he thought the present conditions offered a new chance for a
political solution to the conflict.  He said: "In order to prove our good
will, we want to restart the 1993 cease-fire...Particularly now, as the
European Union is about to make a decision regarding Turkey's
admissibility to Custom's Union.  We would like them to know that we are
not the problem and that we are on record for wishing to seek a political
solution.  If Turkey does not plan to respond to such a gesture with more
violence, we will make the announcement soon."
   According to information reaching our office, Abdullah Ocalan was
planning to make the cease-fire announcement in an interview with MED-TV
scheduled for September 25. But unfortunately for the casue of peace, the
news that government in Ankara had stepped down has forced the Chair of
PKK to postpone his decision. In his words: "... until there is a
interlocutor in Ankara who could respond to our call, we are going to wait
and see."
   The surprise collapse of the Turkish government is reminiscent of 1993,
when Turgut Ozal, the president of Turkey at that time, died of mysterious
causes shortly after the PKK announced a unilateral cease-fire. Claims
that Ozal died of a heart attack seem far-fetched when one considers the
number of voices, even within Turkey, which seemed to indicate that there
were political motives for his death.  Against the wishes of the Turkish
National Security Council, Turgut Ozal had intended to deal with the
Kurdish question at the political level.
   Since all real power in Turkey is in the hands of the military, no
civilian politician is willing to take on the risk of acknowledging the
cease-fire. It seems that this government collapse is being staged so as
to prevent there being any high-ranking officials who can take on the
responsibility of utilizing the chances offered by the cease-fire.
Furthermore, a collapsed government cannot be held responsible for failing
to make use of the cease-fire, and this would remove the burden of having
to answer to international pressure.

-- 
American Kurdish Information Network (AKIN)
2309 Calvert Street, NW
Suite #3
Washington, DC 20008-2603

Tel: (202) 483-6444
Fax: (202) 483-6476
Email: mail06672 at pop.net


----------------------------- End forwarded message --------------------------
                                -----------------------------------------------
                                \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ \\\\\\\ aps at aps.nl
                                [ \\\ [ [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ Activists Press Service
                                [ \\\ [ [ \\\\[ [\\\\ [ BBS: ##-31-206842147
                                [\[ [\[ [\[     [\\\\\[ info: info at aps.nl