From The German Press

[kurd-l at burn.ucsd.edu]

From: mail06672 at pop.net (AKIN)

German Media Reports Translated From 'Kurdistan Rundbrief 18/95'


Ciller Criticizes Survey Of Kurds

   Turkish prime minister Tansu Ciller has expressed criticism of a study
of the Kurdish settled region of southeastern Turkey. A press statement
from the government stressed that the report entitled "The Southeast
Question: Diagnosis and Prognosis", which was published by the Turkish
Union of Chambers of Commerce and Stock Exchanges (TOBB), was not
sanctioned by the government, nor would Mrs. Ciller support its ideas.
Speculations of any connection with the report were mistaken. The Turkish
primer minister claims she only learned about the report herself after a
press conference was called by TOBB chairman Erez. Erez is an unofficial
advisor to Mrs. Ciller.
   The TOBB report criticized Turkey's policies towards the Kurds. The
study says that viewing the Kurdish question as merely a security issue
and only following a military approach was a mistake. The report also
concluded that paramilitary village guards, who are armed by the
government to fight against Kurdish guerrillas, and other security forces
were utilizing dirty tactics.
   In some locations, these forces have even disguised themselves as
terrorists in order to stir up trouble. If the Turkish government would
simply tolerate pro-Kurdish sentiments, says the report, and take the
economic and social problems seriously which the 10 millions Kurds in
Turkey face, then support for the terrorist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
would disappear.
   The TOBB has called for more democratic rights and fairer treatment for
the Kurds. They also suggest that the Turkish government carry out
economic, administrative, and cultural initiatives in the southeast of
Turkey. Now state security officials at the State Security Court in Ankara
are investigating the report to see if charges can be brought against
individual researchers for "violating laws of expression under Article 8
of the Anti-Terror Law" in order to open a trial against the TOBB. Calls
for a federated solution and official sanctioning of the Kurdish language
could fulfil the necessary criteria for charges of disseminating
separatist propaganda. Representatives of the Turkish security forces and
Turkish interior minister Mentese offered harsh words about the TOBB
report. Mentese rejected any possibility that Turkey could transform
itself into a federal state. The interior minister once again repeated his
claim that Turkey suffered from neither ethnic conflict nor a Kurdish
problem.
   In a survey conducted during the study, a majority of the Kurdish
population said that the PKK represented their interests. In response to
the question, what had the PKK achieved, 34.4% of those who responded said
that the PKK had made the Kurdish issue known internationally. 65.2% of
those surveyed would not answer when asked if they had relatives in the
ranks of the PKK. Only 13.4% admitted that they had family members who
went to the mountains to join the guerrilla. When asked to explain why the
Turkish state had so far been unsuccessful in eliminating the PKK, 24%
admitted that the PKK enjoyed the support of the population. 18% felt that
the state was failing because it relied solely on violence and other means
of repression. 34.4% did not answer the question.

(FAZ, 11.8.95)


PKK Seeks Dialogue With Germany

   The leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has signalled a change
in his political approach with respect to Germany. "We don't wish to
disrupt the security and order of Germany, or to concern ourselves with
Germany's foreign affairs," PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan told West German
Radio (WDR) during an interview in his headquarters.
   Ocalan told the station that the PKK was willing to call off all of its
attacks inside Germany. "Germany, instead of banning the PKK, should talk
with the PKK in order to find a peaceful solution to the problems within
Germany and Turkey," Ocalan said.
   The PKK leader denied claims that his party is funded with extorted
money. He said that all financial contributions to the organization were
given voluntarily.

(Frankfurter Rundschau, 19.8.95)


Husnu Ondul Wins Human Rights Award

   Turkish lawyer Husnu Ondul has been awarded this year's human rights
award from German Lawyer's Union (DRB). The DRB honored the 41-year-old
for his many years of work in the service of human rights in his homeland.
He will be awarded the prize along with 5,000 DM in money on September 25
in Mainz.
   Ondul, who was nominated by the human rights organization Amnesty
International, has worked as an independent lawyer in Ankara since 1980.
The focal point of his work has been political trials. He has also worked
for the Human Rights Association and the Human Rights Foundation, both of
which regularly publish reports on human rights violations and victims of
torture. Because of his work, Ondul has been indicted seven times, and in
one case he is still facing a possible 5 years in prison.

(Frankfurter Rundschau, 25.8.95)


European MP Opens Office In Istanbul

   Claudia Roth, leader of the Green fraction in the European Parliament,
has become the first European MP to open an office in Turkey. The office,
which will open in Istanbul on September 2, will provide more information
about the political situation in the country, Roth told Bonn on Thursday.
As vice president of the European Parliament's 'European Union/Turkey
Committee', she plans on spending lots of time in Istanbul.
   "The focal point of my work will be the improvement of human rights,
more democracy, and the long-awaited resolution of the Kurdish question,"
the MP said. Roth still maintains that Turkey can have a role as a Muslim
country within the European Union. But in order for this to happen, Roth
said, the country must show respect for human rights, become more
democratic, and release the Kurdish MPs who are now in prison.

(Frankfurter Rundschau, 25.8.95)

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