Published in Hewler Globe

Sunday June 19 2005

Last week saw a surge in military operations against the PKK in the south-eastern Turkish districts of Lice-Kulp and Genc in the Diyarbakir region.

Helicopters were sent to bomb PKK camps in the mountains whilst 10,000 soldiers and 200 village guards carried out ground assaults, according to Turkish newspapers.

There were three reported casualties: two soldiers and one man in civilian clothing, all of whom were described as being in a ‘serious’ condition..

One man and an unarmed woman are reported to have surrendered to authorities in the Hakkari province, whilst two men were also arrested in Izmir in connection with a Molotov cocktail attack on a public bus.

The increase of violence in the area has been widely condemned by Turkish and International critics alike.

EU diplomats in Ankara have called for civil alternatives to be implemented in the place of military force, which, although currently necessary, is not a durable solution.

Sjoerd Gosses, the Dutch Ambassador to Turkey, said in a speech printed by the Turkish Daily News, “The European public will be more critical of enlargement and expect from candidates full compliance with the rules.”

He went on to emphasise the role of the Kurds in Turkey’s EU membership process: “EU stands for integration, not for disintegration, of its future members and has encouraged Kurds to actively participate in the process of modernisation and accession.”

EU observers have expressed their concern that State institutions in Turkey are less active in implementing the Copenhagen criteria than last year, particularly in matters of cultural rights and the situation in the south-east of the country.

When questioned on the matter, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan defended the State’s military operations and said he himself had not received any criticism over them.

The comments were exchanged in the wake of uncertainty over Turkey’s accession to the EU.

However, EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barosso asserted this week that the EU must stick to its commitments regarding future member countries.

“We should keep the commitments made… An agreement is an agreement,” he said.

Last week’s violence was also condemned by a group of over 100 artists, intellectuals and representatives of human rights groups and other NGOs.

They came together in a meeting in Istanbul to call on the PKK to agree to a ceasefire and unconditionally surrender their arms.

In the wake of the 50 deaths from PKK-related clashes, the group also urged the Turkish government to implement the legal regulations necessary for everybody to participate in democracy.

Among the signatures on the declaration was those of writer Orhan Pamuk, Gencay Gursay, Chairman of the Istanbul Chamber of Doctors; Akin Birdal, Vice President of the International Federation of Human Rights League; and the representatives of other NGOs.

The mayor of Diyarbakir, Osman Baydemir, publicly supported the intellectuals’ statement and reiterated its demands, both to the PKK and to the government in a press conference last week.

He said, “Armed clashes should be replaced by debate. We need to work in unity to prevent armed conflict. The government also needs to do what it can to help this process.”

The statement has also received open approval from Tuncer Bakirhan, the leader of the Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP), and the Democratic Society Movement (DTH).

However, Murat Karayilan, one of the PKK’s leading figures has been reported as saying the PKK will not answer calls for an unconditional ceasefire, as their attacks are merely defensive in the face of Turkish military operations.

He says the Turkish troops have first to desist from their activities before the PKK will halt theirs.