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SOFIA,
Dec 16 (Reuters) - The head of a Turkish Kurdish
rebel group was quoted on Thursday as saying Turkey
was failing to uphold the rights of its large ethnic
Kurdish population despite pledges made to the
European Union.
His comments came as EU leaders gathered in Brussels
to decide whether Ankara has done enough on human
rights and political freedoms to win a date to start
EU entry talks. They are widely expected on Friday
to propose a date in 2005.
"Turkey wants to become a member of the European
Union without changing, without guaranteeing the
personal, political, cultural and social rights of
this population," Zubeyir Aydar, head of the former
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), told the Bulgarian
daily Monitor.
"Stability and democracy in the country are possible
only if Ankara fulfills our 14 demands, which are
norms that meet European standards."
Aydar said these demands included a halt to Turkish
military operations in Kurdish regions, an amnesty
for political prisoners, the rebuilding of villages
destroyed by war and the recognition of Kurdish
culture and language.
The PKK has been known since November 2003 as the
Kurdistan People's Congress.
The 20-year conflict in southeast Turkey has killed
more than 30,000 people, mostly ethnic Kurds.
Separatist violence has largely subsided since the
capture of its leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999.
Clashes between security forces and rebel fighters
still occur from time to time.
Both the EU and the United States have put the PKK
on their terrorism blacklist.
Monitor said its interview with Aydar took place in
Brussels.
Turkey has enacted sweeping reforms to persuade the
EU to begin negotiations, including more cultural
rights for its estimated 12 million Kurds and an
easing of restrictions on the use of their language,
which is different to Turkish.
But human rights groups and the European Commission
say Turkey must do much more to improve the Kurds'
situation, especially in the impoverished southeast.
They say some of the reforms are not being fully
implemented at grassroots level.
Turkish Kurds mostly favour EU entry, as they see
the process as guaranteeing greater human rights.
www.Reuters.com
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