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The Turkish governmentis turning its attention once
again to its long fight with Kurdish militants,
after devoting much of its energy during the past
two years to the start of accession talks to the
European Union.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, plans
to visit the south-eastern city of Diyarbakir today,
where he is expected to promise a new government
initiative to tackle the area's high unemployment
and address Kurdish demands for greater cultural
rights.
Mr Erdogan spoke on national television on Wednesday
asking rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers
party, PKK, to renounce the use of arms and use
democratic means to achieve a better life.
The PKK broke a unilateral ceasefire last year after
complaining that the government had failed to give
Kurds more cultural and linguistic freedom. The PKK
has moved away from seeking a separate Kurdish
state, but has increased attacks this summer,
killing both civilians and soldiers in a number of
bombings that have set the country on edge. The
Kurdish conflict has claimed some 37,000 lives since
it began in 1984.
Ankara's sudden focus on the Kurdish problem
appeared to be a response to criticism from the
military last week that the government was not doing
enough to help it fight terrorism.
Turkey's chief of general staff, General Hilmi Ozkok,
last week complained that the armed forces would
succeed against the insurgents, "despite limited
authority", a remark analysts said referred to steps
taken in recent years to curb the military's
influence and power.
Another top Turkish general recently said that the
army could not hope to end the conflict without the
government also addressing social and economic
development in the Kurdish region. Up to 75 per cent
of people in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish
south-east are unemployed.
The Turkish military has a long history of
intervening in politics and the top military
officer's remarks revived old tensions between the
staunchly secularist military establishment and the
government, which is run by former Islamists.
The justice minister responded to the general's
criticism this week by announcing that the
government would make its new anti-terror
legislation the focus of the cabinet when it meets
in September, adding that the government and army
"are on the same side".
On Wednesday, Mr Erdogan promised to show "no mercy"
to those resorting to violence. The reforms,
unpalatable to the military establishment, include
transferring military control of the national
security council to its civilian members and
requiring security officials to get permission from
provincial governors in the predominantly Kurdish
south-east to set up roadblocks.
Ankara made the reforms as part of its efforts to
harmonise Turkish law with EU norms before joining
the 25-member bloc, negotiations for which are now
scheduled to start on October 3.
Turkish commanders have voiced their desire to raid
the rebels' hideouts in the mountains of northern
Iraq as they used to in the 1990s, but US
authorities have repeatedly blocked the idea.
The commander of US forces in Europe, General James
Jones, is to meet Turkish officials soon to discuss
"more concrete measures" to co-ordinate efforts
against the PKK, the US chargé d'affaires in Ankara
said this week.
www.ft.com
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