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Pro-Kurdish politician is a favorite in
French elections
19.11.2006
By Vladimir van Wilgenburg, is a non-Kurdish writer
from Netherlands |
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November 19, 2006
French Socialist Party (PS) candidate for the
presidential elections Segolene Royal was once Leyla
Zana’s lawyer and had a close relationship with her
reported the Turkish news paper Zaman.
The Turkish newspaper also reported that she is the
favorite in the French elections. This is confirmed
by news reports of the Daily Telegraph and the
International Herald Tribune.
Segolene Royal recently won the nomination of the
French Socialist Party for the 2007 French
presidential elections. This paved the way for a
female candidate from a major party to become
president in France for the first time.
If Royal defeats her possible competitor Nicolas
Sarkozy, the French will have a “Madame la
president” in addition to England, Germany and
Finland.
Royal was seen as a media candidate rather than a
serious rival against Sarkozy, although surveys have
showed her to be a favorite candidate. Making fun of
her by calling her a “beautiful woman,” even her
probable rival Sarkozy said Royal’s candidacy would
be in his favor reported Zaman. |
Marie Segolene Royal, President of the
Poitou-Charentes region, a member of the National
Assembly, and a prominent member of the Socialist
Party. On November 16, 2006, Socialist Party members
elected her as their candidate for the 2007 French
presidential election. |
Royal is Leyla Zana’s lawyer and according to Zaman
a “militant supporter of the Kurdish cause”.
Moreover, she was bold enough to support Turkey’s
membership to European Union, despite the French
public’s views, before her party’s nomination. In
1994 Royal came to Ankara to observe Zana’s trial in
a State Security Court. She defended Zana and other
former deputies of the pro-Kurdish Democracy Party (DEP)
at the European Court of Human Rights (EHCR) later
on.
In a speech broadcast on French parliamentary
television Royal mentioned that she had defended
Zana. Royal said there were important developments
in Turkey in human rights with its European Union
membership process. “I was Leyla Zana’s lawyer. She
was sent to prison only for speaking Kurdish and
demanding the Kurdish flag. This is now permitted in
Turkey.”
Royal hosted Zana and Orhan Dogan at the French
Parliament in 2004 after they were released from
prison. At the time, Zana told Agence France Press (AFP),
“During my hard times, the times when I was
surrounded by soldiers, only Segolene was there to
support me.”
But Segolene has a predecessor. The wife of the
former French president François Mitterand's (Died
in 1995) was called the “Mother of Kurds”, because
of her long association with the Kurdish cause and
in 2002 she opened a shopping centre in Hewler.
President Miterand was also a politician of the
French Socialist Party. Danielle Mitterand also
supported Leyla Zana when she was prosecuted.
Marie-Ségolène Royal is a French politician. She is
the President of the Poitou-Charentes region, a
member of the National Assembly, and a prominent
member of the Socialist Party. On November 16, 2006,
Socialist Party members elected her as their
candidate for the 2007 French presidential election.
She is known for her admiration for some of Tony
Blair's "Third Way" politics and for her insistence
on "law and order" issues but also for her
socially-orientated economic policies and her
support for devolution and open democracy.
http://vladimirkurdistan.blogspot com | Internet
sources
The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously
rejected due to its alleged political implications
by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize
the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan".
Others estimate as many as 40 million Kurds live in
Big Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia),
which covers an area as big as France, about half of
all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in
Turkey.
The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan but
unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag is
banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it is
a criminal offence"
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey) wikipedia
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