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Turkey: Conference on Kurds in Diyarbakir
2.10.2007 |
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"Kurds in Turkey: Main Requirements for a Peace
Process" was the title of the conference, which was
held on 29 and 30 September in Diyarbakir.
October
2, 2007
DIYARBAKIR, Kurdish Southeastern region of
Turkey, -- Last weekend, a conference on the Kurdish
question in Diyarbakir was co-organised by the
Diyarbakir Bar Association and the Heinrich Böll
Foundation. Entitled "Kurds in Turkey: Main
Requirements for a Peace Process", the aim was to
have an "in-depth discussion".
Some of the speakers at the conference were Sezgin
Tanrikulu (president of Diyarbakir Bar Association),
Ulrike Dufner (Heinrich Böll Foundation), Prof. Dr.
Mithat Sancar (Ankara University), Aysel Tugluk (DTP
MP for Diyarbakir), Orhan Miroglu (DTP) Yurdusev
Özsekmenler (mayor of Baglar), Dr. Dilek Kurban (TESEV),
Prof. Dr. Baskin Oran, Nebahat Akkoc (Ka-Mer), and
Dr. Michael Gunter (Tennessee University).
Tanrikulu: "Solution outside of conflict"
In his opening speech, Sezgin Tanrikulu emphasised
the importance of having a conference on solving the
Kurdish question in the actual region. He described
the conference as a "thinking platform which would
show that there was a solution outside of conflict."
According to Tanrikulu, there are legal, social and
political issues which feed the conflict. He pointed
out that Kurds still had problems expressing,
organising and representing themselves. There were
also still problems with language rights.
Dufner: "The right time"
Ulrike Dufner of the Heinrich Böll Foundation
started her speech in Kurdish, which was applauded
by the more than 300 strong audience. She said that
the presence of DTP MPs in parliament, the
discussion of the definition of citizenship in the
work on a new constitution, as well as a general
relaxation of taboo topics, showed that this was the
right time to talk about a solution to the Kurdish
question. She said that women in particular were
necessary in any peace process.
Giving examples from Germany, Dufner said that the
second and third generation Turks demanded education
in their mother tongue. She also referred to
election quotas according to ethnic origin, which,
although potentially problematic, could also
guarantee representation.
Sancar: Different definition of citizenship
Prof. Dr. Mithat Sancar spoke during the session
entitled "The Process of Ending Conflict". Referring
to the current work on a new constitution, Sancar
called for a constitution that would "at least not
contain any clause which would hinder a solution."
He said that this would mean a definition of
citizenship which was not associated with ethnicity
[as the term "Turk" is at present]. It would also
mean that there would have to be clauses which
acknowledged and protected plurality: "The
constitution must be open towards the future and the
Kurdish question."
Tugluk: Accept all cultures democratically
Aysel Tugluk, MP for the pro-Kurdish Democratic
Society Party (DTP) in Diyarbakir, spoke at the
session entitled "The Process of Passing from
Authoritarian and Militarist Structures to a
Participant Democracy". She also referred to the
debate on the constitution, calling for the
constitution to accept all cultures democratically
and allow their expression. She further warned, "A
constitution which is not supported by the Kurds
will not be a text of compromise."
Apparently imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan had
called for such an expression of acceptance of
different cultures to be included in the
constitution around two weeks ago. Speaking with his
lawyers, he had said: "This sentence would even be
enough. It would open the way for many things. Let
them put this sentence in the constitution, and the
PKK would put down their arms within two months."
Orhan Miroglu, also of the DTP, called for people to
listen to Öcalan's message.
Özsökmenoglu: Table of peace
Yurdusev Özsökmenler, mayor of the Baglar district
in Diyarbakir city, spoke during the session
entitled "Looking at Peace through the Window of
Gender". She saw the work on a new constitution as
an opportunity for women to "disclaim violence" and
"sit down at a table of peace."
Criticism of discourse on "Founders of Republic"
Dr. Dilek Kurban of the Turkish Foundation for
Economic and Social Studies (TESEV) criticised
Kurdish attempts at legitimisation by claiming that,
together with the Turks, they were the founders of
the Republic. According to Kurban, this approach
encouraged the authoritarian state attitude towards
non-Muslims.
In a later session, Prof. Dr. Baskin Oran also
criticised the discourse of "founding elements",
saying that this led to a kind of "Kurdish Kemalism".
Nebahat Akkoc of the Diyarbakir Women's Centre
Foundation (Ka-Mer) also acknowledged that this
discourse rejected minorities and led to power
struggles.
Gunter: Recognition will strenghten state
Dr. Michael Gunter of Tennessee University likened
the rejection of a Kurdish identity to the
experiences of blacks in the USA. He pointed out
that the state had been strenghtened by legal
acknowledgement and protection of a black identity
and that this could serve as a model for Turkey.
Source: bianet org
**
Kurds are not recognized as an official minority in
Turkey and are denied rights granted to other
minority groups. Under EU pressure, Turkey recently
granted Kurds limited rights for broadcasts and
education in the Kurdish language, but critics say
the measures do not go far enough.
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" Southeast
Turkey.
Others estimate over 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.
Turkey is home to over 25 million ethnic Kurds, some
of whom openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK for a
Kurdish homeland in the country's mainly Kurdish
southeast of Turkey.
Before August 2002, the Turkish government placed
severe restrictions on the use of Kurdish language,
prohibiting the language in education and broadcast
media.
The Kurdish alphabet is still not recognized
in Turkey, and use of the Kurdish letters X, W, Q
which do not exist in the Turkish
alphabet has led to judicial persecution in 2000 and
2003
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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