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Turkey accuses EU of helping Kurdish PKK
separatists
12.12.2007
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December
12, 2007
Ankara, -- Turkey's military command has
accused certain EU countries, in particular France
and the U.K., of acting in a way that supports
Turkey's Kurdish PKK militants, NTV reported on
Tuesday.
Turkey, a NATO member with European Union membership
aspirations, has long sought to put an end to
attacks from Kurdistan in 'northern Iraq' carried
out by militants from the Turkey's Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK).
"The position of and actions by a number of EU
countries, including our allies, enable the
terrorist organization [PKK] to look for new bases
for operations," the TV channel quoted Gen. Ergin
Saygun, deputy chief of the Turkish General Staff,
as saying.
He said that although the EU had recently taken
"encouraging steps in standing up to the PKK," the
group's representatives and sympathizers "are
conducting propaganda campaigns in the European
parliament, as well as in the French and U.K.
parliaments."
"Providing support to separatists, including in
activities such as these, is tantamount to sharing
responsibility with the terrorists for material
damages caused to Turkey, and for the deaths of
people in its fight against terrorism."
On November 30, Turkey's government authorized the
military to conduct a cross-border operation against
Kurdish separatists in Kurdistan region 'northern
Iraq', following parliament's approval in
mid-October.
The country has deployed about 100,000 troops on the
border with Iraqi Kurdistan region, according to
army sources.
Iraqi Kurdish politician says, Turkey is using
Turkey's Kurdish separatist PKK rebel group as an
excuse to invade Kurdistan region 'Iraq' to prevent
the establishment of Kurdistan state in the Kurdish
autonomous region in 'northern Iraq',www.ekurd.net
Turkey fears this could
fan separatism among its own large Kurdish
population in southeast Turkey.
The United States and the European Union, like
Turkey, class the PKK as a "terrorist organisation".
More than 37,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas have been killed since 1984 when the PKK
took up arms for self-rule in the country's mainly
Kurdish southeast of Turkey. A large Kurdish
community openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK
rebels for a
Kurdish homeland in the Kurdish
southeast of Turkey (northern Kurdistan).
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas,www.ekurd.net
the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, granting them full
political freedoms.
The (PKK) KONGRA-GEL released an
official declaration
reiterating their desire for negotiations with the
Turkish government.
rian ru
**
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,
large Kurdish community 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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