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Kurds became top story in global media
25.2.2008
By Kristiina Koivunen
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February 25, 2008
Last decade Turkish troops went and came across the
Iraqi boarder as they liked and Western media did
not pay much attention on that. Last autumn, when
Kurdistan Labour Party PKK did a very successful
attack to Daglica near Hakkari, the situation in
Kurdistan became the top story of the world media.
How ever, it disappeared from the headlines also
quickly.
Turkey’s attack to North Iraq was the most important
story on Saturday the 23rd February in the front
page of Finland’swww.ekurd.net
biggest daily newspaper
Helsingin Sanomat. And also other European mass
media has paid lots of attention to the attack.
An interesting change to their previous reporting is
that instead of writing ”PKK terrorists” media uses
now often terms ”PKK fighters” or ”PKK guerrillas”.
There is still no in-depth understanding about the
Kurdish question but it seems that the Kurds are now
finally taking the place in the international media
what they deserved already long time ago. |
PhD Kristiina Koivunen, works as a freelance
journalist. She completed her PhD thesis in Helsinki
University 2002. Her doctoral dissertation "The
Invisible War in North Kurdistan" |
British quality
newspaper The Independent wrote about the attack
with title ”The new invasion on Iraq”. It is good to
keep in mind that Britons are the second largest
group of the soldiers occupying Iraq and the very
many British people demand the removal of their
soldiers from Iraq. In London there will be the 15th
March a big demonstration against the Iraqi war.
Let’s see how much attention the second invasion on
Iraq will get there.
Turkey’s hopes that the world would accept or at
least ignore the attack to Kurdistan are in vain.
European Union and many countries, for example
Germany, demands the operation to be very limited
both geographically and in duration.
According to Bloomberg also U.S. Defense Secretary
Robert Gates called on Turkey to wrap up as quickly
as possible its latest military incursion into
northern Iraq to combat Kurdish fighters. Gates also
said Turkey won't be able to solve the problem of
cross-border Kurdish raids through purely military
means.
Kurdistan Regional Government calls on Turkey to
withdraw troops. The statement of KRG says that the
people of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq must not yet
again be made to suffer as a result of what is in
reality an internal Turkish political issue.
I think the decisions of KRG are now most important
for the development of the situation. The key person
is president Massoud Barzani. He has possibility to
act in a way which increases the understanding and
co-operation between the Kurds or either deepens the
disagreements.
Traditionally, Kurds from Iraq and Turkey have not
had much contacts and communication with each
others, but this attack affects both of them. Thanks
to the new information technology they can follow
the situation almost in real time. Satellite
televisions and in the internet are also a forum to
discuss the consequences. The coming days and weeks
will show how much this war will unite Kurdish
Diaspora communities from various parts of
Kurdistan.
Now everyone outside Turkey is talking about
dialogue and political solution. Kristina Nagy,
European Commission spokeswoman,www.ekurd.net
said reporters in
Brussels on Friday: "We encourage Turkey to continue
to fulfil dialogue with international partners on
this matter."
Let’s hope Turkey and Turkish people understand this
because a peaceful solution to the crisis would
benefit also them.
Dr Kristiina Koivunen works as a freelance
journalist. She completed her PhD thesis in Helsinki
University 2002. Her doctoral dissertation "The
Invisible War in North Kurdistan" is in internet:
http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/val/sospo/vk/koivunen
You may reach the author via email at:
koivunen.kristiina (at) gmail.com
**
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, a
large Turkey's 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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