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Turkey says Kurdish opening continues
despite PKK return delay
27.10.2009
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Atalay
said that the government put on hold the return
(surrender) of PKK members due to reactions.
October
27, 2009
ANKARA, Turkey, —
Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay said Monday
that the government put on hold the return
(surrender) of PKK members due to reactions.
Attending a live program on Turkey's state run TRT
channel, Atalay said though the surrender of PKK
members was an important part of the government's
democratization initiative,www.ekurd.netthey
put it on hold as the exploitation of the issue
created wide public reaction.
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Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay |
34 members of the Turkey's
Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK from Makhmour refugee
camp and Qandil Mountain --8 of which were dressed
in PKK uniforms--
surrendered to
Turkish authorities at Habur border gate on October
19
in a gesture of
support for Turkey's Kurdish initiative.
Huge rallies were held resembling victory
celebrations with the participation of
thousands of
people and DTP officials to welcome the group of PKK
members, a scene which created strong reaction in
the public, opposition, media and the judiciary.
He said they
postponed the
return of PKK members and would further assess the
situation.
"Our people have concerns and their concern is very
important for us. We will consider them but the
democratization initiative continues," said Atalay.
Responding to criticism that the "Democratization
Initiative" was a foreign project imposed to Turkey,
Atalay said Turkey was trying to solve its own
problems with self esteem.
He rejected allegations that the government was
talking to the "terrorist" organization adding that
the government would never take illegal
organizations as interlocutor.
Commenting on the reaction of families of soldiers
killed in the fight against PKK, Atalay said,
"martyrs are very important to us. But we are
exerting efforts so that we won't suffer any more
losses. I urge these families to show
understanding."
Since 1984 the PKK took up arms
for self-rule in the mainly Kurdish southeast of
Turkey (Turkey-Kurdistan) which has claimed around
45,000 lives of Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas. A large Turkey's Kurdish
community openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK
rebels. Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish
population as a distinct minority.
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, ranting them full political freedoms.
The PKK is considered a 'terrorist' organization by
Ankara, U.S., the PKK continues to be on the
blacklist list in EU despite court ruling which
overturned a decision
to place the Kurdish rebel group PKK and its
political wing on the European Union's terror list.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish politicians
say the measures fall short of their expectations.
The government is currently working on fresh reforms
to expand Kurdish freedoms, but insists on rejecting
dialogue with the PKK and says the rebels should
either surrender or face military action.
Erdogan in July launched his so-called Kurdish
initiative, backed by the European Union, which
calls for expanding political and cultural rights
for the country's estimated over 20 million Kurds.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
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