Threats in Semdinli Case, 'Don't Dig in'

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PKK kills 2 soldiers in attack, injures 10

PKK kills 2 soldiers in attack, injures 10

The New Anatolian with AP / Ankara



The terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) killed an army officer and a military policeman in a southeast town and injured 10 other soldiers who were out on routine patrol, officials said on Friday.

The attack occurred Thursday night in the Sirnak province, at the foot of Mt. Gabar, believed to be a frequently used base of the PKK.

The wounded soldiers were taken to a hospital in Diyarbakir for treatment following the attack along with an ensuing firefight, a military official said. He did not know whether any terrorists were killed or injured in the attack.

The report of the attack came just a day after an apparent suicide bombing killed three and injured 19 in the eastern city of Van, escalating already-high tensions in the region and the country over a controversial legal case accusing a top general of seeking clandestine profits from the terrorist attacks in the southeast.

There has yet been no claim of responsibility for the bombing in Van, though media reports said police had been on the lookout for three suspected suicide bombers there.

The PKK, which has been fighting for the past two decades in the southeast and claimed more than 37,000 lives, was said to be behind the attack on the soldiers on Thursday night.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

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Swords sharpened on Semdinli

Swords sharpened on Semdinli

The New Anatolian / Ankara



A severely worded statement by the General Staff yesterday fueled the controversy over an indictment drawn up by the Van Public Prosecutor's Office concerning bombings in Hakkari's Semdinli district.

The bombings last November have been the top topic of debate in Ankara recently, creating a standoff between the military, judiciary and the ruling party.

In a public statement yesterday, the General Staff said that Ferhat Sarikaya, the Van chief public prosecutor who prepared the indictment, has made a "grave mistake" and overstepped his authority. The General Staff alleged that the public prosecutor might have been under the influence of "certain circles," considering the mistakes and shortcomings contained in the indictment. The statement also said that the General Staff has decided there is no need to launch a probe into Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, whose name was mentioned in the indictment, as a result of its detailed assessments and conclusions. The statement also underlined that the General Staff doesn't hesitate to launch probes into soldiers and officers facing serious allegations.

A significant point made in the statement was the call for all officials, and particularly the prime minister, to take action. "There is a need for people with constitutional responsibilities to take action against these unfounded and tendentious accusations against the TSK, to shed light on this attack in all its dimensions, unmask the representatives of the perverse mentality behind this attack, whatever their status, title or position, and take legal action against them," said the statement.

The last part of the statement underlined three points:
- The TSK is gravely disturbed by the indictment and the debate it has sparked.
- The TSK is fully aware of the attempts staged against it and will follow them closely through legal means.
- The TSK will continue to fight terrorism and won't let seeds of enmity be planted within the institution.

Some Ankara observers have claimed that there are disagreements between the chief of General Staff and force commanders, and that therefore the TSK wouldn't be able to act in a united manner. As if in answer to those claims, the statement underlined that the TSK is uncomfortable about the developments as a whole and that seeds of enmity can't be planted in the military, saying that this debate should be resolved through legal means.

First reaction from AK Party

The first reaction from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party about the General Staff statement came from AK Party deputy group leader Sadullah Ergin.

Speaking to reporters in Parliament yesterday, Ergin was asked about the General Staff's decision not to grant permission to launch a probe into the activities of Gen. Buyukanit.

Ergin seemed prepared for the question and read his answers from prepared remarks, saying, "I want to say that we consider all attempts to undermine constitutional institutions as offensive and inappropriate. We believe that we should be very careful about these attempts. We also believed that both the military and the judiciary shouldn't be undermined and the independence of the judiciary shouldn't be disturbed. I want to cite Justice Minister Cemil Cicek's words, saying, 'There is no substitute for the military and the judiciary,' and I want to add that there is no substitute for Parliament either. We think that we should combat all attempts to undermine the military, the judiciary and Parliament."

Underlining that all institutions have undertaken all actions that they should regarding these incidents, Ergin said, "All kinds of work and probes stipulated by the Constitution are ongoing. Therefore I think there are no shortcomings about the procedures right now."

Asked whether the remarks about the public prosecutor in the General Staff's statement are related to the independence of the judiciary, Ergin said, "I didn't say that. Public institutions should ensure their activities are in line with the authorities and rights stipulated in the Constitution. I've also said that while carrying out these activities, they should be careful about their relationships with other institutions. Our judiciary is the judiciary working on behalf of the independent Turkish nation. It should benefit from the protection that an independent judiciary should have, while carrying out its activities. We have already expressed our condemnations of attempts to fuel enmity between these institutions. Therefore there is no problem right now; all institutions are carrying out their activities in their area of jurisdiction."

Back corridors of Ankara heating up

The statements made by the General Staff and the AK Party deputy group leader Ergin cause the back corridors of Ankara to heat up.

Political party administrators held meetings in their respective headquarters to discuss developments. Political commentators cited the chief of staff's words, saying, "We don't use our fist on the table but our reason," adding that yesterday's statement should be considered in light of this previous statement. A common conclusion is that the debate surrounding the bombing incidents in Semdinli won't end soon. The commentators argued that it would be no surprise if new developments take place in the coming days about certain officials that are involved in these debates, particularly the Van chief public prosecutor.

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Security fears overshadow commission's Semdinli visit

Security fears overshadow commission's Semdinli visit

The New Anatolian / Ankara



Parliament's Semdinli Commission has been forced to alter plans for their Semdinli visit scheduled for next Monday due to security concerns.

Commission members have decided not to stay nights in the township after a surprise warning from the Hakkari Governor's Office that they may not be able to provide sufficient security.

The commission was set up to probe a mysterious bombing in the city last November and has since become the subject of debate following an indictment containing allegations against a top general prepared by a prosecutor responsible for the investigation and assisted by the commission's head.

The commission will hear witnesses during the day before flying out to Yuksekova and Hakkari where they will spend the nights in gendarmerie and police accommodation. The military will provide helicopters for members' transportation.

The governor's office is highly concerned about the security situation in the city where tensions are still high due to the bombing, which created much debate as to who was actually involved in the incident. While some locals have accused security forces of being involved in the bombing and pursuing clandestine gains through maintaining and bolstering terrorism in the region, state authorities point the finger at the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and have implied that certain locals are also PKK members.

Republican People's Party (CHP) Hakkari Deputy Esat Canan and the Semdinli prosecutor were involved in an incident with a non-commissioned officer during an investigation of the crime scene immediately after the bombing. Officer Tanju Cavus fired warning shots killing one person, but was cleared of wrongdoing after a trial that found him acting within the limits of self-defense. He testified to the court that he had been attacked first by some of the locals.

Ibrahim Ozdogan, commission member from the Motherland Party (ANAVATAN), has said that he won't be going to Semdinli as he has reservations about security measures taken for the visit.

In related news, commission members from the main opposition CHP suggested that Van Public Prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya, who prepared the controversial indictment, should be heard from. Members from the ruling AK Party, however, have said that a courtesy visit will suffice.

The commission will reportedly hear from witnesses about the bombing of the Umut Bookstore and is expected to complete its report following the trip.

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Semdinli commission goes east to complete its work

Semdinli commission goes east to complete its work

The New Anatolian / Ankara



A commission set up in Parliament to investigate the bombings in Hakkari's Semdinli district last November will present its report to the Parliament Speaker's Office on April 15.

Commission spokesperson and ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party Sakarya Deputy Ayhan Sefer Ustun said yesterday that the commission will report its findings on April 15 to the Parliament Speaker's Office. Underlining that the findings aren't binding, Ustun said that they will nevertheless play an important role in shaping the policies of various state organs and shedding light onto the mysterious bombings.

Explaining that eight out of the 12 commission members began a visit to the region yesterday, Ustun said that they has been working for the last three-and-a-half months and will finish soon.

"We will stay in the region for a week. We will meet the two noncommissioned officers who are allegedly involved with the incidents and are still being detained. We will also meet Veysel Ates, former Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) member-turned-informer, in the Bitlis Prison," said Ustun.

Commission members have decided not to stay overnight in Semdinli after a surprise warning from the Hakkari Governor's Office that they may not be able to provide sufficient security for the commission members.

The commission was set up to probe a mysterious bombing in the city last November, and has since become a subject of debate following an indictment containing allegations against a top general prepared by the prosecutor responsible for the investigation, who was assisted by the commission's head.

The commission will hear witness testimonies during the days before they fly out to spend the nights in Yuksekova and Hakkari where they will be hosted and guarded in gendarmerie and police accommodation. The military will provide helicopters for the members' transportation

Ustun said yesterday that commission members will travel to Hakkari to speak with witnesses and will later go to Yuksekova to meet with both witnesses and public officials. Saying that they will also go to Semdinli on Thursday to investigate the bombings, Ustun said the commission members will prepare a report about the incidents following the trip and will present it to the Parliament Speaker's Office.

Ustun also expressed his hope that the commission's report will contribute to making the public agree with the state.

The governor's office is highly concerned about the security situation in the city. Tensions are still running high from the bombings, which created huge debate around the question of who was actually involved in the incident. While some locals have accused security forces of being involved in the bombing and pursuing clandestine gains through maintaining and bolstering terrorism in the region, state authorities point the finger at the terrorist PKK and have implied that certain locals are PKK members.

Ibrahim Ozdogan, commission member from the Motherland Party (ANAVATAN), said that he won't be going to Semdinli as he has reservations about security measures taken for the visit.

In related news, commission members from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) suggested that the Van Public Prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya, who prepared the controversial indictment, should be interviewed. Members from the ruling AK Party, however, have said that a courtesy visit will suffice.

Eight members of the commission arrived in Van yesterday. Speaking at a press conference at the airport, commission head Musa Sivacioglu said that the commission will hear from some people in Van and then travel to Hakkari today.

Asked about the criticism about the commission's study, Sivacioglu said, "I don't want to discuss them. The commission was set up by Parliament with a joint motion of the three political party groups in Parliament. Therefore, claims that the commission is unconstitutional are not true."

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Semdinli commission to finalize report

Semdinli commission to finalize report

The New Anatolian / Ankara



The parliamentary commission probing last year's Semdinli bombings is expected to finalize its much-awaited report this week.

Parliament's Semdinli commission, established to probe two suspicious bombings in Semdinli and Yuksekova, both districts of Hakkari, and ensuing civil unrest, in November, completed its visit to the region over the weekend. The commission will also convene in Parliament this week to discuss the evaluations it's received so far.

The deadline for the report has already passed but the commission early last month extended the period to finalize the report to April 7.

Not all the members of the commission went there due to the security problems in the region. During the visit, the commission listened to more than 20 witnesses and also carried out an investigation in Van, Hakkari, Semdinli and Yuksekova.

Commission head and ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party Deputy Musa Sivacioglu announced yesterday that the visit was quite productive in terms of the report's conclusion. The commission delegation had no security problems, he said.

The period for the commission's mandate expires Friday. The commission is to officially submit its report, which is to be finalized merely through unanimity, to the Parliament Speaker's Office on April 15.

There were allegations that the commission's work had been blocked floated in Parliament for some time. Added to which that the commission carried out an inquiry into an issue with legal connections was also highly disputed.

During the Hakkari visit, the commission members found the chance to listen to the problems of the local townspeople. According to the main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) Ahmet Ersin, the major problems of the region are unemployment, economic problems and a lack of democracy.

[Gavur]

Turkish Murder Case May Undermine Bid to Join EU (Update1)

April 3 (Bloomberg) -- The trial of two Turkish army officers for allegedly murdering an ethnic Kurd will test the independence of the judiciary, potentially undermining the country's bid to join the European Union.

Opponents of Turkey's EU candidacy are watching the case for signs that the government is unable to uphold the rule of law, Joost Lagendijk, a lawmaker in the European Parliament and a supporter of Turkey's EU bid, said in a telephone interview from Strasbourg, France.

Military police officers Ali Kaya and Ozcan Ildeniz instructed Veysel Ates, a convicted terrorist, to throw a hand grenade into a bookstore in Semdinli, southeast Turkey, prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya said on March 3. The attack killed Mehmet Korkmaz, an ethnic Kurd. A crowd then tried to drag the three men out of a getaway vehicle, smashing its windows, before police intervened. The three men have pleaded innocent to the charges of murder.

``The government's failure to act in this case could be used as an excuse by some in Europe to block Turkey's path to the EU,'' said Lagendijk, who is co-chairman of the Turkey-EU joint parliamentary committee. ``The incident proves that the government isn't in control of all security matters in Turkey.''

Turkey's military, which has removed three governments from power in the past four decades, has led a two-decade campaign against militants of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the nation's southeast. The country's bid to enter the EU has focused attention on the conflict, which has killed 40,000 people, with the European Court ruling against Turkey 15 times last year for killing unarmed civilians.

The PKK is demanding more political rights for the nation's Kurds and has about 7,000 fighters based in Turkey and northern Iraq, according to estimates by the Turkish military.

The Allegations

The bookstore is owned by a suspected member of the PKK, Sarikaya said in the March 3 indictment. The bombing may be the latest in a series of ``extra-judicial killings'' by the army, Yusuf Alatas, head of the Ankara-based Human Rights Association, said in an interview on March 15. The army has denied such accusations.

No date for the trial has been set, yet it is already raising tensions between the military and the government, which has pledged to bolster the independence of the judiciary in return for membership of the EU.

The incident has already led to the removal of head of police intelligence Sabri Uzun after he told parliament that lack of discipline among army units probably led to the bombing. Military chiefs requested that Uzun be sacked, the Milliyet daily reported on March 23.

Military Demands

The military is demanding disciplinary proceedings against Sarikaya, who accused Deputy Chief of Staff Yasar Buyukanit of interfering in the case after he defended the character of suspect Kaya. The allegations were ``politically motivated'' and sought to ``weaken the Turkish armed forces and its desire and determination to fight terrorism,'' the army said last month.

Contacted by telephone on March 24, the military's press office in the capital Ankara declined immediate comment on the case or to respond to questions about its alleged involvement in extra- judicial killings.

The EU has vowed to halt membership talks with Turkey if it strays from the bloc's democratic standards. The Turkish parliament last month sent a team of lawmakers to Semdinli to investigate the incident.

Turkey started the EU talks on Oct. 3 after it reduced the use of torture and widened cultural rights for its Kurdish minority. It faces opposition to its candidacy from politicians including Nicolas Sarkozy, leader of French President Jacques Chirac's Popular Movement party.

Judicial Independence

``The military mustn't undermine the judiciary, it shouldn't compromise its independence,'' Sadullah Ergin, deputy chief in parliament of the ruling Justice and Development Party, said in a telephone interview on March 20. ``Everybody must ensure that the judiciary is allowed to perform its duties without interference.''

Europe's politicians have criticized Turkey's security forces for displacing hundreds of thousands of Kurds from their homes during the armed campaign against the PKK, who are labeled terrorists by the U.S. government and EU.

The number of extra-judicial killings in Turkey is increasing, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said in a Nov. 9 report on Turkey's progress towards membership, without providing further details.

``Turkey should work towards greater accountability and transparency in the conduct of security affairs,'' the commission said. ``Civilian authorities should fully exercise their supervisory functions.''

Cultural Rights

Violence in Turkey's southeast is ``more than just a security problem'' and the government should ``urgently'' address the need for more cultural rights for its Kurds, EU enlargement spokeswoman Krisztina Nagy told Bloomberg in a telephone interview March 31. Her comments followed clashes between the security forces and Kurdish protestors in the city of Diyarbakir, where at least six people have died since March 28.

The Justice and Development Party, or AKP, may be unwilling to confront the military ahead of a general election scheduled for November 2007, said Dogu Ergil, a professor of politics at Ankara University. The military suspects the AKP, which has its roots in an Islamic movement, of seeking to compromise Turkey's secular principles.

``The government, because of its Islamist roots, is under surveillance by the secular establishment, led by the military,'' Ergil said in an interview on March 21. ``If the AKP acts then it might find itself embroiled in a scandal of its own, hurting its chances of re-election next year.''

Trusted

The army is more trusted than any other institution in Turkey, the Hurriyet newspaper said on Dec. 6, citing a survey of 1,179 people conducted in Ankara by the Politics Center, an organization owned by an AKP deputy.

While a crack-down on the army might lose the government votes at parliamentary elections next year, it would boost Turkey's popularity in the EU, where only 31 percent of people back its membership, Lagendijk said.

``The Semdinli incident could prove to be a highly symbolic case, an historical turning point where the army is forced to launch a crack down on its own units,'' he said. ``But if the government doesn't act, it will show that the road to membership for Turkey is destined to be a long one.''



To contact the reporter on this story:
Mark Bentley in Ankara at [email protected]
Last Updated: April 3, 2006 03:55 EDT

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Semdinli commission's tacit conclusion: Troops should withdraw from the region

Semdinli commission's tacit conclusion: Troops should withdraw from the region

Ayla Ganioglu - TNA Parliament Bureau / Ankara



A parliamentary commission set up to probe bombings in Hakkari's Semdinli district last November will complete its term at the end of this week, presenting its report to the Parliament Speaker's Office soon.

During its four months of work, the commission heard testimony from 43 military and civilian officials in Ankara, not counting people the commission members met in Van, Hakkari, Semdinli and Yuksekova last week.

As the majority of commission members are deputies from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, the commission's report is expected to reflect the views of these members. Commission members from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) will include their views in the report through minority dissents.

The commission, which was set up to probe who's behind the bombings in a bookstore owned by Seferi Yilmaz in Hakkari's Semdinli district last Nov. 9 and before, is expected to convene again in the coming days to make a final evaluation of the draft report.

As a result of the commission's four months of work, it arrived at an interesting conclusion, although this wasn't reflected explicitly in the commission report. Hundreds of pages of records of the commission carry the conclusion that the troops (gendarmerie) should be withdrawn from eastern and southeastern cities to be replaced by the police. As this demand is expected to be brought up by other circles again, the AK Party government is set to make a critical decision soon.

Some other conclusions reflected in the commission records but not indicated explicitly in its report are as follows:

- The commission investigated whether the last bombing in Semdinli was carried out by noncommissioned officers Ali Kaya and Ozcan Ildeniz or by the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Moreover, the commission also probed whether the noncommissioned officers acted independently or were following orders from superior officers.

- Ultra-Kurdish nationalist DTP mayors didn't complain about the public officials in the region, such as the governors and kaymakams (local officials), most of whom were appointed under the AKP government. DTP mayors also seemed content with the police as well. However, after being branded the civilian wing of the terrorist PKK, DTP members openly expressed their discomfort with the military. DTP mayors said that the level of dialogue they have with other officials can't be established between them and gendarmerie officials.

- A campaign was launched in the press arguing that the gendarmerie, modeled after the French example, is no longer useful in modern Turkey and should leave its tasks to the police.

- The commission showed that the perennial tension between the police and the military has become more visible now - at least in the southeast. The police officials who made public statements didn't give a clear negative response to questions about whether or not the military is responsible for the incidents. They usually failed to respond to the question or simply said, "We don't know." Former Police Headquarters Intelligence Department Head Sabri Uzun accused the military concerning the bombings, saying, "When the thief is inside the house, it's no use locking the door."

- Lastly, similar voices rose following the clashes during the funeral ceremonies of terrorists in Diyarbakir, and these incidents spread both to neighboring cities and to Istanbul. Some circles claimed that the military should stop the operations carried out to capture the terrorists. Some AK Party members said that stopping the military's operations in the mountains to prevent such clashes might be considered an option.

- As a result, although the Semdinli and Diyarbakir incidents seemed quite independent of each other, they both led to the expression of some views advocating the withdrawal of the military from the region.

- The commission also showed that the de facto authority in the eastern and southeastern cities is assumed by the DTP. While governors, kaymakams and police officials failed to prevent large demonstrations, they sought the support of DTP mayors. While state officials were waiting behind closed doors, DTP mayors tried to calm the crowds and disperse the people attending the demonstrations. However, the questions of how it was people attended the demonstrations and whether the DTP had a role in organizing them remained unanswered.

- As the indictment prepared about the Semdinli bombings leveled allegations against Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, some circles claimed that the aim of these allegations is to prevent Buyukanit from becoming the chief of General Staff this August. Although the incidents do have such an aim on the one hand, it seems highly probable that a greater aim is to make the military withdraw from the region. If the civilian administrative officials and police officials, who have already accepted that the authority is in the DTP's hands to a significant extent, were to stay in the region, that will indirectly mean the acceptance of these demands.

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Semdinli commission member Ahmet Ersin: Semdinli is a local incident

Semdinli commission member Ahmet Ersin: Semdinli is a local incident

Ayla Ganioglu - TNA Parliament Bureau / Ankara



A parliamentary commission set up to probe the bombings in Hakkari's Semdinli district last November paid a five-day visit to Van, Hakkari, Semdinli and Yuksekova last week. The commission that was set up to investigate the bombing of a bookstore in the town of Semdinli, which has a population of 14,000, also met with noncommissioned officers Ali Kaya and Ozcan Ildeniz, who are currently being tried as suspects in the bombings. They also heard from locals in the places they visited and met with Semdinli residents who witnessed the incidents.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Izmir Deputy Ahmet Ersin, who is a member of both the Human Rights Commission and the Semdinli probe commission, in Parliament said that the bombing in Semdinli is a local incident, contradicting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's claim. Stating that they hadn't gotten any such impression or received information to the contrary during their investigation, Ersin told us his impressions about the two visits he made to the region.

Here's what Ersin had to say:

TNA: Was the bombing in Semdinli a local incident or was it the doing of a wider organization?

Ersin: After the bombing last Nov. 9, the prime minister said that the incident wasn't local. He reiterated his statement in a visit he paid to the region some days later. The prime minister implied the existence of an organization like that of Susurluk (gangs with state links) with these words in a very explicit way. Why did the prime minister say that? Would a prime minister make the public uncomfortable in vain? Would he turn people against each other and lead them onto the streets? Personally, I took the prime minister's words seriously and wanted him to come to the commission to give information to us.

But the impression we got after four months of work in the commission isn't like that. We didn't find any suggestion that the bombing in Semdinli wasn't local during our commission work. Nobody told us anything to verify that either. Nobody told us that the incident was linked to gangs within the state.

TNA: But former Police Headquarters Intelligence Department head Sabri Uzun said, "If the thief is in the house, it's no use to lock the door."

Ersin: But Uzun also said that the incident was local. Personally, I got the same impression during our work.

TNA: What were your impressions of the meetings you held with the two noncommissioned officers during your visit?

Ersin: I met them twice. When we went there representing the Human Rights Commission in November we met the noncommissioned officers. But we couldn't meet Veysel Ates, the former Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) member-turned-informer. But back then the noncommissioned officers hadn't been arrested yet.

This time they were inmates and they came from the prison to meet us. They denied the claims that they bombed the bookstore and said, "Some circles are trying to put the blame on us." They said that the bombing was conducted by the terrorist group PKK, adding that the owner of the bookstore (Seferi Yilmaz) already had a relationship with the group. They have some records of phone conversations as evidence supporting their arguments.

Yilmaz was convicted for taking part in a PKK attack in Semdinli in 1984 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. When he completed his sentence he came back to Semdinli to open the bookstore that was bombed.

TNA: Did the public in the region complain about the PKK?

Ersin: There were some people complaining. Those who own businesses and have a decent life naturally don't want their life to be disturbed.

TNA: Could they express their complaints openly?

Ersin: There were some people saying these things openly and some that whispered their complaints. Saying these things openly takes some courage, and it's not easy. These people have businesses and jobs and are trying to earn a living for their family. The PKK is a group conducting terrorist activities there, so these people are afraid of the PKK.

TNA: The mayors from the Democratic Society Party (DTP) who you spoke to in commission meetings said that the PKK isn't a terrorist group. What's the public's attitude towards that?

Ersin: Following the completion of the commission's work, I walked around Yuksekova and Semdinli for around two hours. I went to coffeehouses and talked to people walking in the streets. I talked to over 100 people in Semdinli and Yuksekova.

Unemployment is a huge problem. Smuggling is a common activity in Semdinli. The PKK controls the smuggling with Iran and Iraq in Semdinli and charges the smugglers there some kind of a "tax." Smuggling has became a source of finance for terrorism there. Smuggling is run under the PKK's control.

Actually, border trade should be allowed so that smuggling wouldn't be a source of income for the PKK. If border trade were made legal, the PKK's source of revenue would dry up. Governors of provinces on the borders of Iran, Iraq and Syria should be granted more authority regarding the issue. The foreign trade undersecretary or the related ministry should take immediate measures on the issue.

There is also illicit drug trade in Yuksekova, likewise in Van's Baskale district too. These centers are well known in Turkey. I regret to say it, but some public officials are allowing an illicit drug trade.

TNA: Before the 2004 local elections, mayors from the Democratic People's Party (DEHAP -- the DTP's predecessor) were in office. But generally they used to distance themselves from the PKK, at least in appearance. What do you think is the reason for DTP mayors being so open in supporting the terrorist group now?

Ersin: I arrived at a conclusion as a result of both visits I paid to the region for the commission's work and the meetings I held with police officials. Unfortunately Turkey doesn't have a (real) interior minister now. This is the problem.

Yes, the mayors weren't so bold in the beginning. They used to take rather small steps. Measures should have been taken back then. These people should have been stopped back then. Nobody did that. Now they are launching probes against the mayors of Diyarbakir and Hakkari. But the mistakes are being made all over again.

TNA: What kind of mistakes?

Ersin: The mistake is this: As steps weren't taken back then, they have become bolder now. These figures have become symbols both for the region and for the EU. If one attempts to remove these people from office or launch a probe against them the EU will exert pressure and other Ocalans (PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan) will emerge. There is an Ocalan in Imrali (the island prison where Ocalan is being held), they will create new Ocalans; I mean these figures will be turned into heroes. The interior minister is continuing his mistakes.

During Abdulkadir Aksu's term as interior minister -- he has been interior minister throughout his term as a deputy -- there has been a security problem in Turkey. As he has been doing the job for so long, the tasks have become a routine for Aksu, he has lost his enthusiasm. Police officials have indicated the same. Aksu is neither interested in members of the police, nor with security problems. Turkey doesn't have an interior minister now.

TNA: What do you think is the relationship between local mayors and the terrorist group?

Ersin: No one who isn't approved by the PKK can be a mayor there. What I'm trying to say is this: Undoubtedly the PKK has power there. We can't deny that. Even the state accepts that. Being elected mayor by opposing that force, by struggling against that force, is not possible.

The PKK is a significant force there. We should accept that. Of course, the PKK is a force that makes people afraid. Some people ordered the shops to put their shutters down. We've seen what happened to people who didn't follow that order and didn't put their shutters down. Their shops were torched, attacked, stoned. What will people do when a similar order is given again? Their premises are burned if they keep shops open. The PKK is a terrorist force that establishes its influence through fear there.

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Witnesses to be Heard in Semdinli Case

Witnesses to be Heard in Semdinli Case
By Cihan, Istanbul
Published: Saturday, April 15, 2006
zaman.com


Van 3rd High Criminal Court has decided to hear 45 witnesses two days before the trial in the controversial Semdinli bombing case.

The first hearing in the Semdinli bombing case will be held at Van Court on May 4.

The two arrested NCOs and a PKK informer, suspects in the bombing of a bookstore in Semdinli belonging to a former PKK convict, will appear before the court for the first time. The prosecutor has sought life imprisonment for the three suspects.

Two days before the trial, the court will hear 45 witnesses at the place the bombed bookstore is located.


The court has sent judicial notices to all witnesses including Seferi Yilmaz, the owner of the bookstore that was bombed in Semdinli, to be present in front of the passage at the specified date.


Witnesses who do not comply with the notice will be brought to court by the police.

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Van Court to Hear 45 Witnesses in Semdinli Case

Van Court to Hear 45 Witnesses in Semdinli Case
By Cihan News Agency
Tuesday, May 02, 2006



Van the 3rd High Criminal Court is to hear on Tuesday 45 witnesses at the scene of the November 9 Semdinli explosions.

The Van Court delegation is to hear 45 witnesses at the scene, where the bombed bookstore is located, two days before the trial in the Semdinli case gets underway.

The owner of the bombed bookstore Seferi Yilmaz, who in the past was convicted as a Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) member, is also to be included among the witnesses.

The court has already sent judicial notices to all witnesses to be present in front of the passage at the specified date and time. Witnesses who do not comply with the notice will be brought to court forcibly by the police.

The first court hearing in the Semdinli bombing case will be held at Van High Criminal Court on Thursday. The suspects in the case - two arrested NCOs and a PKK informant - will appear before court for the first time.

Meanwhile, Mehmet Gocmen, a retired lieutenant colonel and the lawyer of the arrested NCOs, resigned Monday as legal representative of the suspects.

Yurdakan Yildiz, Mahmut Guler and Orhan Nalcioglu from Ankara Bar are now to represent the military suspects in court in his place.