Kurdish News

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London Mayor Accepts PKK with Open Arms

London Mayor Accepts PKK with Open Arms
By Cihan News Agency, London
Published: Thursday, March 23, 2006
zaman.com


The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, permitted the use of municipality buildings for Nevrouz festivities, where the emblems of the terror organization Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan were clearly displayed.

Livingstone claimed that Kurdish people have suffered “for centuries” in Turkey.

Referring to “Kurdistan” during his speech, he stated that “Kurdish people act today against the violation of their human rights, not only in Kurdistan, but also in many regions.”

The London Mayor, in his statement to Cihan news agency yesterday, emphasized that the Kurdish minority in Turkey needs help in relation to their human rights.

Nevrouz is “a Kurdish festival,” Livingstone alleged. “We have long celebrated the festivals of all the different groups in London. But, we have just begun to celebrate some other groups’ festivals. I attended the Nevrouz festivities, which, I assume, is special to Kurdish people.”

London Community Centre Chief Ibrahim Dogus, making a speech after Livingstone, drew attention with the Ocalan pin he wore on his jacket.

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First Broadcasts in Kurdish Begin Today

First Broadcasts in Kurdish Begin Today
By Cihan News Agency
Published: Thursday, March 23, 2006
zaman.com


On Thursday evening, two local televisions and one radio station will begin their Kurdish-language program broadcasts – the first time for private radio or television channels in Turkey to broadcast in a language other than Turkish.

Diyarbakir-based Gun and Soz televisions, and Sanliurfa-based Medya FM Radio station signed an approval agreement with the Radio Television Watchdog (RTUK) on Friday, March 17, which finally gave the go-ahead for the Kurdish-language programs.

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Zana: Key to peace in southeast is Ocalan

Zana: Key to peace in southeast is Ocalan

The New Anatolian / Ankara



Leyla Zana, a prominent figure in the Turkish Kurdish movement, reportedly told European Parliament deputies that the imprisoned leader of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is the only man who can stop the group's campaign of violence.

Zana's claims appeared in a report prepared by the EP's Human Rights Delegation about their Turkey trip in October. The report was discussed late Thursday at an EP session also attended by Turkish Parliament Human Rights Commission head Mehmet Elkatmis .

PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is the sole inmate on the prison island of Imrali, near Istanbul, where he's serving a life sentence for leading clashes that have killed 37,000 people.

According to the report, Zana, also a member of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), said that Ocalan could establish a truce if Turkey ends his isolation on the island.

Zana also said that Ocalan equates himself with late Yasser Arafat, late leader of the Palestine Liberation Army (PLO) who fought Israel for the independence of Palestine, or Nelson Mandela, the prominent anti-apartheid activist who became the first president of the Republic of South Africa to be elected in fully representative democratic elections, who are both respected as freedom fighters.

The report also conveyed Ocalan's worries over the European Union having recognized the PKK as a terrorist organization.

After the report was discussed, the deputies concentrated on Turkey's record on human rights and were briefed by Elkatmis on the matter.

When a Greek deputy asked Elkatmis why Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit is not on trial despite accusations against him in a controversial indictment over the Semdinli bombings in November, Elkatmis stressed the independence of the judiciary in Turkey, adding that there are several ongoing cases against people thought to be the perpetrators.

Buyukanit was accused of interfering in the judiciary in relation to the Semdinli case and of establishing a crime gang in the terror-stricken southeast.

Elkatmis also touched on the issue of conscientious objectors in Turkey after a question about a recent pro-objectors ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and said that Parliament is working on a bill to overcome the problem.

Conscientious objection is an offense in Turkey, where military service is seen a national duty by law.

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Air strike Against PKK: 14 Terrorists Killed

Air strike Against PKK: 14 Terrorists Killed
By Mehmet Aydin, Mus
Published: Sunday, March 26, 2006
zaman.com


In an operation launched against PKK in Mus city after they fought against the security forces, 14 terrorist were killed.

The operation, which covered Solhan town in Bingol, Mus and Diyarbakır’s boarders, was conducted with air support. Mus Governorship’s explanation read Tunceli security forces found 14 terrorists dead during the operation they conducted with helicopters in Mus, Diyarbakir and Bingol. Mus Governor Ibrahim Ozcimen noted the operation was conducted despite the bad weather and added: “We communicate with security forces in the region via satellite phones. Reportedly 14 terrorists have been killed so far and there are no fights at the moment. We are happy that security forces did not have any loses.”

Bingol Governorship’s explanation reads an extensive operation was conducted in Solhan region after evaluating intelligence about a group of terrorists shelter there. The explanation reads: “Security forces called a group of terrorist to surrender but the terrorists responded to this call by opening fire and starting a fight. The fight in the region continued until noon as Cobra helicopters and Special Forces participated. Fourteen terrorists were killed in the fight. One missile launcher, 2 Kanas rifles, which is mostly used for assassinations, and 9 AK-47 machine guns were taken from the terrorists.”

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Kurdish Broadcasts Begin

http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/445220/kurdish_broadcasts_begin/index.html?source=r_technology

According to Sabah, Broadcasts in Kurdish started for the first time on private television and radio stations. Gun TV, Soz TV and Medya FM transmitting in Sanliurfa started broadcasting in the Kirmanci dialect of Kurdish

. Soz TV in Diyarbakir made the first broadcast of the news as checked by Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK). Soz TV explored the influence of Kurdish broadcasting with a program featuring interviews with citizens. Subtitles in Turkish are mandatory on Kurdish-language broadcasts, which last for 45 minutes twice a week.



Source: Info-Prod Research (Middle East)

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U.S. to Turkey: Deal with Iraq on Kurdish insurgency problem

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
ANKARA — In what appeared to be a change in policy, the Bush administration has ruled out a U.S. military operation against the Kurdish Workers Party in northern Iraq.

The United States has decided that Iraq would eliminate the presence of Kurdish insurgents along the border with Turkey.

For more than a year, the administration assured Turkey that the U.S. military would eventually help ensure the removal of an estimated 4,000 PKK fighters from the Kandil mountains, Middle East Newsline reported.



But over the last few months, officials said, the administration has revised its position. Officials said the State Department and U.S. military have decided that Iraq's military, rather than Washington, would be responsible for the removal of the PKK insurgents. They acknowledged that this could delay any operation for years.
"In northern Iraq, before we can tackle [the PKK presence] we must have stability for the government in Iraq," Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said. "That means the Iraqi armed forces, the Iraqi police providing security for their own government and for their own people so that a sovereign Iraq government can work with Turkey and my government to address the PKK problem up north."

Pace met Turkish leaders and addressed a counter-insurgency conference in Ankara over the weekend. The general stressed that the United States was helping Turkey combat the PKK, but he would not elaborate on the security reasons.

"We are committed to addressing the PKK problem," Pace said on March 24.

Hours earlier, Iraqi and U.S. troops launched Operation Scorpion, described as a search-and-destroy operation of insurgents in the Kirkuk area in northern Iraq. The PKK was said to have established a presence in the city, but officials did not say Kurdish insurgents were the target of the operation.

For about two years, Turkey has been pressing the United States to eliminate the PKK presence in northern Iraq. Ankara has asserted that the PKK sent at least 3,000 fighters into Turkey to renew the insurgency war.

During a series of appearances in Turkey, Pace said the United States opposes an independent Kurdish state and was committed to eliminating the PKK. But he said any operation against the PKK must wait until Iraqi forces become capable.

"We should understand that the best way to deal with the PKK is from a position of strength," Pace said. "Your country is strong. We need to strengthen Iraq so it, too, can deal with [the PKK] from a position of strength."

The U.S. refusal to fight the PKK has aroused anger among Turks, particularly in parliament. Some parliamentarians have called on Ankara to refuse to cooperate with the United States against Iran's nuclear program.

"Full global cooperation is a must against terrorism," Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok told the conference. "In order to fight terrorists that target a society, culture or civilization, it is important not to remain silent when another society is targeted."

During his visit, Pace sought to play down U.S.-Turkish cooperation against Iran. He said Washington was not planning a military operation against Teheran.

"Iran is a long way from needing any military solution," Pace said. "There are many things that can be done diplomatically and many countries working together to persuade Iran to work in such a way that is not dangerous to its neighbors. There are many things that can be done before any country contemplates a military option."





Copyright © 2006 East West Services, Inc.

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Protesters attack police at PKK funeral, 8 injured in Diyarbakir

Protesters attack police at PKK funeral, 8 injured in Diyarbakir

The New Anatolian with wires / Ankara



Kurdish protesters rampaged Tuesday after a funeral for the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) members killed by troops in southeastern Turkey, hurling firebombs at armored police vehicles, smashing windows at a police station and stabbing two police officers.

Police launched teargas canisters at the crowd of 5,000 and used pepper spray, triggering street clashes. The governor's office said seven police officers and two journalists were injured. Police detained 23 protesters so far, it said.

Several businesses and vehicles were also damaged in Diyarbakir, the largest city in the southeast, the Anatolia news agency reported. Two of the policemen were stabbed by the protesters and one was reported to be in serious condition, Anatolia said.

Authorities deployed dozens of elite police forces and paramilitary troops in downtown Diyarbakir following the violence in an apparent show of force.

The clashes erupted when protesters chanted pro-PKK slogans and attacked the police after the funeral of four of 14 dead PKK members. Turkish troops killed the 14 militants in the province of Mus in a two-day clash that ended Saturday.

News channel NTV footage showed an armored police vehicle engulfed in flames after being hit by a firebomb in Diyarbakir. The operator of the vehicle immediately turned on the vehicle's pressurized water canon in an attempt to extinguish the fire.

Protesters armed with stones and clubs shattered the windows of a police station, some banks, shops and a government health clinic. They also smashed the windows of parked police vehicles outside the police station.

Further west in Adana, some 3,000 Kurdish protesters attending the funeral of another PKK member clashed with police, prompting the officers to detain several people.

Tensions have been running high in the southeast, where the PKK has escalated attacks recently. PKK terror has claimed the lives of more than 37,000 people.

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Unrest in Southeast Spreads to Batman

Unrest in Southeast Spreads to Batman
By Cihan News Agency
Published: Thursday, March 30, 2006
zaman.com


During illegal protests carried out today in the southeastern Turkish city of Batman, a branch of Bank Asya and a small office belonging to Turkish State Railways were completely gutted by fire after they were attacked by youths with Molotov xxxxtails.

The protesters also entered the provincial headquarters of the ultra-nationalist far-right National Movement Party(MHP), took all the moveables there out into the street where they set them on fire.

The unrest in Batman follows clashes between protesters and the authorities in Diyarbakir, also in the southeast, in the preceeding days in the wake of the funerals of Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) members who were killed in clashes with the Turkish security forces. Diyarbakir Governor Ala announced late on Wednesday that three people had been killed during the disturbances in the city.

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Kurdish protestors face off against police, army combat vehicles

Kurdish protestors face off against police, army combat vehicles

The New Anatolian with AP / Ankara



Turkish police yesterday used pressurized water and pepper spray to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing Kurdish protestors who set up road barricades by burning car tires during a second day of violence in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir.

The clashes, which broke out Tuesday after the funeral of four terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) members killed by security forces last week, have left 36 police officers and paramilitary troops and six civilians injured in Diyarbakir.

The Turkish Army moved combat vehicles to the outskirts of Diyarbakir on Wednesday following some of the worst rioting Turkey has seen in a decade. protestors, chanting pro-PKK slogans, hurled firebombs at armored police vehicles, smashed windows of several police stations, banks, post offices and health clinics and stabbed two police officers.

During yesterday's violent clashes about 200 Kurdish protesters hurled stones at riot police and smashed the windows of local businesses, reported news channel CNN-Turk.

The protestors also set a truck on fire in Diyarbakir. Police used water canons and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

On Tuesday four people with gunshot wounds were hospitalized, according to hospital officials.

Authorities were still assessing damage in the city yesterday as municipality workers cleaned the wreckage of burned cars and broken glass littering the streets from the previous night.

Authorities have boosted security in Diyarbakir. A long convoy of armored personnel carriers rumbled towards a major military base on the outskirts of the city after authorities called in police reinforcements from nearby cities.

The PKK members whose funerals started the rioting were among those killed by soldiers in the province of Mus during a two-day clash that ended on Saturday.

Tensions have been running high in the southeast where the terrorist PKK has recently escalated attacks.

The PKK's terror campaign has killed more than 37,000 people. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.

Turkey is under pressure from the EU to grant more cultural rights to its sizable Kurdish population. However the state rules out any dialogue with the terrorist PKK.

Turkish authorities strongly suspect a Danish-based Kurdish satellite TV station named Roj-TV of having encouraged Kurdish protestors during Tuesday's clashes in Diyarbakir. Turkey accuses Roj-TV of being a mouthpiece for the PKK. Danish authorities say they are still investigating, while Roj-TV insists it has no links to the PKK.