Turkish Generals, AKP and Psychological Warfare.

TURKEY: Military Ghost Rises Again

ANKARA / 29 June 2009 / by Jacques N. Couvas

Less than two years after its discreet sealing, the truce between ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) seems to have ended.

The publication Jun. 12 of an article in Taraf, a liberal newspaper, of an alleged plan by army officers to overthrow the government and incriminate Fethullah Gulen, a religious leader and founder of the country's largest Muslim brotherhood, revived the polemic over the role of the military in the governance of the nation.

Although Taraf's scoop stirred indignation among politicians from all sides, the spirits remained calm for the past two weeks. But the verdict last Wednesday of the General Staff military prosecutor that the plan revealed was not p repared at TSK headquarters, and his decision not to file charges against the plan's purported author, Col. Dursun Cicek, an officer serving in the army's psychological warfare unit, triggered the ire of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Over the weekend, senior ministers disclosed that Erdogan would bring additional evidence on the plan and its authors before TSK's leadership at the National Security Council (MGK) meeting scheduled for this Tuesday. This high-level confrontation is expected to test the limits of the entente between the heads of the state and army.

The plan, according to the accusations by Taraf and AKP, contemplates mobilising agents controlled within AK to discredit the party through their actions and words. It also envisages planting of weapons in the homes of members of Gulen's movement, in order to make a convincing case that its members are "terrorists" with links to separatist Kurdish PKK rebels.

Manipulation of the media for igniting national istic and anti-Greek and Armenian feelings among the public is another milestone in the plan.

Military coups are a periodical occurrence in Turkish politics. Since the end of World War II, there have been three dictatorships, in 1960, 1971 and 1980, and a "post-modern" coup, when on Feb. 28, 1997 the MGK demanded that "the forces of reaction should be confronted", precipitating the collapse of the government and its replacement by a secularist coalition.

The "forces of reaction" in the event was a reference to the Welfare Party (RP), the first Islamist political movement to have won legislative elections in the country. Its leadership, including Erdogan, then mayor of Istanbul, was banned from politics for several years. Erdogan also served prison as a result of this crisis. After the victory of the newly formed AKP, successor to RP, in the 2002 national elections, and especially after the return in 2003 to politics of Erdogan and his appointment to premiership, senior army officers became again more vigilant.

When, in April 2007, Abdullah Gul, a leader within AKP, remained the sole candidate to the presidency of the state, the Chief of the General Staff, at that time Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, issued a warning against the appointment of an Islamist at the top office of the republic, implying that the armed forces might intervene. An arm-wrestling contest began, which ended in August at a confidential meeting between the PM and Buyukanit.

No spectacular incidents have been observed since. On Aug. 28, 2007, Gul was elected President by the AKP-dominated parliament. His swearing-in ceremony, held the same day, was not attended by the Chief of the General Staff. Tradition, supported by certain articles of the Constitution, calls for the army's allegiance to the principles defended by the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a resolute secularist.

Gul is the first head of the state to have an Islamist background. He s erved between 1983 and 1991 at the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia, where his wife Hayrunnisa completed her university studies. The First Lady wears the Islamic scarf in all her appearances. The President is a supporter of Fethullah Gulen, who is resident in the U.S..

Following the appeasement in the AKP-TSK relations, the Turkish parliament voted overwhelmingly in August 2007 in favour of the invasion of northern Iraq to hunt down armed insurgents of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). PKK is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the U.S. and the E.U.

The TSK had previously been asked to refrain from such expedition, on the insistence of the U.S. In the end, however, the Turkish army entered north Iraq in February 2008.

Political life took its normal course. On the surface only, however, because in the meantime the government had started legal proceedings to bring to justice 89 politicians, journalists, and retired military officers, suspected t o have conspired to overthrow the government. Their trial began last October, on the basis of a 2,500-page indictment, but 39 new arrests, including active officers, were added earlier this year.

The trial has been stretching the nerves of the officers at all levels. Most at TSK believe that the plot is a set-up to discredit the armed forces.

The government claim that the 'action plan' to fight Islamic fundamentalism, revealed by Tafar, was masterminded at TSK headquarters could be the drop that will make the vase overflow.

Prime Minister Erdogan and Gen. Iker Basbug, the Chief of General Staff, met at the end of last week privately for over an hour. Their respective positions seem to have remained unchanged.

Gen. Basbug has backed the decision of the military prosecutor, and insisted that the document was not produced at his headquarters. Erdogan remained convinced that the plan is an official army document, and declared that the quest for culprits will b e pursued unrelentingly.

This clash may just be the top of the iceberg. Public opinion, which, according to polls, considers the armed forces the most trusted institution of the country, has shown since 2007 that military juntas are no longer in fashion. A plan for a coup could therefore only be the work of an isolated group of officers.

What may be more likely as the cause of the crisis is the diverging agendas of the government and the military on a number of issues, including Cyprus, the Kurdish issue, the recent rapprochement with Armenia, the low-key but systematic introduction of laws that favour Islamist practices in everyday life, the dosed purge of 300 TSK officers this decade so far, and the new constitution intended by AKP which will aim at clipping the wings of the military in order to prove Turkey's adherence to the process for accessing the European Union.

As the economy is still away from recovery, in spite of daily assurances of local pundits, and the regional situation increasingly unstable, the protagonists of this new version of AKP-TSK performance are stuck in a prisoner's dilemma.Source:IPS

Remember Martyr Zilan!

After the Turkish Military Intelligence attempted an assassination of Kurdish leader, Abdullah Ocalan in Syria, a young Kurdish woman, Zeynep Kinanci or 'Zilan' took the decision to avenge this attempt and to also protest against the Turkish Regimes savage and 'dirty war' against the Kurdish people in Turkey that was being hidden from the outside world. She made herself into a human bomb and on 30 June 1996, walked onto a Turkish military parade, in Dersim, amongst the occupying forces of her country, Kurdistan, and ignited the bomb killing around 10 Turkish soldiers and seriously wounding another 44.

Before she took this action she wrote an open letter to the President of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, extracts of which is translated and published, for the first time in English, on-line, below.

"The enemy wages a total war against us. Our answer must be total resistance in the struggle for our freedom."

"My name is Zeynep Kinaci. I was born in Malatya in 1972. My family comes from the village of Elamli. We belong to the Mamureki tribe. I studied tourism and psychology at the Inonu university in Malatya.

Before I joined the liberation movement, I worked at the state clinic in Malatya. I am married: my husband comes from the village of Ixliya. He also went to the university of Malatya. During a clash in Adana, he was captured by the enemy in the winter of 1995. My family was fairly well off and I had a liberal upbringing. My interest in the Left and Kurdish Movement was aroused during my university studies, although at the time I was not attracted to any particular movement.

I believe that my support for the PKK and the liberation movement had its roots in the fact that my family was concerned to preserve their Kurdish identity. We had a number of patriotic friends but we were not organised or anything like that. Also, the economic problems which beset my family prevented me from discovering my own identity for a long time.

But slowly the situation changed, so that I was able to make a mature and confident decision to join the liberation movement. In 1994 I started to fight at the front in Adana for one year. In 1995, I joined the ARGK [Guerilla] units in the Dersim region. It was at this time that I made a big development, both personally and politically.



Our fight under the leadership of the PKK has saved the Kurdish people from its total destruction and led it onto the road of liberation. To inspire a people whose national values, soul, consciousness and identity belonged to the enemy, to stand up and fight, demands a great sense of responsibility, historical knowledge, courage and determination.

The PKK and its founder Apo, have roused a people from its slumber. A people which had no leadership, lacked patriotism and intellect, whose history was denied by its oppressor: a people who served the enemy and imperialism and had become increasingly dehumanised was inspired to take up the struggle and fight for its independence.

The great poet Ehmede Xani once said: "If we had an honest and honourable leader, we would never have been enslaved by the Turks, Arabs and Persians." A people whose individual members always and only act in their own interests, or in those of the family or the tribe and was always ruled by bogus leaders, has long been exposed to this curse.

History shows that no national struggle can be victorious without a leader who devotes his life to the people, who feels its pains and its desires, who selflessly recognises the practical tasks of the liberation struggle.

A people which was totally alienated, whose political social and cultural values were exploited, posed a great challenge for the PKK leadership. Our party has started on the road to liberation under extremely difficult circumstances. Its attitude to religion, to questions of identity and the family, are unique.

The arming of women and women's conferences and congresses have been organised by our party. The life of the party leadership, its courage, dedication to the cause, its intelligence, far-sightedness, its closeness and sensitivity to the ordinary people, its methods and experience is incomparable by the standard of any movement. Its interpretation and analysis of events is non-dogmatic.

The party leadership has developed the Kurdish revolution through the correct synthesis of revolutionary theory and practice and in full consonance with the Kurdish reality. It has achieved this neither by imitation nor through dogma, but creatively.

The often adduced reason for retarding our personal development, such as the influence of the bourgeois and feudal ideas, the special war, and hostile influences, which usually form the starting point for sterile self criticism are facile and inadequate. I believe that the most effective self-criticism is the practical realisation of our historical tasks. The enemy wages a total war against us. Our answer must be total resistance in the struggle for our freedom.


Resistance has become the characteristic basic principle of the PKK. We have to lay claim to this historic heritage and act according to the demands of this period.

This makes actions like voluntary death an inevitable necessity. Under certain conditions it is a tactic which will affect the enemy as much as boost the morale of our own people.

At a time when the enemy is trying to achieve its aim by assassination attempts on our leader, this is the only response left. Such an action creates a siege situation for the enemy who lacks any moral grounds for their own action and is in a permanent state of confusion and crisis. It will show to friend and foe alike our total determination and preparedness to achieve our freedom, even at the price of our lives.

Dear President, I see myself as a candidate for a voluntary death. I willingly concede that to give our lives is, from the standpoint of your unending and tireless work for our liberation, not enough. I hope to be able to contribute much more than my life. Through your struggle you have succeeded in bringing our people to life. You are the guarantor of the Kurdish nation and a guardian of world humanism. Your life gives us love, courage and belief.

I consider this action as a duty. I am convinced that to overcome my weaknesses and the realisation of my freedom, this action has to be carried out. I want to follow the examples of our comrades, Mazlum, Kemal, Hayri, Ferhat, Bese, Beritan, Berivan and Ronahi.

I want to be part of the total expression of the liberation struggle of our people.

By exploding a bomb against my body I want to protest against the policies of imperialism which enslaves women and express my rage and become a symbol of resistance of Kurdish women.

Under the leadership of Apo, the national liberation struggle and the Kurdish people, will at last take its richly deserved place in the family of humanity.

My will to life is very strong. My desire is to have a fulfilled life through a strong action.

The reason for my actions is my love for human beings and for life!"

Sibel Edmonds Writes on Turkey's Special Envoy in the US and US's Special Envoy in Turkey, Joseph Ralston!

The ex FBI Translator and Famous Whistleblower, Sibel Edmonds who is subject to the most repressive and total 'gagging order' in US history writes about the expose of the US Arms Dealer who secured billions for the biggest arms company in the world, Lockheed Martin under the cover of pretending to be a US 'Special Envoy' to Turkey.

Remember too, Robert Walter MP who drafted a recent EU report labelling the PKK as 'terrorists'. Lobbying for an arms company in his constituency with links to Turkey.

Turkish Generals to the Kurdish Freedom Struggle: We Will Annhilate You!

by Hevallo

Since the announcement by the Kurdish Freedom Movement of the unilateral military ceasefire, to give a chance of developing an initiative to solve the Kurdish Question in Turkey, there has been a lot of words written.

Many Turkish journalists have raised this proposal in the Turkish media and it has spilled out to so called 'expert' commentators around the world.

Even the Turkish president President Gul spoke of how the Kurdish issue is now Turkey's most important question.

Foreign Ambassadors have met with the Kurdish party, DTP, to encourage these developments and most people now have high expectations of a peaceful and political solution to 'The Kurdish Question in Turkey!'

I got myself excited too!

However, we are all in danger of hyping ourselves up into this delirious state of collective denial of what the actual realities are.

And while we are hyping ourselves up into this collective state of false hope and expectation the Turkish Generals are slowly moving their armies into offensive positions.

The Turkish Generals are speeding up the process's of buying attack military helicopters and pilot less armed drones.

The Turkish Generals are establishing Emergency areas in Kurdistan where Emergency Law dominates and civilians are being kept out.

This is not a secret. The Turkish Generals have never said anything else.

Their message has consistently been "We will annihilate the terrorists!"

And the leadership of the Kurdish Freedom Movement are warning that this is indeed the strategy that the Turkish Generals are laying plans for.

Total war!

The Generals have been emboldened by the Sri Lankan genocidal attacks on the Tamils and are determined to wage a total military onslaught against the Kurds.

This is backed up by intelligence collected by the Kurdish Freedom Movement. Of troop movements observed by PKK's intelligence teams and the military onslaughts that continue against the HPG, the Kurdish People's Defence Forces.

The Turkish Regime has absolutely no intention of trying to find a peaceful solution to The Kurdish Question in Turkey and are in the process of increasing their military attacks and of planning a total war strategy against the Kurds including the psychological aspect of misinformation and 'false flag' provocations.

But let them.


Because the Kurdish side are more than ready.

Politically, morally, militarily and psychologically.




We are now in uncharted waters and the political advantage is with the Kurdish side.

With the psychological aspect of the local elections win, the unilateral ceasefire, the high expectations by many others than only the Kurdish people and the military plans laid by Kurdish leadership to best fit the political and tactical terrain, it is going to be another famous case of the Turkish Generals collectively shooting themselves in the feet! And bringing the cause of Kurdish Freedom to the brink of realisation!

For the Turkish establishment and elites have NEVER and will NEVER relinquish any rights for the Kurds voluntarily.

Every single right has been won by the self sacrifice, struggle and self determination of the Kurdish People themselves!

THE KURDISH FREEDOM STRUGGLE CONTINUES!

Kurdistan Opens in Venice!

Planet K, part of the world renowned cultural festival, La Bienola, in Venice was opened by Leyla Zana, Emine Ayna and other Kurdish leaders from all parts of Kurdistan.

If you get a chance you must go to see this incredible festival in Venice.

Watch the opening and Leyla Zana reviewing the exhibits.

Racist Murder of Kurdish Child Legalised by Turkey's Highest Court.

This is Ugur Kaymaz. A Kurdish boy of 12 years old with his life in front of him.

Racist Turkish police killed Ugur and his father in Nov 2004.

Turkish human rights organisations call it an extra judicial killing of this father and son.

Hard to understand isn't it? Why would anyone would want to kill this young boy by shooting him in his back repetitively and at close range?

But then you look at this video of a grown man with a balaclava hood on beating a young Kurdish boy to the ground a picture of a deep racist hatred against the Kurds begins to build up....

How can children be the objects of such hatred?

Here again we have an example of such hatred against a young Kurdish boy. Watch closely as the Turkish policeman purposely bends the young boys arm back so much and then calmly adds more pressure to break the young boys arm. Watch it and then watch it again! These are scenes caught on camera. Can you imagine what they do off camera. This is the Kurdish reality in Turkey!



But surely, that this kind of barbaric cruelty against children cannot be supported by the authorities.

Yes, the ruling by Turkey's Highest Court a couple of days, just a few days before 'Father's Day' ruled in favour of the Turkish police acquitted by a Turkish court of killing Ugur Kaymaz and his father, Ahmet and said that the police were acting in 'self defence' even though all of their discredited 'evidence' was proved to be lies!

Even though 13 bullets were pumped into this little boys frail body at close range in broad daylight!

This is Turkey!

This is the situation of the Kurds in Turkey when a little boy can be murdered.........can have 13 bullets pumped into his small frame, from behind his back and at close range and it is sanctioned by the state!!

Deepest Condolences to the Family, Friends and Comrades of this Kurdish Hero!

Rızgar Derxust (Mehmet Sogut) joined the Kurdish Freedom Struggle in 1991 at a time when the Turkish army were systematically burning Kurdish villages and torturing the Kurdish people in prisons and killing them extrajudically on the streets.


Still then, many Kurds denied their own identity and could not listen to Kurdish music without fear of imprisonment or attack by racist Turkish nationalists who described Kurds, then, as 'Mountain Turks!'


The average life of a Kurdish Freedom Fighter, at that time was no more than 2 years or less.


Thousands of young Kurdish people went to the mountains to defend their people, culture, language and honour.


It is because of people like Rizgar Derxust and their sacrifice that Kurdish people can today hold their heads high and talk of winning their rights. Rizgar was born in a village in the Lice district and rose to be an experienced commander in the Kurdish army, ARGK/HPG.

Rizgar died as a result of injuries sustained during a Turkish army mortar attack on his position in the province of Bingol on 10th May 2009.

Over 15,000 Kurdish people in Diyarbakir took Rizgar's body and put it into the earth with love, care and gratitude to this young man whose bravery and determination to fight against the injustice of the Turkish racist denial of the Kurdish identity, will be remembered by generations to come.

Rizgar's life should serve as a inspiration to all and inspire us to increase our solidarity work in his honorable memory.

Live, and take comfort.

Thou hast left behind

Powers that will work for thee;

air, earth, and skies;

There's not a breathing of the common wind

That will forget thee;

thou hast great allies;

Thy friends are exultation's, agonies,

And love, and man's unconquerable mind.

SEHID NAMERIN!

Turkey's Response to PKK's Peace Proposal is Increased War and Psychological Black Operations.

Hevallo adds: As well as the expose of the Turkish Generals increase in Psychological Warfare against AKP and the Kurds, the Generals have increased their physical bombing attacks of the Kurdish Freedom too, as described in the article below. In this 'googlely translated' article from Ozgur Gundem (and this from ANF) it appears that Turkey's Generals have increased their bombings since the PKK declared a ceasefire and offered to solve the Kurdish Question peacefully.


‘Turkish bombs burn large tracts of Iraqi forest’
(Photos of recent bombings of South Kurdistan by the Turkish Generals added by Hevallo)

ARBIL: More than 125 hectares (300 acres) of forest in northern Iraq have been burnt in the past month due to Turkish bombardment, a senior official in autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan said on Sunday.


The official told AFP that an emergency team of firemen and border and forest guards had been formed to extinguish the fires in the Kurdish province of Dohuk. “More than 500 dhonam (125 hectares, 1.25 square kilometres) of forest was burned as a result of Turkish bombardment this month,” said Najat Sufi Hariri, the planning director in Kurdistan’s agriculture ministry.

“People in the area are helping the (emergency) team extinguish the fires. The last fire was extinguished a couple of days ago,” he said. Since 1992 when the Kurdistan Regional Government for northern Iraq was formed, the cutting of trees and the killing of wildlife essential to the local ecosystem have been banned.



But aided by US intelligence, Turkish jets have been bombing hideouts of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq since December 2007 under a Turkish parliamentary authorisation, which expires in October.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community, took up arms in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed about 45,000 lives.




The militants have long taken refuge in remote mountain bases in northern Iraq, which they use as a springboard for attacks on Turkish targets across the border. Last November, Iraq, Turkey and the United States formed a joint committee to curb the PKK threat. AFP

Hevallo asks a simple question: Who would continue to suffer this kind of military attack without any defence?

Turkey has used mind control and psychological warfare for years.

I'm sure that Mizgin will do a greater in depth analysis on this.

And if fact, if there is any journalist with an interest in Turkey worth their salt they should write a book on this subject.

It would contribute a lot more to a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish Question than Turkish Psychological warfare drivel and lies repeated by most commentators or journalists who pretend to specialise on Turkey's political issues.

It is the reason that Hevallo exists!

Turkey's psychological war!

Lies written for the Turkish Generals agenda of war, hatred and dominance.

They have been caught 'red handed' , again, preparing their next psychological warfare report and action plan.

This time it is targeting AKP.

If you are new to the Kurdish issue and Turkey's control of the media, both national and international you will be shocked. But for many of us it is not surprising at all but good to see it being exposed.

So when the next big provocation comes along,

just remember!

The Kurds demand peace but have been treated as 'terrorists' by the world.

At the Third Democratic Society Congress in Diyarbakır, delegates called for peace and constitutional change.

A two-day Democratic Society Congress in Diyarbakır, the Kurdish-majority city in the southeast of Turkey, ended with a concluding declaration.

It was the third congress of its kind and attended by around 600 delegates, many from the Kurdish political movement.

Call to end operations

Hatip Dicle, former chair of the Democratic Party (DEP) and Diyarbakır MP for the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), said in the statement read at Koşuyolu Park that the unilateral ceasefire declared by the armed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was an important opportunity. He called on the state and the government to stop military operations immediately.

Around 10,000 people joined the Peace March prior to the statement, shouting slogans in support of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and dancing folk dances.

Dicle said that the congress had been used to create a "detailed road map" for a peace process.

The congress delegates called on a civilian constitution that lifted any discrimination against the languages, cultures and identities of Kurds and other people, as well as demanding an end to the obstruction of democratic politics.


The congress was attended by the DTP's chair Ahmet Türk, the party's MPs and 98 mayors, Süryani representative Yakup Gabriel, former State Minister Adnan Erkmen, Diyarbakır Protestant Church representative Ahmet Güvener, Feyzullah Deniz from the family of Shaikh Said, the leader of a considerable Kurdish uprising in 1925, Kemal Bülbül from the Alevi Union Federation, Yezidi representative İbrahim Biro, Abdullah Öcalan's brother Mehmet Öcalan, former MPs, academics, artists and writers.

Invited members of the Rights and Freedom Party (HAK-PAR) and the Participatory Democracy Party (KADEP) did not attend.

More courage needed

Speaking at the opening of the congress on Saturday, Ahmet Türk said, "It is not Kurds who are the reason or source of the deadlock." He criticised the government for a lack of "courageous approaches".

Emphasising that Kurds were insisting on a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question, he argued that Kurds had been treated as terrorists by the national and international public.

A report with suggestions for a solution to the Kurdish question will be given to President Abdullah Gül, political parties and NGOs. (EZÖ/EK/AG)

Diyarbakır - Bia News Agency
15 June 2009, Monday

Lift the Ban on PKK! Sign the Petition!

INTERNATIONAL APPEAL.

3,275 have signed the appeal by 1 June 2009 – PLEASE SUPPORT AND ADD YOUR NAME!

Deadline for signatures 15 July 2009!

APPEAL Lift the ban on the PKK – Justice and Freedom for the Kurds


To the UK government and the European Union


For the past 30 years, the Kurdish region of South-Eastern Turkey has been wracked by conflict between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). A peaceful settlement could be achieved – but efforts to secure peace have been jeopardised by the UK and European Union’s ban on the PKK as a ‘terrorist’ organization. As a result, the only organization that enjoys the mass support of Kurdish people has effectively been excluded from the negotiating table.

The Kurdish people seek peace. The Turkish government says it wants peace. The European Union wants a stable and democratic Turkey to become a member of the EU. But no armed conflict as deeply rooted as the one between Turkey and the Kurds has ever been resolved without first reaching a political settlement that is formally binding and verifiable. Of necessity this demands a willingness by all parties – in this instance, representatives of the Turkish state and of the PKK - to negotiate on equal terms. The ban on the PKK has placed a block on such dialogue even starting.

We believe that PKK has clearly demonstrated over many years that it commands the loyalties of the vast proportion of the Kurdish people living in Turkey and the Kurdish diaspora. We also believe that the organisation has successfully given voice to the Kurdish people’s demands and has articulated these demands in responsible and measured ways. In so doing, it has shown that it is fully entitled to be regarded as the representative body of the Kurdish people. Indeed, no peace agreement is likely to be reached without the PKK’s active participation. Lifting the ban is a thus a pre-requisite to peace.

We are also concerned that the continuing conflict between Turkey and its Kurdish minority remains a serious obstacle to lasting peace and democratic reform in Turkey and inhibits progress on its accession to the European Union

Despite being held in prison by Turkey for more than ten years, Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK’s founder and leader, still commands the loyalty and support of millions of Kurdish people. During his decade of detention and indeed long before Ocalan has issued many constructive proposals for peace and dialogue and the PKK has adopted numerous unilateral ceasefires.

We believe that both Ocalan and the PKK have an important role to play in the pursuit of a lasting peace between Turkey and the Kurds. We the undersigned are convinced that by delisting the PKK the deeply longed for peace will be brought that much closer.

Supported by Kurdish Federation UK, Kurdish People’s Council, Peace in Kurdistan Campaign

First signatories to PKK appeal Mark Thomas, journalist/comedian; Tim Gopsill, Editor, National Union of Journalists; Margaret Owen, Widows for Peace through Democracy (WPD); Gareth Peirce, human rights lawyer; Hugo Charlton, barrister; Roger Tompkins, international human rights lawyer, retired; Michael Gunter, Professor of Political Science, Tennessee Technological University, US; Dr Felix Padel, writer, UK; Caroline Austin, photographer, NUJ; Tony Gard, Movement for Justice; Hywel Williams MP; Martin Caton MP; Bill Etherington MP; Ronnie Campbell MP ; Nick Harvey MP; David Drew MP; Les Levidow, CAMPACC; Saleh Mamon, CAMPACC; Ann Alexander, Scotland Against Criminalising Communities; Richard Haley, Scotland Against Criminalising Communities; Norman Horne, retired; Prof. Dr. Raimund Rütten, Universität Frankfurt am Main; Sarah Parker, translator, Socialist Resistance, London; Dave Hewitt, Nottingham; Carmencita Karagdag, Coordinator, Peace for Life (WWW.peaceforlife.org ); Patrick Mac Manus, Foreningen Oprør / Rebellion (Denmark): www.opror.net/blog/ ; Navn Karl Aage Angri Jacobsen, Red-Green Alliance (Denmark)/Retired; Raymond Swing Frederiksberg, Denmark; Janni Milsted , Pædagog, Denmark; Ove John Nielsen, Denmark; Ion Meyer, Kopenhagen University, Denmark; Ulrik Danneskiold-Samsøe, Denmark; Gitte Thomsen, Denmark; Jette Englund, Denville, New Jersey USA; Ricardo Gustavo Espeja, historian, Argentina; Xusrew Zeki , IT Consultant, Hans Branscheidt EUTCC-Germany.

3,275 have signed the appeal by 1 June 2009 – PLEASE SUPPORT AND ADD YOUR NAME!

Deadline for signatures 15 July 2009!

Signed by

Name
Organisation

Date


Kurdish Federation UK fedbir@googlemail.com - Peace in Kurdistan Campaign estella24@tiscali.co.uk - c/o 44 Ainger Road, London NW3 3AT

Turkish Kemalist Elites.

Hevallo says: I saw this a while ago and wanted to post it but have only got around now (thanks Patrick). It is a good analysis of the thinking of the racist Kemalist elites in Turkey.

‘Elite’ Turks unwilling to share power, prosperity with ‘others’

A recently released survey on the attitudes and opinions of Turkey's “elites” has shown that they deem themselves the “real owners of the country” and are unwilling to share their power and prosperity with other groups.

The survey, titled “Elites and Social Divisions,” was conducted by two academics at İstanbul Bilgi University among 40 well-educated individuals in high-level professional positions. The survey aimed at understanding the views of such individuals, seen as “elites” in Turkey, regarding other people in Turkish society, including conservatives, minorities and non-Muslims. Professor Füsun Üstel and Associate Professor Birol Caymaz discussed a wide range of topics with the 40 participants. Among these topics was the popularity of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, minority groups in Turkey, steps taken to solve the Kurdish question and a closure case against the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP). According to the survey, the elites divide society into two camps: “us” and “others.” They see others as threats to their own existence. The elites see themselves as the carriers and protectors of the republic and its values. The survey revealed that the participants considered AK Party deputies “occupiers” who did not deserve to be represented in Parliament. One of the respondents said she abhorred seeing a woman wearing the headscarf in the Çankaya presidential palace, referring to the wife of President Abdullah Gül. Almost all of the participants in the survey said they objected to the election of Gül as president. One respondent said she does not like to see so many covered women around: “I try to act as if there were no women wearing the headscarf around me. But there are too many.” Another respondent said she avoids any contact with covered women. “I don't have any business with them. I don't meet them. I don't support the idea of allowing covered students to attend universities. I detest that idea,” she emphasized. Many participants supported last year's closure case against the AK Party, saying that although they don't like the closure of political parties in democracies, they would find closure justifiable for the AK Party. A closure case was filed against the AK Party last year on the grounds that it had become a focal point of anti-secularist acts. The Constitutional Court, however, refused to shut the party down. Elites point to economic reasons as cause of Kurdish question The survey also asked participants for their views on the causes behind the long-standing Kurdish problem. Respondents pointed to economic problems as the main factor in the Kurdish issue. They said they were disturbed by the representation of the DTP in Parliament. Others said the Kurdish question arose with the foundation of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in 1984. “The reason I don't like Kurds is that they lead a tribal life,” said one of the respondents. Another participant said he was afraid of educated Kurds more than uneducated ones. “I know some Kurds who are university graduates. I think educated Kurds are more dangerous than uneducated ones. They become more dangerous based on their capacity for thinking,” he explained. Another individual surveyed said the DTP had become more popular after it was promoted and supported by the AK Party. “The DTP is an artificial formation. It is backed by the AK Party. If the AK Party hadn't backed them, the DTP would not have existed and there would not be any gap of authority in northern Iraq,” he argued. Another question directed at respondents was how they feel about non-Muslims and minority groups in the country. Almost all the respondents said they have non-Muslim friends and friends who belong to minority groups. “But we prefer not to talk about the problems of minority groups. We are afraid our relations may get tense if we do so,” many of the respondents said. Those surveyed also said they would not support broader rights for those groups. “They may have been subjected to injustice in the past, but the situation is very different now. They are buying and selling the country. They don't pay taxes, either,” one participant said.

06.06.2009

News

TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES

The PKK Have Popular Support! Unban the PKK!

Petition delivered to 10 Downing Street, 1st June, calling on the UK Prime Minister to 'Unban the PKK' so there can be a political solution to the Kurdish Question in Turkey.

"People have to realise that the 2.5 million votes received by the DTP are by people who sympathise with the PKK. The PKK is not just 5-7,000 people in the Kandil mountains."
Aysel Tuğluk, 6th June Conference for Dialouge

Tolga Korkut, Bianet

"For a quick solution, the state should talk to Abdullah Ocalan!

Speaking at the "Conference for Dialogue" organised by the Peace Parliament on 6 June in order to discuss the Kurdish question, Aysel Tuğluk, MP for the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) in Diyarbakır, said that the interruption of fighting had led to a period where peace was possible. For the fighting sides, the legitimacy of armed conflict had ended, and there was no way forward outside of discussion and politics.

"Three paths"

She said that there were three possible paths to take towards a solution of the Kurdish question. The first, leading to a "quick solution", would be for state representatives to speak with imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. She said that Öcalan was influential both "in the organisation and with the people."

The second path would be for the state to define the problem without contacting anyone, but asking international actors to act as mediators. She argued that this was the path being followed at the moment. She warned however, that this process would fail if "the DTP, the PKK and Öcalan are not considered as partners" in the dialogue.

The third path, and the one advised by Tuğluk, was to build a dialogue with the DTP, which would mean an indirect dialogue with the PKK and Öcalan.

She reiterated the suggestion of current PKK leader Murat Karayılan, who had called for intellectuals to be integrated in the process, arguing that this would stop the process from stalling.

"PKK has many sympathisers"

Answering questions from the audience, Tuğluk said, "People have to realise that the 2.5 million votes received by the DTP are by people who sympathise with the PKK. The PKK is not just 5-7,000 people in the Kandil mountains."

The MP emphasised that the current period, which President Abdullah Gül recently described as "an opportunity", did not allow people the possibility of making mistakes. She said that all sides had to be courageous and dedicated: "The state must stop operations, the PKK must not enter fighting, and politicians must avoid language which would obstruct the process."

Tuğluk evaluated the utterances of state representatives as "well-intentioned". As a "map" for a solution, she offered "no fighting, dialogue and a new constitution."

She warned of the possibility of provocative acts, but said that there had to be shared reactions against them."

As for dialogue, the MP argued that preconditions were good intentions, a civilian language, a suppression of nationalist sentiments and a self-critical approach. (TK/AG)Source: Bianet.

New Travel Book to Discover Kurdistan and the Kurds.

Yes, that's right! Kurdistan! For although this new traveller's Handbook is called Another Look at East and Southeast Turkey, it is a travel book for NW Kurdistan. Written by Kurds with Kurdish culture and history weaved through the book.

I have a hard copy of the book that somebody sent me from Diyarbakir but you can access and download the book online here.


It is quite simply a beautiful book and long overdue. Produced by Kurdish councils it promotes Kurdistan's natural beauty. A profound beauty that has been hidden from the world during the Turkish genocidal actions against the Kurds.

I suspect that the heavily commerciallised 'Turkish' tourism sector has dreaded this book coming out, as it is obvious to anyone who goes that the unspoilt raw uncommercialised natural, historic and cultural beauty is by far more beautiful, culturally enriching, exciting and enticing than the sun drenched beaches of the Med coast in Western Turkey.


For it exposes the truth that Eastern Turkey is by far the more beautiful than Western Turkey and waiting to be discovered.

This book will help the visitor to 'Kurdistan' to understand the culture, history, language and traditions of the Kurdish people and guide you around with maps and explanations of local traditions and pictures of some of the amazing things you will discover and experience.


So what are you waiting for? It is ethical to travel to Kurdistan.

So boycott Turkish holidays to Marmaris or some packaged holiday to a commercialised purpose built tourism trap go to Kurdistan and have the cultural experience of a lifetime!

After the Hope, Dark Ugly Clouds Begin to Gather!

"Therefore, we are very much determined to fight against the terrorist organization until its total elimination. This fight is a long-term effort, and it requires patience," Turkish Chief of General Staff, General Basbug, speaking yesterday.

Mizgin spells out the consequences of a continued war against the Kurds in Turkey. A war that would spread all over Turkey like nothing we have seen before!

Conference for Dialouge on Kurdish Issue in Istanbul

On 6 June, the Peace Parliament is organising a conference to be attended by lawyers, journalists, academics and politicians. The conference will focus on dialogue in the Kurdish question.

The Turkey Peace Parliament has organised a conference entitled "Dialogue for a Solution Conference" on Saturday, 6 June. It is going to be held at Istanbul University's Bilgi University Dolapdere Campus.

Lawyers, rights activists, journalists and academics will discuss the attempts at a peace process, methods to solve the Kurdish question and priorities.

The Turkey Peace Parliament (TPP) has expressed its optimism at comments by President Abdullah Gül, who had spoken of a "historical opportunity" for a solution, as well as at the extension of the PKK ceasefire.

However, currently members of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) are under arrest, and PKK members and soldiers have died in attacks.

The TPP has argued that this "risky period" can be turned into an opportunity. The conference is meant to pave the ground for a dialogue towards a solution.

The conference will be opened by TPP spokesperson Hakan Tahmaz and Ahmet Türk, co-chair of the DTP.

Programme

Opening Speeches (9.30 am to 10.00 am)

Hakan Tahmaz, Peace Parliament Spokesperson

Ahmet Türk, DTP co-chair

1st Session: Search for Peace and Peace Process (10.00 am to 12.00)

Moderator: Cengiz Güleç

Erol Katırcıoğlu (lecturer, writer)

Galip Ensarioğlu (president of Diyarbakır's Chamber of Industry and Trade)

Mete Çubukçu (journalist, writer)

Cevat Öneş (former deputy secretary of Turkey's secret service MIT)

Lunch Break: 12.00 to 1 pm

2nd Session: Methods for Solving the Kurdish Question (1.00 pm to 2.30 pm)

Moderator: Coşkun Üsterci

Kürşat Bümin (journalist, writer)

Melek Göregenli (lecturer)

Gençay Gürsoy (president of Turkey's Medical Association TTB)

Aysel Tuğluk (DTP Diyarbakır MP)

Break: 2.30 pm to 2.45 pm

3rd Session: Priorities for Peace (2.45 pm to 4.15pm)

Moderator: Metin Bakkalcı

Vahap Coşkun (lecturer)

Hatip Dicle (former DEP MP, long imprisoned)

Yücel Sayman (former president of the Istanbul Bar Association)

Meryem Koray (lecturer)

Break: 4.15 pm to 4.30 pm

4th Session: Programming for Peace (4.30 pm to 6.00 pm)

Moderator: Meral Danış Beştaş

Tahsin Yeşildere (president of the Association of Lecturers)

Hüsnü Ondül (former president of the Human Rights Association İHD)

Kadir Cangızbay (lecturer)

Şebnem Korur Fincancı (president of the Turkey Human Rights Foundation TİHV) (TK/AG)

Kurdish Prime Minister Welcomes PKK's Ceasefire Extention.

In response to a question addressed to Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani from KRG.org regarding the extension of the PKK ceasefire, the Prime Minister welcomed this step and stated that he was pleased by the PKK’s decision to extend the ceasefire.

“We believe extending the ceasefire serves as an important step towards peace and stability in the area. At the same time, it is in the interest of all that we continue to work towards a solution in a peaceful way, especially after the recent positive steps taken by Turkey.”

Prime Minister Barzani added, “We welcome the PKK’s recognition that there is no military solution to this problem. We hope that the circle of discussion regarding this issue will be expanded in Turkey so that a peaceful, political solution can be identified.” Source: Kurdish Regional Government.

Jean Lambert Joins Kurds to Protest Against 'Terrorist' Label of PKK.

Green Party MEP Jean Lambert joined a large group of Kurds to protest outside 10 Downing Street against the 'criminalisation' of the Kurdish Freedom Movement and handed in a petition with 3,275 signatures to "Unban the PKK!" so they may further contribute to the political process for peace in Turkey.

For more pictures see here.
Downing Street Picture:Fil Kaler

European Parliament Election. Vote For Jan Jananayagam.

After the MP's Expenses Shame, Now it is Time to Clean up UK's Dirty Foreign Policy including Arms Sales to Turkey and Sri Lankan Governments.

ON 4TH JUNE EU ELECTIONS VOTE FOR TAMIL ACTIVIST, JAN JANANAYAGAM, WHO WILL SPEAK OUT FOR THE TAMILS, THE KURDS AND AN ETHICAL FOREIGN POLICY

VOTE Jan Jananayagam. Independent Candidate. Number 17 on the List. X

Statement of the Kurdish Political Leadership of the KCK on Recent Developments.

Hevallo's 1000th Post.

After the recent major tragedies that took place in Kurdistan, Kurdish people’s over thirty years of struggle for freedom in Turkey, developing under the leadership of Leader Apo, has gained an important dimension today. It has been proven that the Kurdish struggle for freedom cannot be eliminated and defeated despite all the methods of suppression and violence used by international and regional powers against our people.

Our people’s social resistance gained important achievements against the international concepts of oppression and surrender, which have been implemented against the glorious 1st June Lunge, of which the fifth anniversary is to be marked in great pride. All military assaults, attempted during this period, have been pre-empted. Serious achievements have been recorded as in the examples of Gabbar, Oramar and Zap. Despite many casualties, our people’s social resistance, at many levels, revealed an important political consequence, most recently during the 29th May elections in which the Kurdish people put their own will forward.

Multi-faceted development of the Kurdish Liberation Movement has ripened the terrain for the peaceful and democratic solution of the Kurdish question. In spite of the existence of international powers, which do not want the question to be resolved, the current state of the conjuncture does not pose a serious obstacle before the development of a democratic solution. The Turkish and Kurdish people have the opportunity to settle the matters between themselves if they expose the political will required for the solution.

Our movement have officially announced a process of non-aggression from 13 April to 1st June in order to use the existing positive condition as an important step towards the resolution of the question and to develop the process of democratic resolution. HPG has not been engaged in any planned activities against the powers of Turkish army and obeyed the call for non-aggression, except the condition that required self-defence. Despite HPG’s approach, the Turkish army continued with its systematic operations and conducted air assaults and threw cannon-balls on defensive positions. 35 HPG guerrillas, including rank of commandment, have been martyred during these assaults, and been recorded on history as martyrdom of the peace process.

In addition, comprehensive operations have been conducted on the institutions of civil society of Kurdish people and against DTP on 14th April, the day after the announcement of non-aggression, and extended to KESK on 28th May. The purpose of these operations and assaults is to wipe the Kurdish people out of political arena and prepare the terrain for a new period of conflict. The assaults, which do not recognise any legal criteria or social ethical rules, towards our people, especially the children, who are in a democratic and legitimate resistance, have continued increasing in intensity. 44 Kurdish people have been massacred in Zangirt (Bilge) village of Mardin in order to sabotage the process and blame it on our movement. Kurdish ministers, who are elected by our people, have been forced to appear before a court in a manner of double standard in order to rip off their authority and status.

While these operations continue against our guerrilla and against the representatives of our people in the political area, the process of discussion of a resolution to Kurdish question have gained momentum amongst the public opinion in Turkey and abroad upon the explanations of our Leader and Movement. Turkish President Abdullah Gul has also made explanations in terms of the definition of Kurdish question as the most important issue of Turkey, of which the resolution should not be postponed.

Despite the explanations of the President and those from some political sections, a concrete project has not yet been formulated in terms of the way in which the question is to be resolved. Although the President has said that “there is an agreement amongst the institutions”, military and political operations continue. Why are these operations not terminated, if this agreement is about the political resolution of the question? Are the consequences being taken into account if the purpose is to play a game or stall? The President’s or Prime Minister’s replies to these questions will also clarify the way in which the process will proceed.

Upon considering the positive and negative aspects of the process, Leader Apo called for the continuity of non-aggression, which ends on 1st June, also taking into consideration explanations of the President Abdullah Gul in terms of the resolution of the question, discussions amongst the public, invitations by various intellectuals, democratic parties and civilian society organisations, and the expectations of our people in terms of the resolution of the issue.

Our movement have evaluated the call by our Leader, which was made on the purpose of giving priority the political resolution of the Kurdish question, and giving a chance to the cessation of conflict and construction of a context for peace. It has been decided upon the collective agreement of the organs of our movement that it is favourable to put into practice the call that has been made by our Leader. In this sense, also considering the increasing assaults, our movement have decided upon the continuation of the state of non-action until 15th July. It has been agreed that the process of non-action will be extended to 1st September if positive developments took place towards a resolution. However, this will require the re-evaluation of the situation.

Our attitude is based on our insistence and determination on peaceful and democratic resolution. However, a peaceful and democratic resolution cannot be realised only by our efforts. The past is the sufficient proof of this. This requires the bona fide efforts of all parties concerned. The other party is also required to cease armed assaults in order for the transformation of non-action into cessation of conflict and to permanently silence the weapons. Obviously, it is not possible to get anywhere with partial efforts. Nobody can say that the army will not stop. Just as they were able to cease operations and created the context of non-aggression, they can definitely do the same again. The important thing here is the activation determination and political will.

Summer is the convenient season in which the guerrilla will be most active and perform best to get positive results on their behalf. On the other hand, the reality is that our movement and guerrillas are experiencing their most collectively tidy form and are able to exert more operational power than ever. It is clear that a more comprehensive all-out war can be realised in case this operational power is activated. However, our Leader, movement and people prefer peace, not war. Accurate conception of this reality is the key of utmost importance for the development of the process of resolution.

During this period our military powers will not engage in any action. They will never attack anywhere. However, in case of destructive assaults against themselves, they will use their universal right to self-defence and will reserve the right to retaliate for every assault.

The state of Turkish republic, AKP government and oppositional powers should take responsibility for democratisation and to resolve the most important question of Turkey in this process, and expose their approach in terms of whether the operations will continue or not against the guerrilla who remain inactive. It is because the process is too fragile to tolerate any in-determination or stalling. Every individual, mainly the government, is required to perform their historical responsibilities.

In order to prevent the sabotage of this process and to transform it into a process of permanent resolution, the detention campaigns towards the democratic legal institutions of Kurdish people and their elected representatives should come to an end, and Kurdish people should not be prevented from engaging in politics.

Our guerrilla powers will be forced to engage in conflict if the operations are not terminated in this process. The army and other powers which choose not to oppose it will be responsible for all the casualties that may occur in this process. Our approach to the process is strategic not tactical. We want to mutually silence the weapons and turn it into a permanent process and democratic resolution, not a temporary cessation. In this sense, both parties are responsible for the accurate evaluation of the basis of resolution. Clearly, violent methods cannot get us anywhere. Only the cessation of hostilities, sincere steps and dialogue can make a fundamental resolution possible. At this point, it will be important for the road map that will be presented by Leader Apo in August by taking into account the views of Kurdish institutions to envisage permanent resolution.

The whole public opinion and concerned powers are required to approach the 45 days extended process of non-action with sufficient responsibility, and evaluate it considering the future of Turkish and Kurdish people. The conservative democrat, liberal democrat and left democrat powers in Turkey should own their historical responsibility for the democratisation of Turkey and take the risk in democratic unison against the powers that want to sabotage the process.

The international and regional powers should support and encourage Turkish state and government for a democratic resolution to the Kurdish question and for the development of peace and stability in the Middle East.

All Kurdish people, political powers, patriotic democratic institutions should maintain their national democratic unity and remain alert against any provocations to uphold the honourable struggle for peace and democratic resolution, and play an active role by strengthening their organised power.


31 May 2009


KCK Executive Council Management

Hasan Cemal, Milliyet Journalist who Shines the Torch for the Turks.

Is It That Difficult?
Wouldn't Guns Be Silent, if Fingers Stay Away From Triggers?
By Hasan Cemal, Milliyet.

Erbil

Finally I am at the last chapter. I sat at my computer in the morning.

What shall I write?

How should it finish?

There is so much going on in my head. As usual I have taken more notes than necessary. It seems I got a bit tired, tense. Now I want to regroup and write the most reasonable, in the simplest way.

But how..?

I studied political science in Ankara in early 1960s. Turkey's politics, sociology, and history was taught to us without a mention of the word Kurd.

Because Kurds didn't exist...

There were only Turks.

The state was saying this.

As years passed, life taught me of the existence of Kurds.

Yes, Kurds did exist.

But now, the Kurdish Question didn't exist.

In fact, saying "Kurdish Question" was equivalent to committing treason. Kurdish identity was being denied by the state but nobody was saying anything about it. Such a topic was not in the political zeitgeist...

Especially the Kurds' and the Kurdish intelligentsia's sufferings were ignored during the administrations of 27 May [1960], 12 March [1971], and 12 September [1980]. [Note: These are the latest three coup d'etats by the military]. In this regard, especially on 12 September [1980], as a newspaper reporter, I didn't do my job well either.

Then it was 1984.

In August, the PKK came to the scene with the Şemdinli and Eruh raids. Nobody thought at the time that the weapons exploding then would be registered as the 29th Kurdish uprising in the state's official papers.

The politicians called it terror and went on.

They belittled them [PKK].

The roots of the problem were not seen.

Meanwhile the fire got stronger and stronger. The politicians talked about "the light at the end of the tunnel" every time but neither the violence nor the PKK came to an end.

I remember 1984 and 1985.

In those years, I was writing generic articles made up of the state's memorized sayings and formal dictations at Cumhuriyet daily. I believe I have fulfilled my duty of condemning "terror and violence". Yes, the PKK chose terror and violence as means of politics. It could kill without distinguishing civilians or soldiers, or women or children.

The known slogan belonged to Apo:

"Let's kill and be an authority!"

The PKK, as an organization that was in the mountains and that had guns, was violating laws, committing crimes. In this situation the state's fight against the PKK was "legitimate", was "right".

I wrote a lot about this.

But I started seeing something as time passed. It wasn't enough to say terror, terrorist organization, head terrorist.

What was the problem? How to handle this problem? Because the PKK was a 'result'. The real reason was "Kurdish Question".

I started traveling in the Southeast [North Kurdistan] and Northern Iraq [South Kurdistan] to understand the problem better. Especially starting in the early 1990s, while traveling in the Kurdish geography and Kurdish diaspora, I started learning about the Kurdish Question, Kurdish history, culture, problems, and pains.

Meanwhile Kurdish parties were being founded. As they were founded, they were being shut down [by the state] but they were changing their names and continuing on their way. HEP was becoming DEP, HADEP was becoming DEHAP, later DTP was coming to the scenes, Kurdish politics was not ending but continuing its development. On one hand the state's memorized words, official sentences... On the other, life itself... The sayings including terms "terror", "terrorist", "head terrorist", and "traitor" was continuing but the PKK was taking roots within the Kurdish masses.

As I traveled, I saw this fact.

Over the years, I also saw this:

Of course not every Kurd supported the PKK, not every Kurd loved the PKK but it was not easy to separate the PKK from the Kurdish Question. I started to realize that it was a remote possibility to find a solution to the Kurdish Question by ignoring the PKK.

Yes, the PKK was an organization with guns. It accepted violence and terror as political means. In this regard it was committing a crime. That's why states fight against the PKK was "legitimate", even "right".

But the problem was not going away by repeating this, it didn't for the past quarter century. On one hand there were martyrs, people getting hurt but the state had big wrongdoings that made the problem worse... These wrongdoings were hurting Kurdish mother's hearts.

That was the real issue.

It was yesterday, it still is today.

In a very brief summary:

If the Kurdish Question is to be solved in this country in a peaceful way, neither the PKK nor DTP can be ignored.

In this regard 29 March [Turkish local elections] can be considered as a lesson. Because it can be said that AKP took the military's support while participating in elections in the Southeast. For example the military didn't conduct operations, almost didn't chase the the PKK at all...

A scenario was written like this:

In the first episode DTP was going to lose votes. In the second episode, perhaps, the agenda would be to surround the PKK in Northern Iraq by Turkey, America, and Barzani's administration and finished off.

This was the scenario.

But DTP didn't lose votes; on the contrary, it increased its votes. The number of DTP's municipalities didn't decrease but increased. The PKK, too, weighed in so DTP's votes would increase. And for Tayyip Erdoğan, Kurdish votes this time turned into disappointment.

What to do now?

Can the second episode of the scenario be put in play? Is it possible? What would the limits of such a scenario to come into play? To what extent will it bear fruit?

My choice is obvious:

The weapons must be silenced!

Like during the calmest winter of past 25 years that happened before 29 March [2009 Turkish local elections], the weapons must be silenced. Like I stated in my article yesterday [9 May 2009], fingers should stay away from triggers for a long time. A serious mechanism for dialog must be set up and function behind the scenes with an awareness of provocations that can come from the "hawks" on both sides!

With thanks to Mizgin!

PKK Extend Ceasefire. The Kurdish Promise is Peace!

TUNCELI, Turkey, June 1 (Reuters) - Kurdish rebels fighting the Turkish military have extended a unilateral ceasefire by six weeks to pursue a peaceful resolution of the conflict, a website close to the group said on Monday.

But the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) reserves the right to defend itself if it comes under attack during the ceasefire, said the Firat News Agency, which serves as a mouthpiece for the group.

The ceasefire, first declared on April 14, had been due to expire on Monday."The PKK is extending the ceasefire by ... one-and-a-half months to July 15 in order to allow for finding a peaceful resolution of the Kurdish problem," the statement said.

"However, the PKK reserves the right to self-defence if it comes under any attack."The declaration comes after six soldiers were killed and 11 wounded on May 27in Hakkari province near the Iraqi border, in an explosion blamed on the PKK.

The PKK has waged a 25-year campaign for autonomy in mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey. The conflict has claimed 40,000 lives, mostly of Kurds. (Writing by Ayla Jean Yackley; editing by Andrew Roche)

Der Spiegel Looks at Turkey's 'Dirty War'.