Davutoglu visits Kurdistan

30-10-2009
Erbil - Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu arrived in the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq on Friday, as part of Ankara's efforts to end a conflict with Kurdish rebels based across its southern border.

Davutoglu's visit to Arbil, the first by a Turkish minister to the region, will include talks with Kurdish president Massud Barzani, and follows a short trip to Iraq's southern port of Basra, where he opened a new Turkish consulate.

The visit is also a sign of improving ties between Baghdad and Ankara, and follows a trip to Baghdad by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier in the month.

Davutoglu, Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan and a delegation of around 70 officials and businessmen were received at the airport by Kurdish prime minister Barham Saleh and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd.

Earlier on Friday, Davutoglu and Caglayan visited Basra to open a new Turkish consulate. Turkey already has an embassy in Baghdad and a consulate in the northern city of Mosul. It is planning to open another consulate, in Arbil, shortly, the Turkish FM said in a press conference with the Kurdish president Barzani.

"This visit is to crown the improved relations between Iraq and Turkey, and showcases joint trade and economic cooperation between the two countries," Iraq's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Safaldin al-Safi told reporters after receiving the Turkish delegation in Basra (Photo: Rudaw).

© Middle East Online

‘Helin Kurdistan’ has become 19 months old; turkey hasn't been split up for 19

Submitted by Tsiatsan on Saturday, October 31 2009

Kurdish Info 31.10.2009- The Atış family live in Urfa. They named their daughter ‘Helin Kurdistan’. Of course when the civil registry manager came across this name he didn’t hesitate to report it to the Interior Ministry. Helin Kurdistan is now 19 months old. Father Ahmet Atış has a smile on his face when commenting on recent cases that have been brought against Kurdish names. ‘‘My child is 19 months old.
Her name has been ‘Helin Kurdistan’ since she was born. ‘‘I have not become a separatist because I named her this and Turkey hasn’t been split up either.

We love Turkey more than those that are calling us separatists,’’ said Atış. The father of tiny Kurdistan says that people haven’t shown any negative reactions but rather they have brought presents and shown her a lot of attention.

Mustafa Karasu: The arrival of the peace emissaries is a test for The State

Submitted by Tsiatsan on Saturday, October 31 2009

Kurdish Info 30.10.2009- The arrival and magnificent reception of the peace groups has turned the plans of Turkish state upside down. Despite the reception with the Kurdish people showing their insistence on a democratic solution, KCK Executive Council Member Mustafa Karasu criticised the lack of understanding shown to this message and called attention to the provocative statements made by the government and other politicians. By taking the peace emissaries to their hearts the Kurdish people have bankrupted the state’s policy of solving this problem without interlocutors, said Karasu. Furthermore, it has bankrupted the AKP’s use of the expansion as election propaganda. The attacks on the DTP are aimed at creating psychological pressure, he said.

Indicating that Turkey needed to formulate a new policy, Karasu said that this was an important turning point. If democratic forces organise and unite, they will be able to withstand the state’s old mentality and open the path for the democratic solution, he said. Karasu insisted that at a time when the state was attempting to stall and create excuses to stop the democratic solution, Kurdish Leader Abdullah Öcalan had made a call for peace groups to be sent. He added that the sending of the peace emissaries was a test for the Turkish state.

KCK Executive Council Member Mustafa Karasu also underlined the fact that the Kurdish Freedom Movement had shown respect for Turkey’s sensibilities and its national and social values. Karasu also interpreted the Turkey Prime Minister Erdoğan’s threat of ‘we will scrap everything and begin from the beginning.’ These words have nothing to do with democratic or political ethics he said. ‘‘Nobody can scrap anything or begin from the beginning. The democratic solution is as much a necessity for Turkey as it is for the Kurds. The AKP’s small-town politician mask has fallen and they have gone into a stupor, so much so that they don’t know what they are saying. Can a Prime Minister who is threatening the Kurds and the Freedom Movement solve this problem?” Karasu asked.

Karasu interpreted Erdoğan’s ‘this is the last chance’ statement as an obscene threat. He highlighted that threatening the people’s struggle for existence was an attack on their very existence. Karasu further underlined that the AKP had not taken any serious steps towards solving the problem, and for this reason saying that ‘this is the last chance’ didn’t mean anything.

Karasu also stated that the CHP with the assistance of the Turkish Army was pressurising the AKP, and that this was a strategy to end their rule. He added that the aggressiveness of the CHP was an expression of their cultural genocide policy towards the Kurds. He ended by saying that the MHP’s attacks were aimed at suppressing and impeding the Kurdish people and the DTP’s democratic struggle.

An increase in racist attacs

Submitted by Tsiatsan on Saturday, October 31 2009

Kurdish Info 30.10.2009- The reception of the Peace Groups by millions of people has upset the profiteers of war. Racist attacks which began in Mersin on October 20th have now spread to other places. Resul Ilçin was killed by torture on 21st October. On the same day two university students were attacked and beaten in Elaziz. A mob attempted to lynch two people in Edirne on the 23rd after their phone rang with a Kurdish tune.

On the same day a peace march in Mersin was attacked by fascists. Adding to the wave of racist attacks the Elaziz DTP branch was attacked and two Kurds were stabbed in Ankara on the 24th.

In addition, the racist Turkish-Left (Türksolu) magazine distributed racist and threatening leaflets and organised a march. The last attack occurred yesterday when a group of about 150 fascists (ülkücü) attacked and occupied the DTP Konya branch.

Intellectuals have commented on these events:
HALUK GERGER, academic and writer, stated: The reaction actually fits in with the ‘plan’. If the essence of the plan is the poison of annihilation wrapped in a package of reform, then the threat of war and violence shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Turkish Republic (TC) isn’t free to do whatever it wants, this surly and arrogant bragging is nothing, it is like whistling in an empty cemetery. The objective conditions and obligations are forcing them to a solution. The will of the Kurds has been decided. Risks and danger are appearing at the forefront, however, beyond that, within the confusion there are opportunities and possibilities.

FERHAT KENTEL, an academic, said: Unfortunately the language of war is continuing to take people hostage. The status quo and nationalist parties who feed off fear are endeavouring to impede this process, and they have been successful to a certain extent. I think the government’s statements which have accused the DTP are due to the pressure these nationalist forces have applied. If we look at the comments made by the Prime Minister and Interior Minister, we can see that there is serious mental investment.

AYDIN ENGIN, a journalist and writer, commented: Racist-Nationalist sensibilities are being escalated consciously at the moment in Turkey. However, this picture shouldn’t lead to pessimism. All kinds of zigzags and uncertain moments are inevitable in a process such as this. It is very important that a smarter policy be waged against a party such as the AKP, which doesn’t have principles, determines its policies on a day-to-day basis and is made up of cadres who retreat when a strong wind blows.

Diyarbakır Organisatons Take A Stand on Kurdish Initiative

Submitted by Tsiatsan on Saturday, October 31 2009

Tolga KORKUT - 15 organizations, mainly employment associations,from Diyarbakır in the pre-dominantly Kurdish region of south-east Turkey came together to discuss the latest developments regarding the Kurdish question and called the involved parties to move on and take the next step.
Diyarbakır Trade and Industry Chamber (DTSO) President Galip Ensarioğlu announced in a joint statement, "It is not realistic to exect the PKK members to come down from the mountains before the reasons that drove them there are not solved. This initiated proces is very important and must not be sacrificed to welcome ceremonies". In their announcement the joint organizations voice their expectations from the government, the opposition parties Republic People Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP). The key points are reported as follows:

Hopes for a solution rised with the initiative
We recognize the "Democratic Initiative Project" as the biggest political project in Turkey's history. Along with this project a positive work has been started to take viewpoints from various segments of the society for finding a solution to the Kurdish question. Especially in our region the work on this process has sparked hopes to solve the question.
Welcome celebrations were an expression of the wish for peace

One group of PKK members was said to come form Habur, one from Europe to enter the country. These steps taken for peace fueled the hopes of people in our region and created a positive atmosphere.

However, the manner how people of the region expressed their longing for peace with the welome ceremonies was reason for different comments.Some media organs and political groups did not hesitate to instrumentalize this opportunity.

DTP did not manage the process well
DTP contributed to the formation of this process and had an determining influenc on the crowds, but they did not manage the latest developments very well; they dropped behind the evolving situation. In the coming phases of the process we expect the DTP to take the initiative and show a more sensitive approach.

CHP and MHP following provocative politics
CHP and MHP had an issue with the work on the initiative from the very beginning. During the latest developments they followed decomposing and provocative politics with their political opportunism, partly with support from the media, instrumentalizing the people's sensibility and the demonstrations in the streets. The observed attitude is both very dangerous and does not serve this country's future.

Government should take concrete steps
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) should preserve its determination on continuing the process. Now the government should turn the work spend on the process into concrete steps of action.

The media should speak a common language of peace
Under the aspect of maintaining the continuity of this process we call in particular the non-governmental organizaitons from the west of the country siding with democracy and peace, the politicians and people from all different backgrounds to be sensitive about the issue.

We thank the media for their support of the process. However, we call the media to speak a common language of peace and aviod a provocative style and exaggerated coverage as it was done by several media institutions regarding the latest developments.

We will do our part
Either Turkey will emerge as a great state within the region by solving this problem or it will be a an insignificant state difficult to lead in case the question should not be solved.

We are ready to do our part and take the necessary responsibility. We invite everybody to behave responsibly to make this a lasting process. (TK/VK)

Organizations that signed the announcement:
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Board of Trade, of Chambers of Craftsmen Trade Union, Chamber of Agriculture, DOGÜNSİFED, GÜNSİAD, DİSİAD, DİGİAD, MUSIAD, DOSİAD, OSGİAD, DİKAD, Chamber of Independent Accountants and Financial Advisors, Chamber of Pharmacists, East Marble Seller Association.

Soldiers fire at villagers, 1 person dead

Submitted by Tsiatsan on Saturday, October 31 2009

Kurdish Info 30.10.2009- Villagers from the Qelqeli town of Wan were fired at by the soldiers of the Kurudere Border Patrol Office while going to the border to buy crude oil. One of the villagers, Sabahattin Koçak, died at the scene of the incident. Four other people were beaten by soldiers.

Those who escaped the incident unharmed, Rıdvan Akyürek, Orhan Akyürek, Cihan Meşe and Şahabettin Yalçınkaya, were caught by soldiers in the village and attacked with the butts of the guns. The body of Koçak was buried in the village of Engiz following an autopsy.

Diyarbakır Organisatons Take A Stand on Kurdish Initiative

Submitted by Tsiatsan on Friday, October 30 2009

Tolga KORKUT - 15 organizations, mainly employment associations,from Diyarbakır in the pre-dominantly Kurdish region of south-east Turkey came together to discuss the latest developments regarding the Kurdish question and called the involved parties to move on and take the next step.
Diyarbakır Trade and Industry Chamber (DTSO) President Galip Ensarioğlu announced in a joint statement, "It is not realistic to exect the PKK members to come down from the mountains before the reasons that drove them there are not solved. This initiated proces is very important and must not be sacrificed to welcome ceremonies". In their announcement the joint organizations voice their expectations from the government, the opposition parties Republic People Party (CHP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP). The key points are reported as follows:

Hopes for a solution rised with the initiative
We recognize the "Democratic Initiative Project" as the biggest political project in Turkey's history. Along with this project a positive work has been started to take viewpoints from various segments of the society for finding a solution to the Kurdish question. Especially in our region the work on this process has sparked hopes to solve the question.
Welcome celebrations were an expression of the wish for peace

One group of PKK members was said to come form Habur, one from Europe to enter the country. These steps taken for peace fueled the hopes of people in our region and created a positive atmosphere.

However, the manner how people of the region expressed their longing for peace with the welome ceremonies was reason for different comments.Some media organs and political groups did not hesitate to instrumentalize this opportunity.

DTP did not manage the process well
DTP contributed to the formation of this process and had an determining influenc on the crowds, but they did not manage the latest developments very well; they dropped behind the evolving situation. In the coming phases of the process we expect the DTP to take the initiative and show a more sensitive approach.

CHP and MHP following provocative politics
CHP and MHP had an issue with the work on the initiative from the very beginning. During the latest developments they followed decomposing and provocative politics with their political opportunism, partly with support from the media, instrumentalizing the people's sensibility and the demonstrations in the streets. The observed attitude is both very dangerous and does not serve this country's future.

Government should take concrete steps
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) should preserve its determination on continuing the process. Now the government should turn the work spend on the process into concrete steps of action.

The media should speak a common language of peace
Under the aspect of maintaining the continuity of this process we call in particular the non-governmental organizaitons from the west of the country siding with democracy and peace, the politicians and people from all different backgrounds to be sensitive about the issue.

We thank the media for their support of the process. However, we call the media to speak a common language of peace and aviod a provocative style and exaggerated coverage as it was done by several media institutions regarding the latest developments.

We will do our part
Either Turkey will emerge as a great state within the region by solving this problem or it will be a an insignificant state difficult to lead in case the question should not be solved.

We are ready to do our part and take the necessary responsibility. We invite everybody to behave responsibly to make this a lasting process. (TK/VK)

Organizations that signed the announcement:
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Board of Trade, of Chambers of Craftsmen Trade Union, Chamber of Agriculture, DOGÜNSİFED, GÜNSİAD, DİSİAD, DİGİAD, MUSIAD, DOSİAD, OSGİAD, DİKAD, Chamber of Independent Accountants and Financial Advisors, Chamber of Pharmacists, East Marble Seller Association.

Anti-Terror Law Thwarts Kurdish Initiative

Submitted by Tsiatsan on Friday, October 30 2009

Erol ÖNDEROĞLU - Filiz Koçali, Ramazan Pekgöz and Ziya Çiçekçi from Günlük newspaper are facing imprisonment and severe fines because of an interview with Murat Karayilan on Kandil Mountain about the Kurdish initiative. The case is scheduled for 24 February 2010.
The Istanbul Republican Chief Prosecutor's office opened a case against Günlük newspaper publishing director Filiz Koçalı, journalist Ramazan Pekgöz and owner of the daily Ziya Çiçekçi because of an interview with Murat Karayılan, Head of the Turkish Democratic Confederation (KCK), urban arm of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), within the Union of Kurdistan Societies, the umbrella organisation that includes the PKK.

In the issues from 7, 8 and 9 August the Kurdish Günlük newspaper had published the interview in three different sections entitled "We did what Hasan Cemal wanted", "I completely agree with Yaşar Kemal" and "If the state would take one step we would take two". On the basis of the interview the republic chief prosecutor's office claims "spreading PKK propaganda" and sees legal grounds of guilt because the descriptions emanate from a member of the organization.

Reflecting problems arising out of the Kurdish Initiative, the three members of the newspaper staff are facing prison sentences because they gave way to assessments of the government's Kurdish initiative. Milliyet daily, Newsweek and Washington Post published similar interviews like the one in Günlük.

Limitations of the initiative
Recently, an increase in pressure on newspapers discussing the Kurdish question and newspapers publishing in Kurdish can be observed.

In Istanbul for instance, the 8-page Özgür Görüş newspaper has been banned for 1 month last week for "spreading propaganda on page 9". In Diyarbakır, southern Turkey, Azadiya Welat newspaper distributor Mehmet Altay has been convicted to a 10 months prison sentence because of publishing a photograph of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öçalan holding an issue of the daily above his head in a triumph like pose. Furthermore, journalist Veysi Sarısözen from Günlük newspaper is tried for writing "we do not make propaganda but the people do".

First hearing scheduled for 24 February
In the indictment of the trial under charges of "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization" and "giving space to the organization's statements and explanations" Istanbul Public Prosecutor Hakan Karaali demands a 10 years and 6 months prison sentence for Koçali and Pekgöz and a fine of 10 million Turkish Lira (45,000 €) for Çiçekçi. The first hearing of the trial will take place on 24 February at the Istanbul 9th High Criminal Court.

In his indictment prepared on 11 September, Karaali claims to base the punishment of the newspaper officials on article 6/2 and 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law (TMY).

Further reasons of guilt are the following pronouncements made in the interview: "The PKK forces have gone beyond limits, which steps did the state take within the last 5 years?", "If the state would take one step, we would take two" and "If they let us have a state now, we would not accept it".

Relevant articles of the TMY
Article 6/2 of the TMY says, "Those who print or publish leaflets and declarations of terrorist organizations shall be punished with a fine of between 5 and 10 million Turkish liras".

Article 7/2 goes as follows: "Those who assist members of illegal organizations or make propaganda in connection with such organizations shall be punished with imprisonment of between 1 and 5 years. If this crime is committed via the media the punishment shall be increased by 0.5. Additionally, the persons responsible for the publishing who did not participate in the crime constituted by the media body shall be sentenced to a judicial fine equivalent to between 1,000 and 10,000 days". (EÖ/VK)

The report on recent developments concerning human rights and liberties

Submitted by Tsiatsan on Friday, October 30 2009

IHD 29.10.2009- The Reports was prepared by the Diyarbakir branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD), which has been struggling for human rights since the year 1998. "First of all, I’d like to thank you for visiting our organization and to emphasize that we value our communication with international organizations and institutions on the topics of human rights and democracy."
Since 1988, the Diyarbakir Branch of the Human Rights Association has stood with those who have faced religious, linguistic, ethnic, class, and sexual discrimination, supported those who have had their fundamental rights and liberties violated, worked to provide victims with legal support, reported on violations, and striven to inform public opinon about these matters. The Human Rights Association regularly prepares monthly, tri-monthly, semiannual and annual human rights reports and shares these with the public.

Two forms of power are necessary for human rights to find life. The first is the power of a democratic public and the second is the power of the law. The topic I’d like to address is the constraints obstructing the exercise of each of these in Turkey. Between 1999 and 2004, some positive legal changes occured in Turkey in the process of European Union negotiation and accession. Progress was made in the areas of democracy and human rights. Violations decreased. However, we can’t say the same things about the period after 2005.

Since 2005, negative revisions have been made to the Turkish Penal Code, Anti-Terror Law, Police law and the Criminal Procedure Law. These changes have curtailed freedom of thought and expression and freedom of association. Human rights violations have sharply increased in parallel with these changes. It says in the European Union progress report announced on 13 October 2009 that Turkey has made progress in the areas of economic competition and statistical and scientific research, but that there’s been regression in the areas of human rights and democracy.

With respect to the primacy of human rights and democracy, the protection of minorities, civil and political rights, civil oversight of expenditures on security forces, reform of the constitution, freedom of assembly and protest, freedom of belief, reform of local administration, the independence of the country’s forensic medical foundation, the independence of the judiciary, children being handed sentences of 25 years, the use of languages other than Turkish, the right to unionize, the rights of disabled people, the Kurdish question, the Cyprus question, the question of cultural rights, the problem of novels and discrimination, in some areas we’re still witnessing serious fluctuations – that is, regression – instead of halts to violations. I’d like to touch on this.

In the elections held on 29 March 2009, the Democratic Society Party (Demokratik Toplum Partisi – DTP) increased the number of municipalities under its control from 54 to 99. A major operation was carried out against the party two weeks after the election; in six months, more than 1,000 party members were detained. Due to a judicial decision prohibiting access to files concerning the situation of the detained people, 450 DTP members and activists have remained under arrest for months without knowing what they’re being charged with. Fourteen and fifteen year-old children are being tried with the demand that they be punished with sentences between 10 and 25 years in prison for making the ‘V’ for victory sign with their fingers or throwing stones at police. In the last four years, security forces have increased the use of disproportionate force against children and children’s deaths have increased. In the latest EU progress report it’s discussed how police officers facing trial for “killing outside legitimate self-defence” have been “acquitted”.

The army’s repression and tutelage over politics, the judiciary, media and society have reached extraordinary dimensions. The military very frequently goes before the press and makes statements on all varieties of political issues. In 1997, the EMASYA Secret Protocol on Security, Public Order and Assistance was signed between the Interior Ministry and the General Staff and handed over to military units without even consulting the leaders of provincial and local administration. By looking at this protocol we can understand how the country is managed. In the EU progress report it’s requested that this protocol be immediately terminated.

Recently, increases in human rights violations have been caused by intensified military operations and clashes in northern Iraq and eastern and southeastern Turkey, repression of non-violent social movements and political parties, and the growth of hardline nationalism.

The government’s process that was first shared with the public as a ‘Kurdish’ opening and later turned into a ‘Democratic’ one has most recently turned into a ‘National Unity Project’. While this project is found to be significant and positive, the rapid increase in human rights violations it has coincided with makes us apprehensive.

The following table is made up of the original data we normally gather from the 16 branches of the Human Rights Association in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia:

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We uphold international human rights standards. As mentioned, our work includes monitoring human rights conditions and conducting research and preparing reports about human rights-related issues. The HRA is a non-governmental and voluntary organization. It doesn’t take material support from anyone. Our work depends on the very small donations of our members and some small projects.

The importance of the Human Rights Association’s work becomes evident when we look at the increase in human rights violations following the year 2005. We defend international human rights norms, and we think that cooperation with international organizations and institutions are important for this goal. We wish to point out that we’d like to work with you in such respects as mutual communication regarding the area of human rights, sharing experiences, publicizing our reports, bringing together the public, and education projects. We hope that we can remain in contact with you in the future. One of our biggest objectives is to provide the international community with reliable and accurate information about the human rights situation in Turkey."

An Open Letter to President Mr.Barack Obama from Mr.Zubeyir Aydar

Submitted by admin on Friday, October 30 2009

Kurdish Info 29.10.2009- We are publish the all letter: "Dear President Barack Obama,For many years your state has unlawfully included the Kurdish people’s freedom movement the PKK on the list of banned terrorist organisations. Your predecessor Mr Bush also deemed the PKK an enemy of the United States of America on a visit by Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the 5th November 2007. And finally, a statement made by your Treasury on the 30th May 2008 put the PKK on the list of organisations involved in narcotic operations. "
As if this was not enough, on the 14th October of this year, in another statement made by your Treasury, Murat Karayilan, Riza Altun and myself were specifically declared as drug barons. This is an extremely unjustified, baseless and offensive statement. This is an extra judicial decision.

The PKK has never been involved in the trafficking of narcotics. The Turkish state’s effort at psychological warfare has utilised this propaganda for many years through its own media. However, everyone knows that this does not reflect the truth and purely consists of the Turkish state’s lies as part of its psychological warfare. Over the past 30 years of our struggle tens of thousands of our members have been tried for political reasons. Including Turkish courts, in no court in the world has there ever been a ruling against the PKK regarding narcotics, neither has the Turkish state ever been able to prove its ludicrous claims.

On the contrary, the US Secretary of State and many other international organisations regularly report of links between the Turkish state and drugs trafficking, including state officials directly taking part in operations. Your Secretary of State reported in 2003 that in 11 countries across the globe the heroin trade was under the control of Turkish organisations. Interpol stated that heroin trafficking in Europe was under the control of Turkish criminal gangs. Europol’s report in 2002 clearly states that Turkish organised criminal gangs remain as central actors in the trafficking of drugs in Europe. Most importantly, Federal German Prosecutor Rolf Schwalbe claimed that certain Turkish drug barons were protected by state officials and even disclosed the name of the then Prime Minister Tansu Ciller (21 January 1997, Germany DPA). The Minister at the Home Office in the United Kingdom Tom Sackville in an interview aired on Interstar TV, claimed to be in possession of evidence that pinpointed Turkish state officials and members of the police force in drug trafficking into Europe and that 80% of the drugs seized in England were brought over from Turkey. Furthermore, a report from France by the Observation of the Geopolitics of Narcotics stated that 80% of the drugs coming into Europe emanated from Turkey and that Turkish state officials were directly involved in operations. Even in the Turkish State’s official reports there are claims such as drugs being transported by military helicopters. In spite of all the above facts your accusations of the PKK and its leading members are unfounded. I am having difficulty of making any sense of this decision.

The truth is that the PKK’s ideological and political stance has always been against any substance that poisons the minds of humans. As Kurdistan’s freedom movement we would like to restate our calls once again: We would like to call on all human rights organisations, international law organisations and anyone that supports justice to scrutinise every single penny that the PKK has ever dealt with. As the PKK we are ready to disclose every single detail in our financial transactions! We openly state that rather than trafficking in drugs, if the PKK can be linked to even a gram of drugs we will bow to any punishment deemed fit. Accusations of the PKK’s links to the drug trade are downright lies. These unfounded accusations are the product of dirty political ambitions.

The individuals who are deemed “drug barons” in your report are neither traffickers nor traders. Nowhere in the world do we have personal wealth. We are the individuals who have taken up a struggle of a people whose very existence along with all its basic human rights has been denied. Especially comrades Murat and Riza have spent all their lives struggling on behalf of our people and are individuals leading exemplary lives.

I started my career as a lawyer in Siirt in 1986. I could not turn away from the suffering that my people were going through. I found myself in the struggle for human rights. I became a leading figure in the establishment for a human rights association in Siirt and consequently became the chair of the association. Due to my actions not being approved by the state I was forced out of the region by the local state representative. I took an active role in the establishment of the People’s Labour Party (HEP) in 1990 and later became a member of its central committee. I was elected as MP for Siirt in the 1990 general elections. After the closure of HEP I became a central committee member of the Democracy Party (DEP). In 1994 when DEP was closed and our diplomatic immunities were removed, I fled to Europe to escape imprisonment which many of my MP friends of the time were subjected to. I am still living in Switzerland as a refugee after being granted political asylum.

I was elected as the president of the Kurdish Parliament in Exile established in 1995. In 1999 I took part in the establishment of the Kurdistan National Congress and was elected to its presidency. During this time as a result of a strategic change by the PKK and its consequential dissolution, I took part in the establishment of the Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress and subsequently the People’s Congress and was later elected to its presidency. I am still continuing my struggle as a member of the Kurdish Freedom Movement. I’ve been in political movements my whole life. For almost 20 years I have represented my people throughout the world including diplomatic efforts in the American Congress. I have never been involved in trading let alone illegal trafficking. This position of mine is not least very well known by all of your institutions.

Dear Mr. President,
By labelling the Kurdish Freedom Movement as a terrorist organisation and accusing it of trafficking narcotics, not only are you offending the Kurdish people you are also positioning the Kurdish people against you. With this stance you are upholding and approving the Turkish state’s dirty efforts at assimilating, annihilating, displacing and persecuting the Kurdish people. Especially in a climate where the democratic solution of this problem is being discussed your latest accusation is only strengthening the hand of the Turkish militarists who seek to derail a possible solution.

The Kurds are not an enemy of the US, just as they are not an enemy to anyone. The Kurds, just like any other people, want to live freely in their country. The PKK is the defender of this desire for freedom. The PKK, in its 30 year struggle has never attacked or harmed any American or American interests. This was also stated by your very own assistant to the Foreign Secretary Matthew Bryza when he stated in an interview with the press that the “PKK had never attacked an American, and that declaring the PKK as an enemy would only put Americans at risk”.

Dear Mr. President,
You know very well that the Kurdish Question is not a problem of terrorism; it is a historical problem in which the Kurdish people’s basic human rights were denied. The very existence of a people is in question.

We are not against your relations with Turkey. However, we do not want this relation to hinge on the circumstances surrounding the Kurdish people. Ideally we would like this relation to play a positive role in finding a democratic and peaceful solution of the Kurdish problem. Your meeting with Ahmet Turk on your last visit to Turkey was a positive step. Unfortunately consequently this step was followed by your latest decision to place the PKK on the narcotics list. If you side with a democratic solution to this problem you will win the hearts of the Kurdish and Turkish people. We also believe that this would best meet America’s interests in the region.

Without a solution to the Kurdish Question the region will not be able to stabilise, and the Middle East will not be able to democratise. A Turkey that has solved its Kurdish Problem will become a beacon of peace and democracy in the region and will be more prepared in adapting to the modern world.

Within this framework our expectation is that you will revise your current stance, especially regarding these offensive accusations of narcotic trafficking, and hence become a supporter and campaigner for a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish Question. With my utmost sincere regards"

Rudaw Net: Baghdad’s Faili Kurds demand their rights

29-10-2009
Baghdad- After a number of Kurdish schools were established in Baghdad and Faili Kurds demand studying in their dialect (Faili dialect). The Faili Commission hailed the steps taken by the government to open Kurdish schools while it criticized the Iraqi parliament for not giving them enough rights.

At a statement of the Faili Kurds, despite mentioning the support of each one of Talabani, Barzani and Maliki to their issues, a severe criticism was been directed to the Iraqi parliament because it has not addressed the issues of Faili Kurds so far.

“After six and a half year of waiting, they (officials) must deliver their promises to the Faili Kurds,” the statement said.

Rudaw Net: Sulaimaniya youth top readership chart, study says

29-10-2009

Young people in Sulaimaniya top the chart of readerships in Kurdistan and Iraq, according to a study conducted by the Ministry of Sports and Youth.

According to the results of the study, only 21.2 percent of youth frequently read in Iraq and Kurdistan. The study found that in Sulaimaniya 52.1 percent of the young people surveyed were regular readers while Hawler readers came in the second stage, then Duhok with 18.7percent in the third stage, but Diala youths read very little and they got 9.1 percent.

The survey was conducted in 20 days in all Iraqi provinces and 19,600 people between the ages of 10-30 years participated in it.