Title: Turkey wants to attack PKK bases
Thermopyles - July 30, 2006 06:23 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
| Turkey wants to attack PKK bases By Jody Sabral Saturday 29 July 2006, 12:00 Makka Time, 9:00 GMT The rebel Kurdistan Workers Party is outlawed in Turkey Turkey's troubled southeast has seen a recent escalation of violence, with 16 members of the Turkish security forces killed in clashes with Kurdish rebels over the last two weeks, and more being targeted daily. At the same time, Ankara has been threatening to send its forces across the frontier with northern Iraq to attack rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) bases over the border - and has accused the US of double standards in trying to prevent such a move. "The way they (the US) look at terror there (in Israel) and in Turkey is not the same," Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, told reporters last week. "They show tolerance towards country A and show a different approach to country B. This is unacceptable." In Ankara, emergency parliamentary meetings have been held and there is talk of bringing back emergency rule - one step away from martial law - to the southeast, an area of about a quarter of the country and home to many of Turkey's estimated 13 million ethnic Kurds. Talk of getting tough on the PKK is also widely applauded by nationalist parties and many ordinary Turks. "Kurds are just like anyone else in Turkey, but this is not what they want," Yasemine, a 26-year-old young professional Turkish woman who did not want to give her surname, tells Aljazeera.net. "They want their own lands. I wish them luck but they need to kill the last Turk in the world to get any land from us." Further division But for ordinary Turkish-Kurds, who work and live in Turkey, it is an entirely different story. Ankara has threatened to send troops across the Iraqi border Many Turkish-Kurds are frustrated by the deadlock between Washington and Ankara over Iraq, and feel that they are being ignored and treated as second-class citizens. "If you listen to Kurdish music it means you are an enemy of the state, or a separatist," a 26-year-old Turkish-Kurds giving his name as Ahmet, tells Aljazeera.net. "It is very traumatic. When I was at high school, although it wasn't illegal to speak Kurdish, my teacher would beat me if we used Kurdish words, even at break time. "I love Turkey, but because of this I feel ashamed to speak Kurdish. This is who I am, what can I do?" Ahmet is not his real name as he was initially too afraid to comment on the issue - a fear he says he has lived with all his life. "Turkey is the best country I can live in," he says. "I don't have any problem with Turkish people, but in the last few years, unfortunately, Turkish people have become more nationalist, even the most leftist. "I can't stand the death of one person but the Turkish state should accept its faults too. If there is a Kurdish problem in Turkey I think it is a problem of Turkish politics." Internal politics With the security situation in Iraq deteriorating daily, and the Middle East conflict raging, the feeling in Turkey is that should the Turkish military launch cross-border operations, it would bring more instability to the region. Kurdish rebels have killed 16 from the Turkish forces in two weeks Tahir Ekci, a Turkish lawyer who specialises in Kurdish cases, tells Aljazeera.net: "Turkey may get a 'visa' to enter Iraq from the US, but this would not bring any military success. Such operations were undertaken before and were not effective. In fact such operations may unite Kurds on either side of the border ... which would bring more problems for Turkey." Although, Ankara is under pressure from the Turkish public to act on the recent unrest in the southeast, the general feeling is that this is not likely in the short-term. "I believe that Turkey would not send troops into Iraq without US permission," Ekci says. He believes that Erdogan's harsh words had to do with forthcoming presidential election in 2007. It has been widely noted in the Turkish media that the prime minister is eyeing residency at Cankaya - the presidential palace. "The prime minister was testing out US reactions while sending a message to the Turkish public. There is an election next year and Erdogan must raise his nationalist words against the PKK," Ekci says. Siyar Ozsoy, an adviser to the mayor of Diyarbakir, in the southeast, agrees. "Nationalists always use the rhetoric of anti-separatism as the best pool of votes. The Kurdish issue is very much manipulated by Turkish nationalist politicians to mobilise the Turkish public, especially in times of elections," Ozsoy says. Solution The last on a list of unilateral ceasefires was declared by the PKK after the capture of Abdullah Ocalan, its leader, in 1999, but the ceasefire was not recognised by Ankara. Ozsoy believes that this was a missed opportunity. "The recent upsurge in violence is because Turkey did not use the opportunity between 1999-2004 when there was a ceasefire by the PKK," he says. Turkish Kurds and police have been clashing violently "If Turkey had declared a general amnesty at this time, the PKK would have disarmed and a window could have been opened for the solution of the Kurdish issue." Hasan Unel, a scholar at Istanbul's Bilkent University points out that when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, the PKK was virtually powerless. "At that time, the PKK did not have the resources or the logistical capability to attack the Turkish military as we can see today," Unel says. He believes that the situation in Iraq and Ankara's failure to press the PKK issue with the US has led to the recent unrest in the southeast. "If the US continues to oppose Turkish military action, the problem will become greater. It is just a tactic to divert the public's attention in Turkey. US officials said after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 that they were acting on this issue, but if you look to today we can see that they have not," says Unel. He believes that the issue may eventually pit Ankara against Washington. "The US will have to choose between Turkey and the Kurds. The US attitude is important for Turkey. Either way, Turkey is strong enough and prepared to fight the PKK," he says. Others argue that dialogue is the way forward and believe that military action will not solve anything. "Turkey feels its sovereignty is under threat from the Kurds, and has done since the early 1990s, which is not without reason. "But Turkish-Kurds are leaning towards compromise and want to live within the borders of a democratised Turkey. Look to the unilateral ceasefire of 1993, when the PKK were at the height of their power, not to mention the last ceasefire in 1999 to 2003," says Ekci. Meanwhile, the rising insecurity in the southeast is taking its toll. Hasan, a Turkish-Kurd restaurant owner from Diyarbakir, tells Aljazeera.net: "There is an eerie silence in the streets of Diyarbakir. It hangs in the air, everyone is sad and waiting for what will happen next." But some fear this silence may soon explode. "The problem is that if Turkey does not take democratic steps to and respond to at least some Kurdish cultural and political demands through a politics of democratic accommodation, then there is the possibility that the demands of Kurds would get radicalised," says Ekci. At the same time, for ordinary Kurds, the trauma continues. "After reading the newspapers this week, I cried for a long time and asked myself how did we get to such a place and how do we solve it? I don't advocate violence but without the PKK what else do we have?" says Ahmet. |
Thermopyles - July 30, 2006 06:27 PM (GMT)
Imust admit, I'm with Turkey on this. If the Albanians were doing the same thing here (god forbid) we would be happy for an excuse to go "clean things up" a bit. The US is using a double standard on this. As I told you all in the "real reasons to attack Iran" tread, the US HAS to protect/support/advance the Kuds. Maybe Turkey is still more valuable to the US at the moment, but she possibly will soon use the tiny Kurds in a fashion more beneficial to her that giant Turkey is or will be...
Koursaros - August 1, 2006 09:49 PM (GMT)
Sure, I want a lightsaber. I won't get it. :duel:
Spartan - August 2, 2006 02:49 AM (GMT)
Turkey must grin and bear it. It may hurt national pride, it may cause deaths but to take action now would be a fundamental regional destabilization mistake of enormous proportions. Turkey will not fall apart and MUST be patient.
The region is a powder keg and the only winners will be the haters.
The region is a powder keg and the only winners will be the haters.
Spartan - August 2, 2006 02:54 AM (GMT)
| QUOTE (Koursaros @ Aug 1 2006, 05:49 PM) |
| Sure, I want a lightsaber. I won't get it. :duel: |
Okay, I can't give you a light saber but will you accept a salad fork with one bent prong? :dunno:
Lord - August 3, 2006 04:06 PM (GMT)
:roflmao:
and +1
Thermopyles Spartan
and +1
Thermopyles Spartan
KOKORO - August 4, 2006 07:56 AM (GMT)
Hi,
yes in Turkey now there is a great support for operation to north iraq.
but this wont solve the problems.
ok their camps are there but camps are few tents and caves . even we hit it wont change any thing . only to make media and people happy.
also there are terrorists inside the Turkey nearly 2000 3000 in the mountains and nearly 5000 in iraq.!
and the area is huge. look at gogle map the area between turkey iran iraq
how high and mountanious .
this summer radio controled bombs are the biggest problem.
they are done easly with prm radios ( two way radio). that the climbers or securities use . in the begining F 16 s with a electronic jaming they fly low and make the bombs go of with the signals but now they change the system so problem started again.
PKK has hard days too because it is a left wing terorist group and in north iraq the goverment is secularist american backed up goveremnet. and in the future their interest will be problem. And have to create conflict. but now adays they need each other.
But it is sure that Usa created a new country in the north of iraq.
but if there will be civilian war in iraq !!!!!
threre would be no kurds left alive.
suni and sia will cut kurds first then cut each other.
it would be a huge caos.
Ýraq is full of foregin fighter s( islamic) they atack us troops and old former iraq oficers not to help Usa . when Usa will leave they will start to fight with new iraq goverment and try to make it islamic state ( both ) suni and sia.
it will be like zoo
Like the murphy s rule
if someting is about to go wrong . it would definetly go wrong.
Turkey must play its cards perfectly. and stay out of fire. Ýf necesary would help its neighbours . but must keep war out of its Land.
Kaan.
yes in Turkey now there is a great support for operation to north iraq.
but this wont solve the problems.
ok their camps are there but camps are few tents and caves . even we hit it wont change any thing . only to make media and people happy.
also there are terrorists inside the Turkey nearly 2000 3000 in the mountains and nearly 5000 in iraq.!
and the area is huge. look at gogle map the area between turkey iran iraq
how high and mountanious .
this summer radio controled bombs are the biggest problem.
they are done easly with prm radios ( two way radio). that the climbers or securities use . in the begining F 16 s with a electronic jaming they fly low and make the bombs go of with the signals but now they change the system so problem started again.
PKK has hard days too because it is a left wing terorist group and in north iraq the goverment is secularist american backed up goveremnet. and in the future their interest will be problem. And have to create conflict. but now adays they need each other.
But it is sure that Usa created a new country in the north of iraq.
but if there will be civilian war in iraq !!!!!
threre would be no kurds left alive.
suni and sia will cut kurds first then cut each other.
it would be a huge caos.
Ýraq is full of foregin fighter s( islamic) they atack us troops and old former iraq oficers not to help Usa . when Usa will leave they will start to fight with new iraq goverment and try to make it islamic state ( both ) suni and sia.
it will be like zoo
Like the murphy s rule
if someting is about to go wrong . it would definetly go wrong.
Turkey must play its cards perfectly. and stay out of fire. Ýf necesary would help its neighbours . but must keep war out of its Land.
Kaan.
KOKORO - August 4, 2006 07:58 AM (GMT)
And i want to have light saber too :duel:
if u buy a galactic batle ship atleast can we have light saber !!! ( green one) ;)
if u buy a galactic batle ship atleast can we have light saber !!! ( green one) ;)