DATE=02/17/99
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-11151
TITLE=TURKEY CAPTURES OCALAN; EUROPE'S KURDS REVOLT
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: VIOLENCE ERUPTED AT MIDWEEK IN MANY PARTS OF EUROPE AS
TURKISH KURDS DEMONSTRATED VIOLENTLY AT THE CAPTURE OF THE MAN
KNOWN AS "APO," ABDULLAH OCALAN.
FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES, MR. OCALAN HAS LED THE KURDISH WORKERS
PARTY, OR P-K-K AS IT IS KNOWN, IN A VIOLENT CAMPAIGN IN
SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY, PRESSING DEMANDS FOR A SEPARATE KURDISH
STATE.
U-S NEWSPAPERS HAVE BEEN QUICK TO RESPOND, SUGGESTINGTHAT MR.
OCALAN'S ARREST AND PENDING TRIAL GIVES TURKEY THE OPPORTUNITY TO
REVERSE ITS DECADES OLD POLICY OF KURDISH REPRESSION, AS IT METES
OUT JUSTICE TO THE P-K-K LEADER. WE ARE JOINED NOW BY
_______________ WHO HAS ASAMPLING IN TODAY'S U-S OPINION ROUNDUP.
TEXT: AT LEAST 30-THOUSAND PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES HAVE DIED DURING
THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, AS THE TURKISH MILITARY RELENTLESSLY
REPRESSED THE MILITANT KURDS, AND THE P-K-K HARASSED TURKISH
MILITARY UNITS IN THE REGION, ALSO KILLED KURDS WHO FAILED TO
SUPPORT THEM. AFTER BEING FORCED OUT OF SYRIA WEEKS AGO, MR.
OCALAN HAS BEEN CAPTURED IN KENYA, AFTER SEEKING ASYLUM AT THE
GREEK EMBASSY THERE, AND RETURNED TO TURKEY TO STAND TRIAL FOR
TERRORISM.
HIS DEPORTATION SET OFF VIOLENT DEMONSTRATIONS AT GREEK, KENYAN,
AND ISRAELI EMBASSIES THROUGHOUT EUROPE. ISRAEL BECAME A TARGET
WHEN IT WAS RUMORED THAT THE ISRAELI SECRET SERVICE, [THE MOSSAD]
AIDED TURKEY IN HIS APPREHENTION.
IN THE U-S PRESS, THERE IS A RECURRING THEME THAT TURKEY CAN
SEIZE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BEGIN RESOLVING ITS LONG-STANDING
PROBLEM OF KURDISH RIGHTS AND AUTONOMY, WHICH STEMS FROM THE
BIRTH OF MODERN TURKEY AT THE HANDS OF KEMAL ATTATURK IN THE
1920S.
WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING IN MARYLAND, WHERE "THE SUN" IN BALTIMORE
SEES A PARALLEL WITH ANOTHER WANTED, INERNATIONAL FUGITIVE.
VOICE: U-S INTELLIGENCE HUNTING THE ELUSIVE TERRORIST OSAMA BIN
LADEN WILL EAT ITS HEART OUT AT TURKEY'S PURSUIT OF THE
KURDISH REBEL ABDULLAH OCALAN FROM SYRIA TO THE GREEK
EMBASSY IN KENYA. HIS CAPTURE AND RETURN TO STAND TRIAL
FOR TERROR HE ORGANIZED FROM EXILE THE PAST 15 YEARS IS
A GREAT FEAT OF COUNTER-TERRORISM. ... THE APPARENT
COMPLICITY OF GREECE IS ALSO POSITIVE. GREECE AND
TURKEY, BOTH NATO MEMBERS, HAVE LONG BEEN ADVERSARIES.
THEIR NATURAL SYMPATHIES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE KOSOVO
TRAGEDY IS THE GREATEST DANGER THERE. ANYTHING THAT
BRINGS THE TWO COUNTRIES CLOSER IS GOOD FOR EUROPE AND
FOR PEACE. ... [HOWEVER] THE CAPTURE OF MR. OCALAN
WILL NOT END THE HUMAN RIGHTS SPOTLIGHT ON TURKEDY'S
FAILINGS. HIS SHOW TRIAL WILL MAKE THAT SPOTLIGHT
BRIGHTER.
[NEW MATERIAL]
TEXT: IN THE MIDWEST, "THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE" SUGGESTS:
VOICE: [MR. OCALAN'S ARREST FOCUSED WORLD ATTENTION ON THE
SITUATION OF UP TO 25 MILLION KURDS SPREAD OUT ACROSS
TURKEY, SYRIA, IRAQ AND IRAN. [MR.] OCALAN'S FOLLOWERS
HAVE BEEN FIGHTING SINCE 1984 FOR KURDISH
INDEPENDENCE,MAINLY IN SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY, AND, NOT
WITHOUT REASON, THE GOVERNMENT BLAMES HIM FOR A CONFLICT
THAT HAS COST 37-THOUSAND LIVES. HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS
HAVE CONDEMNED HIS BLOODY METHODS. EVEN EX-P-K-K REBELS
FOUND HIM TREACHEROUS, ACCUSING HIM OF HAVING SCORES OF
RIVALS HUNTED DOWN AND EXECUTED. .... THE TURKISH
GOVERNMENT WILL NOW FACE ITS OWN KIND OF PUBLIC TRIAL AS
THE WORLD WATCHES HOW FAIRLY IT TRIED AND SENTENCES
[MR.] OCALAN. ... TURKISH DEMOCRACY TOOL OFTEN HAS BEEN
A SHAM. AN ARROGANT, SECULARIST MILITARY ELITE HAS
OVERTURNED THE RESULTS OF DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS AS
RECENTLY AS 1997, WITH IT FEARED ISLAMIC INFLUENCE WAS
GROWING TOO GREAT. THE KURDS HAVE LONG BEEN A PEOPLE
INS EACH OF THEIR OWN COUNTRY .... AND THEIR CLAIMS GO
BACK TO 1920. IT IS ONE MEASURE OF TURKEY'S UNBENDING
APPROACH TO DISSENT THAT THE SEPARATIST REBELLION HAS
GONE SO LONG WITHOUT A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT. AT FIRST
BLUSH, IT DOESN'T APPEAR THAT [MR.] OCALAN'S ARREST WILL
MAKE SUCH A SETTLEMENT ANY MORE LIKELY.
[END NEW MATERIAL]
TEXT: "THE WASHINGTON POST" BEGINS WEDNESDAY'S [2/17] LEAD
EDITORIAL, DISCUSSING THE LONG CIVIL WAR IN SOUTHEASTERN TURKEY
BETWEEN KURDS AND THE TURKISH MILITARY, THEN MAKES THIS POINT:
NOW THAT TURKEY H A S MR. OCALAN, IT ALSO HAS THE DILEMMA OF
WHAT TO D O WITH HIM.
VOICE: IT CAN SUBMIT ABDULLAH OCALAN TO AN ACCUSED TRAITOR'S
LIKELY SECURITY-CODE TRIAL, RATHER THAN A CIVILIAN
TRIAL. THE PROCESS MIGHT MOCK WESTERN JUSTICE BUT WOULD
SHOW THE GOVERNMENT WREAKING STERN VENGEANCE. OR IT CAN
SEIZE THIS MOMENT TO SEEK ANOTHER WAY THAN TOUGHNESS AND
REPRESSION TO DEAL WITH A CANCER THAT NEARLY 80 YEARS OF
TREATMENT IN THE MODE OF KEMAL ATATURK HAVE FAILED TO
REDUCE.
TEXT: PICKING UP THE SAME THEME, THAT HIS CAPTURE PRESENTS AN
UNPARALLELED OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE FORWARD ON THE UNDERLYING
QUESTION OF KURDISH RIGHTS WITHIN TURKEY, "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
SUGGESTS:
VOICE: MR. OCALAN'S CAPTURE AND TRIAL SHOULD BE USED TO HELP
DIMINISH THIS TERRIBLE CONFLICT, NOT INFLAME IT.
TURKEY'S TREATMENT OF ITS KURDISH MINORITY HAS UNDERCUT
ITS DEMOCRACY AND DAMAGED ITS INTERNATIONAL STANDING.
KURDISH VIOLENCE AND TERROR,INCLUDING THE VIOLENCE OF
OCALAN SUPPORTERS NOW LIVING IN EUROPE, HAVE PROVIDED
EXCUSES FOR TURKEY'S ACTIONS. KURDISH TERRORISM HAS
OBSCURED THE LEGITIMATE GRIEVANCES SUFFERED BY MILLIONS
OF NONVIOLENT KURDS WHO HAVE SUFFERED SYSTEMATIC
DISCRIMINATION AND BEEN SUBJECTED TO TURKISH ATTEMPTS TO
SUPPRESS KURDISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE. BOTH SIDES NOW
NEED TO BEHAVE MORE CONSTRUCTIVELY AND RESPONSIBLY.
TEXT: TODAY'S "WALL STREET JOURNAL" TAKES A HARDER LINE,
REMINDING READERS OF THE TOLL KURDISH TERRORISM HAS TAKEN IN
TURKEY.
VOICE: WHAT SHOULD NOT BE IN DISPUTE, HOWEVER, IS THE MONSTROUS
AND CRIMINAL NATURE OF MR. OCALAN'S CAMPAIGN FOR A
KURDISH HOMELAND. TURKEY, AFTER ALL, IS A DEMOCRATIC
(IF IMPERFECT) COUNTRY - - FAR AND AWAY THE MOST
DEMOCRATIC STATE IN THE MUSLIM WORLD - - IN WHICH
KURDS PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS. FOR EXAMPLE,
THE CURRENT PARLIAMENT SPEAKER HIKMET CETIN IS KURDISH.
... BUT ... MR. OCALAN DECLINED TO BRING HIS CAMPAIGN
FOR KURDISH RIGHTS TO THE ELECTORAL ARENA. ... SINCE
... 1984 ... THE CAMPAIGN OF THIS 'FREEDOM FIGHTER' HAS
COST NEARLY 40-THOUSAND LIVES, INCLUDING THOSE OF MANY
KURDS WHO ... FAILED TO SUPPORT HIS CAUSE.
TEXT: ON THAT NOTE, WE CONCLUDE THIS SAMPLING OF EARLY PRESS
REACTION TO THE CAPTURE OF THE KURDISH SEPARATIST LEADER FROM
TURKEY, ABDULLAH OCALAN.
NEB/ANG/PT
17-Feb-99 4:43 PM EST (2143 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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