DATE=6/8/99
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-43597
TITLE=TURKEY TRIAL / KURDS
BYLINE=SCOTT BOBB
DATELINE=ANKARA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: THE TRIAL OF KURDISH REBEL LEADER ABDULLAH OCALAN RESUMED
TUESDAY. PROSECUTORS PRESENTED THEIR FINAL ARGUMENTS AND
DEMANDED THE DEATH PENALTY. JUDGES SUBSEQUENTLY GRANTED A 15-DAY
ADJOURNMENT AT THE REQUEST OF THE DEFENSE. THE TRIAL HAS RAISED
MANY EMOTIONS. MANY TURKS BELIEVE MR. OCALAN, AS THE LEADER OF
THE KURDISTAN WORKERS' PARTY, OR P-K-K, SHOULD BE EXECUTED FOR
HIS LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE GUERRILLA WAR IN WHICH 30-THOUSAND
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED. FOR MANY KURDS, HOWEVER, MR. OCALAN IS
A POLITICAL LEADER WHO SHOULD BE SPARED IN ORDER TO SEEK A
SOLUTION TO THE KURDISH PROBLEM. V-O-A CORRESPONDENT SCOTT BOBB
HAS BEEN COVERING THE OCALAN TRIAL AND HAS THIS REPORT.
TEXT: THE TURKISH NEWS MEDIA PRAISE THE ABDULLAH OCALAN TRIAL AS
FAIR AND CORRECT. KURDISH LEADERS, MEANWHILE, CRITICIZE IT AS A
PIECE OF THEATER STAGED BY TURKISH AUTHORITIES TO HUMILIATE MR.
OCALAN, UNDERMINE HIS ORGANIZATION, THE P-K-K, AND ELIMINATE THE
KURDISH ISSUE FROM THE NATIONAL AGENDA.
A PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT ANKARA UNIVERSITY WHO HAS
PUBLISHED A STUDY OF THE KURDISH PROBLEM, DOGU ERGIL (DOH-YOO
EHR-GIHL), SAYS TURKISH AUTHORITIES AND MANY ORDINARY CITIZENS
PERCEIVE THE KURDISH MATTER SIMPLY AS ONE OF TERRORISM. HE SAYS
THEY BELIEVE IF MR. OCALAN IS EXECUTED, THE P-K-K WILL DECLINE
AND THE KURDISH PROBLEM WILL FADE AWAY.
PROFESSOR ERGIL SAYS ALTHOUGH MANY KURDS DO NOT LIKE MR. OCALAN
AND CONSIDER HIM BRUTAL AND DICTATORIAL, TO THEM HE IS MORE THAN
A TERRORIST.
///ERGIL ACT.///
HE (OCALAN) REPRESENTED A KURDISH RESISTANCE, A KURDISH
PROTEST, WHICH WAS NEVER HEEDED, BY NOT ONLY TURKEY,
BUT BY OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE KURDISH ENCLAVES LIVE AND
ARE DEPRIVED OF MANY RIGHTS.
///END ACT.///
PROFESSOR ERGIL SAYS ESSENTIALLY, KURDS FEEL THEY ARE BEING
DEPRIVED OF THEIR CULTURAL IDENTITY. THEIR LANGUAGE IS NOT
TAUGHT IN SCHOOL. AND THEIR DESIRE FOR LOCAL AUTONOMY IS
REJECTED.
A COMMENTATOR FOR TURKISH NEWSPAPERS AND TELEVISION STATIONS,
FEHMI KORU, NOTES THAT THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALLY SEES NO
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TURKS AND KURDS AND CONSIDERS THEM ALL
CITIZENS OF TURKEY.
///KORU ACT.///
WE HAVE HAD PRESIDENTS, PRIME MINISTERS, MINISTERS OF
KURDISH ORIGIN. BUT THE (KURDISH) PEOPLE, AT LEAST SOME
PEOPLE, FEEL THAT THEY NEED MORE TO BE ACCEPTED AS
FULL-FLEDGED CITIZENS.
///END ACT.///
MR. KORU SAYS THAT WHENEVER SOMEONE SUGGESTS NEGOTIATING WITH
KURDISH ACTIVISTS, THE AUTHORITIES REPLY THAT THE REBELS ARE
KILLING KURDS AS WELL AS TURKS, AND REJECT PROPOSALS TO EASE
SECURITY MEASURES.
///OPT./// A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BERLIN-BASED FORUM FOR PEACE
AND DEMOCRACY, KURT RAUCHFUSS (KOOT RAUH-FOOS), SAYS THE KURDISH
PROBLEM HAS BEEN AROUND FOR 200 YEARS, BUT IT HAS WORSENED SINCE
THE 1970S BECAUSE OF GOVERNMENT REPRESSION.
///RAUCHFUSS ACT./// /// OPT ACT ///
I THINK THE TURKISH STATE USES THIS ESCALATION TO
REPRESS THE PEOPLE HERE ASKING FOR DEMOCRACY. THEY ARE
ALWAYS DENOUNCED AS BEING SEPARATIST, AS BEING PEOPLE OF
THE P-K-K. BUT IN REALITY THEY AREN'T. LOTS OF THEM ARE
REALLY CRITICS OF THE P-K-K.
///END ACT./// /// END OPT ACT ///
DR. RAUCHFUSS SAYS THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT USES THE CONFLICT TO
SUPPRESS NOT ONLY KURDS, BUT ALSO ISLAMISTS, PRO-DEMOCRACY
ACTIVISTS AND ANYONE SEEN AS A THREAT TO ITS AUTHORITY.///END
OPT. ///
BECAUSE OF PRESSURE FROM FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS AND MUCH OF THE
GENERAL PUBLIC, MANY BELIEVE MR. OCALAN WILL BE HANGED. PROFESSOR
ERGIL SAYS IF MR. OCALAN IS EXECUTED, AN OPPORTUNITY WILL BE
MISSED TO RESOLVE THE KURDISH PROBLEM.
///ERGIL ACT.///
THIS IS A HISTORICAL OPPORTUNITY, NOT OFFERED BY OCALAN
IN PERSON, BUT BY HIS CAPTURE. BECAUSE WE WERE ALWAYS
USING HIS EXISTENCE AND HIS ORGANIZATION AS AN ALIBI TO
OUR RESISTANCE TO THE SOLUTION OF HIS PROBLEM, WHICH WE
NEVER RECOGNIZED.
///END ACT.///
TURKISH COMMENTATORS NOTE THAT IF MR. OCALAN IS EXECUTED, RADICAL
KURDS MAY INTENSIFY THEIR ATTACKS IN ORDER TO KEEP THE RESISTANCE
ALIVE AND UNDERSCORE THAT THE KURDISH PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN
SOLVED.
YET, THEY ALSO NOTE THAT THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT BELIEVES ITS
POLICIES ARE SUCCEEDING AND AS A RESULT, THEY SAY IT IS NOT
LIKELY TO ABANDON ITS TOUGH APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM. (SIGNED)
NEB/SB/GE
08-Jun-99 10:29 AM EDT (1429 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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