Jigs
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Sunday, September 19, 2010
ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News
With the expiration of the outlawed PKK’s cease-fire expected Monday, the top echelons of Turkey’s military and the ruling government meet to discuss the situation in the Southeast and the repercussions of the land mine attack in Hakkari on Thursday. Reports say the military has already increased its presence in the border province
According to Turkish military and civilian authorities, the culprits of the land mine in Hakkari were pro-violence dissidents within the PKK.
The Turkish government and military reviewed anti-terror measures Sunday, a day before the cease-fire declared by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, finishes, amid controversy as to who was responsible for the recent attack in Hakkari that killed nine.
Top military and civilian authorities met in Ankara under the leadership of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and in cooperation with Chief of General Staff Gen. Işık Koşaner.
The meeting followed last week’s series of security meetings held under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek, in which the government and the military discussed the strategy to be implemented after Monday.
The meeting lasted two hours but no statement had been released late Sunday by the time the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review went to print. Despite calls from national and international civilian organizations, such as the Independent Commission on Turkey, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, had not extended its cease-fire.
The government and the BDP were scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss the situation in the Southeast, including a possible extension of the cease-fire. However, the mine blast that killed nine people in the Geçitli village of Hakkari forced the cancellation of the meeting. It is not yet certain whether the parties will come together in the coming days.
There are reports the military has already deployed troops in some mountainous regions between Hakkari’s Şırnak and Cizre towns, where the PKK is frequently active, in anticipation of a resumption of violence that could hurt the comfort and stability of Turkey, especially in eastern and southeastern Anatolian regions. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
What makes the post-cease-fire period more sensitive is the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP’s, call for families to boycott sending their children to school this week, in an attempt to draw attention to their demand for education to be given in Kurdish. The government strongly criticized the move, saying abusing children and their right to an education was a shame. Nimet Çubukçu, the education minister, has said a 15-Turkish Lira fine will be imposed on families for each day they do not send their children to school. The 2010-2011 year began Monday. The government will also take extra measures to ensure the school year will not be negatively affected.
Who is behind Hakkari attack?
According to Turkish military and civilian authorities, the culprits of the land mine in Hakkari were pro-violence dissidents within the PKK. A group headed by Bedirhan Abo, close to Fehman Huseyin who was expelled from the PKK over disagreements with Murat Karayılant, the acting leader of the organization, was allegedly responsible for the deadly attack, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported Saturday.
The pro-violence wing, dubbed the "deep PKK," aimed to sabotage the democratization process and the hopes for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue that prevailed after the Sept. 12 referendum, the officials claimed.
The accusation, however, was refuted by BDP leader Selahattin Demirtaş, who blamed the military for the attack. “The president, the prime minister, the interior minister ... they all blame the PKK for the attack. Which prosecutor now can appear and say, ‘It was not perpetrated by the PKK but by the deep forces?’” he said Saturday.
Aysel Tuğluk, co-chairwoman of the Democratic Society Congress was sharper in her statement: “It was carried out by the Special Warfare Group. The people know who was behind it.”
Interior Minister Beşir Atalay said Sunday security forces had discovered new evidence over the weekend that strengthened their belief the attack was carried out by the PKK.
Öcalan: Meetings sabotaged
In the meantime, Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned leader of the PKK, said the target of the last week’s mine blast was the dialogue process he had started with the government.
“We had some very significant meetings. They could bring about important results. It’s worth thinking about the timing of the blast in Hakkari,” Öcalan told his lawyers during a meeting last week, according to Fı*** news agency, the alleged mouthpiece of the PKK.
“These meetings were sabotaged by this last explosion,” he said, adding it could either have been the military or a splinter group within in the PKK.
Another argument he raised was related to an agreement between the government and the military over Hakkari. “These attacks could be a response to the Hakkari people who boycotted the referendum at a level of 94 percent. I call it the siege of Hakkari. If this agreement, between the army and the government was real, then the cease-fire is not meaningful.”
Sunday, September 19, 2010
ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News
With the expiration of the outlawed PKK’s cease-fire expected Monday, the top echelons of Turkey’s military and the ruling government meet to discuss the situation in the Southeast and the repercussions of the land mine attack in Hakkari on Thursday. Reports say the military has already increased its presence in the border province
According to Turkish military and civilian authorities, the culprits of the land mine in Hakkari were pro-violence dissidents within the PKK.
The Turkish government and military reviewed anti-terror measures Sunday, a day before the cease-fire declared by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, finishes, amid controversy as to who was responsible for the recent attack in Hakkari that killed nine.
Top military and civilian authorities met in Ankara under the leadership of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and in cooperation with Chief of General Staff Gen. Işık Koşaner.
The meeting followed last week’s series of security meetings held under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek, in which the government and the military discussed the strategy to be implemented after Monday.
The meeting lasted two hours but no statement had been released late Sunday by the time the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review went to print. Despite calls from national and international civilian organizations, such as the Independent Commission on Turkey, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, had not extended its cease-fire.
The government and the BDP were scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss the situation in the Southeast, including a possible extension of the cease-fire. However, the mine blast that killed nine people in the Geçitli village of Hakkari forced the cancellation of the meeting. It is not yet certain whether the parties will come together in the coming days.
There are reports the military has already deployed troops in some mountainous regions between Hakkari’s Şırnak and Cizre towns, where the PKK is frequently active, in anticipation of a resumption of violence that could hurt the comfort and stability of Turkey, especially in eastern and southeastern Anatolian regions. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
What makes the post-cease-fire period more sensitive is the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP’s, call for families to boycott sending their children to school this week, in an attempt to draw attention to their demand for education to be given in Kurdish. The government strongly criticized the move, saying abusing children and their right to an education was a shame. Nimet Çubukçu, the education minister, has said a 15-Turkish Lira fine will be imposed on families for each day they do not send their children to school. The 2010-2011 year began Monday. The government will also take extra measures to ensure the school year will not be negatively affected.
Who is behind Hakkari attack?
According to Turkish military and civilian authorities, the culprits of the land mine in Hakkari were pro-violence dissidents within the PKK. A group headed by Bedirhan Abo, close to Fehman Huseyin who was expelled from the PKK over disagreements with Murat Karayılant, the acting leader of the organization, was allegedly responsible for the deadly attack, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported Saturday.
The pro-violence wing, dubbed the "deep PKK," aimed to sabotage the democratization process and the hopes for a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue that prevailed after the Sept. 12 referendum, the officials claimed.
The accusation, however, was refuted by BDP leader Selahattin Demirtaş, who blamed the military for the attack. “The president, the prime minister, the interior minister ... they all blame the PKK for the attack. Which prosecutor now can appear and say, ‘It was not perpetrated by the PKK but by the deep forces?’” he said Saturday.
Aysel Tuğluk, co-chairwoman of the Democratic Society Congress was sharper in her statement: “It was carried out by the Special Warfare Group. The people know who was behind it.”
Interior Minister Beşir Atalay said Sunday security forces had discovered new evidence over the weekend that strengthened their belief the attack was carried out by the PKK.
Öcalan: Meetings sabotaged
In the meantime, Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned leader of the PKK, said the target of the last week’s mine blast was the dialogue process he had started with the government.
“We had some very significant meetings. They could bring about important results. It’s worth thinking about the timing of the blast in Hakkari,” Öcalan told his lawyers during a meeting last week, according to Fı*** news agency, the alleged mouthpiece of the PKK.
“These meetings were sabotaged by this last explosion,” he said, adding it could either have been the military or a splinter group within in the PKK.
Another argument he raised was related to an agreement between the government and the military over Hakkari. “These attacks could be a response to the Hakkari people who boycotted the referendum at a level of 94 percent. I call it the siege of Hakkari. If this agreement, between the army and the government was real, then the cease-fire is not meaningful.”
