Turkish army rules out contact with Kurd militants
25 Aug 2009 13:20:55 GMT Source: Reuters
* Non-military measures necessary on Kurdish issue * Military stresses national unity * Kurdish party says government "cowardly" (Adds Kurdish party statement) By Daren Butler ISTANBUL, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Turkey's powerful military on Tuesday ruled out any contact with Kurdish militants in a statement setting out its position on a government bid to expand the rights of its Kurdish minority. General Ilker Basbug, head of the armed forces, warned against discussion of issues which would threaten national unity five days after the National Security Council gave its support to an initiative to address decades-old Kurdish grievances. The reform process is seen as vital to boosting Turkey's European Union membership application and ending a 25-year-old conflict between the state and the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has killed more than 40,000 people. It is unlikely to be a success without political consensus. Turkey's main legal Kurdish party has called for steps to persuade the PKK to lay down their arms, such as an amnesty, but like the government the military opposes a role for the militants in the process. "The Turkish armed forces cannot be involved in any activities which open the way to establishing relations with the (PKK) terror organisation or its supporters," said the statement on the official armed forces' Web site. Basbug expressed support for other measures on the Kurdish issue outside of the military sphere. Turkey, the United States and EU all regard the PKK as a terrorist organisation. "While the Turkish Armed Forces continue decisively in their fight against the separatist terror group ... they believe it is important the state takes the necessary measures in the economic, socio-cultural and international fields," he said. The government has sought political consensus on the issue but the main opposition parties have voiced fierce resistance to the government's reform initiative, accusing it of threatening national unity. ACCUSATION OF COWARDICE Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted AK Party, which first came to power in 2002, has taken some steps to expand cultural rights for its estimated 12 million Kurds, partly under EU pressure. The government has given few details on the latest reforms, which are expected to focus on cultural issues, such as allowing Kurdish teaching in universities, restoring Kurdish village names and allowing Islamic sermons in Kurdish. The pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) seeks more extensive reforms such as limited autonomy for the mainly Kurdish southeast and an amnesty for PKK militants. The DTP, facing a court bid to close it over alleged links to the PKK, said on Tuesday it was concerned the government's reform drive was being undermined by political opposition to it. "Instead of defending the democratic rights of Kurds which have been denied for 80 years, the government is taking a fearful and cowardly approach ... colluding with the unjust position of the opposition," the DTP said in a statement. In his statement, Basbug stressed a constitutional article describing Turkey as an indivisible whole, with its language being Turkish, and ruled out the politicisation of cultural differences. "The Turkish armed forces believe it is necessary that the freedom to discuss any subject should not include subjects which would endanger the existence of the state or open the way for the polarisation and division of the country," he said. Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan had been expected to issue a "road-map" of his own last week on how to resolve the conflict, but this has been delayed. His lawyers were expected to visit him on his prison island on Wednesday. (Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jon Hemming)
Turkey coffeeshop owners march during a protest against the government's indoor smoking ban in Ankara August 18, 2009. Turkey's government on July 19 introduced a nationwide ban on indoor smoking, including ...
