Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

REVUE DE PRESSE~PRESS REVIEW~BERHEVOKAÇAPÊ~RNISTA STAMPA~DENTRO DE LA PRENSA~BASIN ÖZETi
Ankara raps Greek deputies' remarks
Greek Ambassador Alexander Philon claims that the deputies came on
a private invitation and not as representatives of the Greek Parliament
By Nazlan Ertan
Turkish Daily News
ANKARA- Turkey summoned thé Greek Ambassador
Alexander Philon to the Foreign Ministry
Tuesday to express Ankara's growing dissatisfac" .
.tion with the remarks made by the Greek deputies
who have expressed support for the "Kurdish
cause."
The move signals a new intensity in the cold
winds blowing between the two countries after Andreas
Papandreou's PASOK party came to power
in\Greece. Turkish diplomatic circles call the attitude
of Greece since then "provocative.and downright
hostile," but add that Ankara will refrain from
"overreacting" to Greek attempts.
Turkish Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary
Tugay Uluçevik, who has conferred with Philon
three times in as many weeks, reportedly told
him of Ankara's dissatisfaction with the remarks
made by Greek deputies attending last weekend's
convention of the pro-Kurdish Democracy Party.
The Greek delegation, which included three deputies
from PASOK, addressed the convention and
expressed support for the "legal rights of the Kurdish
people." The remarks, which particularly angered
Ankara were made by PASOK's Crete deputy,
who noted that Athens must support the rights
of the Kurds: The ambassador, on the other hand
n~ted t~at.th~ Greek delegation had come "on à
private mVltatlOh and not as the representatives of
the Greek Parliament."
The TON has also learned that the Greek Embassy
had advis~d the deputies against attending
t~~c~,ngress, ~aymg Ankara was "particularly sensItive
on the Issue and the Greek attitude. However,
Turkish diplomats say the excuse that the rar-
Iiamentarians acted on their behalf is nol "particularly
convincing" in view of previous remarkS
made by Greek officials, including ministers and
government spokesmen.
The sourness over the DEP delegation comes. as
the cold winds blowing between the two capitals
after the PASOK administration came to power are
at their sirongest. Ankara had first reacted to the
"common defense strategy" declared by Greece
and the Greek Cypriot administration, which regards
Greek Cyprus as an essential part of
the Greek defense.
The remarks caused Philon's visit -- due
to PhiIons own request-- to the Turkish Foreign
Ministry, where he was told by Ulucevik
that such remarks were not "encouraging"
for relations between the new administration
and Turkey.
Only a week later. Greek European Affairs
Minister Theodore Pangalas targeted allacks
~ainst Turkey and Foreign Minister Hikmet
yetin. In a more serious vein, the Greek minister
expressed support for the Kurdish struggle
agamst "the tyrant, Turkey."
.Greek government. spokesman
Meanwhile,
Evangelos
Venizclos notcd thaI Athens had no inlenlion
of banning the PKK and Ihal what olher
countries, such as Gcrmany did, "was Ihcir
own business."
The recent rush of harsh statements and
ambassadors' visits to the Foreign Ministry
of the host country signal difficult times
ahead in relations. Turkish diplomats claim
that the PASOK government has removed
some of the top officials in the Greek Foreign
Ministry, who were known for their
positive attitude towards Turkey.
The dissatisfaction of official circles was
also reflected in the Turkish media. Mass
circulation Hürriyet, for example, titled ils
report on Greek participation at the DEP
convention: "Terrorist Greek."
Two television journalists arrested in Istanbul
TDN with Wire Dispatches in the office of the Armed Forces
ISTANBUL- The Turkish authorities
have arrested two television
Chief of Staff, said he had ordered
their arrest. The controversy surjournalists
on charges of broadcastmg
materialthat encouraged Turks
rounding the broadcast is in p~rt
due to the recent statement of ChIef
to evade military service.
Erhan .AkYlldlz, 46, a news proof
Staff authorities that there were
I 400,000 draft dodgers. .
ducer, and Ali Tevfik Berber, 34, a Both men work at the Istanbuljournalist,
were called into Istanbul based television station HBB and
police headquarters on Tuesday for last week they broadcast a TV proquestioning,
one of their colleagues gram on draft do~gers and desert~rs
told Reuters. from the army. The program dls-
Colonel Çetin Akkaya, prosecutor couraged Turks from do mg their
military service," Akkaya told Reuters.
He said the twomen would be
tried by a military court and could
each face a prison sentence of between
two months and two years if
found guilty. Several of the people
interviewed in the program were
members of an anti-war group and
said they would never serve In the
army. Military service is compulsory
in Turkey.
. A Turkish army spokesman last
week lashed out at people who
evade the draft at a time when the
armed forces are fighting Kurdish
separatist guerrillas in the Southeast.
"Many are fighting to protect
the unity. of the country," Colonel
Dogu SIIahçlOglu said. "There are
also those who want to avoid this
sacred duty and the nation will not
forgive them." Defense Ministry officIals
said a quarter of a million
men of military age have failed to
show up for annual military service
registration checks, an offence.
80
Fifty Kurds start hunger
strike in London
Reuters
LONDON- Fifty Kurds started a hunger strike at a
community centre in London on Monday demanding
that Turkey ends what they called "its campaign of
genocide and depopulation In Kurdistan." The 50 protesters,
on an "unlImited" hunger strike, expect hundreds
more people to join them at the Kurdish and
Turkish Community Centre
ment faxed to Reuters said.
in north London, a state-
.
It reported that the action was also in protest against
bans on the Kurdish people's right to organize them-
. selves in European countries, particularly Germany
and France.
"Kurdish people were forced to come to this country
beçause they supported the nationallib,~ration struggle
being led by the PKK (rebel group), the statement
said. "We will continue to support the struggle
.wherever we are."
. .The hunger.s.trikers also want an end to arms sales
by European nations to Turkey, and demand the British
government send a delegation to Kurdistan to assess
the situation there.