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

REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RIVISTA
STAMPA-DENTRO DE LA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZETi
movement in support of secularism. After
Mumcu, the second major death was that of
Gendannerie Forces Commander Gen. E~ref
Bitlis who died in what officials said was
ua pldne accident" on Feb. 17.
Bitlis was anned with plans for a mass!ve
crackdown in the Southeast when he died
under highly controversial circumstances.
At the end of the year, one of Bitlis's chief
aides, Ret. Major Ahmet Cern Ers~v~r, w~s
killed. In the same week, three of hISmtelllgence
operatives were als? found dead.
There is still no clue wIth regard to any of
these cases. Another highlight of 1993 was
clearly the social polarization in Turkey
which led to immense security risks.
On one hand, PKK aCl1vities in the
Southeast led to increased polarization
between the Turks and Kurds. Turkish anger
towards the Kurds grew and according to
year-end poll results, about 70 percent of
the population even accepted to go to war
with the Kurds.
There were small incidents in which
Kurds were attacked and greater ones in
which the PKK and Kurds were condemned
by masses marching through the streets of
larger cities. Mumcu's death led to a new
wave of polarization between the radical
Islarnists and staunch supporters of Turkish
secularism, expressed on the streets in the
form of pro-secular slogans and oaths to
defend secular order until death.
The worse case of polarization, however,
was witnessed on July 2, in the city of
Sivas. A speech on religion by author and
journalist Aziz Nesin sparked off furor
among thousands of religious men, and a
crowd marched through the cityafter which
they set aflame a hotel. which hosted Al~wi
actIvists and poets. Thirty-five people dIed
that day in SIvas, raising new differences
and enmity between the country's Alawi
and Sunni population.
Still, officials managed to diffuse most of
the crisis, and although there is still fear that
the Turkish-Kurdish and Sunni-Alawi polarization
could grow, Turkeyentered 1994
more confident about this issue.
Politics
On the political scene, there were t~ee
major incidents related to 'security
issues in 1993. The first was the decIsion
of the new Tansu Çiller-led government
to create a specialtask force to coun~er
the terrorists. This was ~ubbed "spe~I~1
army" by the Turkish publIc, although It IS
to be only a 10,000 strong forc~ of ,voluntary
men and wome~ who will lI~e It~e the
terrorists and fight lIke the terronsts IDthe
Southeast. In Çlller' s words, these can be
resembled to "bugs which eat bugs."
The second development was a Cabi~~t
decision made under l'ressure from the m.llttary
on Dec. 20 to freeze all Army diScharges
for periods ranging from thr.ee to
five months. Turkeyentered 1994 .I~ an
attempt to increase the length of mIlitary
service and the decision is expected to be
announ~ed shortly. The third security-related
incident on the political scene was ~he
developments related to the pro-KurdIsh
Democracy Party (DEP).
These three are expected to shed light on
what happens in the security scene ID the
future.
In 1993. the DEP faced great p.r0~leI!1s
but brought on new ones through ItS IDSIStent
refusal to condemn the ki1l1n17of children
and innocent civilians in the ~outheast.
National reaction is strong, and polls show
that a majority of the Turks holâ the pEP
partially responsible for what is happemng.
The DEP enters the new year now u~der a
new and radical leadership. DEP Chalnnan
and Deputy Hatip Dicle is said to have close
links with PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.
and even those within the party who do not
agree with PKK policies will be under its
shadow.
At the end of 1993, the Constitutional
Court launched a case to close the DEP, and
if this happens, the parliamentary status of
its 17 deputies will automatically end. This
will start a process of trials in which all of
the deputies are expe,cted to face prosecutors'
demands for death sentences.
One view is that the DEI> should be
closed down and that this will end the crisis
in Parliament. Another view is that if the
DEP is closed down, this will only strengthen
the PKK, which has been arguing for
some time that Turkey does not tolera~e
legal activities and that the only outlet IS
anned struggle. In 1993, one DEP deputy
was killed by gunmen in Batman. SInce
1991, however, aboU'l50 activists associated
with the DEP have been assassinated.
Concern is thus growing that with the
developments as they are, violence will be
boosted to higher levels this year.
Conclusion
At the end of 1993, Turkeyentered the
new year with only one major security
issue on its agenda: the PKK. The
Dev-Sol had been partially tackled with.
The Hezbollah was an element which could
easily be controlled. And, the Turkish
Revolutionary Workers-Peasants Army
(TIKKO) was under attack by the separatists
in its headquarters of Tunceli.
The name of the problem was thus the
PKK. Ankara entered 1994 refusing to recognize
that a Kurdish problem existed and
stIll insisting that the problem was of terrorist
origin only. The only solution to terrorism
was thus the use of state forces. The
PKK, meanwhile, entered 1994 as a totally
different organization than it was a year
ago.
It now (aces an international isolation and
has had its own internal problems. There
have been tpp-Ievel divisions in the move.
ment, and Ocalan' s sole control is' said to
have been replaced now by a functioning
Central Committee. Although he still passes
the final decisions, he no longer makes
every decision on his own.
It is seen, however, that despite the blows
it received in 1993. the PKK is opting to
enter the new year as a stronger orgamzation
- still counting on pohcy mIstakes
which help in 'the recruItment for this
Marxist movement.
The new targets are based on more violence
and to boost the number of fighters by
at least threefold. In the coming months, the
main target of the movement is to create -
even if on a temporary basis - liberated
zones in the Southeast and attempt local
uprisings.
Whichever way it goes, 1994 is to be the
most crucial year for the PKK - mainly
because it will be a year of increased violence.
It will also be a crucial year for Ankara
which will have to do whatever it can to
'avoid a Turkish-Kurdish or Sunni-Alawi
contlict.
Turkish security forces kiIl37 PKK militants
Turkish Daily News
A Turkish battalion commander and
ANKARA- Turkish forces have killed
37 more separatist Kurdish militants Wednesday. Anatolian news agency sa-
a soldier were killed there in clashes on
in battles in the mountains of southeast id on Thursday helicopter gunships had
Turkey, security officials reported on destroyed !Wo hill-top PKK headquarters
during the Bingoi fighting. T~ps
Thursday. The State of Emergency regional
governor's ~ffice in DIYarl?ak1r also captured and destroyed tramIng
said troops had killed 18 Kurdistan centres, shelters and stores of.f~ and
Workers Party (PKK) terrorists since ammunition used by the terronsts, It said.
A statement from the governor's Monday in Bingöl province.
of-
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tice said troops killed 19 more PKK
militants on Wednesday on the snowmantled
slo~s of Kato mountain, in the
eastern province of Hakkari where 18
terrorists were killed in clashes earlier
in the week. More than Il,000 peop.le
have been killed in Turkey sinCè (he
PKK launched its violent campaigll for
self.rule in 1984. At least 84 sofdiers,
civilians and terrorists have died this
week.