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

REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKAÇAPÊ-RMSTA
STAMPA-DENTRO DE lA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZETi
Division in DEP gains momentum
following Dicle crisis and bombing
Democracy Party deputies gear up against radical chairman
Interior Minister Nahit Ment~e brands Hatip Diele as traitor
By Ismet G, Imset
Turki.çhDaily News
ANKARA- Friday night's bombing
of Turkey's pro-Kurdish Democracy
Party (DEP) headquarters in Ankara least 20 armed attacks on civilian tarand
recent statements to the press by ~ets in the city of Istanbul alone,
ils radical Clairman have had a bomb- mcluding the placement of a bomb in a
shell effect in dividing this political trash can at a city train station during
body into t\lOmajor factions.
morning rush hour.
The resi,nations of several DEP Dicle told the country last week that
deputies \Wuld have been imminent the train station was a legitimate target
this week lad the bomb blast not fur- for the PKK. He claimed that the'
ther strenghened DEP Chairman Hatip explosion, which claimed the lives of five military cadets
Dicle's hOIIon the party, a senior DEP and wounded 26 people, was "normal" and said the staparliameJ1llriansaid
on Sunday. tion was "a military targe!."
Askingnot to be identified, another He even argued that since the DEP did not condemn
DEP deputy with influence in the Turkey's killing of PKK mountain units fighting in the
Southealt region accused Dicle of Southeast, such activities by the PKK should not be con-
"betrayi~ the Kurdish people and fan- demned either. As if speakmg on behalf of the organizaning
enmty between the Turks and the tion, Dicle claimed that the PKK "does not want to shed
Kurds." )ne person was killed and Il more blood" and wanted peace.
others vere wounded when an explo- He bluntly "congratulated" Turkey's 300,000 draft
sive, alParently placed in the elevator dodgers in a speech he made in Adana and admitted thai
of theDEP buIlding in downtown he had personal contacts and talks with PKK leader
Ankan, was detonated on Friday Abdullah Öcalan. Following these remarks, Dicle, in a
evening. The attack was a suspected second outburst in front of television cameras, declared
retaliatIOn against recent urban bomb~ that the PKK was an "armed political party."
ings by the outlawed Kurdistan Coming at a time of increased terrorist activities by the
Workers' Party (PKK) in which a num- PKK, launched in the form of serial attacks since the
ber of people, including militaryexplosions on four passenger buses in January, Dicle\
cadets, have been killed. Party sources remarks only fanned popular opinion against the DEP.
said the DEP blast occurred only min- "These two incidents," said DEP Mardin Deput\
utes after Dicle and party executives Ahmet Türk, referring to Dic1e's public outbursts, "werr
had ended a meeting at the party and very unfortunate. They have damaged the party even
left. At about the same time, another more." .
meeting was being held to topple Two other DEP deputies, Orhan Dogan and Sim Saklk.
turkish daily new
Monday
February 21, 1994
candidates ahead of the nationwide municipal elections to
be held on March 27.
"For months I have been asking for greater protection"
Dicle said. "The government is responsible for not pr~viding
that." He said the building had been left unguarded
in the days before the attack.
Dicle also said that the recent explosion, the fifth such
attack on DEP buildings in Ankara over the past month
. should prompt the European Parliament to renew ~
request to send el~ction observers to southeast Turkey.
Turkey's ParlIament Speaker Hüsamettin Cindoruk
wrote to the European Parliament last week to say its
r~quest was disappointing, unacceptable and displayed a
bIas for the Southeast - dividing Turkey into regions.
The DEP has been subject to constant attacks over the
past months and faces elosure pending the verdict of
Turkey's Constitutional Court. The Parliament is currently
debating the lifting of parliamentary immunity for several
DEP deputies so that they can be put on trial for
"separatist activities." One DEP deputy, Mehmet Sincar,
was fatally shot last year and another was nearly killed in
a bomb explosion.
At least 10 politicians and activists related to the DEP
have been killed in the past year.
. But Dicle's recent statements are expected to boost
attacks on the party even more in the near future.
O~ Satu,rd.ay,in re~ponse to a verbal attack by Diele,
Intenor Mmlster Nahlt Mente~e branded the DEP chairman
as a traitor and said he would not respond to traitors.
President Süleyman Demirel, who condemned the
attack on the DEP, also noted that "those who support the
shedding of blood will drown in blood." The remark was
a clear warning to Dicle. Demirel said "no one should say
the killing of five youths is normal ... These people are
t~e children of !his count.ry. Whoever supports the sheddmg
of blood wIll drown III that blood. The bleeding must
stop. There should not be bloodshed."
Dicle.
were equally disturbed over the Dicle crisis. "We are li\-
According to a leading DEP source. ing through crucial days," Dogan told the Turkish Dail~
following Dicle' s controversial and News in a telephone interview on Sunday. "Davs in
highly radical remarks related to which we have to avoid tension and work on achieving
Kurdish terrorism last week, a group of unity among the people."
party activists including former sup- Salak noted that there were "circles on both sides who -~"--7'".-.,-:-~------------
porters of the chairman had come wanted to increase tensions." He commented that these 1~l.u.. m.'.... I•..eJf.'o...VlS' l'tS Anka."..n
together to plot the overthrow of their circles were actually strengthening each other. L.Cl . , Ii•• , U
leader. Meanwhile, the DEP's moderate flank suspects that
The goal was to force the party to Friday's bombing may not only have occurred as a reac- .. . TurkishDaily News
hold an emergency convention and tion against the party. There is talk now that, at a time ANKARA- Secretary-General of the Council of
produce a more mo.derate candidate when moderates were gathering to act against the radi- Europe Cat!terine Lalurniere arrived in Ankara yesterwho
could replace DICle,party sources~ cals, the bombing may have been conceived of liSa way day, Anatoha news. a,gencyre{lOrted.
.d to strengthen the arguments of the radical flank. Some ~nher tw~ day VISIt,Lalumlere will meet with Foreign
SaIAithough Dicle has been known as DEP activists suspect that Turkish and Kurdish radicals Mlll!ster Hikmet Cetin, Motherland Party (ANAP)
the most controversial and radical are actually strengthening each other through .such activi- Çhamnan ~es.ut Ytlmaz, representatives of Human
politician within DEP, his radicalism ties, in an attempt to bn~g the country to the brink of nghts 0Sïaruz~hons and acting.Parliament .Speake.ryefa
exceeded its own limits last week when chaos and, it is hoped by them, another military coup. Tamr,. '. e W.Illals~ be re~elved by Pr.lme Mmlster
he strongly defendedactivi\ies of the "We were more or ress expecting such an attack. It is part Tan su . ÇJller and PreSidentSuleyman ~errutel. .
PKK on television and to' newspaper of a planned, systematic campaign," Dicle told reporters . It IS ~xpected tpat the local elect!ons, partlc.ularly
reporters. outside the eight-story building over the weekend. t~ose t~n~ p!ace ID the ~outhe~st, will ~e a sU~Jectof
lIis statement came after the PKK He argued that an official campaign of harassment and diSCUSSionunng her meetIngs WithTurkish offiCiais.
openly claimed responsibility for at intimidation was underway targeting DEP officials and -----------------
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