9
May 2001 1. "FM Cem explains Turkey's views
about EU's Future in unofficial meeting of EU Foreign Ministers",
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem explained Turkey's views about the future
of the European Union (EU) in the unofficial meeting of the EU countries'
foreign ministers held in Sweden between 5-6 May.
2. "Iraqi Kurdish faction vows to sustain struggle against PKK", the head of a leading Kurdish faction in northern Iraq pledged here Tuesday that his militia would continue fighting rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) who have retreated from Turkey. 3. "British Kurds protest at anti-terrorist law", more than 1,000 people, most of them Kurdish, gathered outside a government building in London on Tuesday to protest at new legislation designed to clamp down on foreign "terrorist" groups, police said. 4. "The ECHR process is the case of the Kurdish people", aA statement released by the PKK Council of Leaders stressed that the "Case of the Century" which will be heard in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is the case of the Kurdish people. 5. "Aegean dispute gnaws at Greek-Turkish
Ties", the dispute over the Aegean Sea continues to gnaw
at efforts to develop military relations between Greece and Turkey.
6. "Iraqi, Turkish trade to be raised", the Iraqi minister of trade Muhammad Mahdi Saleh said on Monday that Iraq and Turkey are seeking to raise the volume of their trade relations to reach the level it has already reached before imposing the embargo on Iraq in 1990. 1. - Anadolu Agency - "FM Cem explains Turkey's
views about EU's Future in unofficial meeting of EU Foreign Ministers": 2. - AFP - "Iraqi Kurdish faction vows to sustain
struggle against PKK": 3. - AFP - "British Kurds protest at anti-terrorist
law": 4. - Kurdish Observer - "The ECHR process is the case of the Kurdish people": A statement released by the PKK Council of Leaders stressed
that the "Case of the Century" which will be heard in the
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is the case of the Kurdish people.
The statement added, "Therefore, let's develop the demonstrations
to be held on May 8 in England and on May 12 in Germany as the first
steps of the new drive." The statement recalled that the case of PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan would soon be heard in the European Court of Human Rights and warned that the international powers in question, EU countries foremost of all, needed to leave their current policies to one side and take on a more problem-solving approach. The statement said that the case in the ECHR through the person of Abdullah Ocalan was the case of the Kurdish people, and continued to say the following: "Comrade Abdullah Ocalan, the general chairman of our party, is the indisputable national leader of the Kurdish people. A stance against his person, his case, will be a stance against our people. The results born of the Lausanne Treaty signed between the European countries under the lead of the Republic of Turkey and England must be the subject of this court. The international conspiracy, which has the characteristic of the latest implementation of the Lausanne Treaty's policies of denial and annihilation imposed against the Kurdish people, must be taken up in its historical development and be enlightened. And while uncovering the results created by the policies of national denial and annihilation, decisions must be reached to end the great injustices which still continue against the Kurdish people. The ECHR process must be a process in which the international powers and the states with sovereignty over Kurdistan undergo deep-rooted changes in their policies related to the Kurdish question and accept the Kurdish identity and a solution to the problem. Along this line, the prohibitions preventing Kurds from engaging in free politics must be lifted and the freedom of President APO, along with national freedoms, must be recognized." Second Peace Drive... The statement said that, "From now on, our entire struggle must be for a solution," and continued to state the following: "For this reason, the ECHR process must be turned into a process of intensified and broadened serhildans (popular uprisings). We are beginning the Second Peace Drive for this reason. Let's develop the demonstrations to be held on May 8 in England and on May 12 in Germany as the first steps of the new drive. Our people in all the parts of Kurdistan and living outside the country must used their right to democratic action throughout the three months ahead of us in activities such demonstrations, marches, meetings, boycotts, closing down shutters, leaving work, etc." The statement stressed that the policies of denial, which had been largely overcome de facto, must be overcome in the official policies with the struggle of the Kurdish people, adding: "The ECHR process created the opportunity for this. Serhildan activities with the mottos 'Freedom to President APO and the Kurdish nation" and "Let's share President APO's life, let's lift the prohibitions on the PKK and the Kurds" must be strengthened." Mass identity statement campaign The statement also called on all individuals of the Kurdish people, especially those living in Europe, to participate in activities stating their identity as PKK members and as part of the Kurdistan National Liberation Struggle and in the campaign to have the bans voided. The statement continued as follows: "The Second Peace Drive, in the mass identity statement center, will be the New Peace Drive of our people. The statement of identity will begin in the first stage in Europe without delay; the second stage will be developed in Turkey and North [Turkish] Kurdistan. We are calling on you to take action on this basis with all your resources. All patriots, from seven to seventy, must risk trial, just as our Leadership is being tried for freedom, and take part in this campaign." 5. - Middle East Newsline - "Aegean dispute gnaws at Greek-Turkish Ties": ATHENS 6. - Arabic News -"Iraqi, Turkish trade to be
raised": He added that the exhibition aims at expanding bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the economic and commercial areas, noting that this will have reflections on other areas. Worthy mentioning that Turkey, Iraq's northern neighbor, is one of the countries most hurt from the economic sanctions imposed on the UN security Council on Iraq, as figures indicate that the Turkish losses because of the recession in its trade with Iraq exceeded $ 35 billion during the past ten years. |