WHAT COUNTRY IS THIS?

"The Turks were very supportive, but wanted a three-part division of Iraq to include their own occupation of the Kurdish region."
~ Sibel Edmonds.

Does anyone recognize this country:



I didn't think so. That's the map that was included in an educational CD in the Istanbul province as part of the Istanbul Parent Education Project. The CD, with a booklet, has been distributed to schools in Istanbul.

More at Hürriyet:

The aim is to educate parents on various issues, ranging from first aid to how to deal with children, prior to the start of the school term.

"Various issues" obviously also includes the occupation of South Kurdistan.

Do you think they sent courtesy copies to Barzani, Talabani and al-Maliki? Or maybe that part in the VERY Southeast of Turkey is just TSK's new buffer zone.

THE KURDISH SUMMIT

I would like to introduce a guest blogger who will be posting from time to time on Rastî. Rastî readers are already acquainted with him from Rastbêj. His first contribution to Rastî on this Newroz Day is extremely important and regards the upcoming Kurdish Summit, which is due to be held in South Kurdistan in April or May--no firm date is set yet--and will be an attempt to affect the struggle for Kurdish freedom in the North.

Some may recall that a few weeks ago, Abdullah Gül went to Iran. Before he went, he made a statement to the media that there would be "very good news" in a short time regarding the "Kurdish Question". But, as with everything else in Turkey, things are not what they appear. Mîr explains why:


THE KURDISH SUMMIT


Recently several news items have appeared in both Turkish and international media about a Kurdish summit to be held in Southern Kurdistan and including all the Kurdish parties from Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. It is underscored that the main issue that will be discussed at this summit is going to be the future common policies of the Kurds which will be implemented due to the changes in the world. Surprisingly, Turkey, which cannot tolerate even a dozen Kurds coming together on the streets to discuss the Kurdish Question or tolerate any kind of protest, is supporting the idea of the summit. In addition to Turkey, the U.S and the EU supports this summit also. With this in mind, it would be too optimistic to think that the call made by the Southern leaders for a summit among all the Kurdish parties will be without a secret agenda. When we take a close look, the call for this summit consists of several traps that will cause the disunity, rather than the unity, of the Kurds.

The idea for the summit was brought by KRG leader Mesut Barzani and will be supervised by him or by someone who he approves. Several parties will join this summit. “The Kurdish political parties’ representatives from Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria will attend this conference. For example, not only DTP but also Sertac Bucak’s HAKPAR and Serafettin Elci’s KADEP will also attend from Turkey. In addition, former Kurdish parliamentarians will be invited to this summit… We think to invite the PKK. They are going to decide by whom they will be represented.” says the KRG’s Turkey envoy Omar Merani.

One may wonder why this idea was voiced now and why voiced by Barzani. There are at least two explanations to these questions, international factors and Turkish domestic politics.

One of the most important decisions the Obama administration had was the removal of U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2010. To this date, the Southern leaders have always relied on American existence and support in the region. With the absence of the U.S military presence and its lack of political support, the Kurdish leaders in South Kurdistan know very well that they will be too weak in Iraq’s decision making process and too weak to maintain their private interests. Thus, the Southern leaders are heavily dependent on American support in order to keep their positions.

These last two years proved that Barzani and Talabani are very willing to compromise or sacrifice the general will of all the Kurds for the sake of their private interests and positions. For example, the Kerkuk referendum, which supposed to be held in November 2007, was deferred to December 2007; then, again, it was delayed six months later and should have been held in June 2008. Although this time has already passed, still no referendum has been held, nor have the Southern leaders mentioned any single word about it or pushed for its implementation. The fate of Kerkuk is not only deferred to an unknown date but, yet worse, it is not certain if the referendum will be held at all in the future. Thus, it would be a ridiculous idea to assume that the Southern leaders, who called for the summit, will not impose the will of the powers they rely on.

The U.S. is hoping to use Turkey as the route through which to pull out its troops from Iraq; it needs the consent of Turkey’s ruling party for the use of this route. Previously the U.S. had issues with Turkey when Turkey rejected the American demand for deployment of their troops at the onset of the Iraq War. This time, however, both parties are more sensitive and open to bargaining.

The opportunist Turkish state soon will hold the local elections on March 29, 2009, and these elections have vital importance for the ruling party. The current ruling party, the AKP, had received a remarkable turnout in Kurdish cities from the Kurdish voters in the general election held on July 22, 2007. A major cause for this turnout was the impression the AKP gave that it would solve the Kurdish Question by empty promises.

This success made the AKP to claim that they are not only the true representative of Turks but also of Kurds. This turnout gave it a big card to use against the military, which was the only group that de facto had a say in the Kurdish Question. For years and years, however, their policy left the Kurdish Question unsolvable; thus, the military has maintained its predominant position in Turkish politics to date.

On 5 May, 2007, the AKP chairman, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, called for a secret meeting with the then Chief of the Turkish General Staff Yasar Buyukanit in Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul. Contrary to his previous harsh denunciation against the AKP, Buyukanit suddenly ended his criticism of the AKP; furthermore, he started to support its policies after this meeting. Apparently, Erdogan and Buyukanit arrived at a deal. The policies implemented in the following days revealed the nature of their deal: the AKP would provide all the needs of the military, accept the predominance of the military, and close its eyes to their unlawful activities, including the massacre against the Kurds. In return, the military would keep quiet and allow the AKP to make some changes in the constitution for their hidden agenda, such as laws regarding headscarf, the appointment of pro-AKP governors to the Kurdish regions as well as to key positions in the government.

The AKP’s record is not good in terms of keeping its promises, which its leader made during the campaign. For this reason, in the coming local elections the AKP is trying to get at least the same voter turnout in Kurdish cities by pouring out tons of money, giving away free refrigerators, washing machines, and similar large appliances to the people in cities where it thinks the pro-Kurdish party, DTP is strong.

Erdogan knows very well that if the AKP loses against the pro-Kurdish party in Kurdish cities, their claim of being the representative of the Kurds will have no ground and this, the only link that enabled it to have a coalition with the Turkish military, will collapse. This means in every step the AKP takes, they will face military opposition against their policies afterwards. Given the fact that the AKP has already seriously angered the generals by blackmailing several of them or arresting them for being members of a pro-coup group called Ergenekon, the generals have been waiting for an available time to take their revenge against the AKP. For this reason, the success of the AKP in local elections in Kurdish cities has vital importance in its relationship with the military.

To sum up, on the one hand, the AKP fears the collapse of the coalition with the military; that is why it is giving tons of money to buy Kurdish votes. On the other hand, it uses Turkey’s territory as a bargaining chip against the U.S. in the process of the removal of its troops from Iraq. In addition to the AKP’s covert official relationship with the Southern leaders, it asks the U.S. to pressure the Southern leaders to take steps in ways that favor Turkey in the Kurdish Question. That is why the call for the summit comes from the Southern leaders. That is why Turkey and the US support this idea.

Now let’s come to the link between the Turkish local elections and the Kurdish summit. In different interviews, both Barzani and Talabani wanted the northern Kurds to vote for the AKP. Now wait a minute! The AKP is the party which cooperated with the military and let them bomb not only the Kurdish cities in Turkey, but also the villages of Southern Kurdistan. It is the party that passed the law for cross-border operations against the PKK in Southern Kurdistan. Isn’t Erdogan the one who ordered the murder of all Kurds during the Amed Serhildan by saying, “The police forces will shoot everyone, no matter children or women!” Regarding the Semdinli incident, wasn’t he the one who previously said “We will investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice, no matter where and with whom it ends.” but he later took no steps? Worse yet, wasn’t he the one who ordered the Interior Ministry to ban the state prosecutor, Ferhat Sarikaya from the practice of law? This would be the same Ferhat Sarikaya, who wrote the Semdinli indictment that mentioned Chief of General Staff Buyukanit as accountable for the incident. Then how come the Southern leaders, who claim to be Kurds, are asking the Kurds in Turkey to vote for their enemy? What kind of leader would allow a foreign country to come and bomb their territory? Let me remind to the ones who are wont to forget that in a conflict with Barzani, wasn’t Talabani the one who left his wife in Iraq in the hands of his then enemy and escaped to Iran? Wasn’t Barzani the one who kidnapped Talabani’s wife?

Now, let’s wait a minute and think about the call of these leaders for a summit to determine the national policies of all Kurds in all four parts of Kurdistan. Imagine two leaders, one who sacrifices his wife for the sake of his political position and the other who kidnaps a woman in order to deter his rival. Imagine two leaders who ask their people to vote for their enemies. What kind of leaders are these? To me, they seem like mafia leaders rather than political leaders. Now these two so-called leaders will hold a summit among all the Kurdish parties in Kurdistan and discuss the policies that should be implemented for future? Who will believe in them and their proposals? How sincere are their intentions? Can Barzani tell us what kind of plans or policies he has for Southern Kurdistan for the next six months? Indeed does he have any plan? How does he think to cope with the poverty of the Kurds in the South? What kind of investment and development plans does he have? Let me tell you the answer: NONE. A normal leader serves his people but both Barzani and Talabani see that their people serve them. They live in palaces and in luxury; where as the average Kurds makes their living through the aid provided by United Nations. So the leaders who do not have any single plan to enhance the living standards of their own people within their borders are claiming that they can find permanent solutions for the Kurdish Question which exists at least in four parts of Kurdistan. How credible are they?

In fact, although the summit was brought up as a platform to discuss national policies of the all Kurds, the true aim is to marginalize or disarm the PKK. Several KRG officials referred the summit as “the summit of disarming the PKK”. Let’s be clear here! Of course, as a Kurd, for a long time I wanted the armed clashes between the PKK and the Turkish military come to an end; however, the disarmament of the PKK must be simultaneously implemented by a general amnesty for all PKK members; a brand new constitution must be written and based on true democratic criteria; the political and cultural rights of the Kurdish people must be explicitly stated in this new Turkish constitution; and, finally, regional political administrations must be empowered and the right to elect governors must be granted. These are the basic principles of a normal democratic state.

Another clarification: On different occasions I have stressed the necessity of an international congress among all the Kurds from all parts of the Kurdistan. Such a congress, however, requires all attending parties to possess only one aim: the general will of the entire Kurdish people. The summit that the Southern leaders call, however, lacks the sincerity in that sense. As I mentioned above, a leader who champions his enemy will not suggest permanent solutions that are good for Kurds because they will bring the demands of the powers they are dependent on, be it Turkey or the U.S., to stay in power and seek their private interests.

Recently a couple of incidents occurred in a sequence that gives clues about the summit. Let’s briefly go through them.

This week, Talabani attended a conference in Ankara. As an answer to a journalist’s question regarding the coming summit, he explicitly said that they will call the PKK for disarmament and if it does not obey this call, they, the PKK, will be isolated. In other words, he is repeating the Turkish state’s rhetoric: “You will either obey my rules or else!”

Last week Turkish president Abdullah Gul, prior to his flight to Iran, said that soon there will be good news about Kurdish Question.

Again, last week Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said that there will be partial constitutional changes and he juxtaposed some of them, none of which were a remedy to the Kurdish demands.

Two weeks ago the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton made a visit to Turkey. After stressing that the PKK is the mutual enemy of Turkey and the U.S.---a position identical to the position of the Bush administration--she repeated a solution based on the cooperation of Turkey with southern leaders to annihilate the PKK.

By these statements, in the last four weeks alone, we see the cooperation of the powers who do not want the PKK’s presence in the region. Apparently, the Turkish state, the Southern leaders, and the U.S. have agreed on a plan to disarm the PKK on their terms. They are dictating this plan to the desperate Southern leaders to pressure the PKK through the summit.

The imposition of the plan through the Southern leaders is very important. Rather than seeking a permanent solution for the Kurdish Question, the incidents that have occurred in these last four weeks indicate that the Southern leaders will impose the framework approved by the Turkish state and the U.S.

After the summit, the Turkish state will take some show-offish steps, like they did by opening a Kurdish TV channel earlier. This will be the “good news” that Abdullah Gul has spoken of. Turkey will carefully ignore and avoid the permanent solutions offered by any Kurdish party, including the PKK, and will tell the whole world that Turkey is taking steps toward solving the Kurdish Question by undertaking the demands voiced by all the Kurds in the Kurdish summit but that the PKK is still conducting its “terrorist” activities. In that sense, Turkey sees the Southern leaders as a tool to isolate or marginalize the PKK and disguise its legitimacy. To put it simply, it is the same old “good Kurd, bad Kurd” policy. The only change, though, is that yesterday’s “bad boys”, Talabani and Barzani, are convinced that they are the “good boys” of Turkey and the U.S.

The disarmament of the PKK is Turkey’s internal problem. If Turkey were sincere about solving this problem, there are Kurdish representatives in its parliament who can voice their peoples’ demands and share their solution plans with the Turkish government. In fact, the DTP presented their solutions to the Turkish parliament and was treated as terrorists for the solutions they voiced. The Turkish state is not sincere in solving the Kurdish Question. Seeking a so called solution through the Southern leaders is Turkey’s way of closing its eyes to the demands of the Kurds within its border. It still tries to deceive its Kurdish citizens through false solutions, such as the opening of a state-run Kurdish TV. Yet it continues with an investigation of the DTP parliamentary leader for speaking Kurdish in the parliament. Through these means, the Turkish state is only worsening the problem.

Southern leaders, you can turn this summit into a very fruitful platform for all Kurds by bringing unbiased suggestions, without hidden agendas, and by acquiring a little courage. You can call Turkey to take concrete, permanent, and sincere steps toward a solution to the Kurdish Question. You can juxtapose the PKK’s unilateral cease-fires, mention its leader’s statements for a democratic solution and how sincere and ready he is for a permanent solution. Finally you must tell Turkish officials that they should contact and negotiate with DTP representatives for solving the Kurdish Question, because they are the ones who the Kurds in the North voted for, not Barzani or Talabani.

INTERVIEW WITH PKK AT TARAF

"Realistically speaking, Turkey's only alternative is to resolve the issue through political dialogue. There has never been any political dialogue in order to bring about a solution to the Kurdish issue, and this is the sole reason why the problems Turkey faces today are weightier than ever."
~ Abdullah Öcalan, 1999.

Taraf has an interview with a committee member from PKK's Foreign Relations Committee, Ahmet Deniz. From Taraf:

"Without PKK there will be no permanent solution"


PKK Foreign Relations Committee member Ahmet Deniz, who evaluated the recent issues related to the Kurdish question for Taraf, stated that there will be no possibility for a permanent peace without PKK and he said the unilateral ceasefire is still de facto in effect.

PKK Foreign Relations Committee member Ahmet Deniz evaluated the issues about disarming PKK and a solution for the Kurdish question for Taraf. Deniz said that for a permanent solution to the Kurdish question, PKK must be recognized as the party to engage in talks. Mentioning that the unilateral ceasefire is still in effect, Deniz said, "We want a happy, honorable peace."

A ceasefire contribution to a solution without PKK

Ahmet Deniz noted that they [PKK] are watching very carefully improvements that are without PKK's involvement, and that neither the KRG nor Turkey had contacted them officially yet; however, they keep in touch with some close friends in the KRG on various subjects for an exchange of ideas.

Deniz said they are watching closely the conference that may be held by various Kurdish groups; however he believes the conference will not contribute to a solution if PKK does not attend.

Deniz mentioned that in order to contribute to a peace process, PKK continues its unilateral ceasefire that was declared on the last kurban (Kurban Bayramı) and that it did not change its defense position.

Laying down arms is easy

Remarking on the meaninglessness of a demand for PKK to lay down arms without taking any step, Deniz said, "If it gets to that point, laying down arms is a pretty easy job." Underscoring the necessity of an honorable peace for themselves, Deniz said, "In this perspective, Mr. Talabanî's words are very important. We want to see the sincerity of steps taken and want to believe that there is no trick in them. As a goodwill gesture, we continue to maintain the unilateral ceasefire that we have declared to the public. Despite this, the process is moving very slowly."

We are not imposing

For the solution of the problem Deniz said they are avoiding an imposition, however the state must not be indifferent. "At this point, Abdullah Öcalan's attitude is clear. We are followers of this attitude. Let the state take one step toward us and we are ready to take two. The state must not ignore us, its citizens. While there is such a straight and easy way it is not good for the state to go to others for a solution. We say that we are going to evaluate any demand anyway.. Why don't they listen to us?"

An honorable peace

Noting that the Kurdish people want an honorable peace, Ahmet Deniz said, "We want a happy and honorable peace. It is very important for us not to damage our honor. Everyone must learn a lesson from previous mistakes. While getting so close to a solution, while catching such a good chance, Deniz mentions the necessity of taking advantage of this. "We only want the coming suggestions to be just, realistic and genuine," said Deniz. Stressing that they are realize the problem cannot be solved with methods involving violence, Deniz said weapons must be mutually silenced.

Ahmet Deniz stated that in the coming days, one of the PKK leaders, Murat Karayilan, will have a comprehensive explanation regarding recent improvements.

TESEV report is positive

PKK Foreign Relations Committee member Ahmet Deniz said they believe the report that was prepared by TESEV, titled, "A Roadmap for the Solution of the Kurdish Question: Suggestions from the Region to the Government," will contribute to the solution of the Kurdish question. He said, "We support such studies; we consider the report that voiced the people's demands as a goodwill gesture and want the state to hear this study." Emphasizing that, on this issue, NGO's and elites have very important roles, Deniz said, "Reports like TESEV's last report may affect seriously the way leading to a solution to the problem."

Barzanî: Kurds will not shed Kurds' blood

Mentioning Turkey's attitude change toward KRG, Mesûd Barzanî said, "With the exception of war, we are ready to support all kinds of peaceful solutions." Barzanî said they will not allow the shedding of the blood of Kurds by Kurdish hands. Barzanî, after a meeting with his advisors, said, "Turkey changed its attitude toward the Kurdish government and Kurdish region. Turkey and Kurds moving close is on the agenda. I hope the relationship improves in a way that favors mutual benefit for the two parties." Referring to a conference that will be held by the Kurdish parties in Northern Iraq, Barzanî said they will endeavor to have a common policy after this conference. Citing the necessity of defending constitutional gains, Barzanî said, "We want a democratic, federal Iraq."

Well . . . I wonder how long it will be before the paşas and lapdog Turkish parties are on Taraf's case for this? I mean, it's not every Turkish daily that will publish something like this and there's no Turkish daily that will get away with it for long.

By the way, I had mentioned in an earlier post that Taraf was having problems generating the revenue needed to conduct their daily operations because of a lack of businesses willing to advertise in the paper. At the time, someone had commented if there were a way to help Taraf "stay open and running", although I did not see the comment until much later.

As a reply, I would say that if anyone wants to help Taraf, send one of their writers an email and ask them what they need. If you can only communicate in English, I suggest an email to Yasemin Çongar.

HELICOPTER DOWN

"Now the Turkish regime seems to be deaf to any proposals made by us for civilized and democratic solutions to the conflict between us.Indeed,the Turkish government is more resolved than ever to solve the Kurdish question by bloodshed."
~ Abdullah Öcalan.

PKK brings down a helicopter in the Hakkari region, from Fırat News:

A helicopter in the operation was downed.

Five Turkish troops, among whom was a brigade commander, were killed and 19 wounded due to a military helicopter downing in an operation in Hakkari's Kavaklı region.

According to the information received, a clash occured between TSK and HPG, after TSK began an operation in Hakkari's Kavaklı region.

One of the helicopters, which came from Hakkari Dağ and the Commando Brigade Command to intervene in the clash, was downed by the guerrillas. In the incident, five soldiers, among whom was a brigade commander, were killed and 19 wounded.

The Turkish general staff confirmed the incident and claimed that the helicopter was "cut down" due to "technical problems". The general staff had used the term "cut down" [kırıma uğradı] in the aerial attack against South Kurdistan's Zap region, where the TSK was defeated [in February 2008].

[Note: To avoid admitting that helicopters are brought down by HPG, the Turkish General Staff created the term "kırıma uğradı", loosely meaning "cut down". The term was first used in TSK statements during the February 2008 land invasion of South Kurdistan. In fact, there is no such word in Turkish; the General Staff just made it up.]

Meanwhile, several soldiers were mobilized to the area of the clash until late in the night.

In addition to using the phrase "kırıma uğradı", TSK now also uses the phrase "etkisiz hale getirmek", meaning to neutralize or de-activate, when making statements about alleged HPG casualties. The implication of the use of this phrase on the Turkish public is that HPG guerrillas have been killed by TSK. However, if guerrillas are killed, TSK will say "killled". Again, this is like the statements TSK made in February, in which they led the Turkish public to believe that "hundreds" of guerrillas had been killed, when using the phrase meaning "neutralized".

In other words, both "kırıma uğradı" and "etkisiz hale getirmek" are Turkish Newspeak, with no practical meaning vis-a-vis the Kurdish freedom movement.

In other news, a friend sent something in email, showing Devlet Bahçeli, the MHP leader, blowing gaskets in the TBMM because the Ankara regime is attempting to "dialog" with Mesûd Barzanî over the PKK, committing what in Bahçeli's poorly-functioning mind is a major foreign policy faux pas:

"The government fell into a new trap of Barzani, who wants the Turkish government to endorse his presence in northern Iraq," said Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), at a parliamentary group meeting of his party yesterday. "The plot is obvious now: The mastermind of terrorism is Barzani; its executive center is in the Kandil Mountains and the Justice and Development Party [AK Party] is courting it," the MHP leader said, accusing the ruling party of "being on the same page as the PKK and Barzani."

Okay. So Bahçeli is obviously barking mad and is using his insanity to make some political hay. The problem with "dialog" with the South Kurdistani leaders is that there are Kurdish parliamentarians in the TBMM, and they are the ones that the regime should be talking to in order to come to a solution to the Kurdish situation in Turkey. This is something I've said for some time. Now, it looks like I'm not the only one saying it. Fatih Çekirge at Hürriyet is coming around to the same conclusion under his "Third Writing" (Üçüncü Yazı):

We shut down DTP, and talk to Iraqi-KDP

Look at the scenery. We are expecting "goodwill" from Talabanî and Barzanî. We have talks. We give them ultimatums. Now there is preparation for diplomatic action.

There will be talks with Talabanî and Barzanî. A common strategy would be enhanced for a mutual struggle against the PKK.

What an odd thing . . .Imagine a country that:

Does not contact or speak to the elected parliamentarians [DTP] in its own parliament . . . Goodwill is bankrupt. They are not being spoken to, rather they are talking to Barzanî (Kak Mesut, not Mam Mesut), who is considered as one of "our three leaders".

Every time Barzanî points to "them" [DTP].

Barzanî says, "You do something at home, I will help out". Barzanî refers to the "unspoken-to parliamentarians" by saying "at home".

I mean DTP. The answer is:

"It can't be! At home we are shutting down DTP. Externally, we talk to Barzanî's Iraqi KDP.

What kind of contradiction is this? What kind of paradox is this?

Çekirge has additional commentary on "dialog" with the Southern Kurdish leadership at the top of the page:

They were also contacted.

Reality is sometimes revealed piece-by-piece, and each detail, like a Lego, completes and creates the "big picture".

I define such a "big picture" as "public reality."

This week, I am also adding some pieces to this "public reality".

Now, let me juxtapose, as headlines:

First, the question that Ertuğrul Özkök (of Hürriyet) asked:

Was there any offer taken to "terrorist" leader asking, "Let's solve this problem with you"? Does such bargaining exist?

Firstly, I know the following sentence from the source:

"As MİT, our duty is even to talk to snakes, if needed. We can contact anyone. Even with the enemy."

Now let's look at the events through this lens:

Barzanî told MİT chief Emre Taner, "You take a step. We will disarm them."

In December 2007, the MİT chief gave the following message at an Ankara summit meeting:

"Now there isn't any operation, if we don't do anything the operation will restart." (Indeed, today it already started).

The point we are at now:

MİT chief Emre Taner had contacted Talabanî and Barzanî.

Regarding PKK, the organization had a three-dimensional facet, Imralı [Öcalan]-Murat Karayılan (mountains)-Zübeyir Aydar (Europe). These contacts also occured.

Progress was conveyed to all the state's authoritative names. Of course, this was a study. A plan. We know that it was also conveyed to Abdullah Gül [this means all the government knew about such a contact, although now they deny it.]

The goal was to make the "terrorists" lay down their arms, diffusing the administrative group in the mountains. For this reason, there were contacts with both the "terrorist" leader and the ones in the mountains.

As a result, according to this plan, the weapons could be layed down in a "no-loser" solution. At least, the expectation was so.

However, the government did not take the initiative, did not give any negative or positive response. And especially the military (so then, the chief of the General Staff, Yaşar Büyükanıt, and the Land Forces Commander, General İlker Başbuğ) refused the plan, were not convinced. They kept a distance from this plan. Therefore, the plan to descend from the mountains was left in the middle.

What did PKK want?

In a meeting, Barzanî gave the following message:

"You, too, take some step . . . for instance, reduce the threshold for the elections to five percent, mention about cultural diversity in your constitution."

This also backfired. Thus, the job was left to weapons again.

On this point, I have to say this:

The study that was done definitely was not "bargain with Öcalan", I mean with "the terrorist". It was a strategic preparation to stop the bloodshed. For this reason, the "we can contact even with a snake" phrase is important, since it was done, and maybe it is still being done.

Therefore, the question that Ertuğrul Özkök asked must not be received and transformed into a case of "following the hounds".

Ironic, isn't it, that MİT seems willing to negotiate a solution--and that goes farther back at least to Şengal Atasagun's time--while the Fethullahcı and their boys, the paşas, leave all attempts at negotiation untouched on the table? I'd like to hear what Taner has to say about PKK's offer of a democratic resolution.

By the way, check out an article at the Christian Science Monitor about the recent woes of the TSK. It's the most complete summary in Western media that I've seen on the war news.

WAR NEWS ROUNDUP

"Kurds are fire, if approached correctly they get warm if approached wrongly they burn."
~ Leyla Zana.

Pop quiz, boys and girls: How do you spell "gewad"?

Istanbul, Turkey (KurdishMedia.com) 26 February 2008: Jalal Talabani, the head of PUK, stated that the PKK is a terrorist organsiation and they must evacuate their bases in Mount Qandil. Talabani was interviewed by the Turkish KANAL D at 19:00 local time on Tuesday.

[ . . . ]

Talabani, a Kurd, praised the Turkish parliament and government. He stated that he believes that there is a democratic elected parliament in Turkey. Talabani stated that Erdogan and Gül are elected politicians and they should be respected by the Kurds. He stated there are elected Kurds in the [ruling Islamic party] AKP

Talabani further declared that the PKK is a terrorist organization, as it is accepted by the international community. The PKK must be disarmed, Talabani added.

Talabani stated that he would visit Turkey in the near future because it was very important for him.

His interview angered northern Kurds. A Kurdish activist, Cengiz Apaydin, in Istanbul told KurdishMedia.com after the interview, “Talabani is a good Kurd for Turks. I am sure he has no links to the Kurdish people. A Kurd who praised by Turks is a bad Kurd.”

If you answered: M-A-M C-E-L-A-L, then you are 100% correct! Give yourselves gold stars and move to the head of the class!

Remember, "If we are for lunch, Talabani, you will be for dinner!" and more on the Bakûrî reaction in Amed (Diyarbakır).

It sounds like someone else wants to be just like Mam Celal when he grows up:

KurdishMedia.com: In a recent press meeting in the city of Erbil (Hewler) in Iraqi Kurdistan, the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) downplayed the recent attacks by the Turkish military in the Kurdistan federal region. The Kurdish PM, Mr. Nechirvan Barzani, answered questions from the press and commented on the recent invasion by the Turkish military in the northern most part of the Kurdistan federal region. Barzani made surprising comments that civilians had not been affected by the attacks when several different media reports indicate otherwise.

[ . . . ]

Barzani's comments came across very lightly as several news media reports and even footage of the region has clearly shown civilian areas to have been damaged by Turkish air assaults.

[ . . . ]

The Kurdish public remains curious about the intentions of the downplaying of such events. In the meantime, Turkish strikes on both rebel targets and the civilian population continue in the region.

Okay, maybe I'm being a little hard on Nêçîrvan; he wouldn't have anything to say if he weren't told to say it by Mesûd. But what does it matter since only 83 villages have been targeted since last Thursday. It's not like it was their personal bank accounts the Ankara regime was targeting.

If you want more on the lies of the regime that the Southern Kurdish leadership worships, take a look at something the hevals at KurdishInfo have translated for you. Just so you know, "asparagus news" means "bullshit news".

KurdishInfo also reports that some of the TSK's body count is a result of Turkish soldiers freezing to death and there's something about a TSK order of body bags. There's another mention of frozen Turkish soldiers at IraqUpdates along with a description of a recent battle:

Fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) waged a four-pronged attack on Turkish forces in the area of al-Zab, near the Iraqi-Turkish borders, a PKK official said on Tuesday.

"The Turkish side lost 21 soldiers and still the PKK fighters keep the bodies of five of them. Our fighters also seized their M-16 weapons," Ahmed Deniz, the PKK official in charge of foreign affairs, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

"The PKK has lost only one fighter, though," Deniz said.

Uh-oh, Mr. Erdoğan, it looks like PKK has some American-made weapons.

He said the PKK also thwarted a landing by Turkish paratroopers in the area of Jamjou, adding "our fighters withstood the landing and forced the Turks to withdraw.

"The fighting is still flaring up in the areas of Bazia and al-Zab but it ended in Irsh, where the Turkish troops pulled out," he said.

Roz Wallat, a commander of the PKK, said "the Turkish troops' position is very hard due to the ferocious resistance showed by our fighters."

Wallat, however, expected military escalations on the Turkish side, noting "they (the Turks) are preparing for fresh operations."

The PKK had admitted on Tuesday the killing of four of its fighters in clashes with Turkish forces in northern Iraqi, affirming that the Turkish offensive was repulsed and troops denied further advances.

"Fighting is still going on for the sixth day running in several areas, including the Avashin, al-Zab and Bazia, where we managed to repulse the Turkish attack and deny Turkish forces more advances," Wallat told VOI.

"The number of Turkish fatalities reached 80 while some others froze to death due to snowfall in the area," Wallat said.

The WaPo tells us that "[m]any Pentagon and State Department officials are upset with the Kurds for failing to take strong measures against the PKK despite repeated promises to crack down on the group." Oh, too funny! I mean, after all, it's Pentagon and State Department officials who've been taking bribes from the Turks all these years and selling American nuclear technology to the Turks. The Turks, in turn, sold the technology to Pakistan and at least attempted to sell it to Libya, according to Sibel Edmonds. Who knows who else they sold to? North Korea?

Hevallo has you covered for lots of ongoing news, like Leyla Zana speaking in Amed, Aliza Marcus speaking in the IHT, and a video report from Al-Jazeera. Make sure and look at the old MedTV footage he dug up and partnered with an article on the recent shootdown of a Cobra by HPG in the Zap region. Some may remember the helicopter shot down in 1997 was carrying some paşas--meaning that PKK got a lot of bang for its buck.

RojTV has footage of the Cobra shootdown, video follows. Thanks to a reader who left the link in comments:

One more video, also from a reader who likes to share--Thank you, anonymous--and this one's a bit more personal:

Serkeftin!

NO INVASION NECESSARY

"Contrary to the received wisdom, global markets are not unregulated. They are regulated to produce inequality."
~ Kevin Watkins

What happens when globalization comes to Kurdistan? Slavery. From the right-wing reactionaries at the NYTimes:

Thousands of foreign workers have come to the Kurdish districts in the last three years, a huge turnaround for a place that had hardly any before, making it one of the fastest-growing Middle Eastern destinations for the world’s impoverished. They come from Ethiopia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Somalia, supporting an economic boom here that is transforming Kurdish society.

But nearly all foreign workers interviewed over a two-week period here said they had been deceived by unscrupulous agents who arrange the journeys. Unable to communicate, some arrive not knowing what country they are in. Once here, their passports are seized by their employment agencies, and they are unable to go home.

[ . . . ]

Nisha Varia, an investigator with Human Rights Watch, said the combination of unscrupulous brokers in the workers’ home countries and labor practices in Kurdistan left the workers with few options.

“Each side denies that it knows what other is doing,” she said. “In reality, they are much more interconnected than that. They are doing business together, and that leads to these recruiting fees and debts, and puts the workers at risk of forced labor.”

I wonder why the NYTimes didn't contact the KRG's Ministry of Human Rights? Surely the ministry should be investigating this situation and the companies involved with this kind of abuse should be kicked out of the South. Additionally, employers in Kurdistan should be hiring Kurds but to do so, they must pay a just wage. After all, all the talk of the "economic boom" is highly misleading. There's only an "economic boom" for those on the take, for the elites, and not for the average Kurd.

But I think we all know very well why this contemporary slavery is tolerated in South Kurdistan. It's tolerated by both the KDP and PUK.

What else happens when globalization comes to Kurdistan? Your enemies take you over. In his interview after the US and Turkey began their air strikes against South Kurdistan, HPG Headquarters Commander Bahoz Erdal noted that the Southern Kurdish leadership "stepped back" after the Turkish parliament's cross-border operation vote. That stepping back has its answer in the tightly interconnected business interests between Ankara and the Barzanîs and Talabanîs. From the hevals at Firat News:

Turkish corporations in South Kurdistan provide heavy financial support to KDP- and PUK-affiliated press and broadcast organizations in order to divert the people from the real face of current military operations, by broadcasting advertisement and variety programs.

Turkish corporations in South Kurdistan began to support KDP- and PUK-affiliated press and broadcasting organizations. At first, the KRG warned Southern media to cut off broadcasting about PKK. Now it has been revealed that Turkish corporations have given over $1 million as "gifts", for advertisement, and as tax.

Immediately following Turkish military operations in South Kurdistan, Turkish corporations which have marketing shares there, such as Oyak, Arçelik, Ülker, Nursoy, and Gürbağ, started to broadcast variety programs on TV, radio, and other satellite-based broadcast media which are affiliated with the KDP and PUK. It is believed that the goal of these attempts is to distract people from Turkish military operations.

KDP General Secretary Fadil Mirani's broadcast organs, such as Vin TV, are heavily supported by Turkish corporations.

Arçelik-Ülker and OYAK corporations organize street competitions and variety programs through Korek Telecom and AsiaCell telephone service operators, which are affiliated with KDP and PUK. These operators promise to give gifts ranging from $100 to $1,000 USD for text messages sent.

Arçelik had promised to deliver large appliances and electronics through the regional and satellite-based TV. As an example, when Turkish military operations began on 16 December, Arçelik started delivering large appliances, such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, ovens, and the like, to the people.

In addition, Arçelik is operating a lottery in South Kurdistan. Using the Bayram and New Year holidays as a pretext, it promised to give a brand new car, money, and such gifts to the people.

In addition to this, OYAK, Ülker, and the other Turkish corporations are arranging competitions on the streets where golden Kurdistan flags, made by Southern Kurdish jewelers, are delivered to people.

The irony here is that even though the Ankara regime does not trust the KRG, as HPG's Bahoz Erdal noted, and the Turkish prime minister opposes Kurdish autonomy "even in Argentina. Another irony is that OYAK is the Turkish military's holding company and the other Turkish corporations mentioned in the Firat article (Arçelik, Ülker, Nursoy, and Gürbağ), along with the AKP, belong to Fethullah Gülen's Islamist empire . . . or should I say "caliphate"?

For more on that, see something from Aland Mizell, and his latest, at KurdishMedia.

No wonder the cehş Talabanî is urging Northern Kurds to support the AKP.

No invasion is necessary. The cehş of the South have capitulated for personal gain and the barbarians are inside the gates.

Gordon Taylor at Progressive Historians has translated something of interest to Kurds from Le Monde, and his own comments are to the point [original emphasis]:

Turkey is not, cannot, will not be a truly viable candidate for membership in the EU as long as its government continues in its present form. And there is no power, domestic or foreign, that can change that government in any substantial way for the foreseeable future. Turkey is what it is: a nation where the politicians pretend to govern and armed bullies pretend to let them, a land where the average liberal has more courage than a thousand Americans. Those like me who cherish their memories of this land need to start speaking out. The years of diplomacy and forbearance, of hope for democratic change, have left us with ruined villages, imprisoned journalists, and good people murdered while their killers are congratulated by the police. With that kind of record we may as well try truth.

Too bad the leaders of South Kurdistan cannot admit the same, but it may be too late for that now anyway. They have become irrelevant.

CALL FOR RESISTANCE

Thousands of Kurds and supporters take to the streets in Dahuk, a Kurdish city near the border with Turkey, some 430 kilometers (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007 to protest the Turkish parliament's decision to authorize the government to send troops across the border to root out Kurdish rebels. More than 5,000 people packed the streets as they marched to the U.N. offices. (AP Photo)

As Kurds took to the streets in Dihok and Hewlêr in protest against Turkey, a statement of leadership has finally come from the South Kurdistan president. From Özgür Gündem:

Mesûd Barzanî has a statement for the Kurdish people on the TBMM's cross-border operations vote. Barzanî's statement was made through Dr. Rizgar Sindî, KDP Zaxo General Headquarters chief.

In his statement, Barzanî wants the kurdish people in general to become organized and take up positions in case of a Turkish cross border operations, they would have a very severe response.

Turkey is trying to annihilate the Kurdish presence from history. This is Turkey's main goal. Saddam Hussein could not finish the Kurds; how will Turkey finish them? In such an operation, Turkey would be the loser. Ankara is supposed to listen to the Kurds' calls for peace and dialog. Otherwise, the entire Kurdish people will resist a Turkish occupation.

Dr. Sindî spoke about some of the details of a 12 October meeting, with Behdinan radio and television broadcasting his speech. "PKK is a Kurdistan organization that they [KDP] would never fight anymore.

"Turkey says 'we are going there for the PKK and we will have a cross-border operation'. PKK is a Kurdish party and we are not going to fight against PKK. We are not going to use our arms against an organization which is demanding its cultural rights. Our people are not going after their brothers to attack."

Dr. Sindî continued,"We want to share the outcomes of a meeting we had with President Barzanî with our people. Even though we do not give credit to Turkey's cross-border operation, its aim is to annihilate Kurdish existence and it cannot accept the Kurdish group which has its government, its parliament, and is a ruling group. Turkey sees Kurdish law, government, and the Kurdish nation as a threat. Not only Turkey, but also the countries which say that we share the brotherhood of religion, also see the Kurds as a threat in terms of Kurdish independence and of their own traditions.

Speaking of Kurdish willingness to live with the neighboring countries in peace and brotherhood, Dr. Sindî said, "Kurdish people will not give up their land. As it was in the past, we will defend our land. Until the last drop of our blood, we will maintain our struggle. For that, Kurdish people around the world must begin a resistance and they must preserve the gains we have made now. Whatever it takes for this, it will be done. Because this is the legitimate defense of the Kurdish people for preserving their land and their law. The world is not the old world and Turkey must know this. Kurds are stronger than any time before, and Turkey must know this."

Stressing that Turkey must resolve its Kurdish question in a political and peaceful way, "You cannot solve any problem with a war, violence or weapons. Turkey cannot reach anywhere by using its military forces against PKK. On the contrary, it will just finish itself. For this reason, this question must be solved in political ways. The PKK question is the Kurds' legitimate, natural, cultural, and political rights that are supposed to be recognized by Turkey. In that way only will it be settled down. Saddam fought 50 years. He used chemical weapons, committed massacres, ruined all Kurdish cities and emptied the villages. However, the things they had done became trouble for them later. Kurdish people were never finished, but he and his generals were arrested and punished in a way that no one could even imagine."

Rizgar Sindî mentioned that the US is also opposing a cross-border operation and that on 12 October, the American ambassador to Iraq called Barzani and said they objected to Turkey's cross-border operation in terms of entering Kurdistan. France and Germany also object to an invasion and they indicated their support for Kurdistan. According to the KDP, the Baghdad government must take a clear stand against this cross-border operation.

If Turkey has a war against South Kurdistan, the Kurdish people are capable of fighting for years, and such a war will really last for many years. If Turkey has such an operation they will use their legitimate self-defense right and raise a resistance. This is the message of Mesûd Barzanî that I wanted to convey to our people.

The speech was broadcast for almost one hour on Behdinan's television and radios.

UPPITY KURDS

"Frankly speaking, we support their rights. We do not interfere in their affairs. They choose their way to demand their rights or to struggle for their rights ... They do not ask us and we are not ready to interfere in their affairs, but we support them morally and politically ... It is impossible to support them with weapons, but we are ready to help them with all other means."
~ Mêsud Barzanî on the Kurdish struggle in Turkish-occupied Kurdistan.

For those of you who missed it, here's Mêsud Barzanî's interview with Al-Arabiya TV, the one that got Ankara's panties all tied up in knots:

A review of the situation from April can be found here.

It seems that there's one thing nobody can stand--an "uppity" Kurd.

SERKEFTIN!