Subject: Flash Bulletin!!!
From: Internationale Initiative (info@freedom-for-ocalan.com)
Date: Fri Oct 20 2000 - 07:12:11 CDT
International Initiative
Freedom for Ocalan - Peace in Kurdistan
P.O. Box 100511, D-50445 Koeln
Telephone: +49 221 130 15 59
Fax: +49 221 139 30 71
E-Mail: info@freedom-for-ocalan.com
Url: www.freedom-for-ocalan.com
Flash Bulletin 20. October:
www.freedom-for-ocalan.com/bulletin
1. "Fight Against Torture", The Amnesty International organization is undertaking a new campaign against torture in the same context of the global campaign.
2. "Yilmaz called for Support", Turkish Vice-President Mesut Yilmaz, by meeting with EU representatives and parliamentarians in Brussels called for support for the EU membership of Turkey.
3. "Notes on the road to Iraq", Very few people travel from Turkey to Iraq for a vacation; in fact, it could be said that none do.
4. "Letter to Talabani from the PKK", The PKK Council of Leaders announced that it has sent a letter to PUK leader Jalal Talabani containing its requests concerning political relationships and negotiations to make the unilateral cease fire called by the PKK on October 4 into a lasting peace.
5. "Another refugee drama in Italy", Six Kurdish refugees were suffocated to death. Bodies of 6 people who illegally entered the country was found in the southern Italian city of Foggia.
6. "Turkish Islamist look to EU for Support", Constitutional Court to rule on banning fundamentalist Virtue Party.
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1. - Yeni Gundem - "Fight Against Torture":
The Amnesty International organization is undertaking a new campaign against torture in the same context of the global campaign. The fight against torture will now be continuing through cyberspace.
Amnesty International Organisation, has prepared a 12th article program aiming at preventing torture initiated under the framework of the worldwide campaign.
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2. - Yeni Gundem - "Yilmaz called for Support":
BRUSSELS
Turkish Vice-President Mesut Yilmaz, by meeting with EU representatives and parliamentarians in Brussels called for support for the EU membership of Turkey.
Yilmaz who met with EU Commission Vice-President Loyala De Palacio, late met with a member of the European Parliament. Yilmaz indicated that he respected the EU members opinions; however Turkey's approach on the matter of minorities is very different, and stated that Ankara has prepared an action plan to solve the issue. Yilmaz, recorded that they planned to fulfil the integration laws and EU program within a year.
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3. - Kurdish Observer - "Notes on the road to Iraq":
BEDIRXAN YIGIT
Very few people travel from Turkey to Iraq for a vacation; in fact, it could be said that none do. The reasons for traveling to Iraq are either for business trips related to the trade through the Habur customs gate or medical trips because visits to the doctors there are relatively inexpensive compared to Turkey.
We entered South Kurdistan a while ago through Habur gate. The bureaucracy at customs took a long time. There were huge trucks on one side, carrying construction materials and food products to South Kurdistan and Iraq, which would return with fuel oil, and on the other, tankers transporting fuel oil and raw petroleum from the Iraqi side. Because the customs area itself was full, there was a long line of vehicles stretching for kilometers beyond the gate.
The excessive number of taxis at customs caught my attention. We later learned the reason for this great crowd. These taxis, which were old and battered (there were a great number of 1965-70 models) just like the trucks, were bringing gasoline, which is cheap in South Kurdistan, in their gas tanks which had been expanded a few times their original size, and selling it to those waiting on the other side. The official whom we asked how many vehicles made this sort of entry and exit every day said, "300, maybe 400."
After completing the customs procedures, we came to the last point, a place next to a bridge over the Hezil Stream, which is known locally as the "JITEM Control Point." [JITEM = Gendarmerie Intelligence Service]
Here, they generally ask who you are, why you are going to Iraq, how long you will be staying, and similar questions, and search the vehicles. After finishing this procedure, we entered the Ibrahim Halil customs gate, which is under the control of Massoud Barzani's KDP. There is construction everywhere you look. The short and simple customs procedures, even if they are occasionally stretched out by the lackadaisical attitude of the officials, last much shorter than on the Turkish side. It could also be said that those who are making entries and exits are approached more positively by the Turkish side.
MIT jeeps with Iraqi plates
There is a line that stretches for many kilometers of vehicles waiting to enter Turkey along the right side of the Zakho road, and for the length of this line, there are shack shops and traveling salesmen.
Truck drivers coming from Turkey get what they need here because they don't have time to come and go from Zakho. We set out for Duhok without wasting too much time in Zakho. There were jeeps with license plates in Arabic that caught our attention all along the road. When we asked what unit they belonged to, the young interpreter from Zakho who had accompanied us sufficed explaining the situation there with the words, "Those are vehicles that belong to Turkish intelligence."
We were later to learn that they were very influential and subjected to no restrictions whatsoever by either administration in South Kurdistan and that there was nowhere that they did not go.
Communications near the border is secured by cellular telephones on the satellite GSM circuit supplied by Turkey.
Unemployment paradise Duhok
We arrived at Duhok after noon and wandered about the city center. The people are poverty-stricken in this city whose only commercial activity is with Turkey. In other words, Duhok is a total paradise of the unemployed.
Nearly all of the consumer goods arrive over Turkey and Syria. It is well-known that Habur customs has been a source of conflict between the PUK and KDP for years. The PUK's assaults on the PKK are being followed carefully from the region under the control of Barzani, who has remained neutral in these clashes.
There are far too many women and children beggars all around. We were informed that the spouses, children, and fathers of most of these women had died fighting on the KDP side in various wars. The administration is too incapable to look after them, and their only recourse in their hopelessness is begging.
South Kurdistan is not only a beggar's paradise, it has also been made into a paradise of old vehicles brought from Europe. Old automobiles and trucks have been being brought from Europe to South Kurdistan over Turkey for the past 7-8 months. These vehicles are completely illegal, and they can enter neither Turkey nor Iraq.
After staying in Duhok for one day, we set out on the road for the city of Mosul, under Iraqi control, with our Southern interpreter.
Dinars and fake dinars
After going about 15-20 kilometers past Aluka, which is near the border between South Kurdistan and Iraq, we arrive at the Fayda customs gate, which resembles anything but a customs gate. We enter and exit this office, which reminds one of a ruins and is full of clutter and old items. We give a bribe for each transaction. Here, one exchanges 100 dollars for 180,000 dinars. We can only carry out the piles and piles of dinars with sacks.
There are two types of dinars used in South Kurdistan and Iraq. One is the original Iraqi dinar from before the Gulf War, and this money is valid in South Kurdistan. The second kind is the dinar that was released by the Iraqi administration after the war and is a very plain paper printing. They call these "fake dinars" and they are only exchangeable in Iraq. In order to enter through customs, we have to take a blood test at the Iraqi Red Crescent for 50 dollars. These procedures last 2-2.5 hours, and then we finally reach Mosul. We went out to wander about the city after having a meal. We wanted to wander the city after having a meal that was very greasy and salty, followed by a glass that was filled nearly half full of sugar with some strong tea poured over it.
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4. - Kurdish Observer - "Letter to Talabani from the PKK":
The PKK Council of Leaders announced that it has sent a letter to PUK leader Jalal Talabani containing its requests concerning political relationships and negotiations to make the unilateral cease fire called by the PKK on October 4 into a lasting peace.
NEWS CENTER
The PKK Council of Leaders released a statement on Wednesday saying that it had sent a letter to leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Jalal Talabani. The letter was sent via a wounded peshmerga from Ranya named Ahmet Muhammet Hasan when he was released by the PKK. The letter expresses the PKK's desire to develop political relations and negotiations in order to secure national peace and democracy.
The PKK Council of Leaders stated that the unilateral cease fire it had declared on October 4 was being observed fully on all fronts and that the PKK was continuing its self-denying efforts to secure a lasting Kurdish peace on the basis of national democracy.
'No concrete step from the PUK'
The statement stressed that there has been no military assault or activity on the part of the PUK other than repositioning of forces and threats since October 5, and continued: "Despite the unilateral practical steps and calls made by our party, the PUK side has taken no concrete steps. The tense atmosphere created by the continued possibility of clashes, therefore, has not been completely overcome."
'Let's work together for a solution'
The PKK Council of Leaders stressed that it would continue its efforts to create peace and democracy amongst the Kurds and made the following call: "Our party wants for this to be the last clash between Kurds. We are calling all the Kurdish parties and organizations, foremost the PUK and KDP, to work jointly to create a lasting national peace and a democratic lifestyle and to reach solutions to all the existing problems on this basis."
PUK captives are being released
The statement said that the PKK had taken significant practical steps in order to make the cease fire permanent and to develop the foundation for negotiations to create a solution on the basis of national peace and democracy, and, taking the calls of friendly forces into consideration, has unilaterally withdrawn its forces from the fields of Asos, Mamend, and Karox, thus demonstrating that they had no approach such as a demand to take territory from the PUK.
The statement also said that Ahmet Muhammet Hasan and wounded Omer Huseyin Cavsin, who had been taken captive by the guerrillas during clashes, had been released and sent to their homes. It also stated that they continued other efforts with the intention of releasing some other captives, as requested by local villages and clans. The statement announced that, barring any negative developments, some captives would be released within the next few days.
5. - Kurdish Observer - "Another refugee drama in Italy":
Six Kurdish refugees were suffocated to death. Bodies of 6 people who illegally entered the country was found in the southern Italian city of Foggia. Police believed that the bodies were belong to the Kurdish refugees and victims were suffocated in a truck due to lack of air.
ALI OZSERIK
Italy is shaking more time with drama of refugees. According to a dramatic news that 6 people were suffocated in truck while entering Italy and their bodies were thrown on the side of the highway. The drama in Italy's Foggia city in the Puligia region outraged the Italian public. According to the eye witnesses, the bodies were thrown from a truck. Police official Antonio Giusto said, "The first medical examinations show that the victims were suffocated due to lack of air in the trailer." The bodies were found by a motorcycle driver at the entrance of the city.
Italian police is trying to find the driver of the truck who caused the tragic deaths. Police found cotton pieces on the bodies which made police search all the trucks that carry cotton. According to a Italian TV, all the victims had bruises. One of the victim's skull was crushed which made police believe that a truck had passed on. Police believed that the victims were a part of larger group of refugees. Prosecutors started investigation. The victims did not have any identity cards but police believed that they were Kurds and police said that the victims were trying to enter Germany from Italy.
Immigrations is continuing
On the other hand, 118 refugees were detained in Italy's Gorizia city, close to Slovakia border. It was reported that most of the refugees were Kurds from Turkey and Iraq. The majority of the refugees were children.
World is watching
The immigrants are directed by the Turkish Mafia , which is state (Turkey) supported. Death of refugees became a daily news. Two days ago, Turkish Mafia abducted Kurdish children in order to keep Italian police away from themselves. In addition to that, now six refugees suffocated to death. These two incidents outraged the public and created an anger toward Turkey in Italian.
Police tried to find the truck that dropped the victims. Police also tried to answer whether there were only 6 passengers or were there more people and only dies died. Police said the drama of refugees can only be stopped with cooperation of many countries.
A few days ago, Italian Interior Ministry said, "A game is being played along the Italian shores" and none of European countries have commented on that statement. Last time, 58 immigrants from China were found dead in a trailer of a truck in England's Dover city.
In the meantime, Greece Cost Guard detained 74 immigrants. The security officials said that the immigrants were from India and SriLanka and there were also Kurds. They were found in a truck in the harbor city of Igoumenista. They wanted to cross to Italy with boats. The driver of truck who was a Greek, was arrested. The immigrants paid $1,500 per person. Every year, half a million people are entered Europe illegally. The mafia makes $17.6 billion from this human export.
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6. - Frankfurter Rundschau - "Turkish Islamist look to EU for Support":
By Gerd Hoehler
Athens - Just a few years ago, Turkish Islamists counted the European Union (EU) as a "Christian club," condemned its customs union as an "instrument for enslaving the Turks" and wanted nothing to do with the West.
Now, those same leaders are seeking refuge in - of all places - Europe, appealing to the EU for help in averting a threatened ban of their Fazilet Partisi, or Virtue Party (FP).
Ankara's Constitutional Court banned the Islamic fundamentalist Refah Partisi (Welfare Party, or RP) at the beginning of 1998 for anti-constitutional activities. Just a year later, chief public prosectutor Vural Savas started proceedings to ban its successor organisation, the Virtue Party. A decision is expected from the Constitutional Court in November.
Turkey's powerful military would most likely applaud a ban on the FP. The military believes the party, which received 15 per cent of votes in elections held in spring, 1999, represents a threat to the secular constitutional state. But the FP's forced dissolution could lead to serious internal political strife and economic turbulence.
Public prosecutor Savas doesn't want to stop at having the FP banned; he says he'd also like to see 70 of its 103 representatives, who previously belonged to the Welfare Party, lose their seats in the Grand National Assembly. Should that happen, the Turkish constitution requires new elections.
Given the fragmentation among Turkey's political parties, a new round of voting would be unlikely to yield a winner with a clear majority. Months of negotiations on forming a coalition government could paralyse the country. Another casualty in such a scenario might be the programme to clean up the Turkish economy funded by the International Monetary Fund.
Even if the Constitutional Court rules to ban the Virtue Party while leaving its parliamentary mandates intact, most observers say new elections may still be unavoidable. All of the Islamist deputies have announced their intention to resign en masse and thus force new elections if the court decides to permit the ban.
A ban on the party would also heavily damage Turkey's relationship with the EU, particularly since the FP has become more moderate in recent years, earning more attention for its focus on social themes and less for its religious aims.
Now, leading FP politicians are counting on Europe for help. In their calculations, Ankara cannot afford to risk the international censure that might follow a ban. On the other hand, the 11 constitutional judges who must decide whether to dissolve the party are viewed as politically independent.
At the end of September, FP chairman Recai Kutan visited both the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. Observers interpret Kutan's move as an indication that the party will be getting in touch with European courts should it be banned.
Kutan emphatically denied press reports which said the FP was already busy planning a successor party so that its members could quickly get on with their work in case of a ban, saying there were "absolutely no plans" to found a new party.
"Turkey is a country governed by law, and the Virtue Party will not be forbidden," the self-confident FP leader said.
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