Subject: TURKEY/KURDS [5] By DEBORAH COOPER/WASHINGTON From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" DATE=3/24/95 TYPE=CLOSEUP NUMBER=4-08208 TITLE=TURKEY/KURDS BYLINE=DEBORAH COOPER TELEPHONE=619-1874 DATELINE=WASHINGTON EDITOR=PHIL HAYNES CONTENT= (INSERTS AVAILABLE ON S-O-D) INTRO: A MAJOR MILITARY OFFENSIVE BY TURKEY AGAINST TURKISH KURD REBEL BASES IN NORTHERN IRAQ HAS RAISED CONCERNS IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ABOUT THE SAFETY OF KURDISH REFUGEES THERE. UNITED NATIONS OFFICIALS SAY THE OFFENSIVE IS FORCING HUNDREDS OF REFUGEES TO FLEE THE AREAS UNDER ATTACK. AS VOA'S_______ REPORTS, THE TURKISH INCURSION INTO IRAQI KURDISTAN IS MEANT TO ROOT OUT CAMPS OF THE KURISTAN WORKERS PARTY, OR P-K-K, WHICH TURKEY HAS ACCUSED OF CARRYING OUT TERRORIST ATTACKS INSIDE TURKEY. TEXT: THE TURKISH ATTACKS INTO NORTHERN IRAQ COVER SOME OF THE SAME TERRITORY PROTECTED BY THE U-S-LED PROVIDE COMFORT OPERATION SET UP TO PROTECT IRAQI KURDS AT THE END OF THE GULF WAR. ACCORDING TO VERA SAEED POUR, DIRECTOR OF THE KURDISH LIBRARY IN NEW YORK CITY, THIS MOST RECENT TURKISH INCURSION IS THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF OPERATIONS THE TURKS HAVE MOUNTED INTO IRAQI KURDISTAN SINCE 1983. TAPE: CUT 1 - SAEED POUR "THE PREVIOUS MAJOR OPERATION TOOK PLACE IN OCTOBER OF 1992 WITH THE HELP OF IRAQI KURDS IN THAT BORDER REGION BETWEEN IRAQ AND TURKEY. THIS LATEST OPERATION IS THE MOST SERIOUS OF ALL AND IT'S A MAJOR OPERATION WITH AIR COVER AND TANKS AND PURPORTEDLY 35-THOUSAND TROOPS. BUT THE KURDISH SOURCES PUT THE TROOP NUMBERS AT CLOSER TO 70-THOUSAND. AND ITS MEANT TO MOP UP ONCE AND FOR ALL THE GUERRILLA BASES IN IRAQI KURDISTAN." TEXT: MANY OF TURKEY'S EUROPEAN ALLIES HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE POTENTIAL HARM TO KURDISH CIVILIANS DURING THE RAIDS. DR. SAEED POUR SAYS IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO HIT CIVILIAN AREAS. TAPE: CUT 2 - SAEED POUR/GUNTHER (SAEED POUR) "EVEN THE UNITED NATIONS ISSUED A MEMORANDUM DATED MARCH 21ST WHERE THEY'RE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT TURKISH KURDS WHO HAD FLED THE FIGHTING IN TURKEY AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THEIR VILLAGES AND GONE OVER THE BORDER INTO IRAQI KURDISTAN AND THEY WERE HOUSED THERE, SOME CLOSE TO THE BORDER AND SOME FURTHER AWAY. AND REPORTS THAT THE U-N HAS YET TO CONFIRM, SAY THAT THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ARRESTED BECAUSE THEY'RE TURKISH KURDS AND DETAINED BECAUSE THEY (THE TURKS) FEEL THEY'RE SUPPORTING THE GUERRILLAS. AND THE U-N HAS A MANDATE TO PROTECT THEM AS REFUGEES. IT'S NOT ONLY THESE TURKISH KURDS, BUT ITS INDIGINOUS IRAQI KURDS WHO LIVE IN THAT BORDER REGION, BECAUSE WHEN YOU DROP BOMBS AND WHEN YOU ATTACK WITH HELICOPTER GUNSHIPS THEY DON'T DISCERN WHAT IS A GUERRILLA AND WHAT IS A WOMAN AND A CHILD. SO IT'S OBVIOUS WHEN YOU MOUNT AN OPERATION LIKE THIS THAT YOU KNOW THERE IS GOING TO BE, WHAT WE CALL EUPHEMISTICALLY, COLLATERAL DAMAGE. BUT IT'S REALLY EXPENDING THE LIVES OF INNOCENT PEOPLE, ABSOLUTELY INNOCENT PEOPLE." (GUNTHER) "THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT THAT THE TURKISH ARMY HAS FOUGHT A VERY HARD WAR AGAINST THE TURKISH KURDS AND THAT CIVILIANS HAVE BEEN CAUGHT UP IN THIS." TEXT: MICHAEL GUNTHER IS A PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE TENNESSEE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY. TAPE: CUT 3 - GUNTHER "BUT FRANKLY, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT. TURKEY SEES ITSELF FIGHTING FOR ITS TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND CIVILIANS ARE GOING TO BE CAUGHT UP WITH THIS. INDEED, TURKEY HAS DONE A LOT FOR THE KURDISH REFUGEES OVER THE YEARS. WHEN SADDAM (HUSSEIN) CHASED THE IRAQI KURDS ACROSS THE BORDER IN 1988 AT THE END OF THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR, THE POMPOUS WESTERNERS WERE DOING NOTHING FOR THE IRAQI KURDS. IT WAS ONLY TURKEY WHO HAD SUPPORTED THE 80-THOUSAND ODD IRAQI KURDS IN 1988 AND SOME OF THEM ARE STILL BEING HOUSED IN TURKEY. I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH SYMPATHY FOR WHAT THE HUMAN RIGHTS PEOPLE ARE SAYING HERE. YES, THE TURKS ARE TAKING A HARDLINE HERE, BUT WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR COUNTRY WERE THREATENED? AND ALSO, WHERE'S THE WEST'S SUPPORT BESIDES VERBAL FOR THE KURDS. THE TURKS ARE ON THE GROUND, THEY'VE GIVEN A LOT OF ECONOMIC SUPPORT TO THE KURDS IN HELPING THEM THROUGH THE HARD DAYS OF SADDAM AND THE GULF WAR." TEXT: BUT SINCE THE FOUNDING OF THE MODERN TURKISH STATE, THE TURKS HAVE TRIED TO ASSIMILATE THEIR KURDISH POPULATION BY NOT ALLOWING THEM TO SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE OR PRACTICE THEIR CULTURAL TRADITION. FOR MANY YEARS, THE TURKS REFERRED TO THE KURDS AS MOUNTIAN TURKS. THIS LEGACY, COMBINED WITH THE GROWING FORCE OF NATIONALISM IN THE 20TH CENTURY, CREATED THE CONDITIONS FOR THE P-K-K REBEL MOVEMENT WHICH ROSE IN THE 1970S. BUT VERA SAEED POUR SAYS THERE'S ANOTHER QUESTION AT ISSUE IN THE MOST RECENT TURKISH ATTEMPT TO ROOT OUT KURDISH REBELS -- THE QUESTION OF NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY. TAPE: CUT 4 - SAEED POUR "WE JUSTIFIED OUR GOING INTO THE GULF DURING THE GULF WAR BECAUSE IRAQ HAD VIOLATED THE SOVEREIGNTY OF KUWAIT. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE THINK IN THE UNITED STATES THAT WE'RE GOING TO JUSTIFY THE VIOLATION OF IRAQI TERRITORY IRRESPECTIVE OF HOW WE HOLD IRAQ. IT'S A SOVEREIGN NATION AT THIS POINT. TO HAVE TURKEY SUMMARILY GO OVER THE BORDER INTO THE OPERATION PROVIDE COMFORT ZONE, WHICH MAKES THAT A SHAME AND A FRAUD BECAUSE OUR EXPRESS PURPOSE IS TO PROTECT IRAQI KURDS. WE'RE NOT PROTECTING KURDS WHEN WE SUSPEND OUR MILITARY OPERATIONS AND OUR FLIGHTS DURING THE PERIOD WHEN TURKEY IS ATTACKING THE KURDS. AND THAT'S PRECISELY WHAT THEY'VE DONE. THEY'VE SUSPENDED AIRFLIGHTS OVER THE PROVIDE COMFORT ZONE IN ORDER TO FACILITATE TURKEY'S ATTACKS." TEXT: INDEED, U-S DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS SAID HUMANITARIAN AID FLIGHTS FOR KURDS IN THE AREA OF THE TURKISH MILITARY ASSAULT WERE SUSPENDED FOR A TIME. A SPOKESMAN SAID IT'S SIMPLY BETTER NOT TO PUT AMERICAN PILOTS AT RISK. THE STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS TURKEY'S ATTACKS ON KURDISH STRONGHOLDS IN IRAQ DO NOT VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL LAW AS LONG AS TURKEY USES ONLY THE FORCE NECESSARY AND APPROPRIATE TO POTECT ITSELF. SECRETARY OF STATE WARREN CHRISTOPHER SAID THE U-S REGARDS THE OPERATION AS LEGAL BECAUSE IT WAS UNDERTAKEN IN SELF-DEFENSE AGAINST TERRORISTS. MICHAEL GUNTHER SAYS YET ANOTHER ARGUMENT CAN BE MADE FOR THE LEGALITY OF THE TURKISH INCURSION. TAPE: CUT 5 - GUNTHER "GIVEN THE FACT THAT THE TURKS ARE PART OF THE OPERATION PROVIDE COMFORT -- THAT IS THE ALLIED NO-FLY ZONE PROTECTION OF THE IRAQI KURDS -- I THINK A STRONG ARGUMENT CAN BE MADE ON THE POINT OF INTERNATIONAL LAW THAT TURKEY HAD A RIGHT TO INTERVENE IN THIS SITUATION IN THE LIMITED WAY THAT IT IS DOING. I THINK THE TURKS HAVE MADE CLEAR THAT THIS IS JUST A TEMPORARY INTERVENTION TO GET AT THE P-K-K AND THAT THE TURKS WILL WITHDRAW AGAIN AND THAT'S CERTAINLY WHAT THE TURKS HAVE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST DECADE. THEY DON'T WANT TO OCCUPY NORTHERN IRAQ. WHY WOULD TURKEY WANT EVEN MORE KURDS?" TEXT: AS FOR THE UNITED STATES, MICHAEL GUNTHER EXPLAINS THAT FIRST AND FOREMOST TURKEY IS AN IMPORTANT AMERICAN ALLY AND THE U-S CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO TAKE THE SIDE OF THE KURDS AGAINST TURKEY. HE SAYS THE UNITED STATES WILL CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE TURKEY TO SOLVE ITS KURDISH PROBLEM AS DEMOCRATICALLY AS POSSIBLE. TAPE: CUT 6 - GUNTHER "MY HOPE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT TURKEY WILL BE COURAGEOUS ENOUGH AND WISE ENOUGH TO SOLVE THE KURDISH PROBLEM, NOT BY HITTING IT OVER THE HEAD WITH A BLUNT HAMMER AS IT SEEMS TO ALWAYS DO, BUT TO IN A SENSE CO-OP THE KURDISH MOVEMENT AND BECOME THE LEADER AND DEFENDER OF THE KURDS BY GIVING THE KURDS THE DEMOCRATIC, CULTURAL RIGHTS SO THAT THE KURDS WILL BECOME LOYAL CITIZENS OF TURKEY." TEXT: MICHAEL GUNTHER OF TENNESSEE TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY SAYS AS LONG AS THE KURDISH PROBLEM REMAINS UNSOLVED IT WILL CONTINUE TO PLAGUE TURKEY'S OTHERWISE PROMISING FUTURE. (SIGNED) NEB/DC/PCH 24-Mar-95 4:16 PM EST (2116 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America ------------------------------------------------------------------------------