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The PKK(1) of Europa is reticent to the entry of Turkey in European Union
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In spite of the statements of the HADEP (People 's Democracy Party that is the political representative of Kurds in Turkey) claiming its agreement of the integration of Turkey in the European Union, it seems that Kurds in Europa refuse the message of their compatriots who have stayed in their country. At the contrary, the PKK in Europa does presently many statements in the aim of troubling the relations between Turkey ans European countries, or encourages the Kurds of Turkey to revolt, in spite of constant calls from their leader, Abdullah Öcalan, who claims to be favorable to a pacifical resolution of the Kurdish question and ask to the European Court of Human's Rights to rule about the legacy of his trial. For example, as the 15th February draws near, the commemorating date of Abdullah Öcalan's capture in Kenya, the Presidential Council of the PKK called "the people of Kurdistan" to make a campaign for claiming cutural rights : "Our people must start a movement of political claimings. Some actions as demonstrations, marches and strikes, closing of shops, boycotts of schools (...) must be engaged with a great and continuous movement of revolt. Repression (as a consequence of that) should be considered like a inevitable sacrifice to the struggle..."(2). This call to revolt had had no effect in Turkey. Recently, an Italian newspaper announced the publication of a book by Öcalan's lawyers, a kind of prisonner 's diary written by the leader of PKK in Imrali, that would have been transmitted verbally to his defence. A "Comitttee of Kurdistan" in Italia had certified the Öcalan's testimony - basing on which criterions ? - before lawyers did a statement denying categorically the existence of a such book. On the last 27th February, during a press statement given by Francine Bavay (spokewoman of the Green Party) at the Parisian siege of the Ecologist movement, a representative of the PKK(3) accused Turkey about the event of the refugees of the East Sea. He has declared "It is an answer of Turkey to France after the recognition by Paris of the Armenian genocide". He has too explained that Turkey has the "will to purge the Kurdistan of its Kurds, as a solution for it to resolve the problem"(4). In that case, we wonder why Turkey does not begin to get rid of the Kurds on its own territory, if we consider that people of the East Sea come from Irak or Syria ! What kind of interest have militants of the PKK in Europa to add fuel to the flames whand the HADEP in Turkey "claims for peace and democracy and wished to become a representative party in the public life in Turkey "(5) and insist that "the Kurdish problem should be resolved by democratical ways : It is necessary that Turkey siege in the European Union. (...) We think that it could contribute to a democratical process " (...) Then, we are favorable to the admittance of Turkey in the UE and we, the HADEP, are ready to help in that way "(6). Sinces 1993, the PKK - considered in France, Germany and United Kingdom as a terrorist association (7) - plaids for the suppression in our laws of certains articles that would ban any Kurdish organisation in France. Many French organisations claim the same message, with political representative : "Francine Bavay (the Greens' spokewoman) asked the suppression of an article that forbids legally the existence of the Kurdish movements in ..."(4). But nothing prevents the Kurds, and any people who live legally in France to make associations, cultural or humanitarian. Cases are numerous and there are a lot of associations with foreign leaders, even in the Kurdish diaspora. Why all that makes problem for the PKK ? We could begin to elucide it if we consider the fact that it, although pretending to represent the Kurds of Turkey prefer to not transmit their message. Moreover, it is often a surprise to tlak there with Kurds and to hear in France different statements, though attributed to the same people ! There is a simple explanation when you have the possibility to communicate without medium : Indeed, almost all the interviews or statements from Kurdish representatives living in Turkey to Europeans have been transmitted by a translator... Just remenbering the Osman Baydemir's speech. This responsible of Human's Rights League in Diyarbakir, during the last conference about the Kurdish question that had been set in Paris, in last May : Answering to a remark of a militant of PKK who protest against the Öcalan's conditions of detention in Imrali, Osman Baydemir said that many thousands of orisonners in Turkey live in dramatical conditions. He confirmed it in last September in Diyarbakir, without translator (8), and without evocating the personnal situation of the leader of the PKK, but just asked that Turkey respect the Copenhague criterions, very far from the speeches he was supposed to do if we believe many Kurds in Europa ! Why the PKK goes against the will of the Kurds who live in Turkey - and act against their interests - concerning the entrey of Turkey in the European Unionn attempting to stress the present dissensions ? The Convention of the 27th September 1996 relating to extraditions between member states of the European Union brings an answer. It "reinforce the determination of the Fifteen to reject any possibility to refuse an extradition asked for terrorist facts, even if this act would have political motives. It statues that the Union States could not do any reserve in the favour of such refuses, if the concerned actions are terrorist or proceed from conspiracy or criminal association in the aim of one or many actions of this sort (art. 5-2) (9)". As a resume, a eventual political motive to a terrorist act could not be invoked by a member state when it refuses an extradition asked by another one, even if it concerns one of its own citizens. If we envisage this point of view, the representative of the PKK in exile has no interest in the admittance of Turkey in the European Union, especially as France, Gerlany and the United Kingdom considered already this organisation as terrorist and illegal and banned it on their own land. The European PKK's leaders knows that no European country could prevent a asking of extradition by Turkey that swore to eliminate the party it considers like its first ennemy and it makes responsible of 15 years of war and the death of about 36.000 people. Roxane - April 2001 (1) Kurdistan Workers' Party (2) Özgür Politika, the daily newspaper in Turkish of the PKK red by the Kurds in the diaspora and accessible in English on the Web. (3) He is been given to prison with a suspended sentence for "criminal association in the aim of terrorist action" (4) Reuters 27/02/2001 (5) Interview of Sefik Türk, HADEP Mayor of çarikli (Diyarbakir) - OFK September 2000 (6) Interview of Osman Özçelik, elected General President assistant of the HADEP in the congress of November 2000 - Turkish Daily News 27 janvier 2001 (7) Since the 1st March for it (8) Interview OFK September 2000 (9) "Le terrorisme", Yves Mayaud, Editions Dalloz - 1997
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