PKK Issue: Update on Violence and Political Developments

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 006140 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV TU IZ SUBJECT: PKK Issue: Update on Violence and Political Developments (October 1-15, 2006) SENSITIVE SIPDIS REF: A. ANKARA 5871 and previous ¶B. Ankara 6014 (U) Sensitive but unclassified - please protect accordingly. ¶1. (SBU) This is another in a series of periodic reports on PKK violence in Turkey. Our primary sources for these reports are mainstream Turkish press services, such as the Anatolian News Agency, and international wire services. While these are more reliable than most Turkish press sources, they are not necessarily unimpeachable. Another source is the Turkish Armed Forces General Staff (TGS) website which documents contacts/clashes with the PKK. Press services sympathetic to the PKK, such as Neu-Isenburg People's Defense Forces and Firat News Agency, tend to report higher numbers of the Turkish Security Forces casualties and are often otherwise unreliable. ¶2. (U) During the October 1-15 period -- following the ceasefire declared by the PKK as of October 1, 2006 -- the PKK killed three Turkish security members and wounded six. During the same period, Turkish security forces killed five PKK terrorists in clashes in Mardin, Sirnak, and Siirt provinces. A total of 11 PKK members surrendered. Security forces detonated or seized landmines, hand-grenades, RPGs, rifles and C4 and A4 plastic explosives in different locations. ¶3. (U) Following are political comments by Turkish and Kurdish officials: -- TURKISH OFFICIALS: - TGS Chief GEN Yasar Buyukanit on October 2 addressed the War Academies in Istanbul and said, "Turkey has conveyed its determination about fight against terrorism on many occasions. We will keep up with this determination until the time we eliminate the existence of terror in the country. However there are many groups who have been talking about a possible ceasefire. PKK announced a ceasefire yesterday. However, TAF will continue fighting against terrorism until the day we eliminate all of the terrorists. In the past we witnessed that the PKK tried to bargain with the government by using ceasefire as a political tool...." - October 8 papers reported that DYP (center-right party) leader Mehmet Agar, during his trip to the Southeast, said that if necessary the GOT should consider amnesty for PKK members. He added, "Turkey cannot subcontract its own problem to outsiders. ... This issue cannot be subcontracted to either the U.S. or Iraq. Even if they might be of help, we should have the initiative. Turkey should rid itself of the fear of becoming divided." - TGS Chief Buyukanit responded strongly to Agar's remarks: "This is an appeal for a general amnesty. I deplore it strongly." For further reporting on Agar's remarks, see ref b. - Gen. (R) Baser, Turkey's Special Envoy to Fight Against Terrorism,told NTV that that in the GOT's joint work with the U.S. and Iraqi representatives, the first thing they would do would be to cut the international financial and political ties of the PKK. When asked whether he had any requests from elected officials such as Diyarbakir Metropolitan Mayor Osman Baydemir who was present in the studio, Baser said, "Within this capacity (as the Special Envoy) I certainly won't have a request from them. But as a citizen, I can have a request and that is the fact that he is the elected mayor of a province (sic) of Turkey. The entire nation expects terrorism to end as soon as possible. Unfortunately some remarks and actions by some elected officials, politicians are testing the patience of the public on this issue." -- KURDISH VIEWS: - DTP (largest Kurdish party) Vice Chair Aysel Tugluk said, "For the process to proceed, we can talk to the U.S. and the EU, and if necessary, to the PKK." Tugluk held a press conference on October 12, with DTP party assembly members and mayors in Diyarbakir and said that for the ceasefire to last, they were ready to meet with the PKK. Tugluk said that during this process they would also meet with Barzani and Talabani. ¶4. (U) Following are selected columns on the topic: - Mehmet Ali Birand on October 11 in "Posta" wrote that nobody could have predicted such a move to come from Mehmet Agar, who proposed an "amnesty" for bringing PKKers down from the mountains. Birand stressed that Agar's past (as interior and later justice minister Agar endorsed harsh tactics in the battle against the PKK) gave him enough credibility against being attacked for "relaxing" in the face of the PKK. He added that Agar, with his remarks, had strengthened his party's political position. - Asli Aydintasbas on September 12, in "Sabah" wrote that the DYP used to get votes basically from rural areas and not the big cities but with its leader's recent remarks the party might get votes from such towns as well. Aydintasbas also referred to those who argued that Agar would lose votes for his remarks. She also commented that Agar, who earlier claimed that he was the sole person who had the legitimacy to resolve this issue, might actually be thinking beyond immediate election concerns and assuming a historic mission. WILSON