TURKEY: PRO-KURDISH PARTY SAYS CROSS-BORDER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002595

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL OSCE TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: PRO-KURDISH PARTY SAYS CROSS-BORDER
OPERATION WOULD WORSEN TURKEY'S KURDISH PROBLEM

REF: A. ANKARA 2573


B. ANKARA 2500

C. ADANA 0120

Classified By: Political Counselor Janice Weiner for reasons 1.4(b),(d0

1.(C) Summary: MPs from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society
Party (DTP) told us DTP opposed the recent parliamentary
motion authorizing a cross-border operation (ref A) because
they believe violence would deepen the intractability of the
Kurdish problem. Mounting pressure, including a deluge of
legal cases, physical attacks on DTP offices, and a series of
public statements against DTP, hampers the party's ability to
pursue peaceful dialogue within parliament, according to our
contacts. DTP is preparing for an October 26-28 convention
in Diyarbakir that will bring together 500 leaders from
different backgrounds to discuss options for achieving peace.
The party will draw from conference proposals in finalizing
DTP's agenda for its November 8 Ankara party convention. DTP
leadership maintains it will continue a "principled approach"
despite actions by the Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor that
DTP reads as a sign the prosecutor is considering launching a
closure case. In fact, though DTP's public line has
improved, it is walking a fine line. End summary.

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DTP Strongly Opposes a CBO
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2.(C) DTP Vice Chair Selma Irmak told us DTP MPs voted
against the October 17 parliamentary motion to authorize a
CBO because they see peaceful dialogue as the only way to
resolve the conflict. Twenty years of fighting between the
Turkish military and terrorist PKK demonstrates the futility
of a military solution. More violence would only deepen the
wound. Irmak and Adana DTP Provincial Chairman Zeki Karatas
believe the military is using the PKK as an "excuse" to
launch a CBO. The real target, they claim, is Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani. Both
strongly prefer to resolve the issue peacefully through open
dialogue in an environment that allows Kurds to express their
ethnic and cultural identity.

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Pressure on DTP Mounts
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3.(C) Irmak and Karatas said that ongoing judicial pressure
on DTP is hampering efforts to pursue peaceful dialogue.
Irmak highlighted a "deluge" of investigations and
prosecutions against DTP members, including one against her
for references she made to imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan in a speech following an October 3 attack on DTP
headquarters by two gunmen. Irmak noted that not one
political party offered condolences to DTP after the
incident. She accused the judiciary of applying a blatant
double standard by continuing the trials of three DTP MPs --
Aysel Tugluk, Ayla Akat Ata, and Sebahat Tuncel -- despite a
constitutional guarantee of immunity for MPs. The practice
had always been for a court to suspend an ongoing case upon a
person's election as MP. That practice had never been waived
until the DTP cases; it continues to shield MPs from other
parties.

4.(C) Karatas cited the Jandarma's October 7 arrest of three
DTP mayors in Adana as the latest example of a broken justice
system. The detentions followed the funeral of an Adana-born
PKK militant, killed in recent clashes with the military.
According to Karatas, DTP politicians attended the ceremony
not to make a political statement but to extend condolences
to the young man's family. They were then accused by
Jandarma of praising terrorism and violating protest laws.

5.(C) Pressure is mounting from other quarters as well,
according to Irmak. Following a series of PKK attacks in
early October that killed over 30 soldiers, police and
civilians (refs A, B),politicians of all stripes have
stepped up calls on DTP to take an active stance against the
PKK. PM Erdogan upped the tension in an October 10 CNN-Turk
interview by urging DTP to denounce the PKK as a terrorist
organization; Erdogan said inaction would be tantamount to

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legitimizing the PKK. Opposition parties publicly attacked
DTP and have avoided any contact with them.

6.(C) The Kurdish community has also called on DTP to condemn
the PKK following the recent up-tick in violence. In a
recent "Zaman" newspaper article, several prominent Kurdish
intellectuals and politicians criticized DTP for failing to
take a clear stance against the PKK. Former People's Labor
Party (HEP, a forerunner to DTP) MP Fehmi Isiklar said, "I
believe they need to set a direction. As long at DTP remains
attached to certain places, it won't succeed." On October 9,
leaders of civil society and business groups in Diyarbakir
organized a press conference to voice public opposition to
the escalating violence and denounce all forms of armed
violence as a method for resolving problems (ref C).

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Upcoming DTP Events Could Spell Trouble
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7.(C) Irmak told us DTP is organizing two upcoming events:
An October 26-28 "Democratic Public Congress" in Diyarbakir
will bring together 500 delegates from different backgrounds
to chart a course for solving the Kurdish issue peacefully.
Invitations went out to delegates from non-DTP Kurdish
parties such as HakPar and the Participatory Democracy Party
(KADEP),academia, media, civil society, and the business
community. On November 8, DTP will hold its Ankara party
convention to select party leadership and set an agenda based
on the October conference outcome. Irmak expects the agenda
will prioritize expanding freedom of cultural expression in
proposed constitutional amendments. DTP leadership believes
the Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor is gathering
information on the party's activities (historically the first
sign of an eventual case to close down a party),and would be
watching closely these events. Despite such pressures, DTP
will continue its "principled approach," Irmak said.

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Comment: Walking a Fine Line
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8.(C) Though we have seen no evidence to confirm DTP's
suspicions of a possible closure case, DTP remains under the
microscope. While the most recent party statements have been
more forthright in condemning violence than the mixed
messages they have sent in the part, DTP's public line is far
from uniform -- and some of their actions are an engraved
invitation to an activist, Kemalist judiciary. In light of
the intense judicial campaign against DTP, as well as
mounting pressure from other parties, it is unclear how long
DTP leadership will be able to keep its MPs from reverting to
the inflammatory rhetoric and positions that led to the
party's ouster in 1993. We will continue to press DTP to use
its position in parliament wisely, to condemn violence and
the PKK's terrorist actions, and for all parties to work
cooperatively within parliament.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON