THE PKK, CROSS-BORDER ATTACK, AND A NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L ISTANBUL 000972

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2017
TAGS: ECON ETRD PREL TU
SUBJECT: THE PKK, CROSS-BORDER ATTACK, AND A NEW
CONSTITUTION: AN AKP-DTP DEBATE

Classified By: Consul General Sharon A. Wiener for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On October 23rd, the Turkish Economic and
Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) hosted a conference on
security and human rights. Panelists Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat
-- a Justice and Development Party (AKP) vice chair, and Head
of the AKP Parliamentary Constitution Commission responsible
for drafting a new constitution -- and Aysel Tugluk --
Democratic Society Party (DTP) Diyarbakir MP -- engaged in a
sharp exchange over the AKP's "imposition" of nomenclature on
the DTP regarding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK),the usefulness of cross-border military action, and
elements of the new draft constitution. END SUMMARY

THE PKK & CROSS-BORDER ATTACK:
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2. (SBU) On October 23rd, the Turkish Economic and Social
Studies Foundation (TESEV) hosted an international conference
in Istanbul entitled "Providing Security and Protecting Human
Rights." The highlight of the conference was a heated debate
between Aysel Tugluk and Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat, two
ethnic-Kurdish politicians with sharply different views.
Firat is a Justice and Development Party (AKP) Council of
Founders Member, Head of the AKP Parliamentary Constitutional
Commission, and an outspoken opponent of the Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK). Tugluk, on the other hand, is Founder
and Co-chair of the Democratic Society Party (DTP) -- which
has links to the PKK. Tugluk sees the Kurdish question as a
political/social one, rather than as a security issue.
Military action would only serve to destabilize the region
and encourage further radicalization, she argued. No good
has come from "violent, reactionary policy" in the Southeast
for the past thirty years, she claimed. At the conference,
she argued the DTP refuses to declare the PKK a terrorist
organization, despite AKP "imposition," because it would
imply DTP consent to a military solution. She warned fellow
panelist Firat that a majority of ballots did not grant the
AKP a mandate to conduct unilateral military action.


3. (SBU) Firat responded, asking: "Do you consider the PKK
a terrorist group or not?" He argued that DTP has the legal
obligation, and a Turkish duty, to isolate illegal groups
that encourage instability, not court them. Political/social
options do not work with groups that refuse to lay down arms,
he argued. "Ballots are for the Parliament and guns are for
the mountains -- choose one." Parliament approved
cross-border operations because no other choice remains, he
claimed.

THE NEW CONSTITUTION:
--------------


4. (SBU) With respect to the draft constitution, Tugluk
accused the AKP of going it alone. AKP controls the office
of the President, the office of the Prime Minister, and
three-hundred plus deputies, so they think they can
accomplish everything by themselves, she claimed. Even with
all that power there are still problems because AK refuses to
cooperate, she argued. DTP has offered, as have other
parties, to work with AKP on a new text. Tugluk says DTP has
asked for explicit inclusion of the EU Copenhagen Criteria --
respect for and protection of minority rights, in the new
draft. "More liberty leads to more democracy leads to less
terrorism." However, according to Tugluk, DTP does not seek
specific mention of Kurds.


5. (SBU) Firat argued that entrenched interest groups,
particularly the Higher Education Board (YOK),still
prevented even the most powerful parties from acting. He
claimed that as long as Turkish institutions retain the
ability to challenge the sovereignty of the people, as
granted in Article Six of the current constitution, no real
reform could be made. Regarding Article 301 of the Turkish
Penal Code, he said there are people who use laws for
purposes other than that for which they were written. During
his law school days, the controversy was over articles
related to communism -- 301 is just the newest subject of
criticism; once it is amended, Western critics will just find
another excuse to attack Turkey, he argued.


6. (C) COMMENT: While Firat urged Tugluk to stay on topic
(i.e. The constitutional draft),it is significant that he
remained patiently engaged in debate, even while Tugluk
continued to deviate to the Kurdish question. Firat's
eagerness to continue was even more remarkable given that
once detoured, it was Tugluk who refused to answer key
questions (e.g. is the PKK a terrorist organization or not?).
Despite DTP links to the PKK, Tugluk continued to defend the
DTP's stance of 'neutrality' in the face of fresh reports of
terrorist violence. How hard is it for a member of
parliament to denounce, unequivocally, violence against the
very citizens they represent? This is the question that many
in the audience walked away with, and one that the DTP should
be forced to eventually answer. END COMMENT













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