TURKEY: SUCCESS OF KURDISH BROADCASTING:

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 000083 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2019 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL OSCE TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: SUCCESS OF KURDISH BROADCASTING: HARBINGER OF MORE "SOFT POWER" INITIATIVES? Classified By: Adana Principal Officer Eric Green for reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Since the January 1 launch of Kurdish language broadcasts on Turkish State television (TRT-6),the taboo on use of Kurdish in quasi-official venues such as universities and prisons is coming to an end. Most moderate Kurds are welcoming these developments warmly as long-overdue recognition of their identity by the Turkish state. Kurdish militants, meanwhile, are furious because they realize that such reforms could eliminate one of their principal grievances. Coupled with the Turkish military's offensive on PKK targets, application of such soft power instruments has the potential to improve Turkey's counter-insurgency efforts. End summary. "Shesh" Making Friends (and Influencing People?) -------------- --- ¶2. (U) TRT-6 (called "Shesh" in Kurdish),which began broadcasting on January 1, continues to elicit cautiously positive reviews from Turkey's Kurds. The programming has included performances by popular singers such as Rojin and appearances by prominent intellectuals such as Umit Firat and Kizilkaya. The channel also broadcast a short documentary about the singer Siwan Perwer, many of whose songs were banned in Turkey in the 1990s. The channel also features a weekly Koran reading in Kurdish. Members of the Laz community, which is concentrated in northeastern Turkey, are now demanding a channel in their language. ¶3. (C) Seymus Diken, a Kurdish writer who also works on Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir's staff, told us the establishment of the channel was a good step, but he was skeptical of the government's motives, noting that PM Erdogan's recent aggressive statements aimed at Turkey's Kurds ("Love Turkey or leave it") cast doubt on his sincerity. Hamza Yilmaz, a prominent Kurd in Mersin (who served for six years as PKK leader Ocalan's lawyer),praised TRT-6, noting that many young PKK sympathizers are watching it and are pleased the station's editorial tone is moderate ) it does not parrot the rigid nationalism characteristic of TRT's Turkish broadcasting. Yilmaz said TRT-6 puts the PKK in an awkward position, "they are strongly opposed, but they can't explain why." Yilmaz dismissed claims the reform was politically motivated, saying that after the March elections there is no way the government can reverse course and stop the broadcasts. ¶4. (C) Mahmut Arslan, a successful Kurdish businessman in Mersin, was also pleasantly surprised by the first weeks of TRT-6, stating that this official stamp of approval by the state for the Kurdish language is a turning point in Turkish history. He said he attended a funeral in Diyarbakir recently and many of the guests were discussing the new broadcasts and all but hard-core PKK supporters approved of the move. Competition for Roj-TV? -------------- ¶5. (C) While some pro-Kurdish DTP politicians have praised the launch of the Kurdish channel, more radical members of the movement have condemned it as a political ploy or as a way for the Turkish state to brainwash Kurds in their own language. Ocalan has reportedly claimed the Kurdish broadcasts are "illegal" (sic) and the PKK has threatened Kurdish artists and intellectuals who have appeared on TRT-6, labeling them traitorous "Kurds of the State." Arslan believes that TRT-6 can compete effectively with Denmark-based Roj-TV, the satellite channel linked to the PKK, noting that even the entertainment shows on Roj-TV are political communiqus about the PKK, but people watch TV to escape and they want entertainment. Yilmaz concurred, saying people are likely to watch Roj-TV for news, but tune into TRT-6 for entertainment. What's Next: University Training, Hospitals, Prisons -------------- -------------- ¶6. (U) The precedent set by TRT has produced a flurry of other announcements that government institutions are ANKARA 00000083 002 OF 002 considering relaxing restrictions on Kurdish: --the Higher Education Council (YOK) has said it will approve the creation of Kurdish language faculties in universities in Istanbul and Ankara. Because there is no tradition of Kurdish-medium scholarship in Turkey, experts from abroad or from other disciplines may be recruited in the initial stages. Critics complain universities in Kurdish regions should also have Kurdish studies. --the Ministry of Justice announced that Kurdish-speaking inmates will be allowed to use their native language in communications with family members; in many cases, inmates' mothers do not speak Turkish. (Foreign inmates have faced no restrictions using English or other European languages.) ¶7. (U) A recent report by a prominent Istanbul-based think-tank, TESEV, suggested other ways Kurdish language usage can be relaxed: --accepting Kurdish as a second language in schools; --restoring names of geographical locations to their original Kurdish monikers; --allowing religious sermons to be delivered in Kurdish; --permitting health-care providers to communicate with clients in Kurdish; and --performing plays in Kurdish in state theaters. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) While Kurdish broadcasting in and of itself will not dry up the PKK's recruiting pool, TRT-6's early success shows it is possible to win hearts and minds and put the PKK on the defensive. The reaction among moderate Kurds reinforces the fact that the majority of them do not harbor separatist agendas but want official recognition for ) or at least tolerance of ) their language and culture. State-sponsored broadcasting in Kurdish is a huge first step to show that the GOT no longer associates Kurdish language with sedition, but other moves should follow, including an end to lawsuits targeting politicians for speaking in Kurdish. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey Jeffrey