1. KESK spells out what is needed for peace
20 May 2013 / ANFChairpersons of the Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK) and unions affiliated to it held a press conference in Ankara to share their opinions about the process of talks aimed at a democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish question.
Speaking here, KESK President Lami Özgen said the silence of arms has been achieved thanks to the struggle made so far by the Kurdish people and movements for peace, labor and democracy. Özgen pointed out that the process could succeed thanks to the struggle by labor and democracy powers.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/kesk-spells-out-what-is-needed-for-peace.htm
2. Kurdish politicians sentenced to twelve years in prison
20 May 2013 / ANFThe final hearing of the trial against15 Kurdish politicians in Iğdır was held at Erzurum 4th High Criminal Court on Monday. The politicians, including members of BDP (Peace and Democracy) party and municipal councils, had been taken into custody in the scope of KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) operation in Iğdır on 26 November 2012.
BDP Iğdır Party Council members Orhan Artuç and Ferzende Abay, who were being tried without arrest, have been sentenced to six years and three months in prison each for allegedly being “members of an illegal organization”. Thirteen other Kurdish politicians were released by the court.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/kurdish-politicians-sentenced-to-twelve-years-in-prison.htm
3. International ‘Free Ocalan’ Campaign Aims for 5m Signatures
20 May 2013 / RudawA group of activists in the Kurdistan Region has collected 60,000 signatures calling for the release of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, a first step to a goal of five million names on the international petition by mid-August.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, together with 90 MPs and political leaders, is among the prominent names on the list, said Kawa Nadir Qadir, the head campaigner in Kurdistan. “Every day we collect at least 10,000 signatures,” said Qadir, confident he will meet the campaign’s goal of one million names from the Kurdistan Region.
4. Intellectuals organize conference for peace
16 May 2013 / ANFWriter Murathan Mungan, Prof. Gencay Gürsoy and HDK (People's Democratic Congress) executive council member Bircan Yorulmaz held a press conference on the Conference for Democracy and Peace to take place in Ankara on 25-26 May.
The conference has been organized by a group of intellectuals, academics, writers and artists including Vedat Türkali, Murathan Mungan, Orhan Pamuk, Rakel Dink, Yaşar Kemal, Tarık Ziya Ekinci, Prof. Yakın Ertürk, Prof. Ioanna Kuçuradi, Prof. Gençay Gürsoy, Prof. Şebnem Korur Fincancı and Arif Sağ.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/intellectuals-organize-conference-for-peace.htm
5. Europe Kurdish conference to be held in June
20 May 2013 / ANFAssociations and organizations from Kurdistan and Turkey and representatives of political parties in Europe gathered in the Belgium capital Brussels to debate the conference which will take place in Europe. The conference is part of the series of meetings Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan proposed in the context of the ongoing process for peace and democratic politics.
The meeting in Brussels was attended by the representatives of more than 60 associations and organizations as well as KONGRA-GEL President Remzi Kartal, KCK (Kurdish Communities Union) Executive Council member Zübeyir Aydar who agreed on the organization of Democracy and Peace Conference in Brussels on 29-30 June.
http://en.firatnews.com/news/news/europe-kurdish-conference-to-be-held-in-june.htm
6. International ‘Free Ocalan’ Campaign Aims for 5m Signatures
20 May 2013 / RudawA group of activists in the Kurdistan Region has collected 60,000 signatures calling for the release of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, a first step to a goal of five million names on the international petition by mid-August.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, together with 90 MPs and political leaders, is among the prominent names on the list, said Kawa Nadir Qadir, the head campaigner in Kurdistan.
“Every day we collect at least 10,000 signatures,” said Qadir, confident he will meet the campaign’s goal of one million names from the Kurdistan Region.
“The petition will later be given to the United Nations and other relevant institutions,” he said, adding that anyone over 12 can sign. The campaign is taking place simultaneously in Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria’s Kurdish areas, Turkey and some European countries.
http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/200520131
COMMENT, OPINION AND ANALYSIS
7. Remove the PKK From the Terror List
21 May 2013 / Huffington PostPresident Barack Obama and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a daunting agenda when they met at the White House last week. The Syria crisis was top of the list. The peace process between Turkey and the PKK was also a priority. The United States can help address both problems by removing the PKK from its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Sequencing is important. Delisting the PKK should occur at a time when it has maximum impact on events in Syria, as well as Turkey's domestic peace process.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-l-phillips/pkk-terror-group-status_b_3289311.html
8. Turkey-Kurdistan oil deal reflects end of post-Ottoman order
20 May 2013 / eKurdBy David Gardner, FT: Confirmation last week that Turkey plans to buy into the oil and gas wealth of the self-governing Kurdistan region of northern Iraq has led to warnings – most stridently from the US – that Ankara is gambling with the break-up of Iraq. Indeed. But there is more at stake than that. Drop a rock in any pool in this febrile region – now hyperconnected in all the wrong ways – and the ripples will reach every shore. In Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government and the national authorities in Baghdad are nowhere near a pact for sharing the country’s potentially huge oil revenues, much less a working model of federal power-sharing – with the Baghdad government of Nouri al-Maliki, a Shia Islamist aligned with Iran, invariably favouring sect and faction above state and nation.
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2013/5/turkey4694.htm
9. Kurdish peace process: The latest phase of de-securitisation politics
14 May 213 / Al JazeeraConceiving of the Kurdish issue in political terms - rather than security ones - represents the third and final phase of de-securitisation politics in Turkey, which is an indication of the growing normalisation of the country.
Since the beginning of 2013, Turkey's political agenda has been dominated by the Kurdish peace process initiated through negotiations between the Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) incarcerated leader, Abdullah Ocalan, and the chief of Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), Hakan Fidan. So far, the process has progressed smoothly. Some important milestones have been reached.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/05/2013514154722778273.html
10. US - Turkey relations: a bitter honeymoon
16 May 2013 / European Council on Foreign RelationsToday relations between the US and Turkey are in a much better shape than a few years ago. Israel's decision to apologise to the Turks over the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident and offer financial compensation, reached after heavy American lobbying, has given the Obama administration a sigh of relief. Now that the US is seeking to extricate itself from the Middle East and pivot to East Asia, two critical allies are willing to re-engage. Today's visit of Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Washington DC must be seen in this context. The Turkish leader is received with top honours by Obama and Biden, and is given plenty of time and attention. The fact is that he and the US president have managed to build a strong relationship which also survived the dark days when there was a lot of talk about Ankara’s turn to the East - towards Iran, Hamas and the like. The sheer number of meetings between the two leaders illustrates this point. Equally, Turkey now appreciates the value of being an US ally.
http://ecfr.eu/blog/entry/us_-_turkey_relations_a_bitter_honeymoon
No comments:
Post a Comment