KURDISH QUESTION IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
By Khalid Khayati

Kurdish Aspect, CO
Oct 17 2006

The European Parliament voted in September on a report detailing
Turkey’s progress towards accession to the European Union.

A resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority that called on the
Turkish authorities to bring about further improvements in several key
areas, including that of the Kurdish question. The European Parliament
also urged the Turkish government "to take concrete steps for the
normalization of bilateral relations" with Cyprus, under the United
Nations’ settlement process. As with an earlier resolution in September
2005, the new European Union text calls on Turkey to recognize the
Republic of Cyprus and withdraw its military forces from the island,
as well as lift its embargo and end all port and airport restrictions.

Human rights abuses in Turkey were another area of concern highlighted
by the European Parliament. Whilst recognizing some recent limited
progress in this field, the parliament strongly criticized the Turkey’s
human rights record and current practices.

The MEPs were particularly concerned with the lack of religious
freedom, the inadequate protection of ethnic and cultural communities,
the use of torture and the severe curtailment of freedom of
expression. The criticism of denying ethnic minorities rights was
an obvious allusion to the Greeks of Pontos and the Assyrians, who
similarly to the Kurds, have been systematically denied their identity
and the right to political and cultural recognition. The report calls
on the Turkish government to "implement more effective measures"
for dealing with abuses of human rights by Turkish authorities.

Previous reports have deplored the lack of gender equality in Turkey’s
civil and penal codes, and the pervasive problem of domestic violence,
polygamy and forced marriage particularly among Turkey’s Kurdish
population. The report is particularly concerned with so called honor
killings and urges all involved to make an effort to put an end to
such atrocious practices. The document reemphasizes the right of
Turkish women to education.

The death penalty was another issue of concern. The issue has been
raised in the past in connection with the case of PKK leader Abdullah
Ocelan. According to the report, the European Parliament maintained
"pressure on the Turkish authorities until they abolished the death
penalty in 2002."

Although the European Parliament has not made Turkey’s EU membership
contingent upon its acknowledgement of the Armenian genocide,
Turkey has been urged to establish "good neighbourly relations" with
Armenia, and facilitate the work of researchers, intellectuals and
academics looking at the question of the genocide. However, Turkey
has described France’s recent decision to make illegal denial of the
Armenian genocide a "serious blow" to its relations with France and
has threatened sanctions.

Kurdish question on the agenda

The European Parliament also called on the Turkish government to
recognize "the cultural rights of the Kurdish minority" in Turkey,
whilst praising some positive developments, such as the decision to
permit broadcasting in the Kurdish language. The European Parliament
has also strongly condemned the resurgence of "terrorist violence"
on the part of the PKK, which the resolution accuses of resulting
in the "intimidation of civil society representatives" in Kurdish
areas. The resolution was indeed passed a few days before the PKK
declared a unilateral and unconditional ceasefire with the Turkish
military forces.

The European parliamentary resolution calls on the Turkish side to
pursue a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue following the last
year’s "encouraging statement" by Turkish Prime Minister Receb Tayyip
Erdogan, who admitted the existence of the Kurdish problem and called
for a solution. The report also urges the Turkish authorities to lift
restrictions on political parties such HADEP and to allow the Kurdish
language to be used in the education system and media. Furthermore,
it has been stressed that it was essential "to strike a balance between
the need to control the situation as regards security, avoiding civil
military strains, and effectively promoting the political dialogue
and the economic and social development of the "south-east" region
through a comprehensive strategy supported by adequate means".

What prospects for the Kurds in Turkey?

Although the European Parliament urges the Turkish Government to opt
for a democratic solution to the Kurdish issue through the promotion
of political dialogue and the economic and social development of the
"south-east" region, possibly using EU pre-accession assistance, the
parliament’s message appears muddled and insufficient. The European
Parliament’s resolution fails to deliver a well-formulated and coherent
definition of the Kurdish problem, a necessary prerequisite before
proposing any solution to it. Similarly, the Kurdish political movement
in Turkey for its part has been hitherto unable to bring clarity to
the issue. The unilateral ceasefire that was issued by the PKK on
1st October and that was welcomed by many people, will perhaps open
the way for a general amnesty for PKK members and their inclusion in
the Turkish political process, but this is far from satisfactory.

For the Turkish government, engaged in an "open-ended" process of
becoming a full member of the European Union, it is time to carry
out fundamental changes in its political and judicial apparatus
in order to facilitate a real solution to the Kurdish problem. The
Kurdish question in Turkey concerns the claim of an oppressed but
distinct people to their right to preserve and institutionalize their
national identity. As Abbas Vali has outlined, it is about promoting
the representation of the "marginal" and excluded identities in the
political and legal processes of the country. It is also about the
changing the conditions of citizenship, which insist that the Turkish
identity of the sovereign and all political power is accepted.

It is time for the Kurdish political movement in Turkey to aim for such
a vision. We should remember that achieving the political recognition
for the Kurds in Turkey can only through a purely peaceful struggle
that will give birth to the emergence of a democratic political
culture in Kurdish society.