Voice of America
Feb 9 2008

Turkish Leader Criticizes European ‘Double Standard’ on PKK
By Al Pessin
Munich
09 February 2008

Turkey’s prime minister criticized European nations Saturday for
providing sanctuary to groups that support the Kurdish Workers Party,
which Turkey, the European Union and the United States have labeled a
terrorist organization. VOA’s Al Pessin reports from Munich, where
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to the European Security
Conference on Saturday.

Prime Minister Erdogan called on European countries to stop allowing
affiliates of the group, known as the PKK, to raise money and promote
their cause. The prime minister said he would not name any countries
specifically, but he also called for the extradition of PKK members
who are held in Europe. He is heard here through an interpreter.

"Countries who apply double standards, or who remain unwilling
towards terrorism, in time, will become shareholders of negative
consequences of terrorism," he said.

Prime Minister Erdogan said European countries already suffer from
drug trafficking used to finance PKK activities.

He also called on the European Union to move forward with Turkey’s
long-standing application for membership, and he rejected calls by
some in Europe to give Turkey a ‘privileged partnership’ status,
short of full membership.

In answer to questions from the audience of senior officials and
leading security experts from Europe, North America and elsewhere,
the Turkish prime minister challenged Armenia’s foreign minister to
provide proof Turkey was responsible for a massacre of Armenians in
1915.

And he denied a charge by a Russian questioner that Turkey is
harboring Chechen terrorists.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will deliver a major speech at
the conference on Sunday. He says he will lay out what he sees as the
justification for European involvement in bringing stability to
Afghanistan – the need ensure it does not again become a terrorist
safe haven. Gates says he wants to convince ordinary Europeans to
support additional troop deployments to help the undermanned NATO
mission in Afghanistan.