PRESIDENT COMPARES GREECE AND SYRIA VIS-à-VIS PKK

President Demirel says that Greece has less leeway than Syria in supporting PKK terrorism because of its memberships with international organisations. He warns the civilised world with unequivocal terms. 1999 is the year for restoration of social and economic development of the East and Southeast.

"Greece cannot possibly continue to support terrorism," said President Demirel and explained why, "Greece will sit at the same table with civilised nations and at the same time support terrorism and this will be Turkey’s problem only. This is incomprehensible." He noted that what Greece was doing about harbouring and assisting PKK terrorists was against both UN resolutions and NATO.

Explaining Turkey’s determination to stop Greece’s support of PKK terrorism as it did with Syria and what Turkey will demand Greece to do about it, President Demirel said over TRT-1 on the evening of February 27^th:

"Greece has to close down all the camps that are used by the terrorist organisation. It has to arrest all the terrorists for whom there are arrest warrants and bring them to justice or hand them over to Turkey. It has to stop giving guerrilla training to PKK terrorists or providing them with identity cards. It must not provide arms to PKK terrorists. It also has to put an end to all sorts of Treasury support that it extends to PKK terrorists. It must not permit any kind of propaganda publicity that incites the PKK to murder and carry out massacres. It must prevent the PKK from having any sorts of installations or facilities in Greece. It must not permit the PKK to have transit passages through its territory. And it must not be a mediator for the PKK organisation’s money laundry operations."

Comparing Syria’s conditions with Greece he said, "Syria was neither a member of the European Union, nor the OSCE’s. It was not a Council of Europe member either. In that case we were alone as the country with demands. But Greece is a member of all these organisations. These are not our demands only. These demands are also the demands of the other members of these organisations. These are duties incumbent on them too. What will Europe do now? We are observing. This is nothing that can be passed away with makeshift behaviour. Europe, or rather the entire civilised world, is going through a test. In other words, they will all sink if they are going to tolerate the violation of all the rules they have imposed on their members, just because it is done to Turkey. Now we will see in the period ahead these actions and their repercussions.

"Now let me tell you one more thing. In Southeast Anatolia, the services that could not be fulfilled because of the state of emergency will all be rendered this year. The big services and programmes of the State are already going on. But in addition to these big programmes, there are also medium-term, small-term services. These services have been planned and programmed very well. And they will all be carried out. We also have an industrialisation drive that has been set up for the Southeast. These activities will continue both before and after the elections. It is the only way to overcome unemployment and poverty. The drive for schooling is going on. There are some local power cuts and impossibility to watch the TV. We will come on top of all that, one by one. There are some hardships about health services. In other words, this year will be a year of restoration. The services that could not be extended to the Southeast for a while will be extended this year. The State will fulfil this duty to the people."

President Demirel said that the PKK did not only resort to terrorism, but also wanted to split up Turkey. "It is a very grave event. As was known and proved later on, this was not an event that took place merely within Turkey’s boundaries. It is an event far exceeding the national boundaries that receives support from abroad."

The fight against this uprising for the last 15 years was waged within legitimacy and bounds of law and democracy. In this fight, 5000 soldiers from all over the country, 5000 innocent civilians and 20,000 misguided terrorists died. In this fight, nearly 100,000 paramilitary village guards, all from the local people, helped the security forces of the State. "In other words, this event is not the uprising of the people who live in that region against the State. It is an outright attempt of a group of armed people to detach a part of Turkey’s lands."

The President said that under the Treaty of Lausanne there are no minorities in Turkey other than the non-muslim communities. The rest are equal and first class citizens of the country, be they Turks, Kurds or others.

About the PKK terrorism pestering Turkey for the last 15 years he said, "The whole thing has been engineered from outside Turkey. Certain resources, certain funds have all been mobilised from outside Turkey. We would have got rid of it long ago. But each summer the security forces of the State make the necessary eradication. But once winter sets in and it is over you see that the same event recurs. We have thus come to the conclusion that it will not be terminated unless its external links are not cut off.

"There is today not a span of land in Turkey that is not under the control of the State. There is no inaccessible land or road. And the people are in close co-operation with the State. Soldiers shared their food with the local people and served as teachers in schools when there were such shortages in these places. Military doctors and experts worked in the service of the local people."

President Demirel related the events that ended up with Abdullah Ocalan’s departure from Syria on October 9^th, 1998.

"After a while we saw that Ocalan was in Russia. We asked Russia what was happening and why they were keeping him there. Russia told us that we should not worry, that he would not be given shelter there. He would leave the country before long and not return to Russia again. Russia has truly kept its promise."

The President said about his statement in Manila about giving Greece a last chance that some thought what he had said was the last thing to say. "Yes, it is true that it was the last thing to say. Other things were said a month ago. Two months ago other things were said. Three, four, five months ago also other things were all said, one by one. Rather than repeating these things once again and slackening everything it was time to say the last word and it was said. It was my duty. I fulfilled that duty. No one, at home or abroad, should find it strange. It is not a situation that is difficult to understand if it is viewed carefully. If anyone is asking us, ‘what are you trying to do?’ we are trying to quell terrorism, to cut off the external links of terror, to eliminate Greece’s support to these external links. And we are saying to whoever is supporting the terror, ‘take your hands off’. We are not saying this to Greece only, but to everyone: ‘Take your hands off’. In short, we are trying to put an end to terrorism in our country. We are trying to save Turkey from the scourge of terror. And we are trying to undo the efforts to split up our country through terrorism. Why do you ask us what we are doing. What is there to ask about? And we are not asking anyone else how to do it, because there is no other way. This is what everyone must understand."

Demirel said on the forthcoming days Turkey would exert every effort to dry out the external resources to PKK terrorism. First, Turkey had to explain itself better and the treason it is facing, he said.

The President stressed that Ocalan’s oncoming trial was a murderer’s trial. They would try, he warned, to make it out to be an ideological trial, but Turkey would not fall into that trap, he said.

Integration with Cyprus will continue, says the President

Invited to talk about Cyprus, Demirel said, "The world sees that the agreements concluded in the last two-year period are being implemented and that the steps that will achieve the economic integration between Turkey and Cyprus (the TRNC) are being taken. This year we will continue to ship water to Cyprus. A water pipeline is being built. Later we will extend electricity there by cable. Roads are being built. Universities are being enlarged and we will take industry there.

"The political solution of the Cyprus problem is evident from our angle. There is a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and it has to be recognised by the world. Then the State in the South and the one in the North should sit down and think about how they will coexist." uras@ada.net.tr, February 28^th, 1999