A chara, - Let us give an overt, and not in any way "underlying", message that the European Union and Ireland should indeed ostracise and isolate Turkey, contrary to Ambassador Murat Ersavci's belief (Irish Times, March 8th). The UN reported that it had more allegations of disappearances in Turkey in 1994 than in any other country in the world. Amnesty International recently reported that there have been more than 1,000 "street killings" in Turkey since 1991, mainly in the south east.
If the "anti Turkish movement" the Ambassador refers to is based in ignorance and misapprehension, then perhaps he could explain why journalists are prevented from informing us about the situation in the southeast of his country? Perhaps he could enlighten us as to exactly how many Kurdish villages have been forcibly evacuated by the Turkish army? We believe that it is as many as 3,000 and that more than 2 1/2 million people have been displaced; can he confirm this?
Is it true also that the Turkish army wants to establish a five mile "buffer zone" against "terrorism" along the border with Iraq, thus displacing more Kurdish people? Perhaps he could tell us how many schools have been closed down and used as detention centres?
We know that the "great Kemal Ataturk" had many progressive ideas for the Republic of Turkey. But a country which denies the existence of more than 10 million Kurdish people in its territory is no democracy. Until this persecuted minority is given full cultural and political recognition there can be no place in the EU for Turkey. - Is mise le meas,
Kurdistan Information
Network, c/o 10 Upper Camden Street, Dublin 2.