Cyprus-Forum.com

[2fan]

The deputy chief of general staff said they were against an amnesty for the PKK; however, there is only one way to bring the PKK members in the mountains down to their families, and that is a general amnesty. Moreover, as Gen. Başbuğ said, 40 percent of PKK members joined the group after 1999. In other words, 40 percent of them have not been involved in armed clashes.

Mehmet Ali BIRAND
The reverberations of the press briefing conducted by Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ are continuing. I gave a general analysis of the briefing yesterday and shared my positive impressions. I said I would write the points on which I differ from Başbuğ in today's article.

The first and foremost issue is the amnesty for the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

This has been discussed for many years.

The PKK is demanding an amnesty to heal old wounds, but they also allow for the infliction of new wounds and even make the wounds deeper. That's why I can sympathize with the families of the fallen soldiers and the security forces.

Gen. Başbuğ was also clear in his reply to a question during the briefing, noting that they were totally against an amnesty.

No matter how much it hurts, we will eventually have to swallow this bitter pill if we want the PKK to come down from the mountains. This is the most effective way to do so. It doesn't matter how much firepower we use or how effectively we stop foreign support, we will still fail to bring the majority of the PKK down from the mountains.

The problem here is whether those guilty of murder will benefit from the amnesty. Those who object to this argue, “If we forgive them, we will give others an incentive to commit new murders.”

No.

Once you make the ones in the mountains disarm, the PKK will for the most part dissolve. Some may continue to murder people, but those who stay will no longer count.

Moreover, as Gen Başbuğ said, almost half of the PKK is young people who joined after 1999. In other words, they joined after PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's arrest and the cease-fire. In short, this portion of the PKK still does not have blood on their hands.

It's very hard to destroy the PKK existence without an amnesty.

Alternative ways have been tried many times before, but none produced the desired result.

We will eventually have to find an effective amnesty formula.


What do guys think? Amnesty or no amnesty for pkk?

[brother]

Amnesty is the way forward.

[Murtaza]

Never, they killed persons, It is not goverment right to forgive someone.

[Turkey (( *]

And what if they use this amnesty the wrong way!! They would settle in big cities and bomb the cities instead of rural areas!! Think a little bit please!!

[DigenisAkritas]

PKK has legitimate grievance, just like the IRA did, when English started speaking to the IRA it has meant that there is progress going forward now. No more violence. What about what the Turks did in 1990's in SE Turkey? 3000 villages depopulated?

[Turkey (( *]

Don't open your mouth before you know what the thing is about!! 30.000 killed because of terrorists because of PKK!! We did try to talk to them but they didn't stop, plus the opposite they started to bomb us again!! 3000 villages depopulated in SE Turkey?? What are you talking about!!??

[DigenisAkritas]

Don't open your mouth before you know what the thing is about!! 30.000 killed because of terrorists because of PKK!! We did try to talk to them but they didn't stop, plus the opposite they started to bomb us again!! 3000 villages depopulated in SE Turkey?? What are you talking about!!??

"Perhaps the best test of the staying power of the "new humanitarianism" is the U.S. relationship with Turkey, a NATO ally that has engaged in its own unique brand of internal "ethnic cleansing" against its Kurdish population. Using U.S.-supplied combat planes, helicopters, armored personnel carriers and rifles, the Turkish armed forces have waged a 15-year long civil war against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has resulted in over 37,000 deaths (mostly Kurds). Turkey's principal strategy in its war against the PKK has been a "scorched earth" policy in the southeastern portion of the country that has involved bombing, burning, and depopulating over 3,000 Kurdish villages and creating between 500,000 and 2.5 million internal refugees."

U.S. Arms Sales to Turkey During the Clinton Administration

by Tamar Gabelnick, William D. Hartung, and Jennifer Washburn
with research assistance by Michelle Ciarrocca
A Joint Report of the World Policy Institute and the Federation of American Scientists
October 1999

[Turkey (( *]

What about Turkish people dead, the damage this has done to the Turkish economy, we didn't start this!! They started bombing us and we responded, what do you want us to do, just sit there while soldiers and civilians were dying everyday!!! Get a life!!

[DigenisAkritas]

What about Turkish people dead, the damage this has done to the Turkish economy, we didn't start this!! They started bombing us and we responded, what do you want us to do, just sit there while soldiers and civilians were dying everyday!!! Get a life!!

Well you criticized the over-zealousness of the American Response to 9/11, yet justify the Turkish over-zealousness here. As for your final comment, I can only assume that you are Turkish.

[Turkey (( *]

What about Turkish people dead, the damage this has done to the Turkish economy, we didn't start this!! They started bombing us and we responded, what do you want us to do, just sit there while soldiers and civilians were dying everyday!!! Get a life!!

Well you criticized the over-zealousness of the American Response to 9/11, yet justify the Turkish over-zealousness here. As for your final comment, I can only assume that you are Turkish.

I haven't seen a more clever person than you, I think everybody bow when you come!! I have a Turkish flag, my nickname is Turkey (( * and you just understood that I am Turkish well I congratulate you!! BRAVOOO!!However you are VERY :




Of course I criticise American response!! They invaded a country thousands of kilometers away!! We tried to stop what was happening in our own borders!! Get the difference!!!Don't be as slow as last time pls!!