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A prosecutor in the eastern city
(Northern Kurdistan) of Igdır, where Zana spoke at a rally on Friday in
support of pro-Kurdish independent candidates for Parliament, launched the
investigation on Saturday following a complaint by the police.
“It is time for division of Turkey into states. Ankara,
divide Turkey into states and establish the Kurdistan state,” Zana was
quoted as telling a crowd by the Anatolia news agency on Friday. She said
this would be tantamount to taking a step that Turkey failed to take during
the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923 and added that such a shift in
the administrative system would not mean “division of the country,” claiming
that on the contrary that it would strengthen unity and coexistence.
Mustafa Kucuk, chief prosecutor of Igdır, said in a
written statement carried by Anatolia that the investigation would determine
whether Zana violated laws on incitement and state unity.
Zana, who has already served a 10-year sentence for
speaking in Kurdish, insisted on her proposal on Saturday. “This is where I
believe Turkey’s interests lie,” she was quoted as saying by the private
Cihan News Agency in a speech in the eastern province of Van. “I believe
that those who are angry with me now will implement what I call for after
five or 10 years.”
In a television interview Saturday, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan harshly criticized Zana’s remarks and called for an
investigation. “These are very unfortunate remarks,” he told the Kanal 7
television station. “No one can ... make such a provocation on the eve of
the elections.”
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül also lashed out at Zana for
her remarks, saying they are “very irresponsible and provocative” on the eve
of elections. Turkey’s unitary status is a highly charged issue amid
mounting violence by the PKK. Many oppose moves to clip the powers of the
central government out of fear that it could lead to a break-up of the
country. |
