(The Kurdistan Observer) Jan 21, 2002. In the wake of recent developments
in Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, the Turkish security forces have
mentioned for the first time their willingness to deliver a general amnesty and
the possibility of negotiation with Ocalan's PKK, reported Al-Hayat last
Saturday.

However, the Turkish authorities have coupled their offers with the  following
pre-conditions:

1) The Kurds must dismantle the "Kurdistan Parliament" established in Europe whose struggle is for an independent Kurdistan.

2) The PKK members must abandon the use of the word "Kurdistan" or
sending any of their representatives to conferences related to Kurdish issues.

3) That the Medya sattellite TV station refrain  from using Kurdish names for
cities and towns [in Northern Kurdistan].

4) Halt all Kurdish national projects such as the Kurdish Language Association, the Kurdish Bank, and the Kurdish Encyclopedia among others.

5) The PKK members must surrender with their weapons to the Turkish
security forces.

Earlier this week, the Turkish security forces rounded up more than 5,000
people and arrested about 300 in a crackdown against a campaign to have the
Kurdish language taught at universities and schools.

The campaign, seen by the Turkish generals as a sign of Kurdish separatism,
began in universities in Istanbul in November as hundreds of Kurdish students
signed petitions asking for Kurdish language education, which is banned under Turkey's constitution.

The movement quickly spread to universities across Turkey and has recently
spilled over to high schools, where parents have submitted similar petitions to the education ministry.

In related subject the Turkish Daily News reported last Thusday that the
three-party coalition partner ANAP's Diyarbakir deputy Sebgetullah Seydaoglu said that four former Kurdish deputies from closed DEP (pro-Kurdish Democratic Party) should be released. Seydaoglu also calls on Sezer to use his amnesty power to give freedom to the imprisoned DEP deputies.