KurdistanObserver.com

Lagendijk: End Military operations In Southeast (Northern Kurdistan)

The New Anatolian / Ankara

May 8, 2006

The European Union is against the military operations being carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in the east and southeast, said EU Joint Parliamentary Commission Co-Chair Joost Lagendijk over the weekend.

Attending a roundtable discussion in Diyarbakir for a project entitled "Civilian Rights in the Southeast," Lagendijk also condemned  attacks committed by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

He said that there's no room for violence where the improvement of Kurdish rights is concerned, and underlined that all forms of terrorist activities should be condemned.

Stressing that there are differences between Turkey and Europe's definition of "minority," Lagendijk acknowledged that he's aware that the Kurds don't define themselves as a minority.

Lagendijk stated that, according to the EU definition, the Kurds are a minority because many rights have not been granted to them. First of all, he said, the same rights granted to minorities in Europe should be granted to the Kurds.

"Your definition of a minority is different from ours; there's a different perception of the concept. For us, minorities have a right to their own TV channels, courses in their own languages and their own language rights," he said.

Lagendijk explained that the EU is working towards finding a way for solutions found for Turks living in France and Germany to become valid for minorities in Turkey.

According to Lagendijk, democracy is the only way to solve the Kurdish problem, adding that there's no room for violence in a solution to the problem.

Lagendijk said that another controversial issue is whether there are enough people in Parliament to represent the Kurds.

He said that he believes there are many pro-Kurdish deputies in Parliament and that he wasn't specifically referring to Kurdish-origin deputies since there have to be other politicians working for the Kurds' rights. He stated that the 10 percent national election threshold prevents politicians who work for the improvement of Kurdish rights from winning seats in Parliament, and recalled that the European Parliament has asked Turkey to make it possible for parties that get 5-6 percent of votes to be represented in Parliament.

Lagendijk suggested that Kurdish politicians should encourage a policy which rules out violence because as long as it continues there will be no investment in the region.

Calling on the government to implement long-term economic projects in the region, Lagendijk suggested that the government should cooperate with local mayors on projects designed for the region.