March 3, 2008 - The Wilson Center Southeast Europe Project hosted a panel, "Developments
in the Politics of the Kurdish Question in Turkey." Speakers were panel moderator,
Henri Barkey, Chair, Department of International Relations, Lehigh University; Aliza
Marcus, Author of "Blood and Belief: The PKK and the Kurdish Fight for Independence";
Nicole Watts, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, San Francisco
State University; and, Gokhan Cetinsaya, Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Center. The Wilson
Center SEP is headed by John Sitilides, who folded the Greece-oriented Western Policy
Center into SEP two years ago.

The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), in coordination with local
Turkish American organizations, including the American Turkish Association of Washington,
DC (ATADC), Turkish Coalition of America (TCA), Turkish American Community Center
(TACC), American Turkish Friendship Association (ATFA), Rumi Forum, and ARI Foundation,
showed a strong presence to reject and oppose the panel`s general position that
Turkey should negotiate with terrorists in order to the address the needs of its
citizens of Kurdish origin. The ATAA believes that Turkey has successfully and
continues successfully to address the needs of its citizens without honoring any
terrorist organization. The ATAA believes that Turkey has the natural and legal
right to defend itself against domestic and international terrorism to protect
its citizens.

Marcus claimed that the PKK was a people`s movement, because it received almost
all of its funds from cultural organizations in Europe, either voluntarily or under
force, and that even pro-Kurdish political parties in Turkey were secretly, pro-PKK.

ATAA President-Elect Gunay Evinch disagreed, citing the EU`s recent lawsuit in New
York against R.J. Reynolds and Phillip Morris for cigarette smuggling and evading
duty taxes. The EU alleged that the cigarette companies used the PKK to do the
smuggling, and south Cypriot banks to launder the money. The case was immediately
settled for $1.2 billion. Evinch stated that vast majority of the PKK`s funding
comes from criminal activity - not raffles at Kurdish cultural events. These criminal
activities include cigarette smuggling, narcotics, human trafficking, prostitution,
and child pornography. This was confirmed by U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson`s recent
statement, "The PKK is the largest criminal network organization in the world."
None of the panelists were aware of the EU lawsuit, or knowledgeable of the PKK`s
dependence on criminal activity for funding.

Marcus stated that the success of Turkish ground operations in northern Iraq was
limited due to effective resistance by the PKK, and that the Iraqi Kurds had sent
a united and tough warning to Turkey. She added that the withdrawal of Turkish
forces from Iraq was an opportunity for Turkey to negotiate with the PKK. A person
who claimed to be a representative of the "Kurdistan Regional Government" official
lent support to Marcus, expressing, "40,000 Turkish troops invaded Iraq to attack
Kurds."

But, panel Moderator, Henri Barkey, disagreed, stating the there were "no civilian
casualties in the Turkish operations against PKK targets." According to Turkey,
3000 special forces targeted several PKK camps, destroyed them, killed over 300
PKK terrorists, and suffered 27 casualties. The same day as the Wilson Center
panel, Chief of the Turkish General Staff, General Yasar Buyukanit, stated that
the Turkish ground operations against the PKK achieved their objectives: "We needed
to give them a lesson and we did. We have other lessons to give. Other operations
will be conducted as necessary. This was just a phase in the fight against terrorism."

Demet Cabbar, President of the ATADC, asked whether U.S. frustration with the lack
of cooperation by Kurdish leaders on a wide range of issues concerning peace and
stability in a unified Iraq played a role in the United States` support for Turkish
ground operations in northern Iraq. A person who claimed to be a representative
of the "Kurdistan Regional Government" interjected, "Outside the KRG, there is
no other authority or central government, except in Baghdad in the green zone!"
Panel Moderator, Henri Barkey, responded, "No, frustration with the Kurds was not
a factor in Turkish - U.S. cooperation against the PKK. No one is cooperating with
the U.S. An independent Kurdistan is not in the cards, at least for now, and the
Kurds should know that."

Marcus claimed that "the PKK was the main Kurdish organization of Turkey", because
it had spilled its blood for its belief in Kurdish nationalism at most, and cultural
rights in the least. Marcus stated that college classes should be offered in a
Kurdish dialect. Yurter Ozcan, President of the ARI Foundation, disagreed that
in no way do the mainstream Turkish Kurds endorse violence. He expressed that the
vast majority of Turkey`s Kurds were supporters of the AKP, not even pro-Kurdish
parties, and surely not the PKK terrorist organization. He stated that the vast
majority of Turkey`s Kurds were integrated with Turkish society, and that three
of eight Turkish Presidents had been Kurdish, such as Turgut Ozal, who did much
for the development of the Turkish southeast. "At a time when we are discussing
whether America is ready for an African American President, today we should be
praising Turkey`s diversity success story," Ozcan concluded.

Sema Muslu, speaking on behalf of the TCA, inquired into the role of Greece as a
supporter of the PKK terrorist organization. Marcus replied, "Greece sold out
the PKK because it did not want war with Turkey." Between 1984 through the arrest
of PKK Chief Abdullah Ocalan as he was exiting the Greek Embassy in Kenya, Greece
provided logistical and technical support, as well as military training to the PKK.
While Turkey recognizes its citizens of Kurdish origin, Greece still refers to
its Turkish and Macedonian minorities as "Turcophone Hellenic Muslims" and Slavaphone
Hellenes, respectively.

Turkish Embassy Counselor, Fatih Yildiz, asked the panelists to state their positions
regarding whether they believed the PKK was a terrorist organization. Marcus responded
that by avoiding classification of the PKK and by simply describing the activities
of the PKK, she permitted people to draw their own opinions and that she left room
for debate on the issue. Watts added that ambiguity permitted for more dialogue.
Cetinsaya did not comment. Yildiz questioned whether they would engage in similar
ambiguity to support dialogue with Al Qaeda.

For the Record:
By Gunay Evinch, ATAA President-Elect

Since the Gulf War that was prompted by Iraq`s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Turkey
has provided the Incirlik Air Base, and other national assets, to support operations
"Desert Storm", "Provide Comfort", "Northern Watch", "Desert Shield", and "Iraqi
Freedom". Turkey took in over 500,000 Kurdish refugees who sought safe haven from
retaliating Iraqi forces. In order to help isolate Saddam Hussein, Turkey shut
off oil pipelines from Iraq that crossed Turkey at a cost of $5 billion a year for
ten years. Turkey also provided military and diplomatic liaisons to secure peace
between the warring Kurdish factions, even providing Turkish diplomatic passports
to Iraqi Kurdish leaders, such as Barzani and Talabani, so they could travel unencumbered.
Turkey offered the United States 20,000 troops in March 2003. Turkey did all this
despite being denied NATO protection and Patriot missiles by a number of NATO allies.

Everyday 2,000 trucks enter Iraq from Turkey delivering humanitarian assistance,
food, construction material and equipment to rebuild Iraq. Turkey is a main source
for logistical support to the US and Coalition forces. Turkey is supporting over
$5.1 billion in infrastructure development, humanitarian aid and reconstruction
in Iraq. Turkey supplies 50% of Iraq`s refined oil and 25% of its electricity.
Over 300 Turkish civilian service providers have died in Iraq.

With the half million Iraqi Kurdish refugees infiltrated PKK and other terrorists.
It is disheartening to see that the safe region Turkey helped create in northern
Iraq has been permitted by the Kurdish local leaders to be a haven for PKK terror
cells that attack Turkey. Turkey has lost over 20,000 to PKK terror since the 1990
Gulf War and PKK violence has spiraled unabated following the invasion of Iraq in
2003. Today Turkey, in cooperation with the United States, is targeting PKK terrorist
camps in northern Iraq to protect itself.

Turkey`s ethnic-Kurdish citizens have never been subject to any sort of apartheid,
segregation or statute-based discrimination. They have taken and continue to take
part in every segment of political, economic and social life, including the Parliament,
military, and private sector. Indeed, three of Turkey`s eight Presidents have been
of Kurdish origin. Unhappy Kurds would include those who have not been able to
free themselves from oppressive feudalism, which has a stranglehold on the southeast.
Indeed, many have become the tools of Kurdish overlords, crime syndicates and the
PKK terrorist organization, which make their living from drug smuggling, cigarette
smuggling, and human trafficking.

Turkey`s citizens of Kurdish origin are geographically dispersed throughout Turkey,
mostly in western Turkey. They enjoy the same benefits and face the same concerns
as all Turkish citizens. Meanwhile, the ordinary Turkish taxpayer pours billions
of dollars into the Turkish southeast to raise the standard of living for all there.
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About ATAA

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The objective of the Assembly is to coordinate the activities of member Turkish
American associations and individual members of the Assembly for the purpose of
presenting a more balanced view of Turkey and of the Turkish people, and emphasizing
the importance of enhanced understanding between Turkey and the United States.

ATAA is a fast-growing umbrella organization of Turkish American associations throughout
the United States, Canada and Turkey, dedicated to pursuing the interests of Turkish
Americans and friends of Turkey in Washington and beyond.