The E.U. Must Include Kadek In Its Terrorist Organizations’ List

TURKIYE- Columnist Ismet Giritli writes on the PKK terrorist organization’s change of name into becoming KADEK. A summary of his column is as follows:
We know that the EU Permanent Representatives Council (COREPER) included the PKK and DHKP-C terrorist organizations in its new terrorist organizations list and that this decision was entered in the records of the EU and went into force. However, it is also widely known that the PKK changed its name a short while ago to the ‘Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress’ (KADEK) and has annulled its old name. This means that as the PKK has turned into KADEK, the members of this organization will freely travel under the banner of KADEK in Europe and do whatever they like. In fact, it can be recalled that as soon as it was declared that the PKK would be added to the European Union’s terrorist organizations list, KADEK, the extension of the old organization threatened the EU, the US and Turkey in a declaration signed by Osman Ocalan, the brother of convicted terrorist Abdullah Ocalan. In this declaration, KADEK said that the EU, Turkey and US were playing a very dangerous game. They had to stop it, he said, as it was forcing KADEK to a war. The world would regret such a decision in the face of their determined reaction. In addition to this declaration Osman Ocalan characterized the inclusion of KADEK terrorists into the EU list as a declaration of war against Kurds. Taken together, what all these expressions demonstrate is that the new PKK under its new name KADEK is a terrorist organization threatening to use terrorism not only against Turkey but also against the EU and the US. Therefore Turkish diplomacy must continue its efforts to reach its goal of including KADEK into the EU terrorist organizations list as they did the PKK. If Turkey continues its efforts and energetic stand on the issue, it won’t be hard to include KADEK into the list six months from now, if not immediately. In fact, a spokesmen for the EU Commission Gumar Wiegand, has said that if it is proven that KADEK is the continuance of and heir to the PKK, it could also be taken into the terrorist organizations list by the EU. The inclusion of KADEK into the list following the PKK may expedite the process of accepting life imprisonment without parole for crimes of terrors instead of capital punishment in Turkey.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION