KURD-A Documentation
April 16, 1995

ERNK Representation in Austria:
"A New Turkish Provocation"

     On March 15, the National Liberation Front of Kurdistan
(ERNK), following consultations with Austrian politicians, opened
a representative's office in Vienna. The aim of opening this office
was to start political dialogue and discussions in order to reach
a peaceful political solution to the "Kurdish question". It was
also an attempt to establish and strengthen the ties between the
Kurdish people and the Austrian community. After ten years of dirty
war against our people, one thing is becoming increasingly clear:
The Kurdish question cannot be solved militarily. The Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) has taken many steps towards finding a
political solution, starting with the 83-day unilateral cease-fire
in March 1993 and continuing with letters from PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan to Western leaders in an attempt to make the Kurdish
situation known.
     But the Turkish state has continued to harden its
traditionally barbaric and bestial politics of violence against our
people. In Kurdistan, this has led to more than 3,000 villages
destroyed and thousands of Kurds murdered.
     This is the praxis in Turkey because military logic dominates
the political arena. The Turkish army invasion into South Kurdistan
(northern Iraq) is a perfect example of this. All attempts by the
Kurdish people to take a political route have been answered with
military violence and diplomatic threats. The mouthpieces of the
Turkish government, the newspapers, have called on Turks living in
Europe to boycott and take sanctions against European states. In
order to prevent the founding of the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile,
government officials from Ankara travelled around Europe issuing
threats. In Kurdistan and Turkey, Turkish soldiers have begun
confiscating satellite antennas to prevent communication via the
Kurdish television channel MED-TV.
     Due to its massive violations of human rights, Turkey is
pushing its international credibility to the limit, as the European
Parliament and the Council of Europe recently indicated. More and
more European states are beginning to see the necessity of a
solution to the Kurdistan conflict. That's why Kurdish initiatives
such as the Kurdistan Parliament in Exile are being welcomed and
supported. The formation of ERNK representations in several
countries are an expression of this development.
     As the representatives of the Kurdish Diaspora in Austria, we
would like to stress our commitment to reaching a political
solution. The attack on the Turkish Airlines office was an attack
of provocation carried out by the Turkish intelligence agency MIT
designed to harm our political work.
     Also at this time we would like to repeat the call of PKK
party leader Abdullah Ocalan who called on the German government to
stop enacting repressive measures against the Kurds and to start
acting for peace. Ocalan's statement also indicated that he is
willing at any time to find a peaceful solution.
     We reject the unjust accusations being cited against the PKK
and the ERNK in connection with this recent attack. This type of
reporting covers the real criminals and gives support to the
terrorist regime in Turkey to carry out more violent acts in
Europe.
     Just like the attack on the Turkish bar in Dornheim in March,
this attack is an attempt to criminalize the Kurdish community.
Forces which are friendly to Turkey are seeking to realize their
anti-Kurdish and undemocratic aims by means of securing political
repression and bans against Kurds in Austria. They seek
legitimation for this by looking to Germany. The ERNK European
Representation has also rejected the accusations being levied
against them in Germany.
     We call on the Austrian public and media to demand that Turkey
stop its dirty war. The international Kurdish question requires an
international political solution. In Austria, we hope to contribute
to this by engaging in dialogue and working together with the
Austrian community. The neutrality and democratic spirit of Austria
can be a basis for this and we place great value on this.

ERNK Austrian Representation

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Kurdistan Committee of Canada		Tel: (613) 733-9634
2487 Kaladar Ave. Suite 203		Fax: (613) 733-0090
Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8B9		E-mail: kcc@magi.com
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