Kurds
Today is Sunday. The state president of Greece visits the Republic of Cyprus - a state visit. First I wanted to go to the presidential Palace in Nicosia (South), to see what, who, how, when - but I decided otherwise spontaneously.
It was that after having done the early morning Qi Qong exercises, something inside of me said: ‘go to Kyrenia, swim in the sea!’
Now I sit in a little cafe of Kyrenia, Kurdish music can be heart from somewhere near, and after having read three newspapers, I thought, yes, lets inform the reader this time on the Kurdish issue.
Kurds live not only in Britain or Germany. They are spread as well all over the Near East and, of course, Turkey. Kurds live to an indisputable large number on this island, too. It is for somebody coming from Britain or Germany not so easy to distinguish a Turk from an Arab or a Kurd. For most of us they seem to be all the same - somehow.
At times one can run into demonstrations of the Kurds on this island. I actually - by pure chance - ran already twice in such manifestations of political will of the Kurds in the south part of the divided city, Nicosia. Of course, pictures of Abdullah Öcalan were to be seen, wrapped in the ‘national’ colours: red, green, yellow (a combination of colour worn in Turkey can get you into trouble)!
Since such activities now and then occur in the streets of Berlin, too, I decided after having seen them marching through Nicosia, to investigate on Kurdish life on the island.
In the south can be talked of some kind of organisational structure amongst Kurds. I was told there are organisations of Kurds in the south, which are not linked to Öcalan and his followers - up to now, though, I was not able to get to know them. But I got to know a little the ones I mentioned before, who even have a place were they meet. It is a rather nice, clean and huge flat right in the centre of a upper-middle class environment of the south part of the town. Beside posters of Öcalan was the picture of a Greek-Cypriot journalist, who had been working on this topic. I had by chance heart of him before I went there, when talking at the Press Information Office to the lady, who issues correspondence cards for German journalists. Lets say, I was pretty surprised to see his picture hanging on the walls of this Kurdish organisation. This journalist was killed approximately 10 years ago. Who did the killing is still unknown.
The conversation I led with them brought nothing new for me to the light; and as I understand and know now, it has brought nevertheless as a result that these people - whom I sometimes pass by in different places of the town on the street - that they seem to think of me that I am a Turkish intelligent agent (MIT) - they avoid me! I realised such yesterday again, when I went into the office of the man, who connected me with this Kurdish organisation. He is an Armenian. - Who is a little familiar with the Kurdish-Turkish discussion or conflict will have heard the rather right wing position in Turkey, which states: ‘all followers of Öcalan are Armenians and Öcalan himself is one’.
Nevertheless this Armenian man, who seems to help the Kurds as well to get along with the bureaucracy in the south, obviously extends his services: he has been lately in Brussels, where the so-called Kurdish National Congress was held. Before I had met with members of the before mentioned Kurdish organisation in Nicosia, which does obviously not have a name, this Armenian and I, we spoke English with one another in his office. We did not realise that the other speaks Turkish fluently. The day of the meeting came up. The Armenian went with us, which surprised me. But very soon I understood, he wanted to translate for me. When I sat there speaking suddenly fluently Turkish to them, the idea of me being a MIT must most likely have got its confirmation then. - the policy of the government in Nicosia towards Kurds and their political aims has changed, I was told on this meeting; not much financial support is given theses days to them. These people are very suspicious. I know this already from Berlin, where many of them live. Somebody coming from outside and is speaking even Turkish is almost automatically a secret agent of the Turkish government to them. The same was the case, when I made a research on Islamic life in Berlin. It was then the fact that I as a German spoke Arabic, which had arisen their suspicions.
On the north part of Nicosia were actually the biggest number of Kurds live, seems to be no organised structure - not one which supports Öcalan openly. There are Alevi or Haci Bektasi clubs, but it would be most likely be wrong to label the latter two as Kurdish organisations.
In Turkey, by the way, people still get prison terms, even these days as can be red in very popular newspapers like the Radikal or even in times the conservative and rather national Cumhuriyet, for having spoken Kurdish being in office or on a political rally. The somewhat questionable politics of Turkish authorities towards even Kurds of the civil life shows as well the case that happened lately in Bingöl province, where the office of the Human Right Organisation was attacked by unknown people. The state attorney in Bingöl, though, refused to open a case or make investigations into the matter. It reasoned this decision by saying something like: ’we have great worry and think that the Human Rights Organisation is the defender of the interests of the PKK, this is why we won’t make an official or any other kind of investigation into the matter!
Such unbalanced news about the political and social situation in the country, who is about to become a member of the EU regarding the Turkish-Kurdish wrestling for Kurdish identity, can be read since years and daily in the Turkish media - somewhere. As a sad matter of fact: the tensions in the region (south-east and east Anatolia, Turkey) have risen again to a rather critical high these days. News like ‘HPG (which is a split of the PKK) - province Hakkari - has killed 19 soldiers!’ is a proof for what was said here before. The operations of the army continue. The PKK has cancelled her one-sided-peace-agreement with the state, because, as it pronounced over the media, the operations take place, which is in the eyes of the PKK a ‘breaking of ‘the given promises by the Erdogan government’. Turkey - in the frame of fighting world-wide terrorism - has succeeded in signing additional agreements on the matter with 51 states to ban or brand the PKK as a terrorist organisation (with Germany 2004).
Turkey, although it has out of some reasons fulfilled the so-called political criteria (the US helped here a lot to ‘convince’ the EU on this), will - no surprise, you may think - be named today or tomorrow a country, which has a functioning economy - although fact still is that until now little has been done to improve the situation of the Kurds in Turkey’s south-east and east. It looks like, there are investment in a big number right there on the way. In the northern Kurdish provinces of Iraq, a completely new industry complex is already on offer for investors - it is not even build, but that, I believe, will not be a big hindrance for the global capital.
Kurds in Iraq
You may have read elsewhere or in this newspaper that the Iraqis had a referendum on their constitution this week-end. Since the results are not out yet, let us ask anyway, what does it mean for the Kurds, if the ‘yes’ - vote for the constitution will win in Iraq?
Only one question has been posed to the voters of Iraq: ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the constitution? The result can be looked upon as some kind of guideline for the entire Kurdish destiny.
It has been put much energy into convincing the voters - particular in the north of Iraq, where mainly Kurds live - to vote with ‘yes’. Talabani, the former KDP leader and now minister president of the country, went early in the morning at 06.45 o’ clock to the polls and urged the voters to vote like he did with ‘yes’.
This engagement can understand better who followed the Kurdish fight in the north of Iraq for some kind of autonomy throughout the last century. A ‘yes’ - vote-win would lead indeed to a federal Iraq. Within a Federal Republic of Iraq the Kurds would achieve for the first time in history an acceptance of their cause: something like a national boarder , or better, an official international recognised territory.
It is expected right after the ‘yes’ - vote will be reached that the KDP of Talabani and the YNK of Barzani will melt into one. Barzani - is reported - will get after the unification some privileges in return and his party will be swallowed up by the KDP.
Experts, like myself on the matter, see nevertheless a multitude of troubles coming up alongside with these - for Iraqi-Kurds - dramatic changes. Talabani and Barzani stand for 2 Kurdish tribes, Soran and Behdinan, which have more than once in the not all too far history smashed one another heads and have been therefore welcome tools for the regional powers such as Israel.
Israel? Yes, Israel and the US are obviously very interested in this unification of the Kurds in Iraq and Barzani - leader of the YNK and right out Kurdish nationalist - wants them to stay in the region and in the whole process.
It looks like that Barzani, who was made the minister for the Kurdish region of Iraq lately, will in future slow down or soften his Kurdish nationalist rhetoric for the sake of taking over the office of Talabani, who is expected to extend his claim to the office for another period. It is as well possible that the stream of international politics and developments leads to another constellation, which could be that Barzani proclaims in not all too far future a Kurdish state. This indeed, as well as the other solution or development, will have certain effects in the region, of course, Cyprus included.
Probable effects on Cyprus
Turkey will, no matter how strange this may sound to you, find some kind of settlement with the Kurds in the country and elsewhere as well as acceptance in Europe, if it - no matter what before prescribed development takes place in the north of Iraq
- will not return to its old strategy of sending even more troops into this north Iraqi territory (there are already Turkish troops stationed since many years, which nobody likes to talk about loudly) and instead clears its position with Syria the way the EU, US and Israel want Turkey to play its role in this matter and the region. The latter involvement may most likely result in economical prosperity for Turkey and more political stability. At this point even conservatives and defenders for Cyprus, who still say: ‘no matter what it costs, Cyprus is a part of Turkey!’ may begin to understand that Cyprus is very expensive and is not at all a trump-card any longer, nor a joker, but only another card in the game of 51 (it has similarities with Romee) which play people, no matter of which ethnic background, day in and out in their cafeterias - even on the Greek side.
The New York Times reports that the US has made operations up to the Syrian Boarder in 2004, whereby many Syrian soldiers lost their life.
Apart from the so-called settlers in Cyprus, whom arrive these days still in great number in the harbours of Kyrenia or Famagusta, exist quite a few villages in the north of the island, which were in the 70’s and 80’s filled with Kurds from the mainland. The problem, the Kurdish question, was this way maybe exported - but it looks to me more as if this settlement strategy helped to some extent to un-sharpen the conflict in the south-east and east of Turkey and turned the potential rebels, fighters or terrorist - name it as it pleases you - into citizens of Cyprus striving for a living, cause they were given a real chance of prosperity that even is in sight.
Europe has contributed to the un-sharpening of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict by calling many so-called guest-workers into its countries in the 60’s and after and accepting more and more asylum seekers from the mid-80’s.
The so-called asylum seekers on political grounds and of Kurdish origin that I met in Nicosia (south) and as well on that meeting with this nameless Kurdish organisation seemed to be rather ones of economical grounds than political to me. This is what I understood of their needs, motivations to come here in the first place and concerns.
By the way and in case you have settled here: What made you migrate to Cyprus? Was it a political, economical, social or health reason?