Syria jails four Kurdish militants
A Syrian court has jailed four members of the Kurdish Workers' party, the PKK.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation in the US and Europe, and is widely blamed for the bombing of a tourist bus in Turkey which killed five people a week ago.
The move will please the US, which has been calling on Syria to crack down on terrorists. The news will also be received warmly in Turkey, which nearly went to war with Syria in 1998 - blaming it for harbouring members of the PKK. At that time the PKK had offices in Syria.
Meanwhile an earthquake has hit the Hatay province of Turkey on the border with Syria. Hatay was part of Syria until it was annexed around the time of Syria's independence. Hatay is to the North West of Syria, along the coast - near to Lattaqia and Aleppo. There are no reported casualties.
I read somewhere that Syria is doing this mostly to woo Turkey.
The PKK is losing popularity with its fellow Kurds, and the Turkish-Kurdish tolerance gap is widening. Also, the PKK is making itself into Norhtern Iraq.
All in all, its renewed campaign is not neccessarily to gain independence anymore, since Turkey has already granted many freedoms to its Kurdish population (largely thanks to EU pressure). It is to pressure the Turkish government to release PKK fighters and leaders.
Indeed, the Kurdish problem is very interesting and complex. I see no immediate solution possible.
Posted by
TheRam |
2:22 am
I DO not know why the kurds have problem where they live , in the USA mexican live in peace in their comunity the kurds should have the right to live anywhere in the countries they belong to and anybody ahould be able to live in their comunity as baning poeple from living in certain areas indicate rasism and should be illegal as it is in the united states, should be able to teach their children the kurdish langueg but have compleet loyalty to the the country they belong to as you can not have sepratest movments
Posted by
Anonymous |
4:46 am
Yes, Federalism is a promising venture, and among the Kurds it is growing in popularity.
Posted by
TheRam |
8:46 am