Kirkuk Citadel - 1

Here in Hawler has been sand sand storm for some days and the internet has not been working well. I try to write more as soon as I have time.

Here is a picture of me taken in the Citadel of Kirkuk the 28th April 2008 with some Kurdish students of the KOMAK journalism school. The school is located in the Kurdish part of Kirkuk. I tell more about it later, but it might be only when I am in Finland as I am busy here.

Spring in Hewler

Readers of Sahmaran have maybe wondered that I have become lazy as I have not written much blogs during this spring.... but I have written other things.

Now I promise to use more time on blogging. I am now in Hewler (Erbil), I came here yesterday. I tried to put here pictures but it seems to be very difficult with the computer which I use now. I will do it later.

How is Hewler?

I would have so much to say after just one day, but I will do it later. To put it short: everything is different than in Turkey. Only police men whom I have seen today are traffic police. After seing the normal Kurdish life here one understands better the depth of opression of the Kurds in Turkey.

Final Call for the Kurdish Mayors

One of the mayors is Ayhan Erkmen from Dagpinar/Kars.
This picture is taken in autumn 2005 in Ani . In the background there is both Turkey (on left) and Armenia and in between river Arpacay.
Ayhan Erkmen is member of the board of the Turkish PEN.
Photo: Kristiina Koivunen


This week’s freedom of expression case:

Suspects : 56 Mayors of Democratic Society Party(DTP).

Court and Date of hearing : Diyarbakir High Criminal Court Num.5, 15 April 2008, at 10:40 am.

Explanation : The case is about a letter sent by 56 mayors of DTP to Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Mayors asked Rasmussen that Roj TV not to be shut down.

Joost Lagendijk, study the court decision!

Joost Lagendijk, MEP and Chairman of Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee. Photo: Kristiina Koivunen

The decision of the Court of Justice of the European Communities on 3 April 2008 is a crisis for European Union.

The court decision states that the 2002 decision of the European Council to put the PKK on its terrorism list because of an “error of procedure.” The court said that when the European Council created the list and applied sanctions to the organisation and its members, it did not announce its justification in time.

In Turkey courts are the places where the legacy of political decisions are being surveyed. It is a well known fact that Turkish politicians are not able to follow even the Turkish law. What this tells about the level of decision making?

Is the same happening now in the EU? Cooperation between EU and Turkey and Turkey’s EU membership negotiations should increase Turkey’s democratic development, not the opposite. Also move EU towards Turkish type of political life. But PKK’s inclusion to EU list of terrorist organisations proves that this has happened already.

The inevitable conclusion to be drawn from the court decision on 3 April 2008 is that how many other EU’s decisions are illegal?

Newroz Piroz Be!

Kosovo Guidelines for Independence

Martti Ahtisaari.

FIIA's seminar was in the Parliament building in Helsinki.

Pictures by Kristiina Koivunen

Xebat published this text the 13th March 2008. It is in Kurdish here. (It is at the bottom of the page.)

Kosovo declared independence the 17th February this year. Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland, negotiated the peace process. Kosovo crisis is just one episode in the Balkan crisis which has lasted already two decades.

The Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) arranged in Helsinki the 7th March a seminar about the Kosovo situation. Mr Ahtisaari was the keynote speaker. He told his experiences about the birth process of a new state. Dr Tanja Tamminen had returned from Kosovo three days before the seminar. She told about the feelings in Kosovo: the happiness caused by the independence could still be seen there. People were smiling in the streets of Pristina.

As United Nations Special Envoy for the Kosovo status process. Mr Ahtisaari led the negotiations. He has done a paper called "Guiding principles of the Contact Group for a settlement of the status of Kosovo" (here is a link to it). This paper consists of ten principles which should be followed when the administration of independent Kosovo is created.

Ahtisaari described the Kosovo situation to be a sui general:

"I do not know any other crisis situation with a similar history. Belgrad (the government of Serbia) knew already 2006 what would be the conclusion of the negotiations", he explained. "United Nations should have given an order to the Serbian authorities that you have some years time to arrange a functioning administration in Kosovo."

The Guiding principles of the Contact group demands that in Kosovo "a negotiated solution should be an international priority. Once the process has started, it cannot be blocked and must be brought to a conclusion."

THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW

The Guiding principles for a settlement of the status of Kosovo consists of ten important aspects which should be followed when creating the constitution and other laws in the independent state of Kosovo.

First, the settlement of the Kosovo issue should be compatible with international standards of human rights and international law.

Secondly, as Kosovo is an European country, it's system of law should conform with democratic values and European standards.

Thirdly, the settlement should ensure multi ethnicity. It should provide effective constitutional guarantees and appropriate mechanisms to ensure human rights for all citizens in Kosovo, including the right of refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes in safety.

Also, the settlement should provide mechanisms to ensure the participation of all Kosovo communities in government, both on the central and on the local level. Effective structures of local self government should be established through decentralization keeping in mind the coexistence of different communities.

The settlement should safeguard the protection of the cultural and religious heritage in Kosovo.

And the settlement of Kosovo’s status should strengthen regional security and stability. There should be no changes in the current area of Kosovo.

The seventh principle is the security of Kosovo. The new country should not pose a military or security threat to its neighbours.

And, the settlement of Kosovo’s status should promote effective mechanisms to strengthen Kosovo’s ability to enforce the rule of law, to fight organized crime and terrorism and safeguard the multiethnic character of the police and the judiciary.

It is also important that Kosovo can develop in a sustainable way both economically and politically and that it can cooperate effectively with international organizations and international financial institutions.

The last principle states that for some time Kosovo needs international civilian and military presence to ensure security and especially protection for minorities. There is also a need to monitor and support the administration.

KOSOVOAN PEOPLE CELEBRATE STILL INDEPENDENCE

The other speakers in the seminar were Professor Judy Batt and Dr Tanja Tamminen.

Like Ahtisaari also Batt claimed that Serbian authorities knew that Kosovo’s separation would happen but they did not prepare themselves to adjust for that. Batt gave a good description for the word “self determination”. It is people’s right to live under a government which represents them.

Tamminen had arrived from Kosovo three days before the seminar. She said the atmosphere there was still quite unbelievable and independence celebrations continued. In the Albanian part of the country people did not seem to worry about the reactions in the Serbian parts of Kosovo. People were just happy that the independence was finally achieved.

Anyway, the future problems are big. Kosovo is a poor country. It has the youngest population in Europe: 70 per cent of the people are under 35 years old.

“The biggest problems of Kosovo are corruption and organized crime. Now the most important things are to create a functioning administration and economical growth”, she said.

“People believe that law is the source for peace. But it is politics,” explained Judy Batt. She believes that Serbia will continue to finance some parallel administration in Kosovo but they should not finance parallel police forces.

All the speakers believed that there is need for donor money from abroad as Kosovo is a post war society. Ahtisaari said that custom duties are very important and they should be established quickly.

UN COULD NOT SOLVE KOSOVO CRISIS

Martti Ahtisaari was president of Finland 1994-2000. After that he has been the chairman in Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) which is dealing with international crisis and conflict resolution. 2005 Ahtisaari led peace negotiations between the Free Aceh Movement and the Indonesian government.

At the beginning of September 2007 CMI arranged a seminar in Helsinki for representatives of various Iraqi groups. Ahtisaari was the chairman of this meeting but all details of it were kept secret.

Martti Ahtisaari is a respected person but there is also criticism against his decisions. Some people claim that Kosovo's independence declaration was done in too big hurry. It would have been better to let United Nations to solve the crisis. If the rights of the Serbian minority in Kosovo are not quarantined now there will be new ethnic problems in the future. Russia does not accept the independence of Kosovo. Ahtisaari answered this criticism in Helsinki:

“The war in Kosovo ended already 1999. UN and Security Council have been unable to deal with the issue.” He added that Kosovo has developed these years towards independency. This is a fact which international community must accept now.

Daily newspaper Xebat published in Hewler The Guiding principles for a settlement of the status of Kosovo, they are in Kurdish here.

Who is winner in the battles?

The eight days long battles between TSK and PKK have been very important news and a surprising event. Maybe every one else Kurdish blogger has written about it except me. The reason for that is that I write now a new book and I felt I do not have time to write a proper analysis about the situation.

So I better explain my view in a few words. Now Turkey and PKK argue who is winner of the battles. I think both of them are. Not in the sense they claim: how many enemy fighters they have killed. But in peace both partners win. Now Turkey has started de facto a cease fire, without claiming it. I am sure all mothers of Turkish soldiers are happy about it, even if they do not say it openly.

There has been demands from all around the world that Turkey should give Kurds more cultural rights and economical inputs to the area. Some commentary demand this also in Turkey, despite they use very hawkish words claiming that there is now need for another strategy to take the support of Kurdish people away from PKK. That would happen by giving Kurds in Turkey more rights.

Well, isn’t that PKK has been demanding all the time? Why they would be fighting if the Kurds would have right to mass media and education in mother language?

Some other people speak about the possibility that DTP would lose the mayor elections in important cities, like Amed, next year in the local elections. That is a little bit difficult to believe, but people have the right to vote whom they like. But mayor from some other party than DTP in Amed would not make it less Kurdish city. Think the situation in Van, my favourite place: the mayor Burhan Yenigün is from AKP. But Van is pure Kurdish city. Main difference what Yenigün seems to have created there compared to DTP mayor cities is that it is difficult to find breakfast or lunch in Ramazan during the oruc. Being a devoted Muslim does not mean that one can not have Kurdish identity. I advice people who suppose this that they visit offices of Mazlum Der in Southeast Turkey!