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OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT
OBAMA : APPEAL IN SUPPORT OF KURDISH POLITICIANS
We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned to learn of false
allegations, repeatedly aired and recently revived, made against
Kurdish politicians and diplomats. These baseless allegations are
directed against an entire people and their representatives who
should by rights be seen as indispensable to the achievement of a
genuine peaceful resolution to Turkey’s conflict with the Kurds.
We refer to accusations against internationally known Kurdish
politicians namely Cemil Bayik, Duran Kalkan, Remzi Kartal, Sabri Ok
and Adem Uzun.
Basing its charges on fabricated evidence, the US-OFAC (Treasury
Office of Foreign Assets Control), a subdivision of the U. S. State
Departement, is seeking to assert that they have sequestrated the
bank accounts (“assets”) of the above-named individuals, whom they
are slanderously alleging to be acting as drug-smugglers. In fact
the persons named do not even possess bank accounts.
First of all, we are convinced that these individuals are not
engaged, actively or in any other way, in the illegal trade of
drugs, and indeed they have publicly denounced such activity. Nor
does any European government know of even a single bank account
possessed by them, such that the US government can claim to have
“frozen” it. Nor do they have any bank accounts in the USA.
The official US findings are completely without foundation and, in
fact, form part of a plan orchestrated to restrict the legitimate
political activities of these Kurdish representatives who are to be
tainted through a process of criminalisation. It is not really a
matter of drugs at all, but about co-operation with the US’s partner
Turkey to marginalize their highly effective Kurdish diplomatic
activities (and foreign affairs work) which is putting across the
convincing case for the Kurds. The intention is effectively to
sabotage the peace process between the Turkish state and the Kurdish
organizations.
To the same end, the US plans to impose travel restrictions to
obstruct these Kurdish individuals from having contacts with the
media and their political engagement with international civil
society partners including members of Parliaments, particularly
within Europe.
We the undersigned wish to put on record that it is our personal
conviction that, having been familiar with or met one or more of
these Kurdish politicians that it is our belief that they aim simply
and solely to achieve a just, reasonable and peaceful resolution of
the Kurdish question. We therefore intend despite all the pressures
to continue our dialogue with them in search for a solution to this
question.
Our appeal letter in defence and support of the Kurdish politicians
should also be taken as an appeal for the opening up of a deep
process of dialogue for reform and democratisation in Turkey, whose
objective must be to treat all citizens equally.
15 June 2011
Noam Chomsky – Author, United States – Imre Kertesz, Nobelprice
Laureat, Berlin/Budapest - Professor Kariane Westrheim – Chairperson
EUTCC (Norway) - Hans Branscheidt, Author, EUTCC – (Germany) –
Professor Michael Gunter Board EUTCC (USA) – Bob Russell MP, UK –
Stan Newens, MP + MEP ret. - Mr. Erling Folkvord, Former member of
Parliament & Member of City Council Oslo, (Norway) – Mr Arnljot Ask,
International Viennnal Liaison Officer, Red Party, (Norway) –
Professor Dr. Raimund Ruetten (Germany) – Kamal Chomani, LVIN
Magazin, (Sulaimania) – Dr. Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Researcher,
(Finland/Denmark) – Elke Krystufek, Artist, (Vienna/New York) –
Roger Tompkins, International Lawyer and Humanist, Cyprus (New
Zealander) – Karl Kerenyi, Scientist,( Budapest) – Juergen Brodwolf,
Artist,( Germany) – Moses Alison, Actor, (New Orleans) – Francois
Lecointre-Drouet, Directeur Theate du Soleil, (Marseille) – John
Wronoski, Antiquarian, (United States), Ethan F. Young, Councellor,
(Cape Town RSA) -Dr. Robert Olson, Professor – Middle East Politics
and History – (University of Kentucky) – Germaine de Chapeaurouge,
Lawyer, (Paris) – Margret Owen, Barrister, UK – Dr. Felix Padel,
Anthropologist + Author, UK – David Morgan, Peace in Kurdistan, UK –
Estella Schmidt, Peace in Kurdistan, UK – Hugo Charlton, Barrister,
UK – Klaus Happel, Publisher – Germany – Eric Bisson-Millet -
Journalist - Grenoble - France - John Tobisch-Haupt, Consultant –
Germany Dr. Kamal Mohanna, (Beirut, AMEL Medical Network) – Mike
Mills – Filmproducer – (USA) - Jan Bojer Vindheim, International
Committee Norwegian Green Party, (Norway) – Dr. Edel de Roos,
Psychologist, Austria - Kamran Fatah, Journalist, Sulaimani.
We urge you if you are in agreement with our appeal to add your name
and return the e-mail to mesop@online.de
NAME/PROFESSION/ORGANISATION / email
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