LOC22:50
19:50 GMT
ANKARA, Dec 26 (KUNA) -- Turkey brushed aside reports Sunday about demands
by Kurds to have a self-rule in predominantly Kurdish southeastern areas.
Minister of state Egemen Bagis, in an interview with the Canal Seven, known
for being close to the Turkish government, said the Kurds in Turkey were part
of the "social fabric of the Turkish people ... Cultural diversity is
enriching this fabric which should remain united."
Bagis made the statement after the Democratic Society Conference, a local
Kurdish organization, proposed launching a domestic dialogue to grant the
Kurds an autonomous rule in southeast Turkey, as well as allowing them to use
the Kurdish language in government institutions and teaching Kurdish in school
as a second language.
Bagis said civilization and religious differences, and diverse cultural and
political identities could co-exist inside Turkey.
He said the demands of the Democratic Society Conference aimed at causing
political confusion.
He accused some parties inside the conference of trying to falsly show
there was a division within the Turkish society.
Bagis asserted that the Turkish language would remain the sole official
language, noting that the Kurds were only using the Turkish language in their
daily lives.
The Turkish government launched an initiative early this year in a bid to
address the 26-year-old Kurdish problem. The initiative includes granting
Kurds cultural rights like recognizing their identity.
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has been fighting Turkey for a self-rule
in the southeast since 1984. The conflict killed 45,000 people and costed
Turkey billions of US dollars. (end)
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