Guardian
21 March 2001
By Chris Morris in Istanbul

Kurdish leaders in Turkey expressed disappointment yesterday at a programme of reforms
announced by the government to prepare the country for possible membership of the
European Union.

The programme was described by the government as a "a fundamental revision of Turkey's
political, economic, social and administrative structures".

As part of the process leading to eventual EU membership for Turkey, Brussels had asked
Ankara to loosen restrictions on the use of languages other than Turkish - though the request
carefully avoiding a direct reference to Kurdish.

The reform programme appeared to give some ground on language but fell well short of
meeting Kurdish demands for greater cultural rights in education and broadcasting. "This is
much less than people expect," said Hasan Kaya, of the Kurdish Institute in Istanbul. "We
believe this programme will be  insufficient."

The document produced by the government is circumspect. It states that Turkish is the
country's official language which should be used in education, but  it also recognises the
right of people to use other languages and dialects.

There is a division in the government about the extent of reforms. The  far-right Nationalist
Action Party and the military argue that allowing Kurds to  broadcast or teach in their
language would encourage Kurdish nationalism.

Leading Kurdish activists disagree. The mayor of the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir,
Feridun Celik, said he believed only about 10% of Kurds now  support independence - but
the majority want greater cultural rights.

European officials have reacted cautiously to the reform programme. "We need time to
examine the document in detail", a European commission spokesman said yesterday.

It contains plenty that will please the EU if carried out. The programme  requires the
implementation of 89 new laws and sets as a priority the development of freedom of speech
in accordance with EU norms. The programme also promises to review the death
penalty.Turkey became a formal candidate for EU membership in 1999.
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The Kurdistan Observer
www.kurdistanobserver.com