Interior Minister Atalay: PKK camps should be destroyed

At a press conference following his meeting with the editors-in-chief of several newspapers and news agencies in İstanbul on Tuesday, Atalay said no country would allow such camps.

“No country would allow camps of a terrorist organization to target a neighboring country. No constitution of any country would allow it. It also contradicts international ethics and policies. This is what we underlined at the tripartite mechanism meetings with the United States and Iraq,” he added.

The government, under pressure to contain escalating violence, has repeatedly called for greater support from Iraq and the US to combat the PKK, which has bases in northern Iraq.

In the latest skirmishes, PKK forces attacked an army outpost in southeastern Turkey overnight, triggering a clash in which 12 terrorists and three soldiers were killed, security sources said.

"These terrorist camps within the borders of Iraq, in northern Iraq, are unacceptable. They must be destroyed. We have demanded this from Iraq and the United States. The time for words is over. It is time for action now,” Atalay told the news conference.

Striking a similar note, the head of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) warned that the PKK presence in Iraq could harm ties with its neighbor and with the United States if action is not taken to curb the terrorist activities in northern Iraq.

“Our security forces will continue launching military operations as long as terrorism exists. We want a solution under democratic and reasonable processes," Atalay also said.

Speaking about the government's process of democratization with respect to the country's long-standing Kurdish issue, Atalay said they will continue efforts to advance it.

He also said that the government is not considering declaring emergency rule in Turkey's Southeast. Martial law in the Southeast had previously been declared and remained in place throughout the 1990s. It was imposed in 11 provinces, mainly in southeastern Turkey, in July 1987, almost two years after the start of PKK terrorist attacks, and was lifted in 2002.

The minister also demanded “sensitivity” from the editors while reporting on the issue of terrorism.

“The government is resolute on the matter. We expect the media to show sensitivity on news reports regarding terrorist acts," he said and added that all countries impose restrictions when the issue is terrorism. In that regard, he cited the United States following the Sept. 11 attacks as an example.

“A terrorist organization aims for great coverage of its attacks. That is how it injects fear, panic and violence in the society. The press, sometimes unintentionally, contributes to that propaganda. No media organization does this with the purpose of helping the propaganda of the terror organization; they do it for its news value but, at the end of the day, this is what terrorist organizations want,” he said.

Pointing out that there is a delicate balance between security and freedom, Atalay said it is a difficult balance to keep in democratic societies. “When there is no security, there cannot be freedom; and freedom cannot be sacrificed to ensure security,” he said.

Regarding the government's international initiatives to prevent terrorism, Atalay added that there are already close contacts with Iraq, Iran and Syria as well as the European states.

When asked by a reporter about Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ's remarks the other day that the alleged military plan to end the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the Gülen movement was leaked to the press by police, Atalay said there is no disharmony among state institutions on these issues. “We are as uncomfortable as the General Staff about this issue. There may be people who are involved in wrongdoing both in the police and the military. For our part, we have begun our own investigation into the issue,” he said.