INSTITUT KUDE RPARD IS E
Information and liaison bulletin N° 370 JANUARY 2016 The publication of this Bulletin enjoys a subsidy from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGCID) aqnd the Fonds d’action et de soutien pour l’intégration et la lutte contre les discriminations (The Fund for action and support of integration and the struggle against discrimination) This bulletin is issued in French and English Price per issue : France: 6 € — Abroad : 7,5 € Annual subscribtion (12 issues) France : 60 € — Elsewhere : 75 € Monthly review Directeur de la publication : Mohamad HASSAN Numéro de la Commission Paritaire : 659 15 A.S. ISBN 0761 1285
INSTITUT KURDE, 106, rue La Fayette - 75010 PARIS Tel. : 01-48 24 64 64 - Fax : 01-48 24 64 66 www.fikp.org E-mail: bulletin@fikp.org Information and liaison bulletin Kurdish Institute of Paris Bulletin N° 370 January 2016
• TURKEY: 1128 ACADEMICS CALLING FOR KURD0-TURKISH PEACE ARE BEING CHARGED WITH TREASON
• SYRIA: ALTHOUGH A KEY FACTOR IN THE SITUATION, THE KURDS ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE GENEVA DISCUSSIONS BY TURKEY
• TURKEY: Mr. ERDOGAN’S ALL OUT WAR
TURKEY: 1128 ACADEMICS CALLING FOR KURD0-TURKISH PEACE ARE CHARGES WITH TREASON. he latest news from founder of a religious brotherhood, tion in 2014, including his own son Turkey show the extent which has a great network of —charges that shook his political T to which any expression NGOs, schools, businesses and authority. Convinced that Gulen of disagreement with press organs, is accused of “high had masterminded these accusa - President Erdogan’s treason”, for which the Prosecutor tions, Erdogan declared war on increasingly authoritarian policy is is asking for a sentence of life him. Some 1,800 people suspected immediately accused of treason. imprisonment. The 66 people joint - of being members of his “network” Indeed, it is not even necessary to ly charged with him are very much have been arrested since 2014and express one’s opposition — in the present — mainly former police - nearly 300 of them are awaiting present atmosphere of paranoiac men, including two police chiefs. trial in jail. The Turkish govern - tension everyone is a potential dan - They are accused of being mem - ment is trying (so far without suc - ger to Mr. Erdogan’s authority and bers of an armed organisation and cess) is securing the Imam’s extra - faces serious problems. face sentences of between seven dition from the United States. and three hundred years imprison - Thus, on the 6 th of the month, the ment… Another example: on the 11 th the in absentia trial of Fethullah Gülen Public Prosecutors began a crimi - began in Istanbul, although the While long allied to the Gülen net - nal enquiry for “terrorist propa - accused, who has lived in the USA work, Erdogan quarrelled with the ganda” against the Kanal D broad - for the last fifteen years. This influ - brotherhood after some AKP cast of the “Beyaz Show ”. Why? ential 74-year-old Imam, the Ministers were accused of corrup - Because during the, an actress from • 2 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 370 • January 2016
Diyarbekir had called to try and Turkey’s own laws and interna - Sultanahmet suicide attack in sound the alarm over the human tional treaties to which Turkey is a Istanbul. An hour after this attack, cost of the military campaign now party. These actions are in serious Mr. Erdogan showed, on television, being carried out in Turkish violation of international law. what the French weekly Express Kurdistan. In danger of losing his described on its site as “a strange job and faced with threats from the We demand the state to abandon reaction”, even going so far as to nationalists, the show’s presenter its deliberate massacre and depor - wonder whether the Turkish had to make public apologies. tation of Kurdish and other peo - President was “losing his head”. ples in the region. We also demand Speaking about the attack, However the main target, during the state to lift the curfew, punish President Erdogan immediately the month of January, of Mr. those who are responsible for blamed it on ISIS before dropping Erdogan’s public condemnation human rights violations, and com - any further mention of the Jihadst and prosecution has been the 1,128 pensate those citizens who have organisation and, in less than a academics from 89 universities, experienced material and psycho - minute, concentrating on furious both Turkish and foreign, who, on logical damage. For this purpose attacks on the Kurdish PKK rebels the 11 th , signed an appeal entitled: we demand that independent and — on the signatories of the “We will not be accomplices of this national and international appeal “ We will not be party to this crime ”. This appeal attacks the observers to be given access to the crime ”. Apparently driven rabid by authorities’ policy of indiscrimi - region and that they be allowed to this appeal, the Turkish President nate violence in the country’s monitor and report on the inci - described the signatories as “ pseu - Kurdish region. This appeal has dents. do-intellectuals ” and “ traitors to the been signed by, inter alia , the country ”, calling for over half an famous American linguist Noam We demand the government to pre - hour for the opening of a real Chomsky and the Slovenian pare the conditions for negotiations witch-hunt against them. philosopher Slavoj Zizek, and calls and create a road map that would for the ending of the Army’s cam - lead to a lasting peace, which Erdogan certainly does not lose his paign in the Southeast and the includes the demands of the head where his projects for power resumption of negotiations with Kurdish political movement. We are at stake, It is nore likely that he the PKK to find a peaceful solution demand inclusion of independent deliberately chose to “highlight” the to the Kurdish Question. observers from broad sections of appeal by academics, so as to dis - society in these negotiations. We tract Turkish public opinion from The following is the full text of this also declare our willingness to vol - the sensitive question of Turkey’s appeal. unteer as observers. We oppose relations with ISIS and to direct dis - suppression of any kind of the cussion round the question of sup - As academics and researchers of this opposition. port for his government — and so to country, we will not be a party to his project of a presidential regime. this crime! We, as academics and researchers His brutal attacks on his critics have working on and/or in Turkey, enabled his to renew his policy of declare that we will not be a party reaching out towards the ultra- “The Turkish state has effectively to this massacre by remaining nationalists for support for his pro - condemned its citizens in Sur, silent and demand an immediate ject. Silvan, Nusaybin, Cizre, Silopi, and end to the violence perpetrated by Thus the ultra-nationalist Sedat many other towns and neighbour - the state. We will continue advoca - Peker, (who, incidentally, is a mafia hoods in the Kurdish provinces to cy with political parties, the parlia - chief who has already been sen - hunger through its use of curfews ment, and international public tenced on criminal charges regard - that have been ongoing for weeks. opinion until our demands are ing organised crime), has character - It has attacked these settlements met”. istically mobilised part of this with heavy weapons and equip - Turkish neo-fascist movement in ment that would only be mobilized (The text is translated in several support of the Head of State. He has in wartime. As a result, the right to languages in the Kurdistan site, published on his web site a state - life, liberty, and security, and in http:// http://www.kedistan.net/2016/ ment announcing that the signato - particular the prohibition of torture 01/05/baris-paix-peace-asiti- ries of this appeal should pay for it and ill treatment protected by the kurdistan/ as well as on several with their blood, describing them as constitution and international con - French language blogs). “so called intellectuals ” in ters similar ventions have been violated. to those used by President Erdogan. This deliberate and planned mas - This appeal was published on the Peker added: “ You should rather thank sacre is in serious violation of th 11 , that is the day before the the police and the troops who you have n° 370 • January 2016 Information and liaison bulletin • 3•
tried to discredit. If these terrorists were all, 21 academics were subjected to idarity) with those who commit to succeed in their mission of provoking such raids and placed in detention. crimes are themselves guilty of those the failure of the Turkish Moslem State crimes ” (…) “ The fact that they have you would really face moments of terror. This repercussion aroused many some title before their name, professor, The bell would then toll for all of you. reactions in Turkey as abroad, As lecturer or whatever it may be does not Let me repeat: we will make your blood from the 14 th , 558 intellectuals, make them enlightened — they are flow, we will bathe in your blood !”. mainly writers or stage directors, people in deep darkness ”. (…) “ I have Sedat Peker had already drawn published their own declaration: asked the legal institutions and attention to himself before the last “In our hearts we support the aca - University administrations immedi - November’s elections with a speech demics’ call for peace for peace. (…) ately to take the necessary measures in supporting Mr. Erdogan, in which We refuse to see freedom of expression the face of their violation of the he mingled Islamist and fascist ref - so limited. (…) Without any reserva - Constitution and of our laws. Those erences, in particular during a meet - tions we refuse to take part in this who want to engage in politics can do ing in Rize, when he had stated: crime. We support the initiative of it in Parliament. If they cannot, then “blood would flow abundantly ”. “Academics for Peace ”. On the same they can go and dig trenches or go to day, the Union of Chambers of the mountains (join the guerrillas)”. Parallel to this, the pro-government Engineers and Architects and the On the 20 th , the decidedly inex - and pro-nationalist web sites pub - Union of Doctors also made a joint haustible Turkish President lished the names of the “traitors”. statement of support for the engaged in fresh attacks during the The daily, Yeni Şafak , headlined charged academics. On the 15 th , usual Press conferences he holds in “The PKK’s accomplices”. Some of 2000 lawyers signed a statement in his Palace to local journalists and t them were suspended from their which they commit themselves to politicians committed to his cause: university positions, like Latife be with the academics in the courts “So you think you can try a break the Akyuz, a sociology lecturer at and in the street, while 30,000 stu - Nation’s unity and continue to live Duzce University. The YOK (The dents signed their own declaration comfortable lives on salaries that you Turkish Council for Higher of support for the charges aca - receive from the State without suffer - Education), abandoning any pre - demics. Finally, since the beginning ing the consequences? That period is tence at neutrality took disciplinary of the proceedings against thou - over ”, he declared. measures against others. Many sands more Turks have coura - To commentators who reproached were harassed by ultra-nationalist geously expressed their support by them for concentrating the attacks students, received death threats or themselves signing the incriminat - in their petition on the State with - had the doors of their offices ed petition — by the 18 th there out mentioning the PKK’s respon - marked with identifying signs. were 2,300 such signatures. sibilities, the signatories replied Photos started being passed round that they focussed on the State and the social media headlined “PKK The YOK’s measures against some not the PKK because the govern - Terrorist”. Some frightened signa - of the signatories were condemned ment was supposed to protect its tories withdrew their signatures, by its French equivalent, the own citizens and so it was up to it others went into hiding. Conference of University Presidents. to answer for its actions, especially The US Embassy described the as it had itself started the peace While the Ankara chief Prosecutor, arrests, in a twit, as “frightening”, process and then broken it off. according to the daily paper adding: “ Expressing concern regarding Hurriyet , started an investigation violence is not equivalent to supporting The Kurdish Institute asks the into Peker in response to a com - terrorism. Criticising the government is readers of its bulletin to support plaint filed by a lawyers’ associa - not treason ”. the threatened academics by mak - tion, ,other Prosecutors, obeying The Association of Middle Eastern ing their petition known and by this time the “Sultan’s” instruc - Studies, representing 3,000 initiating or being associated with tions, started them against those researchers, accused the Turkish initiatives of support either locally threatened by Peker on the Government of failing in its duty to or in their institution. They can also grounds of “ terrorist propaganda”, protect the freedom of expression send a message of support to the “incitement to hatred ” and “insulting embodied in the Universal following address: info@barisici - Turkish institutions and the Declaration of Human Rights. nakademisyenler.net . Republic ”. According to the Anatolia Press agency , 12 researchers at On the 15 th , Erdogan continued his The AKP authorities, as usual, have Kocaeli University were arrested attacks, describing the signatories censored the petition’s web site, during police raids on their homes as “contemptible” and “cruel”. but email sent to this address was early in the morning of the 15 th . In “The people who have (expressed sol - still arriving on 12 January. • 4 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 370 • January 2016
SYRIA: ALTHOUGH A KEY FACTOR IN THE SITUATION, THE KURDS ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE GENEVA DISCUSSIONS BY TURKEY hroughout the month of between the Syrian parties and Indeed, throughout January the January the Syrian the foreign powers involved in Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet T Kurds and their allies in the conflict concern mainly their Davutoğlu, had repeatedly said the Syrian Democratic most effective participation in the that “ We will only recognise the NNC Forces (SDF) continued “Geneva III” negotiations, as representing the Syrian opposition ” to show themselves the most planned for 25 January. The — in other words the HNC “ spon - formidable adversaries of the Kurds have been excluded from sored ” by Riyadh with the support Islamist or Jihadist groups. On the the preparatory discussions. of Turkey (another “ very Sunni ” 1st , a few days after they recap - Already, last December, the SDF power). He added, “ If any others tured the Tishrin Dam (to the had not been invited to the meet - want to sit at the table they can take North of Raqqa), which the ing in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) that their place alongside the regime repre - Jihadists had held since 2014, they had resulted in the creation of a sentatives ”. The Turkish Foreign also advanced on Aziz, fuether “High Negotiating Committee” Minister, Mevlut Cavusoğlu, again West and North of Aleppo, taking (HNC) sponsored by Saudi warned, on the 25 th , against any the village of Tanab from Al- Arabia and Turkey. In response, Kurdish participation in the UN Nusra Front (an the Al-Qaida affil - the SDF created, on Syrian soil , organised negotiations on Syria, iate) and the salafist Ahrar el- its own Syrian Democratic Turkey even threatening to boycott Sham. It should be recalled that Council (SDC) so act as the politi - them is the PYD were to take part the SDF had barely been formed cal representation of their military in the opposition. On the 26, when it retook 200 villages in alliance. Davutoğlu again stated: “ We are Hassaké province last October, categorically opposed to the PYD and and, according to the US army had On the 9 th , the Syrian Foreign the YPG, who oppress the Kurds, driven ISIS out of nearly 1000 Km2 Minister, Walid Al-Moualem, stat - being at the (negotiating) table ”. of Syrian land in just six weeks. ed that his government was pre - “The PYD, that cooperates with the pared to take part in the discus - regime cannot represent the just These SDF victories have not sions while the HNC made its par - struggle of the Syrian people ”. At the pleased everyone. Turkey seems ticipation conditional on the stop - end of January, the spokesman of more worried at the presence of the ping of all government bombing the Riyadh based HNC, Kurdish PYD (Democratic Unity of civilians. Mohammed Allouch, (who inci - Party) on its borders than that od dentally is himself a member of the ISIS, which on 3 January still con - Two days later, on the 11 th , the Jihadist organisation Jaysh Al- trolled part of the Syrian-Turkish Kurdish PYD, the Syriac Union Islam (Army of Islam) took up the border between Raqqa and Jerablus (an Assyrian party) and the KDP-S same stand regarding the PYD and without worrying it in the least… (another Kurdish party close to the SDF, declaring that the place of According to the Turkish daily the Iraqi Kurdish KDP), decided their representatives to Geneva III Hurriyet , the Turkish army took to suspend their participation in was “ with the regime ”. The “offi - advantage of the visit of a senior US the National Coordination cial” delegation of the Syrian Army officer to express their con - Committee for Democratic opposition even went so far as to cern at the attempts of the Syrian Change (NCC) that brings togeth - write criticising Russia for trying Kurds to create a “ Kurdish corridor ” er a major part of the Syrian oppo - to “ impose the presence of the PYD along the country’s Northern bor - sition, of which the PYD was, and its allies ”. der and so “ change the demographic indeed, a founder member. A structure of the region in their favour ”. senior PYD official, Sihanouk In his reply, Salih Muslim, co- Following the recent absorption of Dibo, explained that the main rea - President of the PYD took his the Kurdish town of Girê Spî (Tell son was that the NNC had stand on a somewhat overlooked Abyad) into the Rojava administra - described the Kurdish YPG ad the field of secularism, retorting: tion, the attempts of the PYD to YPJ and the SDF as terrorist 1. that the Jaysh Al-Islam’s way of cross the Euphrates and so enter the organisations. Undoubtedly thinking was the same as that of Jerablus-Azaz corridor particularly Turkey, that plays an important ISIS and worried Turkey. role in supporting this part of the 2. that acceptance of the opposition Syrian opposition, manoeuvred to platform back by Riyadhh, “ the At international level, the diplo - urge members of the NNC to idea of an Islamic Caliphate was unac - matic games being played adopt this stand. ceptable ”. n° 370 • January 2016 Information and liaison bulletin • 5•
Then moving to the pragmatic While Syria’s Northern border against ISIS. This was denied on field, he foresaw that if the SDF region, of which Syria’s Al-Jazeera on the 22 nd by the US and the Kurds were not repre - Kurdistan Cantons are the back - Central Command for the sented at these negotiations they bone, is a sensitive area for the Middle East, but some satellite were bound to fail — just like Turkish State, it is also a strategic pictures of Rumeilan seem to Geneva I and II. one for al the protagonists in this show work of extending it tak - war — Syrian or foreign. To the ing place and a pentagon While Turkey remains fiercely West it opens the way to Aleppo spokesman stated on the 25 th opposed to the presence of the and the Alawiite Mediterranean that the small US team present in PYD curds at Geneva, Russia coastline, while to the East it Syria “ might need some occasional makes no secret of its support of faces Iraq. Moreover, controlling logistic support …” the SDF. As far back as last it can also block the arrival of September, Vladimir Putin had foreign recruits to ISIS from the According to the SCHR, also on stated: “ the only forces fighting North (i.e. from Turkey…). The the 21st, about a hundred ISIS in Syria are Assad’s and the Americans, like the Russians, Russian experts, soldiers and Kurds’ ” and on the 26 th Sergei clearly prefer to see this strip of engineers, are said to have Lavrov made a statement similar land in the hands of the Kurds arrived at Qamishli, a Kurdish to Salih Muslim’s: “ without this rather than ISIS, even if neither town on the Turkish border, con - party (the PYD) discussions wont of them wants to say this aloud. trolled partly by the PYD and be able to achieve in what we are Fir the Russians, whose prime partly by the regime, to enlarge seeking — a final political solution objective is to support the the town’s airport. This news was for Syria …”. regime, the Kurds are not the also denied on the 25 th by Major main danger, they are too con - General Konachenkov, who said The Kurds also indirectly benefit cerned with ensuring the safety that “ Russia had no plans to set up a from the atrocious relations of their region, which is hard to military base in Syrian Kurdistan between the Russians and Turkey defend, rather than operations since their could reach any part of since a Russian fighter plane was against the regime. Moreover the country in 30 minutes from their shot down by the Turks last they have no ambition to control existing bases ”. General November. Russia has since (in the country as a whole and, as Konachenkov even accused the retaliation?) increased its coordi - secularists and nationalists, they Times of having issued this news nation for the YPG to support its have had from the start of the “to cover the activity of the Turks, advance in the Western part of civil war, tense relations with the who were concentrating troops in the the region so as to cut off the sup - Syrian opposition, be it Islamist Qamishli region ”. ply lines of several of the or Arab nationalist. For the Turkish-backed rebel groups. American, entangled in the obvi - As far as Turkey’s concerned, the ous failure of a policy of support arrival of the Russians has now Moreover, since the loss of their for an opposition they judge excluded any land operations to plane, the Russians have unreliable and which has result - intervene as well as any air installed anti-aircraft defences in ed in the emergence of the ISIS strikes. The Turkish army is now the , which, in practice, serves to monstrosity, the resilience of the reduced to the possibility of protect the Kurds from Turkish Kurds in the face of the Jihadists cross-border artillery fire West of air strikes. It is interesting to and their ability to federate even the Euphrates. note that this new protection has a small inter-ethnic group like certainly helped the Kurds to the SDF is the first bit of good Unlike the Russians, who in the push ISIS further Westwards, news in the Syrian civil war — present state of affairs are not which shows to what extent just too bad for their Turkish concerned about soft soaping its Turkey is prepared to play the ally. relations with Turkey, the United game of an objective alliance States cannot allow itself to with ISIS to prevent the Kurds According to the London based openly alienate its NATO ally — from progressing in Northwest Syrian Centre for Human Rights if only because it needs the use Syria. It should be recalled that (SCHR) and a SDF spokesman, of the Incirlik air base. Hence, no the Russian plane shot down in the US special Forces, following doubt, the statement by the US November had been targeting an agreement with the YPG is State Department spokesman, Turkmenians, a community that said, on the 21 st , to have taken Mark Toner, that the USA “ is Turkey has tried, from the start control of the Rumeilan Airport supporting the peace process taking of the conflict, to use against the in Hassaké province so as to place to organise discussions at YPG … support the SDF in their fight Geneva ”. • 6 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 370 • January 2016
In fact, the price to pay for trying Hakim Bashdar and Fuad Aliko who were not members of the to rally the other parties round (included at the demand of HNC were invited. This omis - the same table seems to have Masud Barzani, President of the sion gave rise to a heated argu - been to accept the exclusion of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq) and a ment about the representation of Kurds. However, two days later, delegation from “Rojava”, i.e. the opposition, Russia consider - on the 30 th , the US Special envoy the administration created by ing that no negotiations could fro the fight against ISIS, Brett the PYD. succeed without Kurdish partici - McGurk, accompanied by French pation while Turkey reiterated and British officials, visited Because of strong opposition its rejection of their presence. Kobané to meet leaders of the from Turkey, this delegation was SDF about the fight against ISIS. not officially invited. It included Haytham Manna, who had, in This was the first time since the the two co-presidents of the fact, been invited, stated that he departure of their Ambassador SDC, that is Ilham Ahmed (a would not take part unless his that the US sent any official to Kurd from the PYD) and co-President, Ms. Ilham Ahmed, Syrian territory — and it is also Haytham Manna (an Arab, a for - was also present, as well as Salih the first meeting between an offi - mer Human Rights activist and Muslim. Having failed to make cial of that level and representa - co-founder of the NCC) and the his point he chose to withdraw. tives of the SDF. co-President of the PYD, Salih Muslim, Qadri Jamil (a former When the Geneva III discussions On the 22 nd , according to an Deputy Minister of Kurdish ori - finally began on the 29 th , the ANF (Euphrates News agency, gin and close to Moscow) and HNC also refused to take part close to the PYD and the PKK) another person representing the arguing that some towns were source, two different opposition independents. However, when being besieged and there were delegations should have taken the UN sent out the invitations still air strikes. The Kurdish part in Geneva III: the 18-person for Geneva III on the 26 th , the leaders who had not been invit - Turkish-Saudi backed delega - PYD was not on the list while ed left Switzerland on the same tion, including two Kurds several Syrian public figures day.
TURKEY: Mr. ERDOGAN’S ALL OUT WAR. he Turkish President New Year wishes with which to “Congress for a Democratic began 2016 tumul - start… Society” (DTK). After two days tuously. On January debate at Diyarbekir, it had called T st 1 , wishing to argue in The reason Mr. Erdogan was try - for “ autonomy for the South East ”, favour of his project of ing to find credible references of that is of Turkish Kurdistan. The a presidential regime he couldn’t “unitary” presidential regimes DTK’s work, made particular ref - find a better reference for “ an was, of course that he would not erence to the Spanish model, efficient Presidential regime that consider any kind of federalism demanding the country’s decen - preserves the country’s unity ” or indeed anything that could tralisation, formalising a demand than— Germany under Adolf imply the slightest seeds of divi - that was first presented in 2011 Hitler! His secretariat quickly sion in the monolithic Turkey of that at times went close to the busied itself spreading statement his views. The AKP leader was, federalist ideas expressed in the about a “misunderstanding”, at this level, adopting the ideo - 90s — not only for the Kurds but recalling that the Turkish logical heritage of Kemalism — for many other peoples… President had condemned the and unfortunately for him most Nazi regimes abuses but interna - democratic countries with a « Autonomy is also one of the tional political leaders an the more or less presidential system words that anger Mr. Erdogan whole preferred to ignore the are, like the United States, feder - and his supporters. After the co- incident. The Europeans, in par - ations, which excludes them President of the “pro-Kurdish” ticular, maintained a discreet from the list of possible refer - HDP party had dared to refer to silence: entangled in the refugee ences. it by saying that “ the Kurds in crisis, of which Turkey holds the Turkey must decide whether they key, they found it in their inter - A few says before this “ Freudian want to live in autonomy or under est to avoid any conflict with Mr. slip” by the Turkish President, on the tyranny of a single man ”, Erdogan. It is hard to describe 28 December, there occurred a Erdogan declared that Demirtaş this remark as the happiest of conference of Kurdish NGOs, the was “ engaging in flagrant provoca - n° 370 • January 2016 Information and liaison bulletin • 7•
tions and treason ” ant that the and twelve others accused and help their fellow citizens, HDP leaders would have to “ pay received 7nto 15 years, totalising whose deaths have multiplied the price ” of having expressed 155 years jail., Legal intimidation since the start of war operations the demand for autonomy of the is being carried out in Istanbul: against by the State’s forces Kurds in Turkey. on the 8 th , the police carried out against the urban quarters that a 2-hour raid on the HDP offices declared in favour of “democrat - Two legal investigations have in the Beyoğlu quarter, during ic autonomy ”. been opened against the leaders which several people were kept of the HDP, including Demirtaş, in detention, including Rukiye So many examples of these on the grounds of their remarks Demir, the co-leader of the deaths of ordinary people could that “ the Kurds will, in the future, Beyoğlu area HDP. be cited, bur we will only men - secure federal states, autonomous tion those of Melek Alpaydin, 38 regions or independent states ”. Threats against Kurdish political years of age, a mother of three public figures or those objecting children killed on 3 rd December In response, on 2 January the to the military line adopted by by a mortar shell in her flat in HDP lodged a complaint with the President are not limited to Sur, Diyarbekir’s old town, that the Ankara Public Prosecutor the legal field. According to the has been under a total curfew against President Erdogan, HDP, on the evening of the 5 th since 2 nd December . . . Prime Minister Davutoğlu and three Kurdish policemen were several other AKP Ministers, killed in Silopi, a town of 80,000 On the 10 th , the Turkish accusing them of denying the inhabitants on the Iraqi border Foundation for Human Rights HDP its constitutional political that had been under a curfew estimated the umber of civilian rights as well as of incitement to since 14 December. They were deaths since august at 162, hatred. Seve Demir , a member of the including 24 old people, 29 DBP (Democratic party of the women and 32 children. The Turkish President had also regions), Fatma Uyar, member of suggested that the Parliamentary the Congress of Free Women The Turkish troops also imposed immunity of Selahattin Demirtaş (KJA) et Pakize Nayir, co-presi - total curfews on Cizre and and Figen Yuksekdağ, the HDP dent of the Silopi People’s Silope. At Cizre the tanks sta - co-presidents, be lifted in the Assembly. A man who was with tioned in the town centre shelled context of an investigation into them was also killed but, several outlying quarters while their “ constitutional crime ”. “ We because of the state of his face he other armoured vehicles fired on cannot accept statements calling for could not be identified. the town from the surrounding breaches in our country’s unity ”, hills. The security forces forbade he specified. And when the Leyla Birlik, HDP member of the fire brigades access to many Turkish President speaks he is parliament for Şirnak, explained buildings so that many building obeyed: on the 3 rd , according to that she had received a phone were completely destroyed by a pro-government daily Sabah, call from them saying they had fire. On the 29 th , the fighting was Parliament announced the com - been wounded and asking to be still on in Cizre, according to the ing setting up of a commission evacuated. “The HDP asked the ANF news agency and the secu - to rule on lifting parliamentary authorities to evacuate them rity forces were still refusing immunity of the two co-leaders from Silopi but received no ambulances in to evacuate the of the HDP to enable them to be reply. Their bodies were found town’s wounded, where over 30 tried for their statements on the later. Leyla Birlik declared “ the civilians, dead or wounded, autonomy of Turkish Kurdistan. faces of the man and those of our remained blocked by the fight - friends were so badly damaged that ing in their cellars. According to pro-Kurdish it was hard to identify them. I think media, 36 mayors have already they were executed after having On the 20 th , Amnesty been sued on similar charges been wounded (…)”. Her col - International published a report since last summer and thou - league of Urfa, Ibrahim Ayhan, accusing Turkey of “ collective sands of people have been stated: “ They were civilians and punishment ” against the residents arrested since 2009for links with well known public figures. We think of the Kurdish regions, accusing the urban organisation of the they were targeted and assassinat - the Army of “ excessive use of PKK, the KCK. On the 4 th , Bekir ed ”. force ”, pointing out that the Kaya, HDP co-mayor of Van, “young children, women and was sentenced to 15 years in These Kurdish political public aged people” killed were “ most prison for “links with the PKK”, figures died while trying to join unlikely to have been involved in • 8 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 370 • January 2016
the clashes with the security forces ”. ed in the initial attackand four cide attack caused at least 10 Accusing the Turkish authorities killed (including a baby) and 25 deaths, mostly of German of preventing observers from wounded by the collapse of the tourists, and 15 wounded, in the going to the areas under curfew, building damaged by the explo - heart of the tourist quarter of Amnesty called on the one hand sion. The exchange of fire between Sultan Ahmet in Istanbul. As for Turkey to end the unlimited the police and the rebeks lasted usual the authorities at first cen - curfew and the excessive use of 40minutes. On the 17 th , the PKK sored all news about the attack. force and on the other hand that published its apologies for the Afterwards, Prime Minister the international community baby’s death while continuing to Davutoğlu announced that dur - “stop looking away ” from what is promise further attacks. ing the two days following the happening in Turkey. attack Turkey had shelled over On the 18 th , another road attack 500 ISIS positions in Iraq and The objective announced by the in Sirnak Province near the Syria with artillery and its tanks government for these war opera - Syrian border caused three — a statement unconfirmed by tions is always the same: “ eradi - deaths and four wounded any independent source. cating the PKK rebels ”. However, amongst the police. On the 27 th , despite all the forces engaged in three police were killed in clash - On the 29 th of the month these recent operations, it does es in Diyarbekir although the Selahattin Demirtaş who had not seem any nearer success curfew had been extended to been re-elected co-president than during all the years dince five new quarters of the old city. HDP three days earlier, flew to the beginning of the PKK’s Some 2000 residents of these Brussels to attend a Kurdish con - armed actions in 1984… areas preferred to leave their ference. He called on the interna - homes in fear of the fighting… tional community to intervene: On the 14 th , the PKK carried out “it must call on both the Turkish an attack on a police station and Nevertheless, the most serious government and the PKK to cease its adjacent barracks in the town of attack Turkey suffered during fire and to return to sane negotia - Cinar, in Diyarbekir Province. Two these months was no carried out tions — and it must repeat this people were killed and 14 wound - by the PKK. On the 12 th , a sui - appeal several times ”. Reoue de Presse-Press ReuiØ)-Berheooka Çøpê-Rivista Stømpø-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Basin Ôzeti
LE FIGAR'O lundi 4 ianvier 2016
turquos dans h zono sud de Diyarbakir. rLyAS AKENcTN/AFe
ne scispas síl'onpørt@er ile gwre c^tíle, Ítøds iles centafues ile mîllíers ile Offensive ctvils vivent en ce lr¡¿onvrt ilms tm ëtqt ile gtøre, pris øtpúège entreleb obus ite t@tk ¿l\m côté et les roqtætes ile l'onttÍe >>, s'alar¡rrê AbdulkerÍm Pusat, représentant de l'.Associ:aüon des drolts sanglante contre de I'homme (Iro) à Cizre. Pour les f20 000 habitants de cette ville coupée du monde, c'ixt lë cin- q¡ième couvre-feu depuis la rqpture, le PKK dans l'été derrier, du fragile processus de paix entre l'État et le PKK. De plusieurs autres viiles du Sud-Est à majorité kur- de - Silopi, Nusaybln et Sur, au centre de Diyarbakir - parviennent lesmêmes le Sud-Est turc images.:-corps. sa¡s-vig au milieu des nres, måisons détiruites, écoles et com- merces fermés. Depuis le 14 déceinbre, Depuis trois semaines, la ürmpagne selon I'IHD, þs combats ont hré 49 ci- par vils rlans Ia seule provlnce de Sirnak. militaire lancée Ankara en zone kurde L'armê affrrme de son côté avoir << mÍs transforme les villes en théâtres de guerre. hors i|'étú de nttl¡e 274 terrorTstes >>. cès moris, invérifiables, s'ajoutent ar¡x mølsø,lon >> Iå cou¡ de Strasbourg de- centaines d'autles des derniers mois, At:AþLAr,lt 'wait se prononcer sur sa requête << d'ici dontplw de 200 soldats etpoliciers. ISTANBUL àute æntúte >>, précise son avocat, Ne- Miraylnce était née sous un couvre- set Gi¡asun. Entre-tempc, hTûquie est feu, en septembre, à Cizre. Elle est tS mull Barricadé chez lul à Ci- priée d'orpliquer aux juges morte sous un autre couwe-feu, le ztre, daüs cette province de Sirnak où la
1 Reuue de Presse-Press Reuiew-Berheooka Çapê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Basin Ozeti
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<< Cest sans fl¡r!>> À ce stade, une reprise des efforts de paix semble compromise, d'autant que les tensions entre le pouvoir et le Parti démæratique des peuples (Hoe), troi sième force politþue de Türquie, sont plw vives Ere jamais. Le président Re- cep Tayyip Erdogan apromis samedi de taíre < rEl¡l=@ 2 janvier 2016 Turquie: les leaders kurdes doivent ttpayerrr pour ayoir parlé drautonomÍe RTBF avec agences, 2janvier 2016 M. Demirtas est apparu depuis I'an dernier effectués en direction d'un "cadre" d'accord, insis- htQ.{*yw*þ-f'k comme le principal rival politique de M. Erdogan. tant toutefois sur le fait qu'aucun accord n'avait Mais Recep Talyip Erdogan a également fait encore été signé. une autre déclaration choc. "[a Turyuie a besoin Des discussions parrainées par le président ¡ e président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a d'lsraëI", a-t-il déclaré samedi le president turc, américain Barack Obama avaient conduit en l-.rexprimé son soutien samedià la décision d'en- dont le pays oeuwe à normaliser ses relations 2013 à des excuses du Premier ministre israélien gager des poursuites criminelles à I'encontre des avec Tel-Avif fortement mises à mal depuis Benyamin Netanyahu à I'actuel chef de I'Etat turc dirigeants du principal parti prokurdg déclarant 2010. Recep Tayyip Erdoga4 sans aboutir à une récon- qu'ils "payer" pour devaient leur remarques en tr ¡embre de I'Otan, la Turquie a longtemps éte ciliation. faveur de l'autonomie pour les Kurdes. IYlperçue comme Ie principal a.llié régional de Selon des responsables israéliens, la Turquie Il estime que Selahattin Demirtas et Figen I'Etât juif, avant qu'un assaut meurtrier des forces et Israël se sont entendus sur une compensation Yuksekdag codirigeants du Parti démocratique spéciales israéliennes contre une flottille turque à des victimes du raid israélien en 2010, le retour des peuples (HDP), doivent se voir retirer leur destination de Gaza en 2010 ne brouille durable- des ambassadeurs dans les deux capitales, l'aban- immunité parlementaire pour cette enquête sur ment les deux pays. don des pounsuites judiciaires engagées par la "leur crime constitutionnel". "lsraël a besoin d'un pays comme la Turquie Turquie contre Israël etl'interdiction d'entrée sur justice La turque a ouvert lundi une enquête dans la région", a déclaré le président turc dont le territoire turc de Salah al-Arouri, haut cadre du à I'encontre du principal leader politique kurde les propos ont été publiés dans les principaux Hamas. Ankara n'a jamais confirmé sa présence du pays, Selahattin Demirtas, accusé de crimes journaux turcs samedi. "Nous devons également en Turquie. contre I'ordre constitutionnel, et peu après une accepter fle fait) que nous avons besoin d'lsraë1. çvoquant de possibles progrès sur le blocus, M. autre, similaire, à I'enconhe de Fþn Yuksekdag. C'est une réalité dans la région", a déclaré M. l-iErdogan a déclaré qu'lsraël avait suggéré qu'il "Ce qu'ils ont dit est sans conteste une crime Erdogan. autoriserait le passage des biens et de matériel de constitutionnel. Ils doivent en payer le prix", a "Si des mesures mutuelles sont appliquées construction pour Gaza s'ils venaient de Turquie. déclaré M. Erdogan dans des propos à des jour- sincèremen! alors la normalisation (des rela- "Nous devons voir un texte écrit pour garan- nalistes publiés samedi par le quotidien Hurriyel tions) suivra", a aiouté le chef de I'Etat turc. tir que I'accord sera bien respecté", a ajouté M. "Nous ne pouvons pas accepter des déclarations Confrontée à plusieurs querelles de voisinage Erdogan. appelant à la division du pays". et désireuse de réduire sa dépendance gazière Ce virage sémantique intervient alors M. Demirtas avait déclaré dans un discours envers la Russie, la Turquie oeuwe à améliorer qu'Ankara est confronté à la brusque dégradatíon dimanche dernier que les Kurdes de Turquie ses relations avec IsraêI. Des responsables de ses relations avec Moscou après le crash d'un devaient décider s'ils voulaient vivre en israéliens ont annoncé à la mi-décembre qu'lsraël bombardier russe abattu par des chasseurs turcs autonomie ou "sous la tyrannie d'un homme" et la Turquie étâient parvenus à une série à la frontière syrienne le mois dernier. Ses remarques ont indigné les nationalistes d"'ententes" pour normaliser leurs relations M. Erdogan s'est entretenu en décembre avec turcs, qui voient le moindre degré d'autonomie après des négociations secrètes en Suisse. le chef du Hamas en exil, Khaled Mechaal, mais la pour les régions kurdes comme une menace pour Plus mesuré, un responsable turc avait teneur de leur conversation n'a pas été dévoilée.r I'unité de I'Etat turc. indiqué de son côté que des "progrès" avaient été 2 Reuue de P r esse-Pr ess ReuieTD -B erheaokn Çapê- Riuista Stampø-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti ls Turkey head¡ng to part¡tion? Turkey is losing Kurdish minds and hearts at a dramatic pace - the first outcome of the war raging in the Kurdish movement's urban strongholds amid unprecedented destruction and civilian deaths. Kadrl Gursel January 4, 2016 www.al-mon¡tor.com f f Red IineS'n have been a fixture in Ankara's policies toward the Kurds for decades. Bluning or shifting, thinning or thickening, decrea- sing or increasing, myriad red lines were drawn as Ankara grappled with the painful consequences of the Kurdish problem and sought to keep it under control instead of resolving it. The more the problem became regio- nalized, the more the red lines crossed borders. Another such red line was drawn in June 2015 after the People's Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Demonstrators set tires on fire as they clash with Turkish riot Union Party (PYD), seized the town of Tell Abyad on the Turkish border, police during a protest against the curfew in Sur district, which allowed it to link the Kurdish cantons of Kobani and Jazira. Diyarbakir, Dec. 14,2015. (photo by REUTERS/Sertac Kayar) Ankara's red line began from the Syrian town of Jarablus, on the western bank of the Euphrates right at the point where the river enters Syrian ter- ritory from Turkey, and runs southward along the same bank. The west- For the rest of the world, meanwhile, the problem is an Ankara that con- ern side of the red l¡ne was held by the lslamic State (lS), with the 9O-kilo- stantly postpones to do its part in the struggle against lS due to ¡ts long- meter (56-mile) border stretch from Jarablus westward as lhe group's standing Kurdish policy, which has now become a stumbling block for only remaining land link with the outs¡de world. evefyone. On the eastern side of the red line, i.e., the Euphrates'eastern bank, the One key reason why Ankara saw the PYD as a threat greater lhan lS was Kurdish canton of Kobani was controlled by the PYD, the Syrian exten- its fear of the geopolitical risks bound to arise if a long stretch of Syrian sion of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Turkey is battling on its territory along the borde¡ running westward from lraq, fell under the con- own territory. trol of a Kurdish organization affiliated with the PKK, which is considered Ankara's red line was meant to hold back the PYD, not lS. Conversely, if a threat to Turkey's unity. The war against the PKK inside Turkey further lS had managed to capture Kobani, Ankara would have hardly been magnified these risks for Ankara. Second, Ankara wonied that the annoyed, as evidenced by the partial lS invasion of the city in 2014 when Kurdish cantons the PYD established would strengthen its own Kurds' the Turkish leadersh¡p showed no sign of discontent. But if the PYD was drive for autonomy. Should the Kurdish cantons win recognition as part of to advance to the western bank of the river to oust lS from Jarablus - a political settlement in Syria, the Kurdish problem in Turkey - home to thus crossing the red line - Ankara would have been very much the largest Kurdish population in the Middle East - will stick out even annoyed, for Turkish decision-makers opined that the PYD was there to more prominently as it dies after decades of nonsolution. ln short, it was stay and was thus more dangerous than lS, which they saw as a tempo- Turkey's own Kurdish problem that forced it to draw a red line along the rary force in the area. Euphrates' western bank. The rest of the world, however, drew the opposite conclusion from the lS- fhe Euphrates represents a separating line not only in Syria but in PYD comparison. ln a first since World War ll, all major powers were in I Turkey as well, marking the historical and geographical epicenter of consensus ¡n diagnosing an urgent and immediate threat to global secu- the Kurdish problem, which slretches eastward from the river. Beyond the rity, with the threat being lS. ln a similar consensus, they saw the secular massive destruction and civilian deaths in urban areas, Ankara's war on PYD as the only force that could successfully counter and push back this the PKK since July has also been destroying lhe emotional bridges over threat in northern Syria. the Euphrates connecting the Kurdish-majority east to western Turkey. s a result, the red line Ankara drew in June managed to survive the One signal of the breaking bonds came from Diyarbakir, whose ancient F\world's^ realities only until Dec. 25, when the Syrian Democratic Sur district has for weeks been the theater of curfews and clashes, with Forces, a YPc-dominated coalition including Arab and other local ethnic the security forces battling PKK mil¡tants with heavy weapons. On Dec. forces, accomplished their first objective only two days after mounting an 26, the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), an umbrella organization for offensive against lS south of Kobani on Dec. 23, backed by US air power. Kurdish civic society groups, convened an emergency meeting ¡n The coalition took the strategically important ïshreen Dam, only 70 kilo- Diyarbakir. Speaking at the gathering, Selahattin Demirtas, the co-chair meters (43.5 miles) from the Turkish border, and then got a foothold on of the Kurdish-dominated Peoples' Democratic Party, said, "This resist- the Euphrates' western bank. ance will lead to victory. The Kurds from now on will hold the political will The dam's capture broke a key link on the route connecting the jihadi in their lands. The Kurds will perhaps have an ¡ndependent state, a fed- capital, Raqqa, to Turkey, which had gained crucial importance for lS eral state, cantons or autonomous regions." True to style, the Turkish after its loss of Tell Abyad. The alternative link for lS now - a route arch- media highlighted Demirtas'emphasis on an "independent state." ¡ng from the west of the dam lakes to the southeast - ¡s both longer and The DTK stirred even more indignation in western Turkey the following risky. lf the ofiensive advances to capture Manbij, a town 40 k¡lometers day with a final declaration that announced "a decision for autonomy'for (25 miles) from the Turkish border, the territorial link between Raqqa and the Kurds. The 14-point declaration called for the creation of "democralic Turkey will be practically broken, and lS will be isolated along the gO-kilo- autonomous regions" across Turkey, to be governed by elected meter border stretch. autonomous organs, running the realm of education among others. The With Ankara's red line breached, the first reaction of Turkish officials was other fields it listed for autonomous governance included health services, to claim that not the PYD but Arab forces had crossed to the western the courts and justice affairs, transport, energy, public order and budget bank of the Euphrates. Watching how its red lines - the product of mis- management. guided policies - lose their meaning in the face of regional realities is Though the DTK decision is hardly applicable today, it is significant for certainly not easy for Ankara to stomach. showing that autonomy will be the minimal condition the Kurdish Ô 3 Revue de Presse-Press Reaieut-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti Ð movement will impose on any future negotiations for a settlement. described the mortar attack as a response to "the fascist assaults devas- tating Kurdish cities' and "the beginning of our operations in the new At present, however, even a cease-fire seems a distant prospect. The war period." will go on. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that the PKK mil- ¡tants w¡ll "choke in the ditches" they have dug in residential areas to keep Turkey was ushered into 2016 with pledges of more bloodshed by both the security forces away. Cemil Bayik, the co-chair of the PKK-dominat- sides. ln his New Year's message, Erdogan said 3,100 terror¡sts "were ed Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), responded ¡n kind last week. rendered ineffective" ¡n 2015, and "the security forces will continue to "No reason exists currently to end the armed struggle. Rather, the civil purge both mountains and cities from terror¡sts, inch by inch." ln its own war in Turkey will intensify in the coming months," he said. message, the KCK vowed to keep up the war in the "metropolises" - ¡.e., the big cities in western Turkey and mount "a fedayeen resistance Dec. 22 morlar attack on the tarmac of lstanbul's Sabiha Gokcen - The in I lnternational Airport raises the specter of terrorist threats in Turkey's unprecedented the world." big cit¡es, emanat¡ng from the Kurdish conflict. The attack, which killed a Sustaining the war between the PKK and the government forces threat- cleaner and slightly damaged five passenger planes, was claimed by the ens to spiral it out of control for both s¡des. As a result, whatever the con- Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), which has claimed deadly attacks on sequences of the grave developments that would take place, Turkey's civilians, including foreign tourists, in previous years. Though the Kurdish real red lines - its borders - might be opened up for discussion. o movement rejects any links with it, ïAK is believed to be nonex¡stent as Kadri Gursel ¡s a ælumnist for Al-Monitor's Turkey Pulse. He wrote a @lumn for a group, being merely a name the PKK uses as a front for terrorist attacks the Turkish daily Miiliyet between 2007 and July 2015. He focuses primarily on in urban centers. TAK'S claim of responsibility came in a statement, which Turkish foreign policy, international aÍfairs and Turkey's Kurdish question, as well as Turkey's evolving pol¡tical lslam. On Twitter: @KadriQußel E@trc One soldier, two police, rz Kurdish militants killed in Turkey's southeast IS TAIIIBUL January \ ml6 -rcuûers TWO FOLICÏ, officers, a soldier and rz Ku¡distan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters wer"e killed in Thrke/s southeast in lhe spa.ce of 48 hours in operations b prsh back tlre militant group, the arrnyand the Dogan nernm agencyreported on Friday. The soldier came urder rocket fire on Friday in the district of Ciãe, where t2 PKK militants also died in an ongoing military operation, the army said on its website. One policeman was hlled in Cizre late onThursdaywhen he anda group ofcol- leagues came under rocket attack as theytried to breakdown barricades set up by PK( fighters, Dogan said- Asecond officer was killed on Fridayby a remote-controlled bomb in the dis- trict of Sur, wherethe local atrthorities have imposed a ban on demonstrations, Dogan saiò A Kurdish demonstrator argues with members of Turkish police special forces during a protest against the curfew in Sur district Ttrkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast has plunged back into some of its and security operations in the regiory in the southeastern city of worst violence sincethe r99os after atwo-year ceasefire between the PKKand the state collapsed in July. Diyarbakir The PKKfirsttookup arms in r9B4to pushforgreater autonomyin the sotrth- President Talyip Erdogan said onThursdaythere would be no let-up in a mil- eas! and some 4o,ooo people have since been killed in the violence. It is des- itary campaign that he said had killed more than 3,ooo militants this year.O þated a terrorist group þTurkey, the United States and European Union. re¡æ Turkish army kills t4 Kurdish militants, one security officer dead DIYARBAKIR, Tirke¡ January 5, ?.016 (Reuûers) ing trenches and barricades to keep police and soldiers at bay. Dozens of civilians andsoldiers have also died" TLIRKISH SECURITYfuTTes have killed at least 14 militants in tlre The PKK's ceasefire collapsed in July with the worst violence in mairùy Kurdish southeas! the military said on Ttresday, as an army z-rz/-year two to quell fighting tllat hâs spread to üre sheets o'f cities decades. entered a third week The autonomy-seeking PICÇ deemed a temorist group by the United States and the European Union as well as Tbrkey, took up arms in 1984. More than A member of the "village guard ', a Kurdish militia fighting alongside govern- people, have died- ment forces, was killed on Tbesday during clashes with Kurdistan Workers 4o,ooo mainlyKurds, Party(PKK) fightersinthedistrictofSur in Diyarbakir, the regionalcapital,the Separateþ Turkish authorities re-opened a key border gate with Iraq near General Staffsaid on its website. Ciae and Silopi during daylight hours, customs officials said. Thousands of The PKK members were killed in Sur and the towns of Cizre and Silopi on Turkish drivers had been stuck on the Iraqi side ofthe crossing after Tlrkey sht¡t the Habur crossing on Dec. 14 for security re:ßons. Monday, the militarysaid. Those areas have been u¡rder round-the 4 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê- Rivista Stampø-Dentro de Iø Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti LePoint MOSSOUL, LA BA E CAPITALE CONTRE DAEC I )( t, .\ \t. I \ \ jD Ramadi, 27 décembre 2015. Les forces irakiennes reprennent le contrôle de la ville, à I'ouest de Bagdad. @ REUTERS/stringer. En lrak, les forces irakiennes font reculer I'organisation Etat islamique. Mais le pays reste écartelé entre chiites, sunn¡tes et Kurdes. Reportage. DE NOTRE ENVOYÉC SPÉCIALE, ANNE NIVAT Alors que les Etats occidentaux, France et Etats-Unis en tête, ont ré- pondu au carnage du r 3 novembre par des frappes aériennes redou- atima éteint son smartphone. l'organisation terroriste gère les ! blées, en lrak, premier pays à souf- nlle est en pleurs. Ces vingtmi- écoles,les universités, les hôpitaux, þ frir de laprésence de Daech et de la . nutes de conversation parl'ap- la distribution d'énergie, les impôts. I violence comme mode de gouver- plication Internet Viber avec La mixité a disparu, les barbes lon- nance, un suiet est sur toutes les Ahmed, son mari, l'ont boulever- gues ontété imposées, d'où le com- lèwes : lalibé¡ation de Mossoul. La << a dû acheter e, merce postiches, Peu à peu,les sée. Il s' une longueb arb de cité est symbolique, car le calife répète-t-elle, les yeux vides, et je lui Mossouliotes ont été pris dans une autoproclamé de Daech, Abou Bakr ai dit j e l' autoris ais à se remarier >> impitoyable nasse, quasiment sans Ete al-Baghdadi, aprécisément déclaré Fatima, z ans, chiite, a fu i Mossoul témoins, même s'ilrestethéorique- 5 son califat à Mossoul, vers laquelle avec ses deux jeunes enfants lorsque ment possible d'entrer dans la ville converge du monde entier un inta- les miliciens de Daech ont pris la en s'acquittant d'un bakchich de rissable flot dapprentis djihadistes. deuxième ville d'Irak, plus de r mil- r ooo eutos, mars sans assurance Mais, après les succès rempor- lion d'habitants, à l'été de zor4. aucune de pouvoir en ressortir Le tés à Ramadi et Sinjar, comment Sonépoux,Ahmed, z7 ans, sun- coût d'un départ est encore plus reconquérir la cité sans provoquer nite, est resté pour protéger leurs élevé (8 ooo euros) etne garantit au- un bain de sang parmi les civils? biens et, surtout, parce que per- cunement le passage, comme beau- La coalition internationale privi- à pensait sonne, cette époque, ne coup ont pu l'éprouver, qui furent légiant les frappes aériennes, que cette < 5 Revue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çøpê- Riaista Stampø-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti de ne pas remarquer le vent de li- I IPROVINCES !UROUIT 1,, berté qui souffle sur la capitale en {). Rtr;ûil Zones contlôlées : dépit de la La grande purge t chätes quin'ont ni Ia même conception de I'intérêt national que nous ni Ia mëme ex- Le premier est officier au ministère de t périence. IIs ne connaissent que Ia violence I'Intérieur, le second à la Défense. Tous parce qu'ils uiennent de la rue. >Dutanl deux sont sunnites, ont grimpé dans r'tr l'été de zor4,l'ayatollah chiite Ali al- la hiérarchie de l'appareil sécuritaire Sistani avait pourtant suggéré de ne &å de l'Fìtat post Saddam Hussein et sont pas chambouler ies services de sécu- à I'aube de la quarantaine. Ils sont rité. Même angoisse chez Qasim, dont frappés par le même phénomène, l'une des unités a ir-rngtemps été sta- corroboré par d'autres analystes: tionnée à Ramadi: ,< Le gouvernement a depuis le début de I'automne, des [ontre Daerh. Milice chiite à Tikrit, en mars. donne de bons salaires à ses milí- U [chiitef ts à ciens, qu'iltraite mieux que I'armée. Et uf listes de fonctionnaires à envoyer la & o/o retraite anticipée seraient établies par < C'est désespérant, car on ne saít pas 75 des armes qui arrívent au ministère les autorités. Et ils redoutent d'être ies jusqu'où ça va aller, raconte Omar, qui sont distyibuées aux milices, > Pour I'un d E prochaines victimes de cette purge dirige une unité de police. Ils sont en comme pour l'autre, << les milices, c'est J malgrd leur ieune âge. train de faire de la place pour des miliciens I'équivalent chiíte de Daech ! >> s t.tt. 6 Reoue de P r esse-Press Ra¡ieut-Berhanlcn Çøpê- Riaista Stampø-Dentro de lø Prensø-Bøsin Ôzcti 70 kilomètres, et cette proximité Kurdistan. De plus, nous subissons Su¡vc-çþpcr¡f touristique qui abrite aujourd'hui tétanise les autorités kurdes. trop de pressions avec les déplacés. En mai, des civils davantage d'Arabes sunnites ve- Résultat: le Kurdistan est sou- Donc nous serons contraints il'agir, et irakiens tnvenent nus de Fallouja que de Kurdes ; doù mis à une forte pression démogra- la b ataille de Mossoul aura s ans iloute I'Euphrate au sud de son surnom, << Shaqlouia >, preuve phique. Près de r,8 million d'fuabes lieu au printemps. En tout cas, nous, Fallouja, fuyant une que les lrakiens rt'ont pas perdu sunnites y ont fui Daech. < 7 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê-Riuista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti échange de tirs ent¡e peshmergas kurdes sunnites et Turkmènes chiites. Pendant quarante-huit heures, les combats se sont pout- suivis jusque dans I'hôpital et zoomagasins ont été incendiés. Ayob |uammai, I'adjoint au maire (kurde) de la ville, est de- venuun expert dansl'art de négo- cier: quandDaech étaittoutproche, il s'était imposé comme llnterlo cuteur principal avec le chef des terroristes,âgéde rgansseulement, qui vouiait s'approvisionner à une station d'essence. Depuis, le jeune djihadiste a été tué et Daech a rs culé,mais ce sont de nouvelles frac- tures, plus < insidieuses > auxyeux d Ayob, qui font surface : <>, constate-t-il tristement, du pays, où cohabitent depuis la traverse les provinces de Salahad- (es Kurdes participent de son bureau, où ne cessent d'en- nuit des temps Kurdes, Arabes et din et de Dþla, deux régions au aux combalscontre trer des < déplacés > de vill4çs pas- T\¡rkmènes et oÌr se mélangent en- peuplement mixte chiite et sun- l'Etat islamique le long sés sous le contrôle de Daech. core - mais pour combien de nite qui, au plus fort de ia guerre de la frontière entre Grâce à l'entre gent du maire ad- temps? - islam et chrétienté. Les contre Al-Qaeda, durant I'occupa- l'lrak et la Syrie. ioint, on parvient à rencontrer Ie Kurdes ont pris le contrôle de Kir- tion militaire américaine, passaient chef de la milice Badr. Abdullah kouk à ltété de uor4, pendant que pour les plus dangereuses. Ia po- Khadr Mahmur reçoit dans son Daech envahissait le nord du pays. pulation hésite à I'emprunter, mais quartier général sous les portraits Depuis, par offensives successives aujourd'hui ce sont des milices des ayatollahs irakiens et iraniens et arguant touiours de 7 janvier 2016 I Le Polnt2261 I Reaue de P r esse-P r ess Reaieut -B erheaoka Çap ê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Ozeti .larrr¡arr '7.2016 Has Turkey's regional power grab come to an end? Turkey is forfeiting its claims for regional supremacy by joining the Saudi-led Sunni alliance and making friendly overtures toward lsrael. Par Ccngiz Çandar janvlcr 7,2016 http://rvww.a l-mon itor.com furkey's fervent aspiration for regional power in the Middle East is over I after it made itself a party to the raging sectarian conflict rather than providing a meaningful contribution to a possible solution to the Syrian imbroglio. lf there were any doubts, the ruling Justice and Development Party's lat- est desperate moves to escape its increasingly international isolation should remove them: ln mid-December, Ankara plunged into the Saudi- led 34-nation military alliance of Sunni nations. Parallel to this ill-con- ceived decision, Turkey's rapprochement with lsrael is said to be under- way. The Saudi-led alliance, which even Pakistan and Malaysia have declared (R) they were not joining, ¡s justif¡ably seen by many analysts as a Sunni Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands coalition through which Saudi Arabia aims to check and reduce lran's with Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud during a regional influence. By agreeing to be among the l¡kes of Comoros, Mali luncheon ahead of the G-20 summit in Belek in the and Niger and led by Saudi Arabia, Turkey forfeited its claim to being the Meditenanean resort city of Antalya, Turkey, Nov. 14, 2015. historical Sunni counterweight to lran, going back to the 16th-century (crédit photo: REUTERS/Kayhan Ozer) rivalry between the Ottoman Empire and the Safavids. That is not a role suited to a country with an imperial legacy whose glory is revisited fre- quences of its ever-weakening posit¡on in Syria in the wake of the crisis quently by the current power holders in Turkey. with Russia after the downing of a Russian fighter jet on Nov. 24. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's rule had already made Turkey a part Moreover, a broader coalition connecting Turkey to Saudi Arabia and also of a subregional axis competing with Saudi influence over the Sunni with lsrael is thought to have a favorable impact on Washington, its most world. powerful ally and one with which it has had uneasy relalions over Syria. Since January 2015, with the change of leadership in Saudi Arabia, the The visit of Gen. Joseph Dunford - the new chairman of the US Joint Sunni configuration of power in the region has changed. Since then, Chiefs of Staff - to Turkey exposed the ma¡n source of uneasiness: the Erdogan has visited the kingdom three times and announced his support US connection to the Syrian Kurds. for the Saudi military campaign in Yemen. By the end of the year, the two The visit followed the breaching of Turkey's most outspoken "red line" in counlries decided to establish a "strategic cooperation council." Syria: the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) crossing the Euphrates. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have cash and hydrocarbons; Turkey has military US support and coordination, the Syrian Kurdish armed forces, muscle. lt looks as if the Gulf monarchies are allowing Turkey to benefit I tith V V tne People's Protection Units, are fighting the lslam¡c State (lS) from their treasuries while making use of Turkey's geopolitical weight. ^ - and if it moves to the west of the Euphrates, in the Azaz-Jarablus coni- The Saudis seem emboldened by having Turkish muscle on board in their dor as well. This area is mainly controlled by Syrian groups that Turkey confrontational attitude toward Tehran. supports and const¡tutes the main link between Turkey and besieged Erdogan and King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud's rapprochement was Aleppo that would end up in linking Rojava (the Syrian Kurd¡sh areas) as also a¡med at increasing cooperation on regional issues, most notably on a single geographic entity under PYD rule from the lraqi border all the Syria. However, the Saudi-lranian crisis is complicating Ankara's region- way to the west, covering hundreds of miles of Turkey's border with Syria. al plans, particularly on Syria. This has been the main issue raised to Dunford in his talks in Ankara. The The other undeclared forfeiture of Turkey's claim to regional leadership Turkish military has shared its concerns with the US military leader over came in its last overtures with lsrael for reconciliation. Erdogan, on his Syrian Kurdish groups'attempts to create a "Kurdish corridor" in northern journalist way back from Saudi Arabia Jan. 2, told the accompanying him, Syria and change the demographic structure of the region to the advan- "Turkey and lsrael need each other." tage of the Kurds. statement so worded may sound like Erdogan's assessment of the These messages were delivered to Dunford, who held talks with Turkish ñlchanging^ geopolitics of the M¡ddle East and reflect Turkey's stepping Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and Prime Minister Ahmet back from contesting lsrael's posturing in the region. Davutoglu on Jan. 6. It should never be forgotten that the real cause of the ever-deteriorating "We are aware of their desires and attempts to establish a Kurdish corri- relationship with lsrael since January 2009, in the wake of lsrael's Gaza dor along the Turkish border by entering the Azaz-Jarablus line. We have war, had its roots in who would be calling the shots as the regional power. declared so many times that Turkey will never accept this," a security The Mav¡ Marmara incident in May 2010 that took the lives of nine Turkish source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. nationals who were killed by lsraeli commandos had been the symbolic The Syrian Democratic Forces, coal¡tion composed Kurds, turning point for the power struggle in the eastern Mediterranean. a of Turkmens, Christians and Arabs, succeeded in seizing control of the Turkey, after following the Saudi lead against lran and trying to soften its strateg¡cally important Teshrin Dam on the Euphrates River, but Ankara relationship with lsrael, the most anli-lran power center in the region, ¡s has complained that 85% of that coalition consists of PYD members. not only forfeiting ¡ts claims for regional power status but also taking part The Syrian Democratic Forces, essentially a Kurdish foice, succeeded in in the anti-lran regional coalition in a way that has never been done seizing the Teshrin Dam on Dec. 26 and moved to the v¡c¡n¡ty of the town before. of Manbij only 12 kilometers (some 7 miles) away. lf Manbij falls, lS fight- For Ankara, all these latest moves are no doubt the natural conse- ers in the Aleppo area could be left without land access to their capital .) I Reaue de Presse-Press Reaíew-Berheaoka Çapê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Ozeti Ð ¡n Raqqa. them is probably impossible; ignoring or transcending them won't be much easier ... because the Kurds have offered something that actually Although that town is out of Turkish artillery range, Ankara could hit the ground, Erdogan singularly PYD forces there with other weapons. But doing so might be politically works on the because has been such a unhelpful ally in Syria. . .. Unless Turkey's behavior changes radically and difficult at a time when the Kurds are fighting lS on the southern frontier. other current trends continue, the unlikely alliance between the Pentagon Short of a cease-fire with Ankara, Turkey will likely act to undermine any and the Workers Partyl looks like ¡t might just defy the odds Kurdish gains in Syria. [Kurdistan and survive for the long term." leanwhile, the PYD offensive has been supported by coalition airs- I Difficult times lie ahead for all those involved in the Syr¡an conflict and lVltr¡Xes, ináicating that the move was at leasi partly côordinated with ¡nternationally weakening strongman, lhe United States and was not a unilateral PYD decision. especially for Turkey and its Erdogan. o This begs the question: What would Washington's posit¡on vis-a-vis Cengiz Candar is a ælumn¡st for Al-Monitor's Turkey Pulse. A journalist s¡nce Ankara be under these circumstances, particularly after Dunford's visit, 1976, he ¡s the author of seven books in the Turkish language, ma¡nly on Middle considering the contradictions lhat threaten to rip apart the US' Syrian Easf lssues, including the best-seller Mesopotam¡a Express: A Journey in History. alliance network? O n Tw itter : @ ceng ¡zcan dar For the foremost American expert on Syria, Joshua Landis, "Resolv¡ng l\ rt R\.,\il()\;..\l llt'\t\t s5'l'il!il \ .l¿¡nu¿l'r ll. ll)16 Intemational Oit Companies Begin To Receive Palments tr'rom Kurdish Govemment By Erin Banco - 01/08/1ó bright future if it continues http://wwwibtimescom to capitalize on oil invest- ment. fhe KRG began export- Jntemational oil companies are finally con- I ing crude in May 2014 Isistently receiving payments from the semi- using its independent autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government pipeline, also known as the (KRG). The region's decimated economy had Kirkuk-Ceyhan Pipeline. previously prevented the govemment from Baghdad at one point could dishing out money to companies in exchange access it, but fighting and for their oil production. Some major conglom- damage to the infrashuc- erates, frushated by the lack ofcompensation, ture shut the central gov- pulled their staff out of the region and closed ernment off. The Kurdish up shop. Now, though, the Kurdish govem- government, though. hop- ment is selling the black gold at a more consis- ing to revive its economy tent rate, and the international oil companies via the oil trade, began Kurdish peshmerga tuøined by U.S. coølìtìon are reaping the rewards a major turning exporting through its own fighters in Kutdístan lrøq, Møy 2U15. point in what until now has- been a question- independent pipeline that forces able venture for companies. connects to the larger Kirkuk-Ceyhan Pipeline. Genel Energy, one of the biggest energy images to show that ISIS was shipping its oil pipelines companies in the world and a dominant player There are also several smaller to Turkey for sale. The KRG government throughout Iraqi Kurdistan that connect to the in the lraqi Kurdistan oil market, confirmed denies all claims that the Sunni militant group big pipeline. this week that its parhrers in one of its fields in is transporting oil from the tenitory it conhols The sector, and transactions, the region received about $30 million in export oil all of its through Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkey. payments from the KRG for oil exported continue to be overseen by the KRG, led by ¡t n official from the KRC, Kifah President Masoud Bar zani. through the Kurdistan region to Turkey. It was l\Mahmoud. said lSlS does not transport its announcement Genel and other the fourth export payment by the KRG since The by oil through the Iraqi Kurdish region, adding payments large intemational oil companies comes amid September. Before that time, had that the satellite images Russia provided as condemnation by Baghdad about the KRG stopped because the govemment said it was evidence are not tankers belonging to the exporting independently and allegations that focused on spending its money fighting the extremist group. He said that despite Russia's the KRG is working with ISIS. Islamic State group, also known as ISIS. Gulf claims, his govemment is not turning a blind produce The terrorist group has major strongholds Keystone, Genel Energy and DNO eye to the ISIS oil trade. and westem Iraq despite the hundreds of thousands of barrels a day, and in eastern Syria Since joining Genel Energy in 2011, U.S.-led airstrikes that have killed several of according to a recent oil and gas report, the according to Bloomberg, Tony Hayward, the KRG owes them $1.7 billion for past exports. its leaders. Those strongholds include Deir company's chairman, pushed the Kurds to fin- payments Ezzor and Raqqa in eastem Syria; Fallujah in The now frequent by the KRG to ish building a pipeline link to Turkey so he can Iraq's Province; facto the international oil companies have pushed Anbar Mosul, the de find buyers outside the domestic market. Kar headquarters of the militant group in lraq; and them to ramp up production. Group, a Kurdish contractor, said it has com- parts Kurdistan such as Hawija. The There are several oil fields in Iraqi of lraqi pleted 23 percent of the first 48-mile (77 km) group has access to major trade routes between Kurdistan that are pumping oil for transport to section ofthe line north to the border. Turkey the countries, to continue to Turkey, and more intemational companies two allowing it hasn't said publicly it will take the oil. transport and other goods so- have signed on to exploration blocks for pro- oil to fund its Correction: A previous version of this arti- called caliphate, according to a report prepared duction. The growing oil market in Iraqi cle stated that Genel was still hucking oil to by George Kiourktsoglou, a researcher at the Kurdistan has pushed the semiautonomous Turkey. It is not. Trucked exports ceased when region into a new economic status one that, University of Greenwich in the U.K. the pipeline became operational. Hayward - Three weeks ago Russia displayed satellite though deprived in the past, could have a started at Genel in 2011, not lastyear. r 10 Reaue de Presse-Press Reuiezn-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de Iø Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti {tl?,ll n"*,* January , Kurdish Forces Battle lS to Keep Control of Strateg¡c Synan Dam Sirwan Kajjo January 07,2016 http://www.voanews.com- l, I early two wee ks after regaining control A fíghter lrom the Syriøn Not í stratog¡c dam in ñorttreñr Syria, Democrøtic Forces takes a Kurdish-led forces are ctruggling with posìtion atop Mount continued blitzes from lslamic Sbte mili- Annøn ooerlookìng the tants who went to ret¡ke the area. Tìshrin Døm, after they The fighting centers on the 9OO-meter-long cøptureil it lrom lslømìc Tishrin Dam, held'by lS for more than a year State mìlitønts, south of until Kurdish and coalition forces retook it in Kobani, Syrìa, Dec.27, December. lt supplies electricity to much of 2075. northern Syria. On Thursday, a group of lS fighters attempted to infilhate the nearby Kurdish-held town of Ain lssa. But local forces were able to thwart He said lS had brought additional fighters militants back to Raqqa, the de facto capital of the plan, according to reports. from Damascus and Homs to participate ¡n their self-sgled caliphate in Syria, officials the operations against Kurdish forces and said. Another group of lS fighters enterod the town their allies. of Sarrin, not far from Tishrin Dam, crossing "We're going to continue to isolate and con- from the western side of the Euphrates River. ln the recent battles with Kurdish forces, lS strict [S] in Raqqa," McGurk said. Fierce clashes erupted between them and the has used tanks and heavy weapons. Turkish officials, however, continue to express YPG Kurdish forces. The latest advances made by SDF near concerns about Kurdish advances in northern "Daesh flSl wants to retake Tishrin Dam for Tishrin and other areas south of Kobani have Syria. Military leaders in Ankara this week told strategic and symbolic reasons at the same placed more pressure on lS militants, who are U.S. General Joseph Dunford that Syrian time," said Shervan Derwish, a spokesman for having ditriculty moving from areas in eastern Kurdish forces were attempting to create a the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group Syria to the parts they control in Aleppo and "Kurdish corridor" in Syria's north, according of Kurdish, Arab and Christian fighters. elsewhere. to Turkish news reports. IS PRESSURE "Tishrin Dam is now no longer in their [S] Dunford was in Turkey to meet with Turkish hands, so they have to go all the way around," officials, including Prime Minister Ahmet With inclementweather in the region, U.S.led said Brett McGurk, U.S. special presidential Davutoglu, and to visit U.S. troops who are coalition airstrikes on positions have lS envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter lS, stationed at lncirlik Air Base. slowed. This has allowed lS to reorganize its during a recent briefing at the State forces order to make advances, Kurdieh Turkey considers Kurdish forces in Syria as in Department. commanders said. part of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), COALITION FORCES whichAnkara and Washington see as a terror- "They take advantage of weather conditions ist group. r to wage constant attacks on our forces there," U.S.-led coalition forces and their local part- Derwish told VOA. ners on the ground are working on pushing lS Ð ATJAZEERA January 1312016 manner normally reseryed for visiting heads of state. Saudi Arabia's King Salman held talks lraqi Kurds'should with Barzani in the presence of the senior mem- bers of the Saudi royal family. And in a first act of its kind in the country's his- not take sides' in tory, Turkish authorities raised lraqi Kurdistan's flag during Barzani's visit to Ankara. Goran praised the dramatic shift ¡n the Arab lran-Saudi row states' stance towards the Kurds in lraq, coun- tries that had for decades opposed the emer- Being small actors in a groat game of rogional powors will put limits on gence of a Kurdish entity in northern lraq. Kurdish ambitions, analysts say. Although the regional settings appear to be shifiing in the Kurds' ftvour, domestically, lraqi Kurdistan's future and ¡ts efforts for statehood," Kurds have failed to formulate a united position said Khasro Goran, a Kurdish member of the Mohammed A Salih I l5 Jan 2016 towards these developments. lraqi parl¡ament from the Kurdistan Democratic http://mvw.aljazeera.com the KDP has tilted more towards Party (KDP), the dom¡nant faction in the Ll.hereas so-called "Sunni Arab powers" in the Kurdish autonomous government in northern VVtn" lraq¡ Kurdistan - As rivalries between region, its key domestic rivals, such as the !rbil, lraq. LSaudi Arabia and lran reach new heights Patr¡otic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), have grown following the execution of Shia religious leader Massoud Barzani, KDP'S leader, who serves as closer to the opposing lranianled camp, while Nimr al-Nimr on January 2, lraqi Kurds see the Kurdistan region's president despite some some have refrained from articulating a clear opportunities and threats arising from the sec'ta- internal opposition regarding the legality of his preêrence. rian turmoil and the tecton¡c geopolitical tenure, made a diplomatic splash in December "Saudi Arabia and Turkey want to redefine the changes in the region. by visiting Saud¡ Arabia and Turkey. Kurds' role from a Sunni perspec{¡ve and not as "Kurdistan should warm up to those who acæpt Both Riyadh and Ankara received Barzani in a Kurds," said Sardar Aziz, a parliamentary 1',|, Reaue de Presse-Press Reuíeut-Bt h*oko Çopê-Riritto Strry adviser for Gorran Movement, a major r+ sions might afiect their ongoing war against the cal and cultural rights to them. Þ Kurdish political faction in rivalry with the lslamic State of lraq and the Levant (lSlL). But when lran and lraq reached a deal on KDP. 'And we see the KDP wanting to play Despite initial setbacks in the face of lSlL redrawing certa¡n parts of their disputed border along with that discourse." The majority of lraq's attacks in summer of 2014, Kurds have now areas, lran and the US cut off their support Kurds are Sunnis but there are also Shia and pushed lSlL fighters from the bulk of Kurdish- leading to the ending of the brief experiment in Yazidi Kurds. controlled areas seized by the group. However, Kurdish self-rule agreed between the Kurds and After returning ftom his visits to Riyadh and lSlL is still uncomfortably close to major Baghdad. Ankara, Barzani instructed his party ofi¡cials ¡n Kurdish-controlled urban areas such as Erbil Amid the sectarian maelstrom gripping the late Deæmber to work with other Kurdish par- and Kirkuk. reg¡on, some believe the Kurds will ultimately ties to create a mechanism for holding a refer- /^iven the ability of Kurdish Peshmerga opt to stay on the sidelines, since historically endum on whether lraqi Kurdistan should 9forces to stand up to lSlL, some belieie their ethnic identity has been the primary con- become an independent state. sectarian-motivated geopolitical competitions in sideration rather than religious or sec{arian affl- As lraqi Kurds ponder what they can gain from the region will not have a bearing on the Kurds' iations. the expanding regional conflic{, some prescribe fight against lSlL. Kurds make around 20 percent of lraq's popula- caution. Being smaller aclors in a great game of "l don't think the sectarian escalat¡on will afþct tion while the remainder are mostly Shia and major regional powers means that there will be the war against flSlLl because Kurdistan enjoys Sunni Arabs. limits to Kurdish ambitions and their ability to the backing of Western and regional nations," "[Kurds] are pragmatic enough to understand capitalise on the changes, analysts say. said Goran, who leads KDP's bloc in lraqi par- that p¡cking sides for certain short-term gains - "Kurdistan is intèrnally fragmented," Farid liament. be it economic or military - will not serve politi- Assasard, a member of PUKs leadership coun- 'The war is essentially being fought on the cal unity inside Kurdistan in medium to long c¡|, told Al Jazeera. "Kurdistan must not join one ground by the Peshmerga forces with air sup- term," said Athanasios Manis, a senior research side of this conflict against another side ... lf we port from the Western coalition." fellow at Middle East Research lnstitute, a take sides Kurdistan will turn into another arena Assasard said that the last time lraqi Kurds think-tank based in Erbil, the capital of lraq's of the conflict in the rcgion and we will have picked sides in a regional conflicl was in the Kurdish region. much to lose from that." 1970s when they sought assistance from the "And it might complicate further Erbil's relations Another major consideration for lraqi Kurds is governments of lran and United States to force with lraq'sArabs lboth Shia and Sunnis]." I how the r¡sing tide of regional sectarian ten- the then lraqi government into conceding politi- âtÐl€^ January 612016 Kurdistan from lraq and it's an attempt by Masoud Bazani [the president of Kurdistan Kurdish Trenches regionl to declare Kurdish independence." Kurdish trenches also worry the Shi'ite paramilitaries known as Popular Mobilization Against lS Draw lraqi lre Forces (PMF) who have had armed confronta- tion with the Kurdish Peshmerga over the control of southern Kirkuk and northern Diyala. Rikar Husscin, Dil¡had Anwar Abu Munazir Khanaqini, the commander of January 06, 2016 Shiite Popular Mobilization Foræs in Diyala told www.voanow¡.com VOA that digging the trenches is not necessary because lS is not present in the area. 'We l¡zurdish Peshmerga forces are digging what are doubtful of Peshmerga's real inten- f \officials say are security trenches in areas tions behind this effort," he said. "We believe it bordering territory controlled by the lslamic is an effort by them to separate the area they State (lS). controlfrom other parts of lraq controlled by us." But the lraqi govemment is concerned that 'BORDERS OF KURDISTAN' the Kurds may be attempting to set up a de- Muhammed Faiq, the spokesman for the facto Kurdish border as part of a process mayor of the town of Tuz Khurmatu, told VOA towards independence from lraq. The trenches the trenches would work as a separation of the will stretch 652 miles from northern areas of Kurdish lands from lraq. Mosul to Khanaqin in Diyala province. "These [trenches] will determine the bor- General Murad Muhammed, a Peshmerga ders of Kurdistan," he said. commander in Kirkuk, told VOA that the ln recent months, there have been skir- northern lraq, including the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, trenches will be used as a defensive line to pro- mishes between Shi'ite forces and the which both the central government of lraq and tect newly liberated areas from retaliatory lS Peshmerga near Tuz Khurmatu over the buil- the Kurds claim. attacks. ding of the trenches. The lraqi constitution mandated that a refe- "This trench will protect the area from the "Hashd al-Shabi (Arabic for PMF) fired at rendum take place to determine the future of Daesh bats (lS fighters) who want to invade Peshmerga and its excavators while [we were] the disputed tenitories. But no referendum has Kurdistan," Muhammed said. digging the trenches," said Colonel Jmhur been held. Across the Peshmerga frontlines, excava- Rostam, a Peshmerga commander in the area. the lS swept into Mosul in June 2014, tors and bulldozers can be seen digging ditches I ll lhen "We responded. But no one was killed from lraqi army abandoned the disputed three meters wide and three meters deep. VVtne e¡ther s¡de and talks started to avoid further territories around lS-held areas. Kurdish "These trenches will prevent the terrorists escalation." Peshmerga gained full control of the areas and from sneaking in car bombs to our frontlines," Kurdish commanders say they reject lraqi declared it will not withdraw. the Kurdish commander in Diyala, Lieutenant- accusations over the trenches. Saad Yosif al-Muttalibi, the head of the lraqi Colonel Sirwan Muhammad, told VOA. "These trenches are not to separate parliaments defense committee, told VOA that lS has been using car bombs against the Kurdish territories from lraq," Jabar Yawar, the Kurds are taking political advantage of the lS Kurds who lack sophisticated weapons to des- Peshmerga chief of staff, told VOA. "The threat to lraq. troy armored trucks filled with explosives and trenches are 60 kilometers (38 miles) away "The Kurdistan region uses its defense from Kurdish borders with the rest of lraq and driven by suicide bombers. justification 'Disputed tenitories' against lS as a to dig the trenches," we use them to defend Peshmerga frontlines he told VOA. "We don't think this is to defend The trenches are in areas known as "dispu- from lS suicide attacks." r against lS. We think this is to separate ted territories." The disputed territories are in 12 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de Iø Prensa-Basin Ozeti tl'@rlmtl 9 janvier 2016 I I LuñÉÉdr¡J(xta J Les Kurdes auront-ils leur Roiava ? Les YPG pourraient exiger un territoire autonomè en échange dè leur contribution contre I'EI, où leurs progrès alimentent les craintes d'Ankara. Photo il'archíztes montrant des combøttønts kurdes desYPG ilans Snmia MEDA\ü¡{,f,. I OLf kurdes des FDS avaient traversé Ies enoirons ile Ras øl-Aïn. Photo Reuters a9/0t/2016 cette rivière stratégique. Il sem- lrttp: / /www.lorientlejour.com blerait toutefois que les Kurdes n'aient pas respecté la < lþe nauté internationale. < (Le prési- cette ville, il y a un pas qu'il ne Jl semblerait que les craintes de rouge ) établie par Ankara, allant dent américain Barack) Obama convient pas de franchir. Pour M. Ih Turquie soient fondées. jusqu'au village d'Abou Qilqil en a un peu marre d'Erdogan, du Balanche comme pour M. Drott, Depuis un moment dêjà,la avec le soutien de frappes améri- double jeu de la Turquie qui a il est clair que cette prise est mili- constante avancée des forces caines qui ont accompagné leur laissé prospérer IEI et ne prend tairement possible, mais n'aura kurdes face à l'État islamique (EI) progression, précise à L'Orient-Le pas les mesures adéquates, et c'est pas lieu, pour la simple raison en Syrie les propulse sur le devant Jour Fabrice Balanche, géographe pour cette raison qu'ils ont décidé que Raqqa, Defu ez-Zor etles de la scène, les faisant paraître spécialiste de la Syrie. La Turquie d'appuyer les Kurdes >, juge M. régions environnantes sont des comme seuls aptes à contrer le a immédiatement protesté auprès Balanche. territoires arabes, que les Kurdes groupe terroriste. Si les progrès des Éøts-Unis. Comme les LESKI]RDESADÉS ne revendiquent pas pour leur (Kurdistan kurdes réjouissent certains, ils Kurdes ont déjà essuyé des tirs de DES RUSSES ? Rojava syrien, région inquiètent toutefois la Turquie mortier turcs par le passé à la du nord-est de la Syrie dêclarêe Pendant ce temps, les Kurdes qui, pas plus tard qu'il y a trois frontière syro-turque (en juillet, autonome en 2013). Ils ne vont profitent également de I'aide mili- jours, a exprimé ses appréhen- notamment, près de Jarablus), donc pas perdre des effectiß et taire de la Russig explique le spé- gênêral américain cela pourrait arriver de nouveau, des armes vitaux pour prendre sions au cialiste, dans la région d'Afrin Drott, sociologue une ville qui ne leur sera d'au- Joseph Dunford, chef d'état- estime Carl notammert. Dans la région major des armées des États-Unis, spécialiste de la question kurde. cune utilité. En revanche, s'ils d' Aazaz, ils les aident par des express à prennent Manbij, Jarablus, et alors en visite Ankara. Iæs États-Unis pourraient frappes aériennes leur permettant les Forces qu'ils ferment la frontière turque, Pour rappel, démo- probablement s'attirer les foudres d'avancer vers I'est. Toutefois, cratiques syriennes (FDS, coali- ils pourront affaiblir I'EI, permet- de la Turquie, dont ils ont besoin avance M. Drott, les Kurdes ris- en octobre par tant une prise future de Raqqa. < tion militaire créée pour freiner I'entrée de deman- quent de ce fait de s'aliéner le les YPG Unités de protection On se doute bien que ce qui inté- - deurs d'asile en Europe, ainsi que soutien des rebelles arabes ; ces du peuple Kurdes et divers resse les Kurdes, c'est de relier - la circulation de I'EI vers et de la derniers pourraient croire que les groupes tra- Afün et Kobané il n'est pas sûr arabes syriens) ont Syrie. Mais la Turquie n'a, Kurdes ont choisi le camp du ; versé I'Euphrate fin décembre, qu'une fois cela accompli, ils jusque-là, fait aucun effort sþifi- régime syrien en acceptant une prenant de Techrine. aideront la coalition à prendre lebatage catif en ce sens, malgré les fonds aide russe. Ce faisant, les FDS ont défié supplémentaires offerts par Raqqa >, souligne M. Balanche. Les enjeux sont pourtant ouvertement Ia Turquie, qui I'Union européenne (JE) pour la aaa considérables : les forces kurdes refuse une présence kurde à sa gestion des réfugiés. Et à part pourraient réussir à piéger I'EI et frontière. Le Premier ministre quelques protestations de conve- isoler Raqqa, sa capitale de facto furc Ahmet Davutoglu avait d'ail- nance, la répression contre les en Syrie. Mais de là à affirmer leurs affirmé à ce moment que Kurdes en Turquie n'est pas vio- qu'ils vont participer à la prise de seuls les membres arabes et non lemment critiquée par la commu- d Turquie: 32 militants kurdes tués ce week-end Diyarbakir (Tirrquie), 10 janvier 2016 (AFP) "Les terroristes sont venus à Van pour organiser une grande attaque. Heuæusement, nous avons réussi à l'empêche/', a déclaré le gouvemeur de la TRENTE-DEUX m¡litants du PaÉ¡ des travailleurs du Kurd¡stan (PKK) ont province lbrahim Tasyapan, précisant que des dizaines de grenades et de fusils été tués au cours du weekend dans des combats avec les m¡litaires turcs avaient été saisies au cours de l'operation. dan¡ I'est et le sud4st de la Turquie, ont ind¡quó I'armée et des médias. Vingt milit¡ants du PKK ava¡ent été tués samedi d'après I'armée, dans les v¡lles Au moins deux policiers et un soldat ont également été tt¡és, selon ces sources. de Cizæ et de S¡lopi (sud€st), ptès de la frontièæ irakienne, ains¡ que dans le district de Sur à Diyarbak¡r, la grande cité kurde. Les forces de I'ordre ont lancé un raid contre une maison de la province de Van (est), hrant 12 rebelles kurdes, après avoir été alertées qu'un attentat de grande Un soldat et un policier ont également trouvé la mort à Diyarbakir, tués par des ampleur contre des bâtimenß offciels y était prepare, a rapporté I'agence tirs de fusil à longue portée, a pécisé I'armée. Dogan. Selon I'armée, quelque 448 membres du PKK ont été tués dans ces trois loca- Un pol¡cier a été tué et deux autrcs personnes ont été blessées dans les affron- lités depuis la mi-décembæ. tements qui ont su¡vi, selon Dogan. Celles-ci sont soumises à un couvre-feu controversé depuis près d'un > 13 Reaue de Presse-Press Reuíew-Berheaoka Çapê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti > mois. Ankara a justifié ces mesures par la nécêssité de æprendre ces zones A lstanbul, un groupe d'artistes de rue, d'acteurs et de musiciens ont manifrgsté piétonne pour aux rebelles kurdes qui y ont érigé des baricades et creusé des tranchées. dimanche sur I'emblématique rue d'lstiklal appeler à la fin des vio- lences, brandissant des pancartes "Faites du bruit pour la paix!", selon un phG Le Premier ministre Ahmet Davutoglu a laissé entendre lors d'une réunion de tographe de I'AFP son parli (AKP) que les opérations en cours dans le sud€st pourra¡ent prendre plus fin dans la semaine, mais il a ajouté qu'il n'y ava¡t "pas de date lim¡te", a indiqué Après de deux ans de cêssezle-ftu, des combab meurtriers ont repris l'été le site du quotidien Haberti¡rk. demier entrê les forces de l'ordre turques et le PKK, hisant voler en éclats les pourparlers de paix engagés en 2012 pour mettre un terme à un conffit qui per- "Nous allons poursuivre notre combat contre le tenorisme avec une grande dure depuis 1984. O détermination, jusqu å ce que ces tueurs aient été chassés de nos montagnes, de nos plaines et de nos villes", a-t-il aussi dit, dans des propos rapportés par la télévision. nmfiRf'l ll janvier 2016 En lrak, la tranchée de la discorde entre Kurdes et Turkmènes Bagdad / lllanv.2016 http://www.leparisien.fr "Début de la division de I'Irak", "violation du droit international": la minorité turk- mène d'Irak dénonce la construction par les Kurdes irakiens d'une tranchée longue de centaines de kilomètres, officiellement présentée comû¡e une défense contre les iihadistes. "Nous voyons cette tranchée comme le début de la division de I'lrak. Elle serait la concrétisation sur le terrain d'une carte géopolitique redessinée", a déclaré à I'AFP le chefdu parti Front turk- mène irakien, Archad al-Salehi. Le gouvernement de la région autonome du Kurdistan irakien, qui s'étend dans le nord de I'lrak, se défend lui de toute visée expansion- niste, soutenant que la tranchée, large de trois mètres et profonde de deux, ne vise qu'à empêcher des attaques des jihadistes de I'Etåt Lø mìnoríté turkmène il'Irak tlénonce lø cons*uction pu les Kuriles írakìens d'une islamique (EI). fiønchée longue de centøínes ìle kílomètres, olficiellement présentée comme une Mais pour des responsables de la commu- contre les jìhødístes. AEP Mørutøn nauté turkmène, le tracé de ce profond fossé iléþnse I IBRAHIM soulève la suspicion. Selon eux, la tranchée traversera I'lrak Turcomans. (acronyme arabe de I'EI)", a insisté un porte- d'ouest en est, de la ville de Rabia bordant la "Les villes de Tal Afar, Kirkouk et Touz parole des combattants kurdes irakiens, Jabar Syrie à celle de Khanaqine, près de la fron- Khourmatou passeront du côté du Kurdistan Yawar. tière iranienne. irakien si le gouvernement n'applique pas la "Elle ne sera pas construite partout, certaines Elle suivrait en grande partie les 1.000 kilo- loi préservant I'unité de I'lrak", a-t-il mis en zones n'en n'ont pas besoin. Il reviendra aux mètres de la ligne de front entre les combat- garde. responsables militaires de décider" de son nacé, ajouté. tants kurdes et ceux de I'EI. Ce vaste pays du Moyen-Orient compte de a-t-il Or, les combattants kurdes, les peshmergas, nombreuses minorités notamment les Les travaux de creusement n'ont pas com- sont présents au-delà de la frontière de leur Kurdes, dont la population est estimée à envi- mencé à Touz Khourmatou mais ils ont région, après avoir vaincu I'EI dans des zones ron quatre millions, et les Turkmènes sur débuté près de Kirkouk, une ville située dans d'où I'armée irakienne avait fui. lesquels il n'existe pas de statistique chiffrée une riche région pétrolière, ainsi qu'à falawla, récente. près de la frontière iranienne, selon les La tranchée leur permethait d'inclure ces ter- responsables turkmènes. ritoires dans le Kurdistan irakien bien qu'il Les Turcomans d?lrak ont entretenu par le n'y appartiennent pas selon les frontières passé des relations difficiles avec les Kurdes. Pour fassem Mohammed faafar, un parlemen- actuelles, dénoncent les Turkmènes égale- Les rivalités ethniques sont apparues au taire turkmène, cette tranchée "viole les con- ment appelés Turcomans. grand jour depuis la chute du régime de ventions internationales et les droits des per- Saddam Hussein en awil 2003 et la revendi- sonnes qui seront forcées de viwe de part et - PRÉsERvER L'uNrrÉ DE L'IRAK - cation par les Kurdes de Kirkouk. d'autre". Ils s'en inquiètent car ces zones abritent nom- Le gouvernement du Kurdistan irakien a M. Salehi a appelé le Premier ministre irakien bre des leurs. reconnu avoir récemment accéléré la fortifi- Haider al-Abadi à prendre position contre "70 àBO0/o des territoires (qui passeraient du cation de ses défenses contre I'EI mais nie cette tranchée controversée. O côté kurde de la tranchée) sont peuplés de fermement tout proiet politique. Turkmènes", affìrme Mehdi Saadoun, un mili- "Cette tranchée est un système défensif con- tant de la Fondation pour le secours des tre les véhicules piégés utilisés par Daech 14 Rwue de Presse-Press Rwiew-Berheoolu Çapê- Rivista Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa'Bøsin Özeti mercredi 13 janvier 2016 L'EI frappe Istanbul en son cæur historique Onze Allemands figurent parmi les douze tués au cours de l'attentat, attribué à un kamikaze de Daech; dans une zone touristique. Dll¡|il: llrcU f (ÐOelphíneMlnoui CONRESPONDANTE À ISTAI€UL UN NUAGE de peur et de panlque a re- couvqrt les ruelles du quartier de Sulta- nahmet. ll est aux environs de 10 h18, ce ma¡dl' inatln, lorsqu'u4e énorme défl¿- gration secoue le centre hlstorique d'Is- tanbul. Le brult de lâ détonation, enten- du jusqu'à la place Taksim, à près de clnq kilomètres, a secoué une grosse partie de la rlve européerme de la ville. Le visage blême, Alp Uncu.est encore sous le choc ¡ << C'étdt stfort, tslleÍietlf. lort. le n'øitantods entetúhtwte telle iIé- flagratíon. J'ai vu le sol trembþr, les lÈ wes tomber. tln vrof chaos... >> Ce bou- qdniste de 37 ans tlent boutique þte derrière l'esplanade surmontée du fa- merx obélisque de Dlkllltas, là.où est suryenue I'exploelon. Son premier ré- flexe a été de cor¡¡lrvers les lieux :.<< J'af vu clnq à str corpc inonirné*, þnclwntle Dcs {qulpcs dc rccour¡ turqucs lntcrvlanncnt mardi sur lc lleu du drame où glsent plushurs cadavres. sol. Ily øvaít du sør4g:pørtout. ,> Très vite, le périmètre sinlstré, sltué non loln de la qui évoque, dans un premier temps, r¡n basilique Sainte-Soplde et de la Mos- attentat br¡icide d'origine syrienne. Puis quée bleue, est quadrlllé par la police. par le premler ministre Ahmet Dâvuto- Des barrages sont érigés à la va-vlte. Les glu après avoir ponvoqué une réu- hélicoptères se m€ttent à raser le clel à $¡i, nion de crlse à Ankara, est intervenu en basse atdtude. Témoins et reporters lo- direòt à la tétévislon pour pointer du caux parlent de blessés graves et d'une doigt I'organisation de l'État islamique, par dizaine de morts, tous évacués am- en précisant que l'assaillant était un br¡lance vers les hôpitaux les plus pro- membre de Daech. Mais la confuion rè- ches dans r¡n concert strident de sirè- gne sur les conditioru précises de I'atta- toutlstes, . nombreux à nes. És què et I'ldentité du kamikaze. D'après la fréquenter ce lieu, n'osent plus sortir de pollce,d'lstanbul, il s'agirait d'un jeune lews hôtels. La rurneur évoque Ie ripque homrne àgé de27 ans, prénommé Nabil d'une deuxième explosion. ,, I'é!aß $tr Fadli, et qui serait né en Arabie saoudlte. le ioit-terrasse ile mon motel Enrd J'al le vice-premier mlnistre, Numan Kur- I"aTtrrquie, touchée enplelncæur, vit entenùr un grÑ boum. I' ai ilewtwtilé øt tulmus, évoque, lul, un << sttspct Eñest depuis pllrsieurs mois en état d'alerte, seweur : que se ¡luis{te-t-it ? Auseitôt, les arrlvé en TlnqÅe depß ln Syríe >. Tandis not¡¡rnment depuls I'attentat d'Ankara gens ont eômmencé ùcrler Er'íIs'agíssdt que les déclarations s'enchainent, le bi- qui cotta la vie à plu de 100 personnes, lan des victimes se précise: en fin de le l0 octobre dernier. Cette attaque, la jamais llc'était si fort, tellement journée, urte source diplomatique euro- plus meurtrière survenue sur le péenne évoquait au moins douzemorts, sol turc, a été imput$e à I'organisation fort. Je n'ai jamais entendu dont onze ressortissants allemands et un de l'État islamique - mais non revendi- une telle déflagration tt Péruvien. Ph¡sieu¡s personnes ar¡raient quée. Il y a un an, un autre attentât avait UN BOUQUINIsTE également été blessées. Dans rur frappé le cæur historique d'Istanbul. Le communiqué, le Ídnistère allemand des 6 Janvter 2014, une kamikaze origlnalre Affal¡es étrarigères a appelé ses lessor- du Daguestan s'était fait exploser près d' une b omb e. Al ec mes amß, on s' apprë - t.issants à évlter < 15 Reuue de Pr esse-Pr ess Reuiero-Berheuoka Çøpê- Riaistø Stømpø-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti dernier, I'aéroport Sabiha-Gökçen, si- tué sur la rive aslatique, a été pour sa part visé par un tir de mortier. L'atteq- tat, qui a fait un mort et un blessé, a été revendiqué par une organisation arrnée kurde, les Faucons de la liberté du Kur- distan, en rþoste à I'offensive miütaire anti¡ébelllon kurde actuellement en cours dansle Sud-Est dupays. Pourbeaucoup, latragédie de ce nur- di est le sþne d'une << contagion >> de la guerre syrienne. << Ie ne vewc acø.ßer ¡xrsonne, mcds enlaissønt passer tout le mondë ù so fröntlère øvec la Slríe, Wilogan øprépwé le teftø'ln ù de telles øttoques >, peste Tüna Gödes. Ce gérant d'un petit hôtel, mitoyen du lieu de l'at. tentat, s'inquiète auJourd'hui'des re- tombées économiques de l'attaque. < Juste ryrès l'exphíon, møs cípq clieats anglcÍs m'ont annoncé qu'íls écòurtøient lettr sQour et qu'íls vouhlent prendte le premíer vol pour Lond¡es. C'est Èr¿s monuais sígne pour le tovtisme, tme ile tlrls príncþales tessources .écononi- Fhoto de I'exploslon prlse par un tourl¡te mard vcrs 10 h 18. cltes>>, dtt-tl. ¡ Le brult dc l¡ détonrtlon a óta ontendu à près de clnq kllondtrcs. tGl'llEE|?tll mercredil3janvier20l6 Dorothée Schmid : ( La crise syrienne viendra à bout du pouvoir d'Erdogan) ' peut-ê@ la réacdon d'Anlcar¿ PROPOS RECUEILLIS PAR Quelle vis-à-vis des rétu9!és syrhns ? cEotqls MnLf,iutol !Í,. (ÐMalbrr¡not lßs autorltés turques ont lalssé dlre, ces derniers jours, qu"elles s'apprêtaient à' DOROTHÉE SCHMID est responsable donner un permis de tråvail aux Sy- du programme Turquie et Moyen- riens. Il y a donc la tentadon de réguta- Orient à PIfri (Irutttut français des rela- rlser cette espèce de lumpenprolétariat, üons internationales). ce qui améliorerait I'image de la Ti¡r- LEFIGARO - Que voruincpiro la commr¡nlcatlon d'Ankara çl a llle président tr¡rc a.très dlabod accusó un Syrien, puts Daêch ? cnvie de se débarrasser Dorothée SCHMTD - Le problème, des Syriens¡¡ c'est le black-out sur I'information. Comme si Ankara voulait tout contrô- DoRoTHÉE SCHMID .ler pour montrer que la Tirrquie avait quie. Mais, d'un autre côté, il y a ce dis- la situation en main, alors qu'elle lui cours,antiréfuglés assez fort. Et c'est là échappe lârgement. Ce qui est fuap- que nor¡s retrouvons l'idée turque de pant, c'est la première déclaration of- créer une zone tampon à la frontière, ficielle selon laquelle I'autéw de I'at- côté syrlen, pour yiassembler ces réfu- tentat est un Syrien. Quand on a deux <<5f ce Syrlcn ost bd et búø M ã Doaú, giés dont Ankara ire veut plus. Erdogan milllons de Syrieru sur son territoire, celø p*met ù Erdrlgut & úre quc sent bien qu'il y a un malaise de plw en avec parmi eux des A¡abes et des Kur- c'est þ trolslèmc foß qæ b Turqrutle plw grand vis-à-vis de ces réfugiés pas des, des sunnites et des alaouites, des cst vlsée >>, cxpllryc Dorottée Schmld. du tout intégrés. militants djihadlstes de diverses obé- diences et des civils réfu$és, cela ne non plus qu'il est mis en cause par les Huit victimes sont altemander. veut p¿ts dire grand-chose. Mais c'est Européens pour son incapacité à Qgelles coruéçrences cet attentat de1enlr une sorte d'habitude: à cha- contrôler le flot des réfuglés, qui veu- aura-t-ll sur la relation ontre que fols qu'il y a un attentat, Erdogan lent parth en Europe. Si ce Syrien est la Tirrquie et l'.Allemagne ? désigne le res¡lonsable, sans montrer bel et bien lié à Daech, cela permet à Angela Merkel se retrouve daru une po- de preuve claire. Puis il lnterdlt tout Erdogan de dire que c'est la troisième sition très déllcate. Elle a appelé Erdo- autre scénario. fois que la Turquie est visée,.qu'on ne gan dès hier matin. La chancelièrè était peut pas I'accuser d'être complice de déjà en grande délicatesse sur sa politi- Quecherche-t-ll Daech.qui ftappe partout en Turquie. que d'accueil des réfugiés syrlens. Lun- endésignantunSyrien ? On aura eu en effet un attentat à Anka- di, I'Unlon européenne, de son côté, II peutÍ avoir une opération de rachat ra, la capitale, un. autre à la frontlère avait rappelé que la Twquie ne faisait d'image de la part d'Erdogan, qui dési- syrienne, et un troisième dans le quar- pas assez d'effortspour contrôlgr les ré- gne un nouvel ennemi : la communau- tier touristique d'Istanbul. Et cela ne va fugiés. Cet attentat va sérieusement dé- té syrienne dans son ensemble. Ce qui pas s'arrêter. Je suls convaincue que la gráder la reladon, non seulement entre I'arrange, car ll ,a très envie de se dé- crise syrienne viendra à bout du pou- I'Allemagne et la Turquie, mais aussl barrasser des Syriens. N'oublions pas voir d'Erdogan. entre I'UE etAnkara. r r6 Reuue de Pr esse-P r ess ReuieuJ-Berheuoka Çøpê- Rioista Stampø-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti tllltr .l¿rrualr ll. l0l6 Baghdad-Erbil compettion complicates battle against ISIS in Sinjar Wadimir van Wilgenburg HPS, but the Kudistan government rejected 8to1t2016 this and told Baghdad to stop giving the salary https://now.mmedia.me to us," said a spokesperson of the HPS in Sinjar. "Now YBS ¡s acc€pted by the lraqi state and Baghdad givcs money every month to the 1-he once-feared lslamic State (lSlS) was dri- YBS." I ven out of the city of Sinjar by US-backed The PKK now says the KDP can no longer Kurdish forces during a two day operation. But rule over the Yazidis. "We try to bring the Yazidi tensions between Kurdish forces continuo. people to the real¡ty to rule and protsct them- Baghdad supports one of Tukcy's archene- selves," said Rodi, a doctor with the PKK in mies: the PKK-affiliated milit¡as in lraq. Sinjar. "l don't get a salary, but they lYazidi figh- Meanwhile Turkey is backing the Kurdish tersl have families," he addod. "We are a revo- Peshmerga forcos of Barzani's KDP party lutionary force, we don't nced salaries. against Baghdad. This complicates thc US "We want to rulc oursolves, wc don't want administrationþ cfforts to dcfeat lSlS. A Peshmerga carries a Kurdish flag (Getty the Peshmerga to rule us bccause we lost The policies of Baghdad and Ankara arc Moore) trust," said Heval Rekan, a fighter with the policics Images/John influenced by thcir scctarian in lraq, PKK's Yazidi militia. and the political tcnsions bctwecn the Kurdish Howevcr, follow¡ng the capture of Sinjar by administration led by Barzani and thc Kurdistan ae an inseparable part of Kurdistan. Baghdad's the Peshmerga forces, the KDP wanted the Workers' Party (PKK). tsaghded, ae wcll ac lran, position toward thc PKK has grown more favo- PKK to leave thc city after it was cleared from oppose Barzani's plan to gain grGatcr indepen- rable towads the PKK since the Syrian civil lSlS militants on November 14. Although the dence from Baghdad by exporting Kurdish oil war erupt€d. Moreover, there wcre unconfir- PKK-afiiliated Yazidi fighters have taken over to Turkey. med reports in the lraqi media that PKK ofii- somc buildings, in general, the Peshmerga's priority is PKK its cials visited Baghdad in latc December. Turkey's fighting the and Kurdish llags dominate the town of Sinjar. branches in lraq and Syria. Since last sumrner, "Baghdad's support is probably based on The PKK is much weaker in Sinjar than the there have becn heavy clashes bctwcen thc fact that thcy consider PKK a staunch ally Peshmorgas, although it is stronger in the ar€a Turkish police and PKK youth militias in against lSlS, and also a Kurdish force that is close to the Syrian border. There are over 1,000 Turkey's testive southoaot. more indepcndent from Turkey than KDP-" said Yazidi fightors with the PKK-affiliated militia, Rcidar Msser, a historian of lraq. Furthermoru, Turkey backcd tho Sunni- while the KDP has rocruited over 5,000 Yazidi (lraqiyya) dominated lraqi National Movcmcnt Before August 2014, Sinjar usod to be Peshmerga troops, who arc backed by coali- lranian- list in the 2010 olectioß against thc controlled by the Kurdish Peshmorga forces of tion air power. backed Shiite-dominatcd bloc of formcr Prime the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Khalil, thc maior of Siniar and a Minister Nouri al-Mal¡ki. Sinco then the Shiite- Masoud Barzani. The KDP enioys strong sco- i tahama lVlmember of Barzani's KDP says Baghdad dominated parties havo regarded Ankara with nomic links with Turkey and allowed Turkish wants to create conflicts between the Yazidis suspicion. Especially since Ankara supports troops to enter Kurdish territory to train the by supporting Yazidi militias of rival groups. both Sunni Arabs and Kuds against the Shiite- local Arab police for futuro operations in Mosul "They don't want this area to be stable and dominated lraqi govcrnmcnt and their wishcs to tho chagrin of Baghdad. connect these forcos financially Russia, to gain greater independence from the Shiite- to I rowever, after thc KDP's Peshmcrga w¡th- Syria, lran," he said. "Me and Qassim ruled Baghdad. and J-lore* fiom Sinjar in August, a new actor Shesho [a Peshmerga general] wont to Currently, Baghdad and Turkey are at odds appeared in the aroa: the Ku¡distan Workers' Baghdad to talk about this subject with the program over Ankara's train-and-equip for Party (PKK). lts fightors enteþd from Syria and Defence Minister, but he said he has no infor- police Sunni Arab forces affiliated with Atheel opened a corridor between lraq and Syria allo- mation about this." al-Nujaifi, the former govornor of Mosul. wing the minority Yazidi soct to flee from lSlS, Agid Kalari, one of the most prominent PKK Baghdad and lranian-backed militias called on after militants began slaughtering their men commanders in the area says its true that his Turkey to completely withdraw its troops from and enslaving their women for being non- forces have become part of the official army. lraqi territory last Tuesday. US President Muslims. "They will receive support from Baghdad Barack Obama also called on Turkey to respect After entering Sinjar, the PKK set up an [YBS] and the coalition, but we haven't received any- the demands of Baghdad. independent Yazidi militia called Siniar's thing yet." Baghdad believes Turkey is indi- Resistance Units (YBS) and decided that the ¡ ¡oreover, "We have over 1,000 fighters," said a PKK lVlrectly supporting lSlS. "We have been tel- local Yazidis should have their own administra- fighter name Zerdest. "The lraqi ling the US and its allies that the oxygen that tion separate from both Baghdad and the with the of government paid for 500 of them since the Sth feeds Daesh ilSlSl is the sell¡ng of lraqi oil in Kurdish government. of August as part of the lraqi army," he told the black market of Turkey," said lraqi MP Furthermore, they have managed to NOW. Mowaffak al-Rubaie, the former National receive salaries from the lraqi government after Security Advisor during a panel discussion in the KDP arrested the leader of the Yazidi mili- The fact that Yazidi fighters receive their Washington. "Erdogan's priority is not lSlS," he tia, known as the Protection Forces of Sinlar salary from Bagdad is not illogical since many stated. (HPS), Haydar Shesho in þril and forced them of them were part of the lraqi army under for- Therefore, Baghdad could attempt to to join the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdish mer PM Nouri al-Maliki's control, prior to the create morc problems for Barzani and Turkey government. fall of Mosul. by increasing support for the PKK rcbels in the "Befo¡e the lraqi government gave salary to "Therc were 10,000 Yazidis with the lraqi highly tense area of Siniar, which Bazani sees army, but when Mosul fell they all came > 17 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berhevokn Çapê-Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti Þ home," said Sheruvan Giye Shingale. "l was to smuggle in journalists and for f¡ghters to Syria into Sinjar to prevent PYD-affiliated myself a member of the lraqi border police, but bypass the Turk¡sh and KDP embargo on their Kurdish fighters from Syria from reinforcing the I didn't join the YBS for money," he said. aeas. ln October 2013, the PYDJeader Salih PKK in Sinjar. Furthermore, many of the Yazidis view the Muslim traveled from Syria through the lraqi "lt is located between lraq and Syria, and Shiite-Muslims in a more positive light than the border to travel from Baghdad to Geneva. But that's why Shingal lSiniar] is so important," Sunni Muslims who are accused of killing their now Barzani controls this border. Qashim Shesho, the main Peshmeqa com- This makes PYD on the Yazidi neighbors in Sinjar. "Most [Sunni] Muslim the dependent bor- mander said. der of Turkey and the KDP that have embar- people betrayed us and picked up their rifles Now both Baghdad and the PKK have a goed the PYD in the past by closing their bor- and killed their neighbors," said Agid, a PKK common interest: to decrease Turkey and ders. Therefore, th¡s makes Sinjar important for Yazidi fighter. Bazani's influence in northern lraq. "They want the PKK to use it for smuggling in fighters from is not the first time that Baghdad works the KDP to be weak in the future," KDP T+is lraq into Syria, and in the future, to have a bor- I with the PKK. Before lSlS took Mosul in Peshmerga commander Shesho said dering territory with the lraqi government. ln June 2014, the lraqi boder of Rabia was used October 2015, the KDP blocked the road from aaa by the Syrian Kurdish PKK-affiliated PYD party qE@ñE@ la¡rrarr lll. ll) 16 The Post's View Mr. Erdogants offensive By Editorial Boa,rd January 10,2016 www. washingtonpost. com PHOTOGRAPHS OF black smoke rising from a dense thicket of con- crete buildings have by now become a painfully familiar emblem of ongoing wars in Syria and Iraq. So it's perhaps less shocking than it should be that such images are now appearing from the cities of Turkey, A Kurdish man's house is riddled with bullet holes after anned a NATO member as well as a country thought to be one of the last clashes between the PKK and Turkish armed forces on |an. L0. anchors of order in a tumultuous region. With [ttle international .ßçf iF..T-"-Ks/E!$-o.p.ç.?.r.Î*.g.eptigf -o-.S.g.ç.+svl notice, the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan is engaged in a full- scale Kurdish militants has killed military campargn against ethnic that That fragile detente unraveled last summer, ûot long after a Turkish hundreds thousands and left parts several thousands, displaced of of political party supported by Kurds, the Peoples' Democratic Party, won large towns in ruins. more than l0 percent of the vote in elections for parliament, denying Mr. Erdogan's ruling party a majority. A Kurdish political rally was The Kurdish population under siege is not to be confused with that of bombed, apparently by the Islamic State; blaming the government for northern lraq or northern Syria, where Kurdish forces backed by the failing to prevent it, the PKK carried out an attack on security forces. It United States and other Western governments are fighting the Islamic has since dug into at least seven towns with a total population of more State and carving out their own autonomous areas. The target of Mr. than l million. Erdogan's offensive are Turkish citizens who live in the southeastern part the country, where Kurds often are the majority ethnic group. In of The government has placed those urban areas under curfew, and both 2002, after first coming to office, Mr. Erdogan promised to end long- sides are using heavy weapons, including rocket launchers and mortars. standing repression the minority; he struck a cease-fire and opened of Mr. Erdogan brags of having killed more than 3,000 miliønts. Last negotiations with the Kurdistan Workers' Party an armed insur- @KK), week the miliøry said 225 PKK fighters had been dispatched in a gent group. neighborhood of Diyarbakir, a large city, and a nearby town in the last three weeks alone. The true scale and results of the fighting are diffïcult to judge, as the government has excluded journalists from the area and intimidated Turkish media. Two conclusions are nevertheless easy to reach: Mr. Erdogan will never succeed in eliminating by force the PKK or Turkish Kurds's aspirations for more autonomy, and by prosecuting his campaign he is impeding the fight against the Islamic State. Western governments have shied from pressuring the Turkish strongman about the offensive because they still count on his cooperation on multiple fronts, including in pre- venting refugee flows from Syria and allowing U.S. warplanes to oper- ate from Turkish bases. But Mr. Erdogan needs to be pushed toward reopening negotiations with Turkish Kurdish leaders. A settlement that grants the Kurds and their communities more political rights is an essential component of what must eventually be a broader solution for Kurdish aspirations in the region.o t8 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çapê- Riaistø Stømpa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ozeti mre Sources: Tbrkish Forces Kitt 32 Kurdish Militants As Conflict Escalates January l0,ml6 - By Seyhmus Cakan REUTERS DÍYARBAKIR, Ttrrkey Security forces killed 3z Kurdish mili- tanb in Thrkey's mainly Kurdish southeast this weekend, the army and security sources said on Sunda¡ escalating a oonflict reignited by the collapse of a two-year ceasefire la,ct summer. It was one of the bloodiest weekends since the three-decades-old insur- gency resumed last July, scuppering a peace process launched by Ankara with the jailed leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in late zorz. On Saturday, 16 rebels were killed in the towns of Cizre and Silopi, near the Syrian and Iraqi borders, and another four were killed in the historic Sur district ofthe region's largest city, Diyarbakir, the armed forces said ç in a statement. Security forces killed 32 Kurdish militants in Turkey's mainly It said that a total of militants had been killed in those three areas 448 Kurdish southeast this weekend the army and securiÇ sources since they were placed under round-the-clock curfew and security opera- said on 70,2016. tions were launched last month. fan. Police killed a further rz PKK members after finding them in a house in the southeastern city of Van overnight, security sources said. One police A recent shift in fighting from the countryside to urban centers has left officer died and two others were wounded in the operation. civilians caught in the middle. According to figures from the pro.Kurdish HDP party, Br civilians have been killed in Diyarbakir, Silopi and Cizre More than 4o,ooo people have been killed in the conflict since the PKK since they were placed under curfew last month. launched its insurgency in 1984. Thousands of people have left their homes in the towns. Residents com- The PKK, designated a terrorist group by T\:rkey, the United States and plain ofindiscriminate operations and saythe curfews have even prevent- the European Union, says it is fighting for autonomy and greater rights ed the sick from getting to hospital. for Kurds in the NATO member country. President Tayyip Erdogan has said g,1oo PKK members were killed in On Friday, security forces killed 16 militants in Cizre and two in Sur on operations inside and outside T[rkey in 2o1S. a Friday, according to a previous military statement. ) )) ,\ lì( lar¡ualr I t. ll)lfl At leasf six dead, 39 wounded in Kurdish militant car bomb attack on Turkish police headquarters 14 Jan 2016 - http:/rllww.abc.nct.au A CAR BOüB attack by Kurdish militants on a pol¡ce complex in south-eastern Turkey has killed at loast six people and wounded 39, Turkish officials said. Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) mil¡tants carried out the attack on a police station and police accommodation in the prov¡nce of Diyarbakir around 11:30pm on Wednesday (local time), the provincial governor's office said. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu strongly condemned the attack and vowed Ankara would continue ¡ts ftght against'êvery kind of terror". Speak¡ng at a technology forum in the cap¡tal, Mr Davutoglu said six people had been k¡lled and 39 wounded in the attack in the small town of Cinar. The prov¡ncial governor's ofüce earlier said two family members of police were killed in the attack, along with three people whose bodies were pulled from the wreckage. Ëred burns." The wounded were being treated in nearby hospitals. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. "lt was a really loud blast, as if it was in our house," said Ali Devran MILITANTS LAUNCH S¡MULTANEOUS ASSAULT . near the scene. Coinciding with the bomb attack, PKK fighters opened fire with r¡fles 'We went and helped carry the wounded to ambulances. Some suf- on another security complex in the area, triggering a firefight ¡n a 19 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiæu-Berheaokn Çapê- Riaistø Stømpø-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ozeti ¡r which there were no reported casualties, a statement said. east to back up m¡l¡tary operations. The ma¡nly Kurdish region has been hit by a surge in violence since A curfew has been in force in the Sur neighbourhood of Diyarbakir a two-year ceasefire between the state and the PKK collapsed last July. city since December 2, while curþws in the towns of Silopi and Cizre in Sirnak province have been in place sinoe December 14. The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people over three decades. Ten German tourists were killed on Tuesday in a suicide bombing in The PKK, designated e terror¡st group by Turkey, the United States central lstanbul which the government blamed on the lslamic Stete and the European Union, said ¡t is f¡ghting for autonomy and greater group, an arch foe ofthe PKK. rights for Kurds in the NATO-member country. But President Reæp Tayyip Erdogan said after the lstanbul attack Vowing to flush out the PKK from Turkey's urban centres, authorities that the government drew no difierentiation between "terror" groups, have in recent weeks enforced curfuws ¡n three locations in the south- "whatever their name or abbreviation is". a Itlta[þ¡dzt January l5,ml6 tfffiffst6I Erdogants Thorny issue: Islamic State terror- ists struck a deadly bHnd focus and symbolic blow at the conflicted heart of Erdogan's on the Kurds Turkish state. (Onur Coban/AFP) rebounds on Turkey His obsession with r Kurdish The president's enmity runs deep. After export ofSyrian oil through Turkey. thregt hamDers more urgent last October's double suicide bombing in Erdogan's reluctance to assist Iraqi and ¡ttention to fhe torrorist meñace Ankara, which killed 103 people, most of Syrian Kurds fighting Islamic State angered emanating from Syria and lraq. whom were Kurds and opposition activists, his Western allies. After lengthy resistance, he Erdogan suggested Kurdish militants were finally bowed last year to United Slates pres- Sìmon Tisdall - 15 lan 2016 jointly responsible with Islamic State. His sure to allow coalition aircraft to use Turkish http://mg.co.za claim was widely derided. bases in operations against Islamic State. Speaking after Tuesday's attack, he avoi- Tlrdogan has also been criticised by rTruesdav's terrorist attack in central Istanbul ded making the same mistake, pointing a fin- Dgurãp.- Union counhies for pursuing his I nat cänn.rned Turkey's precarious posi- ger firmly at Islamic State. "I strongly vendetta against the Kurds while failing to tion on the frontline of the escalating confron- condemn the terror incident that occurred in stem the flow of Syrian refugees and Islamic tation between Islamic State and Western and Istanbul ... which has been assessed as being State recruits from Europe and North America. Arab governments. Islamic State suicide bom- an attack by a Syria-rooted suicide bomber," In the event, Erdogan was bought offwith €3- bers were behind at least two similar atrocities he said. billion in EU financial assistance in return for in Turkey last year - in the capital, Ankara, and His statement appeared to lay to rest any Turkey doing more to prevent Syrian refugees at the Syria-Turkey border town of Suruç. possibility that Kurds might be blamed. As for migrating to Greece and the Balkans. But even as Turkey is increasingly drawn the PKK itself, analysts noted it has no history Turkey's interior minister, Efkan Ala, said into the firing line of Syria's civil war and the of attacks on civilian targets in major Turkish last weekend that new anti-Islamic State bor- region-wide shuggle against Sunni Muslim cities and would view such action as counter- der measures were in place and that thousands extremism, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's productive. with suspected links to the terror group had combative and choleric president, remains fhe conclusion appears inescapable: the been captured and deported. stubbornly fixated on a wholly different foe - I Istanbul atrocity represents another dama- Such measures cannot completely stop ter- the Kurds. It is this battle, deliberately ramped ging and costly security failure to be laid squa- rorists slipping into Turkey, recruiting sympa- up last summer in the heat of a rerun general rely at Erdogan's door. Awkward questions thisers there, or travelling north into Europe, election, that is his obsession, blind spot and will now be asked about whether his focus on with the sort of dire consequences witnessed in top priority. a Kurdish threat is misdirected and politically Istanbul and elsewhere. The scale of current violence in Kurdish motivated, and whether more urgent attention Nor will they mitigate the negative psy- areas dwarfs Islamic State's Turkish depreda- must now be paid to the terrorist menace ema- chological and economic impact of such insta- tions. Security forces killed 32 alleged PKK nating from Syria and Iraq. bility on Turkey's tourist industry. Like (Kurdistan Workers' Party) members last Such a shift would be welcomed by Tunisia and Egypt after last year's Islamic weekend alone. The anny says 448 militants Turkey's allies. His neo-Islamist government State attacks, Turkey's appeal as a holiday des- have died since new operations and curfews has long been suspected ofoffering covert sup- tination has just been badly dented. were launched last month. port to mililant Sunni Muslim groups that By targeting Istanbul, and in particular Erdogan brags that Turkish forces killed share its aim of ousting Syrian President Sult¿nahmet, home of the Blue Mosque and 3100 alleged PKK members in 2015. The main Basha¡ al-Assad. Hagia Sophia, the terrorists have struck a pro-Kurdish political party, the People's There have been persistent reports, always deadly and costly but above all symbolic blow Democratic Party, says l6l civilians have also denied, of Turkish security establishment links at the conflicted heart of Erd'ogan's Turkish been killed in recent weeks, and thousands to Islamic State and of complicity in its covert state. o have been displaced. 20 Reoue de Presse-Press Reaieut-Berhanoka Cøpê-Riaista S tampø-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Ozeti 13Janvier2O16 et dont le centre est devenu une zone de Selahattin Demirtas, t'ormation {E!mÞ de guerre (lire page 4). Plus de prokurde longfemps vitrine du PKK 1O (Xþ hommes sont engagés dans la mais qui avait pris une certaine auto- région dans une opération d'une am- nomie. Ce parti prêt à iouer le pari de pleur sans précédent depuis les an- la paix avait pour la première fois, en nées 9O. 2'l Rcuue de Presse-Pr ess Retieu,-Berheuokn Çø.pê- Riaistø Stampø-Dentro de In Prensa-Basin Özeti @XÞ tsranvier2orl Sedat Yitmaz ioumaliste, vit depuis un mois dans la capitale régionale devenue z,onede guerre: o a (DANS SOUS COUVfe'feU, les peinent à survivre> à uiourdhuimardi,c'est mortCde chats, depoulets, même ,& f* 22 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheooka Çøpê-Riaista S tampø-Dentro de Ia Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti m.CnOfX crer*cdíËlawhr2ot6, S l JEAI{ lt.Anffi,], @ssetr àSeienees-Po Grenoble l << Ls Ttrquie est très ßolée ail Moym- Orimt >> ) I¿poiitiqr¡e út << úto pnolúène h crisc qrrfunæ rt'cst-elb na. mis en balance arrec celui présenté sance régionale, qui gagnait en au- a¡vecl¡rtswñsûtlg )r €st 'n échßc à Porlgire de son i¡olemest ? par les Kurdes en Syrie. Dans ce tonomie et s'émancipait de son de I'AI(P an pouvoir en ltuqub, J. M. : Sur la S¡6ie, Ad REPERES dcrrant la garc ccntrah d'Ankara. ll est ¡ttribué au groupe Daech. "'41 zots,mÉ¡nnn¡Ènr o Fin octobrc: Dacch rcvendique fuÞrtlai¡e " Erîrn(lr la décapitation à Sanliurf¡ r hwicr: une kamikaze se fait (sud dc la Turquie), d'lbrahim olploser dewnt un poste de pol'rcc Abdelkader ct Farès Hamadi, à Sultanahmet. Dcux policicrs sont dcs jcunes militants syriens- blcsséi¡. Líattaque est attribuéc r 25 dúcernbro: urt attaque À¡:iç¿la au Parti-Font råolutionnaire au mortieç rerændiquée par 1&octobre2Ol5 de libération du pcuple (DHKP{), le gmup€ ds Fauons d¿ la libcrté @3Ûloi6 une organisation d'o 23 Reuue de Presse-Press Reaieut-Berheaokø Çapê-Riuistø Stampa-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti Snterustiond Nctu l[ork @imes JANUARY 13.2016 Turkey blarnes ISIS for deadly blast in Istanbul :bÐllid Js *J*"3! ffi,, for enabling the rise of the Islamic State, The attack could complicate Presi- also known as ISIS or ISIL. ISTAflBUL dent Recep οyyrp Erdogan's cq{rera- Only recently, analysts say, has Tlrr. tion with the European Union in stem- key seemed determined to clamp down Turkey says blast ming the flow of Syrian refugees who the group, conducting raids against Is- suicide enter tl¡e bloc by way of Thrkey. lamic State cells in Ttrrkey and buikling was the work of Syrian The bloc, with 28 meFber nations, has a wall on a portion of its border with Syr- oüered 3 billion euros, or about $3¿ bil- ia that abuts territory controlled by sent by Islamic State liorq to aid the two million Syrian ISIS. refugees in Tlrrkey and to slow the ex- Mr. Erdogan's Syria policy has been BYCEYLANYEGINSU odus. Mr. Erdogan rrray now face de deeply unpopular arnong the lbrkish mestic pressure to be less receptive to public, and Thesdayts attack is likely to the An orplosion in historic central dis- new refugees, and a greater incentive to makeit even less popular. But his party, people trict of Istanbut kitled 10 and turn a blind eye to those seeki¡g to in an early election in November, se- wounded at least l5 on Ttíesday in an æ- travel onward to Europe. cured four more years in power. government tack that the Ti¡rkish at- Already, Tirkey has tlffectively shut Germans accounted for 5.4 million tributedto the Islamic State and a Syri- its sor¡thern border with Syria to new visits to T[rkey last year .- or about one an suicidebomber, refugees, and lastweekit instituted new in six of all visits by foreigners. All of the dead were'identified as for- visaregulations for S¡rrians arriving by "The terrorists are enemies of all free eigners, including eight Germans and a air, adecisiontåat stranded hundreds of people indeed, they are enemies of all Peruvian. The wounded induded nine Syrians.atthe airport in BeiruL humanityj'- Chancellor Angela Merkel Germans, along with citizens of Nor- of Germany said I\resday evening in way, Pen¡ Soutl Korea and l¡rkey. The As the Syrian civil war metastasized years, Berlin. "\i[/e are close to tlte people of government said a Syrian ma¡r born in over the last five Tlrrkey, in its de- see hrkey with all our hearts," she said, 1988, who recently Tirrkey ftom termination to President Bashar al- entered adding: "I mourn for our compatfiots." Syria, was the attacker, but did not Assad of Syria ousted, supported rebel groups, Sultanahmet, the district where the name him or provide othe¡ details of the offering its territory as a transit attack happened, is home to some of investigation. route for figüters and weapons. TUrkey Istanbul's most visited monuments, in- happened 10:15 hasfaced heavycriticism from its West- the blast about a¡n. cluding a Byzantine-era former hippo- in the heart of Sr¡ltanahmet, one of the erî allies, including the United States, drome, or racetrack; the Hagia Sophia, most heavily trafñcked districts in tlte a sixt¡-century Greek Orthodox basilica city, steps from monr¡ments conrmem- and now a museum; the Blue Mosque; orating the three empires Roman, - and the Tophapi Palace, built by the Ot- Byzantine and Ottoman of whichthe toman sultans. Constantinople, -now Istanbul, former The explosion happened close to the wasthecapital. German Fountain, a gazebo-style struc- Tlresday's attack, while less deadly ture that commemorates a visit by Kais- than two others in Tlrrkey last year, was er Wilhelm II in 1898. The blast left sev- arguably more resonant, atis it seemed eral bodies around the base of an uncoúnected to Tl¡rkish domestic poli- Egyptian obelisk that rras carved tics and appeared intended to sow fear around 1490 B.C. and was brought to the and damage Tlrkeyb $30 billion tour- city in A.D. 390 by the Roman emperor ism industry, already hurt by a drop in TheodosiuÈ. It was from the Tiopkapi Russian tourism since Tlrrkey shot GWÄil OZçR/TURKISH PRESIDEMÀL PRESS OFFICE, VIÀ ÀFP/ President Recep T¿yyip Erdogan couldface Palace that the Ottomans, for centuries, down a Russian warplane nearthe Syr- pressure to be less receptive to refugees. oversaw an empire that, at its height in ian borderin November. the late 17th cêntury, spanned not only 24 Reuue de Presse-Press Reuieut-Berhettoka Çapê-Rivista Stampø-Dentro de In Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti the Middle East and North Africa, but "No one is going to risk their lives for gist at the London School of Economics, also southeastern Europe and the Bal- shopping and history." said Tlresday's attack did not immedi- kans. After blast, the German Foreign Of- ately appear to resemble those tltree. "I \¡ras in the basement checking the fice issued a statement waming tourists Many ânalysts have attributedthose at- tacks to tlte Islamic State, saying the stocks when I heard a huge bang, and to stay away fnòm public spaces. terroristnetworkwas trying to touch off the whole building shook" said Fehmi "Tfavelers in Istanbul are urgently a civilwår inT[rkey. Oz¡rurt, a local leather vendor. "We all advised to temporarily avoid crowds, bombing is dífferent from the ran out and could see bodies on the floor, even on public squares and outside "This get bombings in Diyarbakir, Suruc and An- but we rvere too scared to close in tourist attractions," tlle statement said. kara, where Islamic State-afliliated case there was another explosion. has to continue to expect political "One bombers targeted groups of pro-Kurd: \ll/e've been through this before in Sulta- tensions, violent confrontations and ter- ish or pro-peace citizens who are in op- nahmet, so r¡ve expect the worst tltat rorist attacks across the country." - position to the government," Dr, Ozy- it's a suicide bornber again." The German foreign minister, Frank- urek said. this one, the target is Last January, a Russian citizen with Walter Steinmeier, called the attack a "In possible unclear." ties to tlre Islamic State blew "barbaric, cowardly act of terrorism," She added, explosion will at the herself up at apolice station in tåe Sulta- He said at a news conference on T[¡es- "This least deeply affect the tourism industry, nahmet area; killingan officer. day evening: us, these are very "For which was already hurting." More than tlree hours after Tt¡es- difficult hours of sadness and horror. Kristian Brakel, the country director day's explosion, a group of waiters For many years, we Germans have not the Heinrich Bäll Founda- stood in shock outside a nearby meat- been hit so hard by terrorism as in in Tt¡rkey lor he attack ball restaurant Istanbul today." tion, said did notthinkthatthe "I don't know what to say - I guess The explosion was the latest in a would derail the momentum behind the we'u¡ere expecting this, but not an ex- recent agreement on Syria. string of terrorist attacks in Tbrkey. In plosion this big," said one of the work- "liVhat we've seen over the last June,two people were killed at arallyin ers,who gave his name only as lbrahim, inonth is this rapproclement bet\Ä¡een the predominantly Kurdish city of Di- his eyes tixed on the Blue Mosque, a the E.U. and Tbrkey," he said. "Ger- yarbakir, in southeastern T[rkey. renowned early-l?tl-century land- many is the main driving force behind it, In July, a 20-year-old suicide bomber mark. and I thinkit's very unlikely tttat this at- with ties to tlte Islamic State killed more On a usual day, the restaurút would tack will change that." than 30 people at a cultural center in the be bustling rvith customers, with lines town of Suruc, also in southeastern T[¡r- formingoutside. But after the explosion Tìm Arango contributed reportirry from key, neartle boider with Syria. on Ttresday, there was barely a visitor in B aghilød, P atríck Boehler f rom Hong And in October, suicide bombers hit a sight. Kong, S ew ell Chøn fr om Londan and lunchtime peace rally in Ankara, killing had already dried up after V ictor Homolø from B erlín, "Tburism about l00people. Noone has claimedre- last year's explosion, but after this it's sponsibility tor that attack. garne over," said Ayse Demir, 36, a shop Esra Ozyurck, a political antlropolo- keeper at a local arts and crafts shop. fntcrnrtioml Nctu fl ork @imes JANUARY 2016 ERDOGAN CROSSES ANOTHER LINE President Recep Tä¡ryip Erdogan of Türkey marched The Kurdish-dominated H.D.P. champions Kurdish political With his across another line last week. Asked about his push for rights but is not involved in the fighting. disturbing greatly enhanced executive powers, he told reporters that Tlrrkey3 allies, Àmerica and Europe, have beèn comment there was a precedent in "Hitler's Gdrmany." ïhose were disgracefully acquiescent as the army brutally ppunds on Hitler, shocking words from aworld leader, especially one who Kurdish targets in the country's southeast region Like theTurkish heads an ostensible democracy and amember of NATO. Tlrkey,theUnited Stâtes and Europecoirsiderthe P.KK a leadercon- Once theinternational condemnations poured in, Mr. terrorist group. Before frghting reÉumed, Mr. Erdogan had tinues his Erdogan's office tried to backtracþ claiming that his made progress in negotiating a peace agregment ü'ith its top authoritari- remarks were "distorted by media outlets." leader,Abdullah Ocalaq who is serving alife seritence. More an descent. But Mr. Erdogan had already builtadisturbingrecord as recently, however, his primeministeç Ahmet Darrutoglu, an authoritarian leader willing to trample on human dismissed the H.D.P. as an extension of the miliaffs and has rights, the rule of law and political and press freedoms. retused tohold talkswith its political leaders untilthey genuine political part5r." Since comingto offlce morethan a decade ago, he has used prove themselves ''a serious and peace, his powers as prime minister and then presidentto crack If Mr. Erdogan wanted a sustaiùable he would down on the media,labor unions and other critics. work witi¡ the H.D.P. Instead, he seems determined to Increasingly, many of the worst fears about how he might crush the Kurds in the politicalarena as well as on the behave after his conservative and nationalistic Justice and battlefield by accusing an H.D.P.leader, Selahattin Development Party, the A.K.P., won a crucial election in Dêmirtas, of treachery for calling for self-rule for Kurds. November have been confirmed. Even beÏore the voting, in Some P.Ii.K. members qualify as terrorists and should just an effort to rally support, Mr. Erdogan resumed his war be dealt with firmly. But most of lÌrrkey's Kurds want against militant Kurdish separatists, the Kurdistan to live in peace, and their desire for adegree of self- Workers' Party, or P.ILK, by exploiting the group's governance should be answered ät the negotiating table. reckléss decision to break a twoyear-old cease.fire. He is Mr. Erdogan has fallcn far from the days when he could also going after the Peoples' Democratic Party, or H.D.P., be regarded as arespected leaderof a Muslim-majoriff which got enoughvotes to qualifyfor seats in Parliament. democracy and a trusted partner in t¡e region.o 25 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensø-Basin Ozeti @be Netu!!ork@i¡n¿s JANUARY 13,2016 Editorial Iraq and the Kurds Are Going Broke little appetite to bankroll a country where so much American money has been wasted and mefl ofl By THE EDITORIAL BOARD pilfered since the ill-conceived 2003 inva- Erbil, Irøq. Creilit Alice JAN. 13,2016 sion, Iraq's economic problems must be Mørtíns I Ass o ciate d Pres s http://www. nytimes.com addressed. If they are to worsen, more Iraqis will almost certainly join the tide of refugees lenges are an opportunity for us to get our leaving the Middle East and the government house in order," Mr. Faily said. Jraqi and American officials leading the will have a harder time rebuilding areas that Every weekday, get thought-provoking Imilitary campaign against the Islamic State Iraqi security forces have wrested back from commentary from Op-Ed columnists, The now have to wrestle with a challenge that has Islamic State control. Times editorial board and contributing wri- the potential to change battlefield fortunes: "We're asking our partners and allies to ters from around the world. the slumping price of oil. increase their military aid," Lukman Faily, D aghda¿ also must address the financial The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Iraq's ambassador to the United States, said I-l strains on the Kurdistan Regional Regional Government in northern Iraq, an in an email. "Iraqis are willing to do the figh- Government. The Kurdish region, which oil-producing region, has racked up $18 bil- ting on the ground, so it would not be unrea- includes three provinces, received a percen- lion in debt, which has imperiled its ability to sonable to expect the international commu- tage of Iraq's national budget until 2014, pay state workers and security forces. This is nity to provide us with the military and logis- when Baghdad cut it offas part of a long-run- especially worrisome since Kurdish security tics support to effectively wage this war." ning dispute over oil revenue from fTelds in forces have been instrumental in rolling back ¡/^tash handouts like those America has pro- the north. the Islamic State's advances. \-vided over the years in lraq änd Desperate to pay salaries, officials in The government in Baghdad, meanwhile, Afghanistan should be out of the question. Iraqi Kurdistan have seized deposits at two is scrambling to avoid a budget shortfall this But the United States could well offer the branches of Iraq's central bank, a problema- year. Iraqi officials last year obtained a $lJ Iraqis technical advice and help the govern- tic and unsustainable course. Still, the billion loan from the World Bank and rea- ment secure access to credit from internatio- government has been unable to pay state ched an agreement with the International nal institutions. workers on time. Monetary Fund that will allow it to obtain The International Monetary Fund agree- Brokering a compromise to the budget additional loans. ment forces Iraq to adopt reforms that will be dispute between the Kurdish region and Baghdad is seeking to renegotiate with healthy in the long run. These include mea- Baghdad won't be easy, because a broader international energy companies new terms sures and policies intended to wean the coun- fight over oil revenue in the north remains for oil contracts, which have become less try from its near-absolute reliance on oil, and unresolved. But the United States and the advantageous for Iraq as the price of oil has slashing wasteful spending by senior govern- international organizations that are stepping crashed. And it is seeking a $2.7 billion loan ment officials. Iraq is also contemplating in to ease the budget crunch have significant from the United States to acquire military sensible measures it has long resisted, inclu- leverage over the parties now. Allowing the equipment. ding fighting corruption, thinning its bloated dispute to drag on will make it harder to Iraq's budget problems have rightly alar- state payroll and overhauling its taxation sys- solve and give Islamic State militants brea- med officials in Washington. While there is tem. "In some ways, our economic chal- thing room. I Bloomberg l:¡nr¡âr'r l.ì. ll) 16 Gash-Strapped lraqi Kurds to Start Gas Exports to Turkey in 201 6 Khalid Al Ansary and Bruce Stanley lraq's Kurds will start building their first natu- end of 2016 and double the volume to 20 bil- January 13,2016 I ral gas pipeline next month to export the fuel lion by 2020, he said. h llp : //www. b I o om b e rg. c o m to Turkey, a project that would bring the self- "The pipeline will be a source of revenue for govemed region closer to economic indepen- the KRG and a step to help Turkey overcome dence. . PIPELINE TO START SHIPPING NATU- a gas crisis that may arise" as a result of RAL GAS TO TURKEY BY YEAR END The link will transport gas from the Khor Mor Turkey's soured relations with Russia, an and Chamchamal fields ¡n northern lraq's important gas supplier to the Turks, he said. Kurdish enclave, first to Turkey and later to O KURDISH GAS TO GIVE TURKEY The KRG is struggling to pay its bills, includ- Europe, BewarAl-Khinsi, an economic advis- ALTERNATIVE TO IMPORTS FROM ing money owed to foreign energy companies er to the Kurdistan Regional Government, RUSSIA including DNO ASA and Genel Energy Plc. said in a phone interview. The KRG will begin A 35 percent collapse last year ¡n the price of shipping l0 billion cubic meters a year by the Brent crude is adding to strain on > 26 Reuue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berhevoka Çapê-Riaista Stampø-Dentro de lø Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti > KRG finances at a time when the regional holds 45 billion barrels of crude oil reserves - another for gas. equivalent to almost a third of the deposits in govemment must also pay the cost of fight¡ng Dana Gas PJSC, a United Arab Emirates- the according to BP Plc data. against lslamic State militants that control rest of lraq, based energy company operating in Kurdish Turkey ofiers the sole route to market the parts of northern lraq. The country's Kurds lraq, holds a 40 percent stake in both the expanding Kurdish oil industry. have long chafed against control by Arab-led Khor Mor and Chamchamal fields through its govemments in Baghdad, and gas exports Turkey will help pay for the 831-kilometer net- Pearl Petroleum Co. venture, according to would enhance their financial self-sufficiency. work, which will run parallel to an existing o¡l Dana Gas's website. All gas produced in the KURDISH RESERVES pipeline, and Ankara-based Botas Boru Kurdish region is currently sold locall¡ and Hatlari lle Petrol Tasima AS will build it, Al- the company wants eventually to sell fuel to Kurdish region could hold as much as The Khinsi said. The 181-kilometer section inside Turkey and Europe, Dana Gas Chief 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, Kurdish terr¡tory will cost an estimated $750 Executive Officer Patrick Allman-Ward said or about 3 percent of the world's total million, he said. The project is the result of an Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. o depos¡ts, according to the website of the agreement that the KRG and Turkey reached KRG Ministry of Natural Resources. lt also in 2013 to build two pipelines, one for oil and CnSfl()WS.rìOlìì .Ianuarv t4. 2016 Kurdish officials say the/re facing financial crisis essential expenses and salaries of the By DEB RIECHMANN / Aseociatod Fross Kurdish fighters, he said. January 14,2016 The Kurds, who have their own government WASI{INGTON (AP)'lraqi Kurds, who field in lraq's semi-autonomous north, hope the onc of the most cffcctivs ground forces State Department or USAID could offer fighting lslamic Statc militants, ero urgently Kurdistan money to provide assistance to Ealøh Mustøfø Bøkir, heøil of the asking the U.S. to help caeo thcir budgct cri- the refugees and lraqis displaced by the Kurdistan Regíonøl Gooernment's for- sis made worse by slumping oil priccs and war, which the World Bank has estimated to eign reløtions depørtment, ansu)ets a 1.8 million peoplc who have flod fighting in cost s].4 billion. rcporter's questíon during ø Newsmøket lraq and Syria. ìnteroíeu¡ zpíth The Associøted Prcss in "Nobody has said yes, but there are sympa- Wøshington, Thursiløy, Ian. 74, 2076. Officials from the Kurds' semiautonomous thetic," Bakir said. "They are tak¡ng this Officìals lrom the Kurds' semiøu- region of northern lraq told The Associated issue seriously, trying to see how and what tonomous rcgíon of northern lrøq toltl Press on Thursday that without help from kind of help they will be able to offer." The Associøted Prcss thøt without help the U.S. or its allies, the Kurds' fighting lrom the U.S. or its øllìes, the Kurds' force, known as the peshmerga, will be ham- Col. Steven Warren, chief spokesman for the lighttng force, knozon as the Peshmerga, pered in their fight against lS. U.S. military in Baghdad, said that the U.S.- u¡ìll be hømpereil in their fight øgøinst led coalition allocated more than $2.3 billion lS. (AP Photoll. Daztid Ake) "Sustaining this costly war against lSlS, car- to lraq to train and equip more than 16,000 ing for 1.8 million refugees and displaced lraqi security forces and provide equipment persons with the current drop in oil prices to the peshmerga. are not th¡ngs that we can sustain," Falah lions of dollars. Where did all the money Mustafa Bakir, who heads the Kurdistan ln a visit last month to Kurdistan, Defense go?" Regional Government's foreign relations Secretary Ash Carter said the next major department, said in an interview with the AP, shipment to the Kurds, which is slated for ln December 2014, the lraqi government noting that the peshmerga have not been late February and early March, will include reached a deal with the Kurds to exchange paid salaries since August 201 5. two brigades' worth of equipment to help oil from the autonomous region for a nearly recapture the lraqi city of Mosul from lS. 20 percent share of the national budget. The gov- Bakir, Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Kurdistan "Our equipment is going to make that possi- agreement stipulated that the Kurdish Regional Government's representative to ble," Garter said. ernment would release 550,000 barrels of oil the United States, and other Kurdish offi- every day to the lraqi oil ministry. cials are meeting with U.S. officials at the Denise Natali, an expert on lraq at the White House, Pentagon, State Department National Defense University, said the Kurds ln exchange, the Kurds were to receive the and Congress. need to be applauded for fighting lS and car- 1 7 percent share of the national budget allo- ing for hundreds of thousands of refugees. cated to their region, plus installments of as Bakir said he was asking the Pentagon to But she said internal reforms are needed much as $l U¡lt¡on to boost the capabilities peshmerga help cover expenses of the Kurdish fighters, because fiscal mismanagement, corruption of fighters battling lS. Bakir said who with the backing of U.S.-led airstrikes and government bureaucracy are also at the that earlier in 20'14, Baghdad cut the stake have retaken significant terr¡tory from lS in root of some of Kurdistan's financial woes. earmarked for the Kurdish region. The lraqi northern lraq. government in Baghdad says it cut the "Some of this is their own doing," she said, money after the Kurds begañ transporting problems It costs about $2 billion a year to pay the adding that some financial pre oil from fields inside the autonomous zone date the fight against lS. "They made bil- directly to Turkey. r 27 Reaue de Presse-Press Reviaa-Berheooka Çapê- Riaistø Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti Le Point 14 janvier 2016 La Turquie sous la menace d'uñe guerre civile Attentat kurde contre la police turque, six morts De notre envoyê s¡Écial à Diyarbakir, Quentin Raverdy - le 14/ ol-/ zor6 Le Point.fr Six personnes ont éte tuées et 39 blessées jeudi aux environs go (heure Tl était de 4 h iløns le sud-est quand Ilocale), mercredi soir, une lourde ile lø Tutquìe police explosion a frappé le commissariat de døns un øttentat province de la ville de Çinar, dans la de à Ia voiture Diyarbakir, dans le sud-est de la T\rrquie, une piégée øttribué gouverneur région à majorité kurde. Selon le øux rebelles kur- à voiture pié- local, il s'agirait d'une attaque la des gée, visant les bâtiments des forces de I'ordre ainsi que les lotissements où vivent leurs familles. Iæ bilan provisoire fait état de 6 morts (dont un policier) et d'environ 99 bles- sés. Parmi les victimes, on compterait deux proches de policiers tués par la déflagration et trois civils (des enfants, selon les autorités) dans le sud-est de la Turquie, après l'éclate- << LE SILENCE DE L'EUROPE >> ayant péri dans I'effondrement d'un bâtiment ment, en juillet, du cessez-le-feu entre le PKK proche du commissariat. et Ankara qui met fin à deux années de relative Et tà aussi, rien n'est épargné aux civils. À paix. Depuis, rebelles et forces de sécurité se Cizre, Tg % de la population est bloquée par le Toute la nuit, sur les télévisions kurdes et sur liwent une lutte sanglante. Selon le président couwe-feu. Déjà un habitant sur cinq a fui la les réseaux sociaux, les photos de I'attentat ont turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, en zor5, plus de 3 ville. Pour les autres, c'est le << chaos >>, tourné en boucle. Si I'attaque n'a pas encore ooo membres du PKKont été < éliminés >. Du dénonce le député du HDP (parti pro-kurde) été revendiquée, les autorités locales et les côté de la police et de I'armée, plus de 2oo per- Faysal Sariyildiz. < Je suis à I'intérieur de la médias turcs, eux, accusent directement les sonnes sont mortes. ville, l'État agit avec sauvagerie ici. Plus de 4o rebelles du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan, civils ont perdu la vie, il y a une centaine de le PKK, bête noire d'Ankara depuis 3o ans. LES CfvII^s EN OTAGE blessés. Des milliers de personnes souffrent de la faim, des centaines de maisons sont totale- Juste après I'explosion, plusieurs combattants Et de nouveau, les populations civiles se ment détruites. > Et l'élu de dénoncer I'ab- kurdes auraient ouvert le feu, à I'arme lourde, retrouvent otages de ce conflit vieux de 3o ans, sence de réaction des Occidentaux : < Le sur les bâtiments de la police, rapporte le gou- qui a déjà cotté la vie à plus de 40 ooo person- silence de I'Europe nous tue. > verneur de Diyarbakir, tout en précisant nes. En effet, pour venir à bout de I'organisa- qu'aucune victime n'étâit à déplorer. Pour tion rebelle (inscrite sur la liste des groupes Un constat que partagent bon nombre de I'heure, la ville de Çinar est entièrement terroristes par I'Union européenne et les Kurdes à travers le Sud-Est. Pour eux, I'accord bouclée par les forces de I'ordre. États-Unis) désormais solidement enracinée trouvé fin novembre entre I'Union européenne dans les zones urbaines, les autorités turques et la Turquie d'Erdogan, pour freiner le flot de Simultanément à cette attaque, les réseaux placent une à une les cités kurdes sous couwe- migrants syriens vers le Vieux Continent, est sociaux ont rapporté durant toute la nuit des feu, espérant purger le Sud-Est des combat- un pacte avec le diable. < L'Europe s'inquiète attaques sporadiques à travers les régions tants du PKK et des YDG-H (Jeunes combat- principalement de voir les migrants débarquer majoritairement peuplées par des Kurdes, tants urbains). Les civils se retrouvent ainsi sur son sol. Pour éviter cela, elle est prête à sans qu'il soit pour I'heure possible de vérifier pris au piège, terrés chez eux, vivant au rythme traiter avec Erdogan >, explique, découragé, toutes ces informations. Au matin, les mesures des pénuries d'eau, d'électricité et de nourrit- un combattant kurde des YDG-H, rencontré de sécurité ont été renforcrâes à travers tout le ure, dans des villes fantômes où les hôpitaux, dans les ruelles de Sirnak. Et le jeune homme Sud-Est. Et dans les villes, les patrouilles de les écoles et les magasins sont à I'arrêt. de reprendre, sous le regard attentif de ses véhicules blindés se sont multipliées. camarades : < En échange, I'UE ferme les yeux Selon la Fondation pour les droits de I'homme sur ce que fait la Turquie ici. > DES MILLIERS DE VICTIMES EN aOT5 de Turquie (TIHV), depuis août, 58 couvre- feux ont été décrétés dans 7 villes et r9 dis- Et la situation ne devrait faire qu'empirer, à Cette attaque meurtrière renforce un peu plus tricts du Sud-Est. Plus de 16o civils y auraient I'approche du printemps, expliquent les habi- le climat d'extrême tension qui règne actuelle- perdu la vie. Quatre-vingt, rien qu'au cours du tants de Sirnak. < Si le gouvernement refuse de ment à travers toute la Turquie. En effet, dernier mois. Symboles de ce Sud-Est assiégé : négocier, à la fin de I'hiver avec la fonte des mardi, un kamikaze, lié à I'organisation État les villes Cizre et Silopi dans la province mon- neiges, le PKK lancera une vaste opération >, islamique, selon les autorités turques, s'est fait tagneuse de Sirnak - un bastion historique du parie un enseignant de la ville. Et comme un exploser en plein cæur du quartier de PKK - à la frontière avec I'Irak entrent cejeudi signe annonciateur, mercredi après-midi, Sultanahmet, lieu très prisé des touristes qui dans leur 3re jour de couwe-feu. Plus de ro interviewé par un média kurde, le numéro z de viennent chaque année par millions pour ooo membres des forces de sécurité ont été I'organisation, Murat Karayilan, menaçait : < admirer la Mosquée bleue et la basilique déployés sur le terrain. Et en un mois, 3oo Le conflit est en train d'évoluer vers une guerre Sainte-Sophie. Bilan : ro Allemands tués et membres du PKK et des YDG-H ont été neu- civile. Et tout le monde doit savoir que le sang une dizaine de blessés. tralisés et des centaines d'autres arrêtés, a de nos femmes, de nos enfants, de nos jeunes annoncé le ministère de I'Intérieur turc. ne continuera pas à couler sur le sol. Nous Un climat de tension d'autant plus prégnant vengerons les civils assassinés. > l 28 Rsoue de Pr esse -P r ess Reoieu)-B erheuoka Çøpê- Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti LE TXGåRO vendredi 15 janvler 2016 Sur le front de Mossoul, les pechmergas face aux (fantômes> de Daech Un pcchmcrga montc la ¡rrdc dens h portr av¡ncó sur lc fiont dc Mossoul, à l'¡ubc du ramcdl 9 Janvlcr dcrnler. EMTLTENNE MALFATTo PouR LE FtGARo Après un été brûlant àplus de clnquan- EilLtEt{iltHAtrAno te deg¡és, les soldats du gouvernement ENvoYÊE SPÉCIALË AU KURIISIAN RAKIËN rêgtonal du Kurdistan irakien passent un deuxlème hiver au front. << L'htver est beaucurp plw dnr qte !'été >, Juge Haljl LE PICK-UP patine dans la boue. La plai- Mohammed, un vieux pechmerga qui, ne de Nlnlve æt détremp,ée, transformée après avoir vu < toutes les guerres qu'ù en immerue champ de fange où les véhi- conìtlules ceprys r>, Juge que celle-cl e¡t la cules dérapent, s'emboutbent. La main pire. << Les routes srrntt qrurlrstmentfuryratl- crispée sur son leyler de vltesses, le sol- cables etlesmliifs sontpllrs longues.>, ex- << pas dat s'impatlente , AlW, nous ldsse plique le commandant du front, Sl¡wan tombrl' malntensnt! >> A chaque cahot, Sarhad, QS ans. Or c'est la nuit que se un bruit sourd denière le siège du trouve le wai danger : les dJihadistes at- qui conducteu¡, Sa kalachr¡lkov, brin- tâquent généralement à ia fave{¡r de quebale. << pcrses Si tu cette flaqte, Je I'obscurlté. Au coucher du soleil, les t'emmènsraí au cw-wosh. Promls. >¡ jounalistes sont systémadquement es. pechmerga Quand on est contre Daech cortés loin du ehamp de bataille, sécurité au mllieu de I'hiver lraklen, mierx vaut obllge. Mals ce solr, le commandânt s'est avol¡ de I'humour. fendu d'une entorse au règlement. À Si la voltue lllche icl, prévlent-il, ça condltion de rester à I'abri - dans une Zoned'lnfluencedeEaech & sera embêtant. Su¡ le front de Mossoul, sorte de minibunker aménagé devant la quelque part entre Telesqof et Hatarah. base - en cas de bombardements. Sur la gauche, des points brlllent dans la nuit. Les positions djihadlstes. En face, au bles, abris aux auvents de tôle, Peut-être loin, un poste peehmerga juché sru rure llte q!¡'* ils >> vont attaquer. L'ambiance est butte couverte de boue, Lé.plck-up par- ne sais pas pourquoi silencleuse, tendue. Impressionnante. Iæ vient laborieusement à I'attelndre. Les on dit que les avions village pechmerga et le village dJihadiste phares attrapent des chiens hagards et français font de bonnes se font face daris la nuit. Des chlens hur- pertalns poursulte éblouis. se lancent à la frappes, mals lent à la mort au loin, comme exprès. Un du 4*4 en aboyant. Un homme en tout soldat scrute la plaine avec des jumelles trelllis, bonnet enfoncé sur les oreilles, le monde le dit ¡¡ de vision nocturne, les seules dont dispo- kalachnikov à l'épaule, sort de la nult. I SIRWAN. LE COMMANDANT DU FRONT se I'unité, Une des optiques est cæsée. vérifle les identités puis lndique la route Da¡u I'autre, Ninlve apparalt, verdâtre, plus pratlcable que de de drolte, celle Ce soir, les Kurdes sont en alerte. En spectrale. Iæs creux et bosses du terrain pour prlncipale gauche, reJoindre la base face, à deux kilomètres, les djihadistes âmpllflés parla vision nocturne. Rlen ne sih¡ée dans un village à quelques désert - ont massé des renforts - plusieurs véhÍ- bougepour I'instant. mlnutes de route en temps normal. Mais cules - dans le vlllage quileur sert debase Un grondement sourd, comme un rou- il pleut depuls plusleurs et seuls Jows avancée. L'informãtioä vient dtun << lh- lement de tonnerre métallique, s'appro- deux véhlcules pechmergæ sont désor- dtc > de I'lntéíiew. Une taupe. Iæs pech: che, enfle et emplit le cièI. Les avions de la le mais eapables de trav.erser champ de mergas n'en dlront pas plw. Ils se ras- coalltion. < On les aprévenus Et'lly æalt boue. En cæ d'attaque djihadiste, les ren- semblent sur le toit de la maison dumowtenentenlcce >r, ercplique Sirwan, forts mettront longtemps à arriver. transformée enposte f9rtlflé - sacs de sa- Sous son bonnet vert, les traits sont taillés 29 Reaue de Pr esse-P r ess Reuieu¡-Berheuoka Çapê- Riaista Stampø-Dentro de Iø Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti à la serpe, les yehx inclinés, étirés. << S'ils un soldat est penché sur son lPhone, ab- volent qælrye chose, lls frqpront, ,> Les sorbé par un jeu. Il joue à la guerre avant avions sorit invisibles dans cette nuit très de monter la faire en wai. D'aufres s'i¡ls- Cette guerre de posltlons, nol¡e mais le bourdonnement ne cesse tallent pour la nult. Les soldats vont se presque de tranchéés, poru garde, par pas. Réconfortant et séqurlsant. Une relayer les tours de blnô- évoqtre quelque part I'idée pluie glaciale se met à tomber. Les bottes meõ, avec relève toutes les heures. Un de caoutchouc blanc - comme des bottes jeune homme aécopé du tour de 2heures qu'on pourait se faire de la de boucher - des soldats clapotent dans du'metln, il va dormlr un peu en atten- Première Guerre mondiale les flaques du tolt. Partout, cette boue dant. Il se couche à même le sol sous une claire et crémeuse çi s'inflltre partout. couv.erture vlolette, kalachnlkov à son Pour préserver un espace oh dormlr, côté. quelqtre part I'ldée qu'on pourralt se falre Ies hommes ont lnstallé une démarcatlon La plèce s'apaise peu à pan. À la télévi- de la Première Guerre mondlale. Sauf que de parpaings dwant les portes des deux slon, Bruce Wllls cæqué hlrle des ordres ce matln, tout est très calme. La pluie se chambres auxquelles on accède dlrecte- dans un fllm de guerre américain, son met à tomber, quelques gouttes d'abord ment de I'extérleur. Chawsures, bottes et baissé, Les radios milltalres crâchotent. puls de plus en plus.fort, en quelques ml- claquettes en plastique sont laissées de- Iæ tic-tac de la þendule empllt la plèce, nutes ll pleut à verse. Iæs soldats s'abrl- hors. À I'intérlew, il fait bon. Iæ sol est puis les ronflements. Un vietx pechmer- ¡ent sous les plagues de tôle. Quelques couvert de tapþ, des matelas très flns ser- ga parle dans son sommeil. Régullère- olseaux passent dans un lou¡d brulsse- vant à la fois de lits et de banguettes cou- ment, un soldat se lève pour aller prendre mentd'alles. rent le long des mws. Une télévision est son tour de garde, un autre se couche. l¡ À l'ürtérleu¡, les hommes se révelllent passeraplus branchée, Quelques hommes sont assls. nuit est longue. Il ne se rlen. au milieu des armes. Certai¡rs dorinent Et soudal¡¡, boum: Un r¡rai < 20 janvier 2016 lsraël: la m¡nistre de la Justice souha¡te un Kurdistan indépendant gens épris de paix qui n'ont jamais attaqué aucun pays," a t-elle souligné, en ajoutant Par i24news 2010112016 que la coopération économique doit être à la pointe de tous les liens officiels. La ministre de la Justice "ll est temps pour nous de les aider", a israélienne Ayelet Shaked ajouté Shaked. lsraël et le Kurdistan irakien, la seule veut aider le peuple Kurde région kurde semi-autonome, ne disposent pas des relations diplomatiques officielles, ¡ a ministre israélienne de la Justice Ayalet mais il y a de nombreuses requêtes pour que LShaked souhaite la création d'un Etat la coopération existe entre les deux gouver- kurde qui sépare I'lran de la Turquie, "celui Ayelet Shøkeil, ministre istøélìenne de la nements, ainsi que pour les entreprises et qui va être amical envers lsraêl ", a t-déclaré lustice. photos : Gøli Tibbon (A.FP) I'armée. Shaked à la conférence annuelle de la sécu- En 2014, le Premier min¡stre Benyamin rité INSS à Tel-Aviv. "Le peuple kurde est un partenaire pour Netanyahou a exprimé lors de son discours Bien qu'il existe environ 30 millions de le peuple israélien," dit-elle en soulignant les de politique générale son soutien pour un Kurdes au Moyen-Orient, en formant les intérêts communs d'lsraël et des Kurdes Kurdistan indépendant. ll a salué leur "enga- populations minoritaires en Turquie, I'lran, dans la défaite de la montée de groupes isla- gement politique et la modération politique," jamais queston l'lrak et la Syrie, il n'a été d'un mistes djihadistes dans la région. et a déclaré que les Kurdes étaient "digne de Etat kurde indépendant moderne. "Les Kurdes sont démocratiques, des leur propre indépendance."'l 30 Reuue de Presse-Press Reuiew-Berhevakø Çøpê-Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensø-Bøsin Ôzeti lntcrn¡tiou¡l Netu Sork @ime¡ JANUARY 15,2016 In Syrian town, glimpses of d"privation tEtiuf, t"ftAxot Cut off since the summer by pro-Assad fighters, residentð no!ìr scavenge BYANNEEARNARD ANDHIYAIDASAAD Nisrine kept teàching school lor mont[q as the siege tfhtened amund the S¡¡rian tównof l[adry4büthadto giver.p afew weeks ago crùcn kr studcnts got too weaktowalk to clasc. Alocat mcdic has bcen snriving m the rehydradon salts he gives ¡)atiGnts, v¡Lilc a bud¡rcss' school grddu¡tc pic[^s,grass to make sorry for his 70'ycarold hthcr, consult- ¡ng sheBh¿rds ¡bor wbirù'ones tücir lllomenand c.bildrrn*aited to leavelfadaya, Wria, thiswoelc Even afteraidagendes brougbt lmg-sinae.s¡Âr¡sbtercd f,o€ks li¡red bosL foodand sryrptiôs, thcrcis [ttlehope¡¡¡ ah¡ngein acititr5dngto funcdon wülle undersloge. A dozm womßn waitcd en$ously' in their doorways one ¡eoent evenirg as an antigovernmcnt activist named Fir- the aid visit to Madaya m Monday by a as tnrdgcd sbwþ up tleir street hand- woman with six malnourbhed cttildren. ing out snall batchos of smugglcd bul- '"She threw herself on me and kissed gurwheaÈ my shoulder and.bent down to my Firas, thorryb, was in shock" IIe had hands," Ms Singer recalled- "She said: takèn a mcal to thc housc of Suleiman lMy l7-yeárold son died, of hunger. Fareg G| andbonetùi4 inbopes of sav- Please keep the ¡est of them alive."' iqg his läe, only to ünd him already After nearþ fiveyears of eivil war in deart Frustrate{ Fiias declarcd th¡t $¡i4 the United Nations estimates that farto thc nortb" rebels alliedwith those ,llX),0ü]people aretapped behindbattle inMadayaoughttorcsume shellingtwo lines by the governmenÇ tlrc Isla¡nic prÈgovernlncnt towns - towns luu of State or rival insurgents. civilians who arc also sufiering,- tit ftir While parts of Homs and.tirc Damas- tat, a siegc fromthe other side. cus suburbs.have been hlockaded for "Bettcr to dic ffghting," hc said that years, Madaya managed to surviye rel- nigüt in one of a serics of rcccnt tcle- atively unscathe{ until last summer. phone interviews, "than to stanrG." Madry¿ and Zabadani lie at the souti- The people of Madaya and neighbor- eastern end of the Qalanioun mountains Íng Zabadani havetried, sincetlrc çie8e along Syria's border with Lebanon. Za- bypogwornrnentforcesbeganinJuly,- badani, where local rebels took control spoke iden- tokeep sociétyfimctioning and ad¡usttq ontüeconditionthattheybe innt| became a haven.for insurgents their surroal new sct of dynamics. tiffed only by first name, for safety. driven from other border areas by There is tlrô blackmartet across block- Whiledetails of their eryeriences could Hezbollatr, tbe Lebanese Shüte militia ade lines, for instance, and tlre quiet.or not be independcntþ confinned, inten- allied with President Bashar al-Assad. unexpected ways thùs type of warfare national aid workers who have visited Both locals and Hezbollah officials can kill: hcsrt attacks, sti[births, a step t¡e town or been in direct contact wittl saypostof the ñghtersin Zabadani are groups ground provided ac- on aland mine while foraging for food- on the afñliated With a Syrian Islamist group And tåere is tùe relèntless p.hysical counts'that echoed the resideits'. called Ahrar al-Sham, and smallernum- and psychological conmcüon of tüeir Even now, after aid agencies negotiat- berswiththe more moderate Free Syri- ed to bring in a modicr¡m d assistairce on communitics, only an how's drive from an Amry and tlte Qaeda-linked Nusra Damascus, S¡¡ia, and two from Beirut Monday, tlrcre is little hope for c,hange: Front governmenthassofaragreed yet sealed offfromtlre outside world. The $rian 'Weeks of bombardmènt last summer dodt go an¡nrhere," said Malekâ to onlytwomore dafis of sudlaccess, in- by Hezbollahdid not dislodge the insur- "I qrnvot/ Jahr, 85, who inherited American cit- cluding a new on Thursday, and gents. Pro-government forces ramped izenship from her fatüer,a ïtorld War I the United Naüons says hundreds of up prcssure by cordoning off Zabadani veteran, and is too wealrfrom hungerto peoptein Madayaremaiûinacuteneedof and Madaya, where many civilians from move muclt,''I just crumple up and stay food and medicine" ßbalid Mohammad, Zabadani - including Nisrine, tlte ¡nbeû" tñe medical worken survivLrg on salts, teacher- had talren refuge. Looking tor this portrait of life in Madaya is said Ni Awkar, 37, who was ftoß,7Ã- leverage, allied insurgents began block- drawn from interviews with more than badani and had taken refuge in ltrfádaya ading añd bombarding 'Fouaa and a dozen residents, conducted over sev- died of malnutrition on $redneday. KfaryC two isolated Shüte tou'ns in Id- eral montls and in rei:ent days by tele. Hanaa Singer, Unicefis top official in lib Province, in S¡nia's northwest. phone and over the lnternet; many Syri4 saidtttat shewas accosted during It worked, partly. A cease.fire was 31 Reaue de Presse-Press Reai&)-Berheooka Çapê- Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de lø Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti struck in September, but with Russia's regular merchantsjacking up prices for badani to Beirut, then flown to Tirrkey, promises new air caupaign in Syria, to scarce supplies. Basic goods could cost and fromthere shuttled into rebel-held evacr¡ate the wounded and lift the sieges $100 apound. IdlibProvince. were never ca¡ried out. Madaya resi- Before Monday, only one Chipment of But most families remained stuck in dents say the siege tiglrtened instead: aid had made it tlrough during the Maday4 including his wife and son. getting Nisrine stopped her salary. siege; on oct. 18. But half of t¡e high-en- More andmore, peoplewere dying - Her school was bombarded. She sent ergy biscuits in that delivery had ex- 28 since Dec. 1, according to Mr. Me' people her own sqn to school witliout brealdast, pired, making some sick; the hammad's clinic, which works with Doc- and students began to lose focus. United Nations blamed an error in the tors Without Borders. He had resorted I ask him to learrl and hg's loading process in Damascus. to feeding the most endangered.cbil- "How çan graduate, hungry?" she said back in October. The business school dren syrupy medicines, for the glucose, The medical clinic in'Madaya was Hamoudi, who is 27; said his fatler turther depléting his mddical supplies. bombed, and thus was moved to a base sometimes refuses to eat, "saving it for Ahme4 tle evacr¡ated fighter, said be ment Mr. Mohammad, an anesthesia us." had reæntly spoke to his son AMullah. technician who has been acting as à doc- "We don't eat in the morning. We sane "I lno\ar he's hungry, but he doesn't tor, said he was overwheJmed with cases the food until.evening," he explained. By . want to say," the father said by tele. he could not properly treat: broken food, he referred mainly to wateç spices phone. "Even kids are acting like bones, amputations, abdominal wounds. .and sometimes grass. "But nowadays adults. He no longer asks me to bring grass," He performed primitive C-sections. ttrereisûo more Hamoudilamen- sweets- justbread." Once, Mr. Mohammad said, medics ted. "The whole area is covered with Their neighbors had just slaughtered persuaded Hezbollah guards to allow a snow, and some of the grass is bitter-" thelasthorse intown. l6-year-oldboy with a bladder infection When a donkey was slaughtered, he ' "I know thd bors€," Ahmed said to leave for treatment. wisttully. "We kissed their shæs," Mr. Mo- "I l¡now hcL hungry, "I don't know what the regime hammad said later. but he docc¡t't want to t¡y. wants," he added. "We are ready to ''V/e're ready to zurrende¡ but tùe re Evenkid¡ ara actinglib leave, but they want us to die thqre.'t gime has frozen everlrthing," he added- adul¡. He no longer adn me Ms. Sürger, tåe Unicef official, said "I'm asking Bashar's regime to launch tlntwhenshe arrivedwith aid on Mon- üo bring rrvcctr : jurt brcedi a rocket and end our [ves." day, crowds of children gatbered around Hungry wome¡'s breast milk began her in the dark, pleading, "Auntie, to dry up. Rima,25; said her newborn took home afew ounces of meat, thouglt auntie, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, do You died for lack of an incubator. eating it is prohibited by Islam. have aþiece ofbread?" "I diùi't feed him, didn't give him "starvation is infrdel," he explained. "That3 what killed me," she said. rrarmth," she said quietly in an inter- "There is no more'halal and harami' he "That tltey were apologizing." view days after his death. "I only saw added, referring to religiously permit- ln thefood packswere basics like bul- himinaphoto." ted and prohibited foods. "We're eating gur and oil, a few pounds per person. Finding food was getting ha¡der. Aid everything." Butnotflour. Orbread. workers and residents said ñghters on Finally, in December, a fewhundred both sides profited from sm.uggling it wounded fþhters were evacuated from across tl¡e lines. There were bribes to Zabadani, Foua¿ and ßfarya Nisrine's cross checþoints, price-gouging, and husband, Ahmed, was bused trom Za- January 15,2016 Working in coordination with Russian planes, Kurdish forces have advanced into the western part of Afrin. The move has made the Turkish government very uncomfortable, as it threatens to cut a major supply route between Ankara and Turkey-backed rebels in Syria, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) saíd. The instaltation of Russian 5-400 anti-aircraft systems in Syria following the downing of the Russ¡an 5u-24 helps Kurdish forces a great deal, as they prevent the Turkish Air Force from bombing Kurdish positions. Without Ankara's airstrikes against them, Kurdish fighters have pushed Daesh from the western bank of the Euphrates River, WSJ said. An interesting po¡nt is that both Washington o,,- Moscow support the YPG. That's why the "Russian military assistance to the Kurds 15.01.2016 sputniknews.com Kurdish brigade might now have carte blanche is, without a doubt, part of Russia's to do more than any other group fighting in response to the actions of the Ottoman The Kremlin has found a new ally in the Kurds Empire d'Auzon explained, Syria. during its ant¡-terrorist campaign in Syria. They [Turkeyl," according to [e Huffington Post. Since the U5 government isn't doing a great job are effective ín pushing Daesh (lSlS/lSIt! and fighting Daesh in Syria, it has to rely on the Kurds other terrorist groups out of key areas in Syria, Fighters from the predominantly Kurdish group as its primary and most effective partner in the French political journalist Olivier d'Auzon People's Protection Un¡ts (YPG) not only suc- country, WSJ said. wrote for Le Huff¡ngton Post. cessfully defended their territories from Daesh, but also pushed the jihadists out of a few key Furthermore, Washington's anti-Daesh cam- Turkey's decision to shoot down a Russian Su-24 in northeastern Syria over the past year. paign is mostly taking place in lraq, where the bomber in November made Moscow furious; in areas USled coalition focuses most of their airstrikes. turn, the Kremlin decided to support Kurdish As of late, Russian planes have allegedly helped The Obama Administration seems to have given forces in Syria, d'Auzon said. the Kurds to gain new ground not only against Russia freedom of action in Syria, which Daesh, but also against other terror¡st groups in According to the author, Moscow allegedly sent Moscow is using effectively, Le Huffington Post Syria, d'Auzon said. arms to 5,000 Kurdish fighters in Afrin. reported. 32 Reuue de P r esse-P r ess Reuieru -B erheaokn Çnp ê - Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti @@ Economic tttsttnami?? undermines war against Islamic State in Iraq r Kurdish Deputy PM Talabani ERBIL, Iraq - January 16,20L6 - By Isabel Coles - REUTERS IRAQ'S KURDISTAN REGION is in danger of being drowned by an economic "tsunami" as global oil prices plunge' its deputy prime minister said, warning it could undermine the war effort agafurst Islamic State. Four months in arrears and deeply in debt, the Kurdistan Regional Government (I{RG), which depends on oil revenue to survive, has been hit hard by oil's slump below $3o per barrel this week from over $roo a barrel two years ago. Even before oil's most recent losses, the autonomous region was unable to meet a bloated public payroll including the salaries of its own armed forces, the peshmerga, which are on the front line against Islamic State. "The world is focused on the war against ISIS but nobody wins a war bankrupt," Qubad Talabani said in the interview on Thursday, using an acronym for Islamic State. "I thinkthis is something the coalition against lrøqi Kurdistøn's Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Taløbani speøks ISIS really do need to factor into the equation." iluring øn intercieu¡ wìth Reuters in ErbìL, fønuary 14, 2076. Reutets I Az a il Løshkøri The peshmerga have emerged as a key component of the U.S.led coali- tion's strategyto "degrade and destroy''the radical Sunni militants, driv- ing them back in northern Iraq with the help of air strikes. led invasion of Iraq in 2oog, the Kurdistan region faces spending cuts But Talabani said the economic crisis threatened progress on the battle- and"economic reform, and is also looking efforts to raise non-oil rev- field: "The most dangerous impact it can have is on morale. We are get- ting desertions. People are leaving their posts -- it will increase." In December, the KRG cut the allowances of ministers and other officials The oil price crash has compounded Kurdistan's economic woes, which by as much as percent and eliminated perks enjoyed by senior civil began in early zor4 when Baghdad slashed funding to the region to pun- So servants, and Talabani said bigger changes were on the way. ish it for exporting crude on its own terms in pursuit of economic inde- pendence from Iraq. "We're not bankrupt yet but if we don't enact structural and actual reforms the current situation is not sustainable," Talabani said. Then Islamic State overran a third of lraq, driving more than one million refugees into the region of five million and scaring off foreign investors. The reforms will target three main areas: fuel subsidies, the power sec- tor and the public payroll, which costs the region 875 billion Iraqi dinars In an effort to tackle the crisis, Kurdistan ramped up independent oil ($Bo+ million) per month. exports last year to more than 600,000 barrels per day (bpd), but at cur- rent prices the region is still left with a monthly deficit of 38o-4oo bil- The KRG has already opened up the fuel market to private companies lion Iraqi dinars ($7r7 million). and will consider selling parts ofthe electricity sector, Talabani said. Asked whether the KRG was calculating it might be better off resuming "This is a tsunami. Either we react and respond to it or get dragged oil exports under Baghdad's auspices in return for a slice ofthe revenue under. The initial step is to stop the ship from sinking". talabani said from their combined exports of more than 3.8 million bpd, The region, which has racked up between $rS-$r8 billion of debt, is also it would make little difference. considering ways of raising money abroad such as soft loans, bailouts, "I don't think this is a calculation we're thinking of or they're thinking of pre-payment agreements and monetising assets, including oil infrastruc- because it doesn't actually change the equation for anyone." ture, Talabani said. "At this oil price, a couple of hundred thousand barrels here or there is Plans to issue a $Soo million Eurobond were derailed last year byfalling not going to fix Baghdad's problems and it's not going to fix ours. We oil prices and rising political tensions but could be revived in the future: have to think of another formula to fix our economic problems". "We certainly haven't scrapped that idea but it's shelved for now." A deal last year whereby the KRG agreed to export 55o,ooo bpd of crude NO SIGNS OF RECONCILIATION through Iraq's state oil marketing firm SOMO in exchange for the rein- Despite recent gains on the battlefield, Talabani said he did not expect statement of its budget share was never properþ implemented. an offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul this year: "I don't think The same arrangement is embedded in Iraq's zo16 budget, but Talabani the Iraqi armed forces are ready''. indicated the KRG did not intend to implement it. The peshmerga will play a role in the offensive whenever it happens, but "The fact that the control continues to lie 1oo percent with the central the Iraqi army must take the lead, he said. government and the lack of clarity with our share of the budget and how In the meantime, more needs to be done to find a political solution. "I going it's calculated would restrict us from along with what's written in don't see any traction on political reconciliation in Iraq," Talabani said. the eor6 budget," Talabani said. Compared with a year ago, Sunni disenfranchisement was now deeper "We don't want to rule out a deal, but we want a deal that's fair," he said, and Shi'ite mistrust of Sunni intentions greater, he said. adding that it need not entail the KRG exporting oil via SOMO. "AIl of these are factors that are going to slow down our progress in the "SINICNG SHIP" war to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS". O After the oil-fuelled economic boom it enjoyed in the wake of the U.S.- ($r = r oS8.oooo Iraqi dinars) 33 Reaue de Presse-Press Rwieut-Berhøokn Çapê-Riuistn Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Özeti lutcrn$iorsl Nctu Sork @imø JANUARY 16.I7,2016 Turlrey holds 14 academics over petition r3T f{¡ul Scholars signed appeal to end the'deliberate massacre' of Kurds BYCEYLANYEGINSU The authorities dctaincd 14 scholars on Friday, accusing tlrem of spreading '(terrorism propaganda" and of irisult- ingthe state afterthey signed apetition denouncing the military's campaign against Kurdish militants in southsast- ernllrrkey. lVrelve scholars, fronr Kocaeli Uni- versity in northwest TUrkey, wcrc dc- tained in early-rnorning raids on their homes, the semiofffcial ncws agency Anadolu rcportod. .AriGst warrants were issued fornineother,s fromtheuni- PrGoldeil nsccplbyylp Erdo¡an loAnhra. Hls govornm.€nt h¡¡be¡unaform¡l lnvesügæ versity, and by midafternoon two of üodof the schohrswho clgnedthepeddor.ltconyicted, they flrceone tollveyears lnprlmn. them hadbccn arrested. All2l scholarsworc among more tùan 1,000 academics from 90 Tt¡rkish univer- tourists in the historic hoart oflstanbul" intended to muzde debate and to curb siües who si¡ned a public ståtcrncnt, for which the tslamic State claimed re. academicfreedom. "We Won't Ee a Party to This Crimoj' sponsibility. "IIey, you socalled intel- "The campaign against academics tlrat urgGd the governmcnt in Ankarg lectuals: You are dark people. You are this week certainly targets a neç' Sroup the capital, to endtüe "deliberatema!¡na- not intellectuals." and has very serious consequences for cre" of Kurds cåWbt in c,lashes between Mr. Erdog;an called on Mr. €lromsky academic frèedom inTlrkey, as well as the securiry forces and militants of tle and other scholars to visit southeåstern ftee speeclr," said Emma Sinclair-Webb, Kurdistan Workors' Party, or P.K.K T[rrkey to get a "tnre picture" of the a senior ïtrrkey ressarcher at Human The pedtion mgercd Prssidont Roccp events taking place tlere. "They should RightsWatch. Tayyrp Erdogan, who denounced the see with tlreir oycs whotlrcrthe problem Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, a group - and foreign scholars who is a violation by the state or the hijarik- political scientist and former university signed the document,þcluding tho lin- ing of our citizcns' rights and fteedoms professoç also lashed out at those who guist and pbilosopher Noam Chomsþ by the tcrrorist organizatio¡¡"-'he sa¡d, signed tåe petition. - in a televised speech on lhesday, Mr. referring to the Kurdistan Workersl "Being an intellectual and defending Erdogan accused thom of "troa¡on" Party. On Thursday, the government democracy is first of all possible by de- and of forming a "frfth columu-' of for- formally began an investþation of tåe fending democratic methods," Mr. Dav- eign powers trying to undsrmine Tlrr- scholars. utoglu said. "Why are you atigùing be- key's national sccurity. If convicted, the académics could face hind this terrorist organization?" "Unfortunately, those secalled aca- one to flveyears in jail The United States' ambassador to T[¡r- demics clain that the state is carrying' 'The arrests have deepened concerns key, John R. Bass, criticiiod the arrests, out amassacre," Mr. Erdogan said in his over freedom of expression in Tbrkey saying theywould have a "chilling effect' speech, which came shortly after a sui- under Mr. Erdogan's leadership, and on legitimate political dlscourse" about cide bombing that killed l0 German analysts said that the crackdown was the violence in southeastern lbrkey. Après plus de deux ans de cessezle-feu et de pourparlers de paix, des com- Turquie: trois policien¡ tués bats meurfiers ont repris l'été demier entre les forces de sécurité turques et le PKK. dans une attaque attribuée Ankara a auss¡ lancé il y a un mois une vaste offensive pour déloger des jeunes partisans des rebelles qui ont érigé des banicades dans plusieurc villes du sud- au PKK dans le sud-est est sous couwe-feu, notamment à Cizre et Silopi, dans la province de Simak, et dans le district de Sur à Diyarbakir, la grande ville du sud-est. Diyarbakir (Thrquie), L8 janvier 2016 (AFP) De nombreux civifs ont fait les fais de ces combats, qui ont plongé la régíon en état de gu6ne civile. TROIS POLICIERS ont ótó tuós et quatre autros blos¡ós dans la nu¡t de dimanche à lundi dans lc sud-e¡t å majorltó kurde de la Turquic lors d'uno Plus de 1.200 intellectuels ont signé la semaine demière une "pétition" pour la attaquo attrlbuóc aux Parti des travalllcur¡ du Kurdistan (PKK), a-t-on paix dénonçant un "massacre'en cours¡ dans ces villes. appris auprès de¡ sorvices do sécurltó. Le régime du président islamo-conseryateur Recep Tayyip Erdogan a vivement Lattaque s'est produ¡te dans la localité d'ldil dans la province de Simak, près de réagi en dénonçant des "traîtres" et engagé des enquêtes judiciaires contre des la fontière syrienne, vers 23h30 lorsqu'un engin a explosé au passage d'un dizaines de signataires, également menacés de sanctions d¡scipllnaires par convoi de la police, a précisé à IAFP un responsable local s'exprimant sous cou- leurs univers¡tés. vert de I'anonymat. Ces procédures ont suscité de vives critiques en Turquie et.à l'étranger, qui ont Tro¡s polic¡ers grièvement atteints sont décédés des suites de leurs blessures et dénoncé une atteinte à la liberté d'expression. quatre autres ont été plus légèrement touchés, a-t-il ajouté. 34 Reoue de Presse-Press Reuieu-Berheooka Çøpê-Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de lø Prensø-Basin Ozeti LE TIGARO vend¡edi 1 5 janvier 2016 Terrorisme : la Turquie paie-t-elle le prix de son arnbigutté ? était au cæur de l'été que les recrues étrangères ontjoué undþlomate ewopéen, encltantle cas .2015, Sur sapage à saute -mouton e4tre les deux pap. de Can Dtindar. Iæ rffacteur en chef Facebook, àladate Cæs derniersmois, pourtant, les du Erotidien Clmhurf¡iet est actuellement duSaott, HasnaAIt âutorités hüques - rattrapées par les enprison pour avoir, ironie de I'histoile, Bor¡lahcen, cor¡sine attentats de Surirç, enþillet 2015, et enquêté sur une ltwai$on d' a¡mes d'Abdelhamid' d'Ankara, en octo. bre - on! revu leur par les services hûcs aux combattants C'Abaaoud - planificateur présumé des snaté$e. Coups defrlets de lapolice, þlamlstes syrlens. Certairs obserrr¿tews attentats de Pâris -, annonçait son départ déploiementde milliers de soldats lelong reprochent, ausd, à Erdogan de mener pour la T[rquie comme d'autres partent du ruban qui sépare la Turquie de la Syrie, tm < firu ilmgereux > en s'obstinant en vac¡¡nces. << ivq bíenÌõ úlfi en Slríe construcdon d'un mur sur une'partie àvouloir, depuis lareprisedes combats, bßhanal\ biento iléprrt pour lø T\rkie ! >>, deUn diplomate la frontière... En cet été, avec les rebelles kurdes du PKK, déclaiait laþunb Frañçaise d'origine menerdeuxbatallles maghrébine, flnalemcnt tuée le Aujor.rd'hui, en Turquie, il y a plus enune. 25 JANVIER 2016 Une source militaire syrienne citée par Í'AFP indique que les Américains sont en Les Etats-Unis auraient installé train d'installer une base militaire dans cette même localité. Cette source précise qu'une piste de27OO mètres peut accueil- une base militaire en Syrie lir des avions de combat, ajoutant toute- fois qu'aucun appareil de ce type ne se trouve encore sur cet âéroport. Avec notre correspondant à Beyrouth, Des unités spéciales américaines envoyées Paul Khalifeh le25-0f -2016 en Syrie sur ordre de Barack Obama Une source du commandement militaire http://www'rri'rr américain a démenti à I'AFP que ses forces ,1iil:":riT'::"fli:ffi'"r?:X å"Ë J,iì: aient pris le contrôle d'un aéroport en Syrie. En Syrie, des unités spéciales américaines arabo-kurde de Hassaké, dans le nord-est Mais elle a ajouté que l'armée américaine auraient aménagé un aéroport dans la de la Syrie. s'emploie en permanence à renforcer le province de Hassaké, pour soutenir des Se basant sur des photos satellites pub- soutien logistique aux unités spéciales présentes le dans ce pays. forces arabo-kurdes locales contre le liées par le centre dä recherche américain sur terrain groupe Etat islamique (El). La nouvelle cir- Stratf'or, spécialisé dans le renseignement, Cinquante kilomètres plus au nord, ce sont culait déjà depuis plusieurs-semaines, elle la BBC briiannique a rapporté quã les Gl's les Russes qui ont récemment pris le con- a été confirmée, ces demières.48 heu¡es ont construit unä piste dti I SOO mètres. Le trôle d'un aéroport dans la ville de Qamishli, par des médias occidentaux et des sources site peut désormáis accueillir des hélicop- limitrophe à la frontière syro-turque. o proches du régime. tères et des avions de transport. 35 Reoue de Presse-Press Rwiew-Berheuoka Çøpê- Riaistø Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ôzeti lundilS lanvler 2016 centrifugeuses ; et en ratif¡ant le << ptoto- L'Iran entame eole aililitíotttæl> au traité de non-proli- un fération (TïP), qui autorise I'AIEA à << mener iks ltwpecüotrs renlorcées et íno - pinées >>. spectaculaire retour sur Ià se trouve sar¡s doute le test ultime pour les dhþeants modérés iraníens, qui deÍront s'ássurer que les ultraconserva- la scène internationale teurs s'abstiennent de fake capoter le fragile füflce. << Nous serow vite fíxés, L'entrée en vigueur de I'accord sur le nucléairê, après le feu vert glisse Dennls Ross, ancien sherpa de la iles gar- de I'Agence internationale de l'énergie atomique, samedl a diplomatie Obama. SÍle Co,nsell ilíens ¿le lo Cst sútutlon øutorße lø prtící- entraîné la levée de la plupart des sanctions imposées à Téheran. patíon iIæ cmillilats cotwíilé¡és cqmme proelrcs de Rohmú et les phts pragmatl- Eres øx électians plementalres ùvenb en lrort le 26 fffier proehntt, celo now ifua quelqne choæ. S'íl les retqEre, cela nou¡r ilírs aussi Erelque chose. r, Washington esp'ère par ailleurs que le vent réchaufhnt les relations avec I'ltan viendra souffler zur les négociatio¡u de paix sur Ia Syrie appelées à reprendre le 25 janvier. Une attitude butée des diplo- pates iraniens à Genève, là aussi , << dírøít qrclquechose rr. Traité de << fuiüde >> face à de roués <<ïwrcløntda ifte tqís- iraniens qui auraient tôt hit de réinjecter les liquidi- tés débloquées dans le Hezbollah libanais et le régime ryrien de Bacha¡ el-Assad, Obama conserve encore la main: en si- gnant un décret exécutif dès samedi sur la levée partielle des sancdons, il se pré- Le présldent lr¡nl¡n, Roh¡nl, dlm¡ndtc au Parlernmt, à Tóhúran, lorg Hr¡an niunit en cas de trahison iranienne. L¡s de ta présentatlon úr proJrt de budgot rnnud dc I'tran. HANDouI/REUTERs entrqrrlses américaines et leurs fillales étrarçères sont tou¡ours strictement in- terdites de traiter avec une longue liste MÄrmt HGllD t @Maur}îPkaÌd de sociétés et d'¡nôividus iianiens, iEWVORK ËTNous avons .< blacklistés > du fait de leur implication condamné tous les dans les activités de terrorisnie, de proll- Dm(}xtt! << Le prarÈer Jou¡ dlwmon- ctremi¡ns menant àla tération nucléaire ou balistique. Si Téhé- de.phts str r> : ce samedi, le secrétaire bombe pour I'Iranltt ra4, en outre, venait à violer ses engage- d'Etat John Kerry n'a pas eu de mots as- ments vis-à-vis de I'AIEA, il sufflrait au sez forts pour louer le coup de tonnerre BARACK OBAMA président démocrate de biffer d'un trâit diplomatique ayant retentl à Vienne. de stylo le décret exécut¡f pour rétablir Pour lapremière fois depuls un longbras contre de son prédécesseur George W. les sanctior¡s tout juste abolies. << Nous de fer entamé en 2002, l'Agence interna- Bush, qui en2002 feisait de l'Iran un pi- avotw mall¡f;enølü conilmwú tous les clß - tionale de lénergo atomlçe (ema) ve- lier de son ,, wce duMel ,>. mins menmt ùlabor,rlbe'pour l'Iran, pré,- nait d'annoncer que l'Iran se conformait Face à une opposition républicaine cisait Obama dimanche. Nous sourons à ses obligations internationales en ma- hostile envers cette normalisation des re- imméiliatement s¡ Plran reclute (iftans ce nucléaire, slx mois I'accord lations bilatérales et solidaire d'Israël, il tière après trwers). conclu le 14juillet 2015, entre Téhéran et démontre que la stratégie.lancée à son John Kerry a aussi annoncé que les grandes puissances. arrivée à la Maison-Blanche se¡lt ans plus les États-Unis vont rembourser à l'Iran un Le rapport des inspecteurs onusiens tôt, lorsqu'il appelait I'Iran à << desserrer total de 1,7 milliard de dollars de dette et ouvre la voie à un bouleversement pro- ses poíngs rr, étåü h bonne. À flus court d'intérêts qui remontent à la révolution fond des relations internationales : lâ le- terme, il n¡arque des points en obtenant islamique de 1979 et à Ia rupture des rela- partielle sanctions lalibération de çatre prisonniers améri- vóe d'un corset de tions diplomatiques économiques internationales à I'encontre cains détenus da¡u la sinistre prison Enfin, sÍtôt le décollage conffrmé di- du régime islamique, édictées il y a pltrs d'Evin, près de Téhéran. Les détracteu$ manche matin de I'avion emportant les de trois décennies puis renforcées en 2012 d'Obama dénonçalent jusqu'ici cette Ad- otages vers ps États-Unis, ie chef de par les États-Unis et I'Union europ,éenne. ministration démocrate si velléitaire Barack Obama, lors d'une allocution qu'elle négociait un accord nucléaire l'État a montré que la lwée des sanctioru dimanche depuis Ie Bureau ovale, s'est avec un pays retenant sans vergogne plu- économiques ne constituait pas rur blanc-seing déliwé à I'Iran. Et surtout, félicité de << lø tenêtre d' opporñnúté utti- sieurs otages américairu. qu'il pouvait le que >> créée par cette << relatlon dìrecte et Sur le fond, le plw dur reste à faire: rhanier la carotte et bâton prolongée avec le gouverneilvnt bøulúen, Téhéran doit montrer patte blanche pour arssi sava¡nÍrent que le régÍme chüte, après la captr¡re éphémère jeudi de dix permettantpour laprøntère Jols kpu¡s fus les dix années à venlr, en éliminant 98 % Iustres ile résoudre des prøblèmes nm- de son stock d'uranium enrichi; en se marins américains dans le golfe Persi= que: jews rr. << Noræ øvons occon4lfreeprogrès contentant d'enrichir l'urar¡ium à un onze insdtutioß et individus ira- nieIts ont été ajogté$ à la liste'noire du hlstoríque par le blats de Ia @lotrliatùe, et taux << civil >> maxlmum de 3,67'/.; en ce swß iléclencher une autre guefte ou démantelant son réacteur à eau lourde gouvernement américain, pour leur irn- Moyen-Oríent,, a aJouté le président dé- affn qu'il ne ptiisse jamais produire de plication dans le progr¡unme balistique mocrate, dans une pique évidente à l'en- plutonium; en détruisant 13 000 de ses de Téhéran, dont les progrès et les tirs ré- 36 Reaue de P r e s se -P r e s s Rea ieza -B er heu oka Çap ê - Riaista Stampa-Dentro de Iø Prensa-Basin Ozeti cents de missiles de moyenne portée programme, confirme Adam SzubÍn, se- lo séøtrlté régíonale et mondiale, et restera sanctíotts inte/notíonales>r. Emad violent de manière flagrante deux crétaire adjoint au Trésor, chargé du ren- sujet ù des un monde vraiment plus str, il.fau- résolutio¡rs du Conseil de sécu¡ité des seignement fínancier et de la lutte anti- Pou¡ << dra encore attendre un peu. Nations uniei, datant de 2010 et 2015. Ce terroriste, représøúe lme mencrce pout I LES DATES CLÉS Fln de la llmltatlon å 5 060 Fln de la llmitatlon d'unnium enrlchl Le prognmme nucléaire centrlf ugeuses actlves des stocks Fln de l'lnterdictlon d'actlvltês Fin de I'encadrement de ¡'acqulsltlon llées å la ¡ Réductlon de blens nudéaires senslbles mllÍtarisation des 2/3 du nombn Fin dê I'lnterdlctlon de développer de centrlfuçuæs des réacteun å eau lourde å 2015 2016 2020 2023 2A25 2030 2040 tr tr ? ( 4.'' I I ,t .t I J r ¡ Début de la levée Fln de I'embargo ' Fln de l'embargo Fln du mécanlsme Arrêt des lnspections . dessanctlons sur les armes sur les composants de recours supplémentalres économlques (sauf autorisatlon du prognmme ballllque aux sanctl0ns de I'Agence de l'ONU) isauf autorisation lnternatlonale de del'0NU) l'énergie atomique Levée des sanctions (¡rn) Lt g¡G&3o lundi 18 ianvier 2016 L'Europe parie sur I'aubaine 50 milliards de I'ouverture iranienne de dollars des avoirs et des fonds deux tiers de sa part.de marché en dix bancai¡es sont .E,Ax-r^cet Es rÉìrEt v @llmevet âns. D'autres ont pris la place ; la Tur- débioqués en Occident cORRESPoNDANÍ À ERUXELLES quie, les Émirats et bien str la Chine. Des sanctions sont levées, mais le LES PÉTROLIERS et les exportateurs, les dispositif demeure partiellement en ouvrent dans I'immédiat banquiers et les investisserüs, tout ce place. Reste, en partie, la punition que les meilleu¡es perspectives que I'Europe compte de capitaines d'in- Washington a infl.igée à partir del979, à I'Europe. S'y ajoutent le fret et les as- dustrie défile à Téhéran depuis deux ans après la prise d'otages à I'ambassade surances maritimes, sortis de la liste pour préparer le grand jour. Cette fois, américaine à Téhéran, puis au nom de noi¡e des 2014. L'lran dispose des qua- c'est fait : I'Iran est officiellement de re- la lutte contre le tei¡orisme internatio- trièmes réserves de brut de Ia planète et tour sul le marché, avec la levée de nal. Sur le voletnucléaire militaire en- des premières pour le gaz naturel. Ses sanctions inédites et la fin d'une bonne suite, les, Nations unies, I'UE et les cotts de production sont faibles. Téhé- décennie de quasi-isolement. Au-delà ran risque néanmoins de s'avancer pru- du succès diplomatique, rare par les États-Unis maintiennent le blocage, demment, disent les professiorurels : temps qui courent, et de pour dix ans encore, de tout ce qui I'offre est excédentaire, le marché déjà I'efficacité pour une fois re- pourrait aider I'Iran à violer sa parole plombé et le prix du baril vient de tom- connue des sanctions éco- (armes conventionnelles, missiles, ber à moins de 30 dollars Ie baril, au plw nomiques, I'heure est ve- équipement, etc.). bas depuis douze ans. nue de toucher les Enfin,'l'ensemble du dispositif lwé ce Vu du Vieux Continent, I'aubaine va dividendes. Pour Ia Répu- week-end peut être rétabli à tout mo- bien au-delà du prix. S'approvisionner blique islamique, c'est ment, au premier dérapage. Cela vaut en lran permettrait de diversifier les d'abord une aubaine im- pour les deux secteu¡s qui étaient les ressources en énergie, et surtout de médiate de 50 milliards de plus touches par les sanctions : le pétrole desserrer l'étau de la Rwsie qui forrrnit dollars: des avoirs et des et la finance. C'est surtout sw les ban- êncore 1/3 du pétrole et du gaz fonds bancaires débloqués ques que cette hypothèque va qontinuer consommés dans l'UE. Sans surprise, d'un coup en Occident. Té- depeser, durant une longuephase d'ob- c'est à Téhéran que compte se rendre, héran entend s'en servir servation. L'amende record de 8,9 mil- dès féwier, le commissaire européen à 'sans délai au profit de son industrie. liards de dollars infligée en l'Énergie, MiguelArias Canete, pour de Pou¡ les Occidentatx et surtout les 2014 à la BNP, pour ses premières r< et¡dluatiotw techniqtes >>. I Européens, I'Iran, ses classes moyen- transactions en dollars au nes et son marché de 80 millions de Soudan, à Cuba et en lran, a conso¡¡rmateurs impatients sont avant laissé des traces. Avant justice tout << une formidable opportunité et un cotnme après, la gisemsnt de croíssance plutôt røre >> à américaine n'est pas d'hu- l'exportation, note le Français Franck meur à badiner avec les Proust, expert du dossier au Parlement . embargos > financiers. européen. Avec une sérieuse réserye r Ce sont le pétrole, le gaz, l'UE, et pour cawe, a. perdu plus des voire le nucléaire civil qui 37 Reoue de Presse-Press ReoieuJ-Berheuokn Çøpê-Ríaista Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ôzeti le grondementdes tanks et leroiuon des hélicoptères qui volent à basse alttftde... Depuls le mois de décembre, Parmée a Dans le Sud-Est accentué son offensive, déployant çrel- que 10000 soldats et polic¡ers dans le Sud-Est pour déloger les combattants krudes qul crewent des tranchées, éri- gent des barricades et plantent des ex- turc, la guerre plosiß.qu'ils font détorurer au passage des convois militaires. À ce þu¡, quelque 200 000 personnes auraient fui les af.- frontements - dont plus de 20 000 dans au quotidien te seul quartier de Sr¡¡ su¡ un total de 24 000habitans. << C'eet we vffitable qlse hümonitd- Dans les villes kurdes, les civils paient re>, déplore I'avocat Neset Glrasun, 33ans, qui condamne un usâgp dþro- le prix fort de la rupture du cessez{e-feu pordonné de laforce dont les civils palent le prix fort. Son cab¡net, situé non lol¡r de entre I'armée et les rebelles du PKK. Iéplcenue des conflib, est parsemé de posters de son confrère Tahir Elçi. L'ex- Mtonnler de Diyarbakir est tombé, le 28 novembre à Sur, d'une balle dans la nuque lors d'échanges de tirs dans des clrconstances qul n'ont pas encore été éclåircþs. Il y a trois semaines; Neset Gl- rasup a saisi la Cour européenne des droits de I'hom¡ne pour dénbncer l'6tat de siège i¡nposé depuis dans pluslews villes ú¡ Sud-Est, en s'appuyant sur im cas précis, celui d'Omer EXçi, le frère du déi¡nt, qu'il connalt depuis son er¡fance. < 38 Reuue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheooka Çøpê-Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ôzeti L'Êtat urc est prêt à tes combattre jw- accusés de ..propagonde terroríste>> et kurde était parvenu à faire du cessez-le- qu' au b ottt >>, prévient -il. d'<< lnrnl/ite atlx institutions de IaRépùhA- feu un argument de taille pour convain- que turc//,/ßr>.Ils sont passibles de pour- cre ses confrères de revenir investir dans Ses propos font écho à ceux du prési- zuites judiciaires sa ville. Après trente aru de conflit - et dent islamo-conservateur. Dans ses Tout a basculé à l'été 2015. À Suruç, un 40 000 morts -, de nouveaux projets in- vær¡x du NouvelAn, Recep Tayyip Erdo- attentât imputé à Daech tue33 personnes. dustrlels avaient vu le jour. l¡s.hôtels se gan a promis de << nettoy€r > son pays La petite ville à majorité kurde, frontaliè- remplissaient. la vieille muiaille de Sur, des rebelles du PKK, en se targuant d'en re de la Syrie, s'enflamme et dénonce le inscrite aupaûimoine de I'Unesco depuis avoir << élÍminé > plus de 3 000 en 2015. laxþme sécuritai¡e du pouvoir. Le PKK ¡uin 2015, atdrait de nouVeau les touris- << Nos/orces de sécurlté nettoient clnque assassine en retour deux policiers qu'il tes. <<.44þurd'1rui, je ne conryte plus le csrúimètre desmontagrcs et des villes des accuse de coopérer avec I'EI. Très vite, le nmùre fu nugosÍns ryÉ ont bdssé leur rl- teftoristes etvont contil¡'¡.ßr àle fabe ,i , a- gouvernefnent üuronce des frappes ileonr ile ter et ile pøænrvs qr.d. se retrou- t-il lancé. Corucient de I'irnpopularité de contre Daech . et dans la foulée contre les verú au chômage. C'est mauvaß sígne cette v¡Nte opéraüon militaire, Httseyin rebelles kurdes. Aussitôt, le fragile pro- pour notre écuromle >>, dit-il, désempa- i{ksoy veut rappekir les < à I'at- forts,' cebsus de p¡ix vole en éclat. ré. Iæ café de Dlyarbaldr où il donne ses tenüon des habitants: << Noùs q|,,ons al- Le pouvoir reproche aux combattants, rendez-vous à la nuit tombée est suffi- Iouéwte erwebppe de 2míilnons ileliwes hspirés par lÌautonomle croissairte des samment éloigné des combats pour nnErcs ymtr vmtr m aíde øx ¡toyuffiono Kurdes de Syrie, d'avoir proflté de la trê- qu'un serirblant de normalité y flotte dëplacées. Nousfaisons aclrøniner dec vi- ve pour préparer la guérilla urbaine. Les dans les rues environnantes ¡ restauÍants wesùceux quircstqtblqttés. >> Des ini- Kurdes disent avoir été dupés par Erdo- animés, boutiques alhrmées, supennar- tiatives gui peinent à convaincre la so- gan qui, selon erx, a sciemment relancé chés ouverts. << @ n'est ffomf/P-- ciété civile. Dans une péütion intitulée Eu'l4fn le conflit pour regagrer des voix lors des l'æil >, prévientZeineb, unehabituée des << Nous ne serona pas collrylk'æ de.ce crl- élections anticip'ées de novembre der- lieux. Lors de la très brève levée du cou- me >>, plus de 1000 ulriversftalres dé- nler. << J'ci l'impresslon qte cltr,qrc cwçl vre-feu, le ll décembre, sur Sur, à quel- noncent un << msswcre ilélbëré etplaní' tente de lørire wrc ilétnonstraÌÍon ile lwce çes minutes de là, elle est allée constater > en violation << des lois turques et des fé pour røtanir ùlatqble iles négoctatíotrs. de ses propres yeux I'amplew des dégåts. traítés futqtwtionanx d$e pt b nü - Mødls, le problème, c'gst Et'lls ont brísé la << J'oi vu des {uison$ évelfrées, iles façø- quie>. Preuve des tenslons politiEres eonflance ifuperryle >>, peste Buru Baysal, ¡ræIac&ées ¡Ieballes. On se seraít cru en exacerbées par cette guerre, les profes* remonté contre les deux parües. $rrie >, se désole-t-elle. ¡ seurs signata¡res ont été iinnédiatement Depuis 2012, cet homme d'affaires 20 janvier 2016 Turquie : Erdogan menace les intellectuels de rétorsion 20 Janv.2O76 dernière une 39 Reuue de Presse-Press Reuiew-Berheuoka Çøpê- Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ozeti lnternatior¡sl$culflork@imcs JANUARY 18, 2016 I.J.S. clears Tehran, then adds sanctions wAsHt¡{GTOt{ After prisoner exchange, Obama announces curbs linked to missile tests BY PETER BAI(E& DAVID E. SANGER AND RICKGI.ADSTONE The Obama administration announced on Sunday tüat it was imposing neq more limited sanctions on some Iranian President tlassan Rouba¡i in Tehran on Sun- citizens and companies for violating day. He did notaddress theprisonerswap. United Nations resolutions against bal- on Sùnday. The three men arrived in who have worked to procure listic.missile tests. The move came less dividuals Geneva, accompanied by Mr. Rezaian's ballistic missite components for lran" than 24 hours after the Iryhite House m- wife, Yeganeh Salehi, andmother. Wbile optics of the back-to-bac& ted broader sanctions against lran for the The fourth American freed in the ex- sanctions announcements might. seem its nuclear program change, Nosratollah Khosravi whose was impos; - The annoùncement, which was pre' to suggest that Washington incarceration had not been reported un- new measures to make up for those pared several\ryee.kd ago bu!delayed by ing til the prisoner exchange was an- tlrat were lifted Saturday, tlrey are actu- nouqced Satwday was not on the the Tleasury Departmenq was made ' - shortly after a Swiss plane carrying alþ nowhere near comparable. plane, American officials said. It was Saturday allowed Americans freed by tlte lranian author- The action tå¡rcn not immediately clear why. Iran to re-€ntêr the world's oil markets; ities departedTbhran. The release of the Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, did accordingto some estimates, bythe end Americans came a day after Iran and not address the prfsoner swqp on Sun- of the year its exports may increase by a the United States concluded delicatd ne. day. At a news conference, he said that barrels a yieiding roughly gotiations on a prisoner exchange tied milli¡n day, since the sanctions were lifted, the door $30 million a day in revenue at current had opened in indirectly to the completion of a nuclear for foreign investments prices.Its shþswillbe ableto enter and agreement. the country, even by American compa- President Obama on Sunday hailed leave foreiga ports, and its citizens will nies. the agreements with Iran as the begin, have access to global financial markets. "They can invest here anytime, but ning of what he hoped would be a nêw With a few strokes of a pen, Mr. Obama they have'their own obstacles to do so," era of constructive relations between and Secretary of St¿te John Kerry re- Mr. Rouhaqi said. He did not comment the two nations, which have been long leased more than $100 billion in frozen on whether the lifting of the sanctions estranged over ideology and regional funds, mostly from past oil sales. after two years of talks with world ambitions. The new sanctions announced on powers, including the United States, "Thisis agood day," Mr. Obamasaid Sunday are mostly aimed atindividuals would lead to more cooperation by Iran in a televised statement from the White and some small companies accused of in Syria. Instead, he promised lran a House. shipping crucial technologies to lran, in- new and better future. "\JtIe have a rare chance to pursue a cluding carbon fiber and missile parts The family of Mr, Hekmati, 32, a new path, adifferent, better future that tlrat can survive re-entry forces. The former Marine incarcerated in Iran delivers progress for botlt our peoples sanctions are so focused on those indi- longer tltan any of the others, issued a and the'wider world," said Mr. Obama, viduals and firms that most Iranians statement expressing relief that he utas who has staked his political credibility will never feel them, and the amounts out of lran. on tåe opening with lran. "That's the are comparatively tiny. "It is hard to put into woids whatour opportunity befo¡e the Iradari people. Administration officials had denied famíly feels right now," the family said. We need to tahe advantage of that." that the missile sanctions were being The family of Mr. Rezaian, 39, the But M¡. Obama voweC to continue delayed for political reasons. Washington Post's Tehran correspon- monitòring Iran's nuclear prograû¡ to Mr. Obama also announced Sunday dent, also expressed enormous relief ensure it does not cheat and said he that in addition to the completion of the wor¡ld work to restrain any aggressiVe nuclear deal and the prisoner swap, tlte The sanctions ær¡er "ll entitie¡ behavior by lran, including terrorist ac- United States and lran had resolved a and individuals involved in tivity and human rights abuses. three-decade-old financial dispute. The He also noted tlle new sanctions on United States willreturn Iranian money procurement on bchalf of lranT those involved with lran's recent ballist- held since the hostage crisis of 1979-81 ballistic missile program." ic missile tests, which Ìvere conducted witþ interest - but far less than lran in violation of United Nations restric- had been seeking, Mr. Obama said. tions, but he did not elaborateor dwell Relatives of three of the freed Ameri after an agonizing 24 hours between on tlrat dispute. cans - Jason Rezaian, Amir Hekmati when the exchange was publicly dis- In a statement, the Theasury Depart- and Saeed Abedini - expressed joy closed and when tlrey received confir- ment said it was targeting for sanctions after getting phone calls from the State mation thaütl¡e Americans had left. "ll entities and individuals involved in Department that their family members Mr. Rezaian was arrested ¡n July 2014 procurement on behalf of lran's ballistic were en route to Switzerland and then on vague charges that included spytng. missile program" and "five lranian in- on to an American air base in Germany The trlVashington Post and news media 40 Reuue de Pr esse-P r ess Reui.eu)-Berheuokn Çøpê- Riaista Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ôzeti âdvocates around the world defended Matthew ]Ïevithickt an American arrested in the country. his innocence and protested increas- who had been arrested several weeks The exchange lttent q long way to- ingly loudþ ab,out his case. ago in Tehran, where he was studying ward resolving an increasingly emo- "I am incredibly relieved tltat Jason is Farsi, also was freed to leave tlte coun- tional side dispute between t¡e two on his way home," Mr, Rezaian's broth- try as part of the negotiations to free the countrigs, one complicated by alegacy er, Ali Rezaian, said in a statement. "He other Americans. Mr. Ilevithick's ar- of hostility and mistrust built over tlrc 35 is a talented journalist, who was Simply rest had not been publiclydisclosed un- years since tlte Islamic Revolution and doing his job fairly, accurately and law- til the prisoner exchange was an- tlte American hostage crisis in 1ìehran, fully." nounced on Satuiday. 'W¡ere 52 Americans were held lor 444 He added: "Tbday is an incredible The United States released seven lra- days. dayfor allof us." nians held on sanctions violation Nonetheless, at least one other Amer- Næhmeh Ab€dini, tlte wife of Mr. charges as part of tlte prisoner ex- ican, Siamak Namazi, a business con- Abedini, a 35-yearold pastor from change and ¡escinded international ar- sultant, remained held in lran. He was Boise, Idaho, said she had been up all rest warrants on 14 others. arrested in October for unclear reasons. nigìt awaiting tùe State Department's The Iranian authorities considered American officials have said they are stÍll working to have him released. phone call. "They have finally left lrani; the Americans released in the exchange Mr. Tlevithick's departure from lran an soil! " she said in a text message. to be Iranian citizens because of their handled separately, and he \rtas not She said she and members of tlte dual nationalities. Publidy, government was onthe Swiss plane, his family said. Rezaian and Hekmati families were offidals in Iran saidtieywere notlegal- planning to moet with tleir loved ones ly obligated to afford the prisoners the in Germany overthe nextfew days. same rights given to other,foreigners htcrn¡tional Nctu þk @imø JANUARY2I,2016 ISIS razed ancient Christian site in lraq Left, St. Ellþh,s Monastory or llairMar Elia, on Marthil, ã)ll, nn4 rtght, on Sept. ?8,2014. The complex, ûe¡r the lraqi city of Monrl, whlch was selzed by Islunic State milit¡ntc ln June Alf4, had edstod for moro than l,,llx) years. The Islanric.State has damaged or de- aries ot A¡nerican miutary hearl- LEE MYERS. BYSTEVEN stroyed Scores of historic sites and quarters in northern lraqr called For. Operating Base Marez, from 2(X)3 The Islamic State has destroyed one of monuments as part of a nihilisdc cam- ward unül 2011. with the the oldest Christiån sites in Iraq as part paiSn to grad¡cate remnants of cultures Officials working provincial, of its campaign against anciênt sites in it considers anathema to its extremist Stâte Departmentt recon- struction team oversaw efforts to pre- tln countr¡r, accordingtosatellfte photo- vision of Islarn The sites have included serve the site, while chaplains held reli- graphs published on Wednbsday by The ancient ruinslike Nineveh, Nimrud and gious Associated Press and confirmed by services there for soldiers çrving Jonah's Tomb in lráq, and Palmyra in atthebase. Iraqi offidals and. historians. Syria, as well as medieval Islamic sites Military engineers built a new roof The sfte, St. Elijah's Monastery or the tombs of Yahya ibn at like Qasim over the church in 2010, in anticipation Deir Mar Etia, stoodformorethan 1100 in Mosul. and lbn tlassanAoun al-Din of future restoration work, airording to years above a riverbed soulh ofthe ciff St, E¡äahb was located near tlte Mo- of Mosul,whichtle Islamic State seized sul airport, on land that during Saddam Suzanne Bott, who served as a cultural in Mo- from lraqiforcrs in June 2014. Huggein's rule was part of a milttary adviser for the State Department sul. The satellite photographs - talren by base, putting it off limits to most Iraqis Digit¿lGlobe, a private company in for decades. Tl¡ere were 26 rooms in Since the Islamic State seized Mosul 2014 group's of a Westminser, Colo. showed that the varying states ofdecay arrayed around in and the declaration - govern monastery was razed in'late August or a central courtyard. The llth-century "caliphate" to Syria and Iraq, the militants have driven many ChristÍ- September 2014, including the site's church at the site had a baptistry, nave ans of and its environs, square complex of partty ruined rcoms and altar that were largely intact, out the city and a largely intact sanctuary that though its walls had cracked enough to along with other etlinic and religious groups like Yazidis. dated from the llth century. let in sunlight.and rain. tlre a at Al-Mus- Yonadam l(anna, aCluistian member The outer wall of the monastery com- Ali al-Nashmi, historian of the Iraqi Parliament, said the de- plex was damaged during the American tansiriya University in Baghdad;. ex- pressed shock at the mongsteryS de- struction was fi¡rther evidenceofthe Is- invasion in 2003, and tlte site was briefly struction, The lglamic State, he said, lamic Statels goal of destroying lraq's turned into a garrison of the 101st Air- "\¡/ants to elimþate Christianity ftom Christian identity, calling the site."one. borne Division, whictr was con'rmanded Iraq and the Middle'East." of the mtist historical" inthe country. at the time by Md. Gen. David H. Pet- "Nothing can compensate the loss of raeus. Omør Al-Jøwoshy contributed reprtíng. such heritage," he said. The site remained within the bound- 41 Reuue de Presse-Pr ess Ranieu)-Berheuola Çøpê- Riaistø Stømpø-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti nntermtion¡l Nctu {ork@incg TANUARv 12, 2016 Saudi Arabiis extremism brainwashed by petrodollar-ffnanced gation to prwent any similar svsa¿ Mohammrd J¡v¡d Z¡rif dernagogues who have promoted anti- By contrast, the Saudi government or rslamic ¡¡6ssages of hatred and sectari- its surrogateshave orer the pastth¡ee anismfor dec¿des. years directly targeted Iranian dþle The Saì¡di strategyto derail tüe nu- matic facilities in Yemen, I¿banon and The w-orld will soon celebrate the im- dear agreenent a¡rd perpetuate - and Pakistån - ldlt¡rtg lranian diptomats plementation of the landmark agree even exaoerbaþ tension in the re and locals lbere have been other pre . ment that resoþæ the rmnecessary, al- gion has three @mponents:- pressuring vocations, too. Iranian pilgrins in Saudi beit dangerous, crisis over lran's tbe West; promoting regional ihstahil- ¡{rabia have endi¡red systematic har-' nudear prclgram. AII parties hoped, -assment in one case, Saudi airport of- and continue to believe; th¡t t[e resolÞ ñcers molestq!- twolranian boys in Jed- tion of the nuclear issue y¡ould en¡hle dah, fueling pub[coutrage. Also, Saudi us tofocr¡s onthe serious drallenge of neglþence was to blame for tfte stam: extrernism that is ravaging our region pede during the recent haij, whicb.leût :andtùcworld" 464 Iranian piþrins dead. Moreoner, Pres¡dentllassa¡r Rouhani has rç for days, Saudi authorities refi¡sed to peatedty dcclarcd that lran's top ior- respond to requests from grieving fam- eign policy prioriùy is fricndslrþ with ilies and tlre lranian government to ac- our neighbors, poacc and stability in ccss and repatriate the bodies. tåeregionand globalcooperatiorles.' This is not to mention the rcr¡tine pecially in the ügbt against qilrùnisn. pracdce of hate spcech not only against In September 2013, a month after tfi¡rin8 Irari but agginst a¡l Shäte Muslims by ofñce, he introduccd an initiative ca¡lcd Saudi Arabla's governnent-appointßd World Against Violeurce and Exûcrnim preachers. The outrageousbeåeadi4g (\üAVE). It was approvcd by con- recentþ of Sheikh Nimr was inmedi- sensus by tüe Unitod Naüons Gencral ,aætyprecededby asermon of hatredtG' Assembþ, ¡iving hopc for a farsighted ward Shät€s by a Grand Mosque preac.h- global campaign âg¡init tg¡lorism" er in Mecc4 who last year said that "our Unfortmately, sone countrics statrd disagreement witn Shüteß will not be Þ in the way of constructhre engagcnclrt mo¡e4 nor o¡r s¡icide to ñg[t tllem" as Following the signing of the interim loug.as Shäæs remained on tüe ea¡'tù. nuclear doal in Novembcr20l3, Saudi Tbroughor¡ttlrese episodes, lran, Afabia began devotipg its resburccs to cmfident of its strength" has reñ¡sed to defeating thc dca! drivcûr by fear that retaliate or break - or even downgrade its contrivcd lranophobia was crr¡h- diplomadc relations with SaudiÁra- bling. Today, some h Riyadh not oúU bia- We have until now responded with continue to irni¡cde nornâüzafion h¡t restraint; but unilateral prudence is not are deter¡nincd to drag the ontire re- Sandi Ar¡bl¡'s excsrûon of Sheilù Ninr sustainable. gion into confrontation. ¡I-Ninr h¡s escat¡tedtoßions witü lrar. Iran ha^e ¡9 flss¡re to escalate tension Saudi Arabia sooûns to fear that thc in the region We need unity to confnont removal of the smoke screen of the nu- ity.tbrough wagirig war in Yemen and the threats posed by extremists. EVer clear issuc wille¡posetlre real $obal sponsoring extremism; and directly s¡nce the frst days after lris election, threat: its acdve sponsorship ofviolent prorroking lran" Riyadh's military cam- the president and I haveindicatedpub extremism. The barbarismis clear. At paiga in Yemen and its support for ex- licþ and privately our readiness to en- home, state exeantioners sever heads, tremists are wcll knoçn. Pfovocadons gage in dialogue, promote stâbility and with swords, as in the recent execution a8ninst lran have not grabb€d intorna- combat destabilizin8 entremisilr This of 47 prisonens in one day, induding' tionalbeadlines, primarily thanks to has fallen on deaf ea¡s in SaudiArabia Sheilù Nimr al-Nimr, arespectedreli- olrrprudent restraint. The Saudileadership must nowmake gious scholar who devoted his life to The lranian government at tlæ a choice: They can cpntinue suppor .ting promoting nonvioleniæ and civil rights. tÉgbest level unequivocaUy condenned extremists ànd promoting sectarian . Abroad, masked men sever heads with the assault against tüe Saudi Embassy hatred; or they can opt to play a con- knil¡es. and consulate in TÞbran on Jail 2, and strr¡ctive rolein promotingregional sta- Let us not forget that the perpetra- ensutd the safety of Saudi diplomats. biliff. We hope that reason will prevail tors of many acts of terror, from the We tink immediate measures to help horrors of Sept. U to tåe shooting in Sari restore order to the Sar¡didiplomatic MoHAmMTD JAvAD zrnlv is the þreign min- Bernardino and otlrer episodes of or- compound and declared ourdetermina- íster of tIæ Islamic Republic ol lrolr-' tremistcarnaSe in between, as well as tion to.bring perpetrators to justice. We nearly all members of extremist gmups also took disciplinary action against likeAl Qaedaand the Nusra Front, tlrose whofailed to protect the embassy har¡e been either Saudi nationali¡ or and have initiated aninternal investi- 42 Reaue de Presse-P r ess Rwieut-Berheuolca Çapê- Riuista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti lutcrn¡tioml l(elu Sork @imcø JANUARY2t,20t6, reaching an agreement on its nuclear program, in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. In Decem- ber, an Iranian military ship fired a mis- Can lran change? sile near American and French vessels in international waters. Even since as an instrument of its fureign polþy. sþning the nuclearaccord, the zu- Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubcir The 1979 takeover of the American Em- preme leader of lran, Ayatollah Ali bassyinlÞhranwas Khamenei, has defended the country's Tch¡onmr¡¡t onrythebeginning. ubiquitous slogan "Death to America." mPlTlqlo--^--:---;- Sincethen,embassies Saudi Arabia will not allow Iran to RlYADtl,s UDlARAIIA Theworldis otsritain,Gnmarlç undermine our security or tlte security C'tPort lt¡ watching lran for signs of change, hop Ev' Kuwait, France, Rus- of our allies. \lle will push back against ing it will evolve from a rbgue revolu- oluu(xtac¡ff, siaandsaudiArabia attempts to do so. tionary state into a respectable mem- thcMiddh havebeenattâckedin In an outlandishlie,Iran maligns and ber of the international community. But Er¡t lranorabroadbylra- offends all Saudisby saying that my na- . nianpmxies.Foreign Iran, rather tlran confronting ttte isola- ' tion, home of t¡e hro holy mosques, tion it has created for itself. opts to ob- diplomatsandde' brainwashes people to spread extrem- political scure its dangerous sectarian and ex- mestic opponents have hen as- ism. We are notthe countrydesignated pansionistpolicies, sassinated around tlre world" as well as its a state sponsor of terrorism ; Iran is. \4re support ¡or tenorism, by leveling un- Hezbollah, Iran's $¡rrogate, tries to are not the nation under international substaffiated drarges against the control Lebanon and wages war agÐinst sanctions for supporting terrorism; pro- Kingdomof SaudiArabia the Syrian opposition - andin the Iran is. $¡e arenotthe nadon whose of- It is importåfrttounderstånd why cesshelps the Islanic Stateflourish, It is ficials are on terrorism tisls; Iran is.l/e SaudiArabiaand its Gulf allies are clear why lran wants Bashar al-Assad of don't have an agent sentenced to jail for power: committed to rpsisting lranian expan- Syriato rernain in In its 2014 re 25 years by. a New York federal court port sion and responding forcefully to lranb onterrorism, the State lÞpartment for plotting to assassinate an ambassa- wrote Iran views Syria a'cruciål acts of aggression. that "as dor in Washington in 20ll; Iran does. Superlicially, tran may appear to causeway to its weapons supply route to Saudi Arabia has been a victim of ter- have changed. Certainly, we hnow that Hezbollah." The report also noted, citing rorism, often at the hands of Iran's al- provided á large segment of the lranian popula- United Nations data, tåatlran lies. Our country is on the front line of tion wants greatcr opennoss internalþ arms, flnancing and training "to sup fighting terrorism, working elosely port and better relations witlt neighboring the Assad regime's brr¡tal crack- with our allies. Saudi Arabia has arres- gov- countries and theworld. Butthe dorvn that has resulted in the deaths of ted thousands of terrorism suspects ernmentdoesnot. atleast 191,000 people." The sarnereport and procecuted hundreds. Our fight government's The lranian behavior for 20lll notedthattherrwas "amarked againstterrorism is continuing as we has bèen consistent since the l9?9 revo- resurgence of lran's state sponsorship lead multinadonal efforts to pursue The constitution Iran lution. that adopt- of teriorism," witl lranianand Hezbol- ttrose who pardcipate in terrorist activ- states the objective of exportlng ed tlle latr's terrorist activity "reaching a ities, tùose who fr¡ndthem and those has- revolution. As aconsequeRce, Iran tempo unseen since the 1990s." who foment the mind-set tltat promotes supported violent extremist groups, in- In Yemen, lran's support for the - extremism, cluding Hezbollah in Lebanon, tJre takeover of the country by the Houtlri The real question is whether lran Houthis inYemen and sect¿rian mili- militiahel@ cause the warthat has wants to live by tlre rules of the interna" proxies tias in lraq. Iran or its have kiledthousands. tional system, or remain a revolution- been blamed for terrorist attacks While Iran claims its top foreign ary state committed to expansioñ and around the world, including the bomb- policy priority is friendship, its behavi- to defiance of.international law. In the ings of the United States Ma¡lne bar- or shows the opposite is true, Iran is the end, we want an lran that works to racksin Beirut in198i1and the Khobar single:most-hlligerent-actor in the re-. solve problems in awaytltat allows Towers in SaudiArabiain 1996, andtlte gion, and its actions display both a com- people to live in peace. But that will re- assassinations in the Mykonos restau- mitment to regionalhegemonyand a quire major changesin lran's policy rant in Berlin in 1992. Andby sonte esti- deeply held view that coriciliatory ges- and behavior. We have yet to see that. mates lranian-backed forces lrave tures signal wea*ness eitler on lran3 killed over 1,100 American troops in part or on the pa¡t of its adversaries. ADEL BIN AHM:o Af,-Jurrn ùs theforeign Iraq since 2003. In that vein, Iran tested a ballistic minister of the Kíngilom of Saudi Atabia. Iran uses attacks on diplomatic sites missile on Oct. 10, just months after de Sur et dans plusieurs autres villes, sous couvre-feu total, pour éliminer des quatre groupes jeunes rebelles qui y avaient installê des banicades et des tran- r Turquie : eoldats de v¡i- chées, déftant les âutorités. tués lors de combats avec Les afüontements qu¡ continuent de s'y dérouler ont fait de nombreuses victimes dans les deux camps, ainsi que près de 200 civils, selon les ONG. le PKK dans le sud-est Dans le district historique de Sut à Diyarbakir, le couvre-feu en place depu¡s le quartiers pour per- Diyarbakir (Thrquie), 27 janvier 2016 (AFP) 2 décembre a été étendu à cinq supplémentaires et à une rue metlre aux forces de lbrdre de démanteler et déminer les positions tenues par les rebelles, ont annoncé mercredi les autorités locâles. QUATRE SOLDATS turcs ont été tués mercredi lors dê v¡olents affronte- ments avec des rebêllos du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) à Un couvre-feu règne depuis près de 50 jours dans la ville de Cizre, alors que Diyarbaki¡ dans le sud-êst à majorité kurde du pays, où un couvre-feu celui qui visait la ville de Silopi a été levé partiellement lâ sema¡ne demière. controversé a encore été renforcé. L'armée a par ailleurs annoncé avoir "éliminé" mardi 20 "tenoristes" supplémen- Les combâts ont éclaté dans le district de Sur, lorsque des hommes du PKK ont t¡aires à Cizre et Sur, portant à près de 600 le nombre des pertes rebelles depuis ouvert le feu sur des soldats avec des armes automatiques et des lance- le début de son ofiensive. Ces chiffres n'ont pas été confirmés de source indé- roquettes, a annoncé le commandement mil¡taire sur son s¡te intemet. pendante. Tro¡s soldats ont été tués et s¡x autre blessés, a ajouté l'état-major. Après plus de deux ans de cessez-le-feu, le conflit kurde a iepris l'été demier, faisant voler en éclats les pourparlers de paix engagés par le gouvemement Un quatrième soldat est décédé plus tard de ses blessures à l'hôpitral, a indiqué islamo-conservateurturc avec le PKK à I'automne 2012. Ce conflit a fait plus de de son côté l'agence de presse Dogan. 40.000 morts depuis 1984. Uarmée et la police ont lancé en décembre une vaste offensive dans le district 43 Reaue de P r e s s e -P r e s s Reaiew -B erhea okn Ç ap ê - Ria ist ø Stampø-Dentro de lø Prensø-Basin Ozeti FIGARO /(,.ll.t: )llllll()llt ()ltll(ì\/r'r'lr" Jean-François Colosimo : FIGAROVOX/GRAND ENTRETIEN - Jean-François Colosimo a accordé un entretien- fleuve à FigaroVox au sujet du rôle géopolitique de la Turquie au Proche-Orient. It déplore le double-jeu d'Erdo$an et la passivité de I'Europe. Par Eléonore de Yulpillières I le2210112016 http : //www.lefi gar.o.fr Jean-Frønçois Colosimo est écrivøin et essøyistc. Présid¿nt du Centre ¡utional du livre de 2010 à 20l3,il d,irige désormais les étlitions du Ced. Son dernier livre, Les Hommes en trop, Ia malÍdiction des chró- *# t3 ticns d'Orient, est Wu en septembre 2014 -+" aux éditions Fayønl. Il a égalnmcnt publié chez Fayørd. Dieu est øméricøin en 2006 et L'Apocølypse russe en 2008. t_ LE FIGARO. - On a appris les bombarde- ments d'un village chrétien de Sharanish Afin de comprendre la Turquie d'aujour- nombreru( et tant la fabrique au nord de I'Irak, dans le cadre des opéra- d'hui, il faut, comme il est d'habitude en nationaliste ne fonctionne Orient, s'établir sur le temps long. Plusieurs tions anti-PKK. Juste après les attentats qu'en produisant, à côté du d'Istanbul, la Thryuie avait lancé une illusions de perspective menacent en effet campagne de frappes aériennes contre une claire vision: qu'il y aurait une perrna- citoyen-modèle, son double I)a'ech en lrak et en Syrie. Quel est son nence en quelque sorte éternelle de la démonisé. ennemi prioritaire, I)a'ech ou les Turquie, qu'il y aurait lieu d'opposer la minorités? Turquie lai'ciste de Mustafa Kemal et la Turquie islamiste de Recep Erdo$an, que Ce processus historique, déjà long de deux siècles, explique à la fois la naissance et I'ag- Jean-François COLOSIMO. - Une vague I'avenir de la Turquie serait nécessairement onie de Turquie moderne. Deux événe- de bombes qui revêt valeur d'avertissement assuré. la ments relevant de la logique de la Terreur pour l'État islamique et de gage pour les encadrent surgissement: premier Éøts-Unis ne saurait épuiser la question du La Turquie contemporaine est incompréhen- son le génocide de I'histoire, commis en par double jeu d'Ankara dans la nouvelle crise sible sans I'Empire ottoman, lequel est lui- l9l5 progressiste des Jeunes- d'Orient. Le fait de se vouloir à la fois le même incompréhensible sans I'Empire le mouvement 600 000 Arméniens d'Asie champion de I'Otan et le passeur de Da'ech byzantin qui I'a précédé: comment passe-t- Turcs, soit I mineure anéantis la première purification n'engage pas d'autre ennemi prioritaire que on, à l'âge moderne, d'une mosaïque multi- ; ethnique I'histoire, entérinée par la soi-même. La Turquie est en lutte contre la ethnique et pluri-religieuse à des ensembles de Société des Nations en 1923, consécutive à Turquie. Elle combat les spectres des mas- nationaux et étatiques cohérents? Or, la la guene de révolution nationale menée par sacres sur lesquels elle s'est édifiée. Que les décomposition de I'Empire ottoman, entamé Mustafa Kemal et se soldant par l'échange minorités, chLrétiennes ou autres, souffrent au dans les années 1820 avec I'indépendance de populations soit 500 passage, c'est leur sort. Car toute I'histoire la Grèce, n'en finit pas de finir. Depuis la des d'Asie mineure, I 000 Grecs expulsés du terreau traditionnel moderne du pays se conjugue dans ce mou- chute du communisme, de Sarajevo à deux cinq cents vement de balancier perpétuel entre adver- Bagdad, les récents incendies des Balkans et de I'hellénisme depuis mille ans. Une dépopulation qui a été aussi bien, sité du dehors et adversité du dedans. Et au les présents incendies du Levant attestent de il faut le noter, une déchristianisation. regard duquel les changements de régime ne sa reprise, de sa poursuite et de son carac- comptent guère. tère, pour I'heure, inachevé. La déconstruction impériale que se proposait Comment s'est opéré le basculement d'acter le Traité de Sèvres en 1920, en prévoyant entre autres une Grande Arménie d'une Tlrrquie laique vers I'intensification L'ennemi extérieur a été de I'emprÍse de I'islam sur toute la battu. Reste à vaincre I'en- et un Grand Kurdistan, laisse la place à la construction de la Grande Turquie, acquise société? Quel est le sort des minorités eth- plutôt, nemi intérieur. Ou, par armes, qu'endossè Traité de niques et religieuses? les le les ennemis, tant ils sont Versailles en 1923. La Turquie naft ainsi >r 44 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê-Riaistø Stampø-Dentro de ln Prensa-Basin Ozeti >r d'un réflexe survivaliste. Elle doit per- ans,de 1984à2002. Europe ; et même comme défenseur des fftuer sa matrice, continuer à chasser ses Ouiihours musulmans en Chine. Le signe le ennemis pour exister, sans quoi elle risque La prise de pouvoir d'Erdofan et de I'AKP plus probant de sa rupture avec I'Occident de retomber dans la fiction et I'inexistence. va permette un retour de I'islam au sein de éønt de s'être posé en adversaire d'IsraëI, L'ennemi extérieur a été battu. Reste à vain- I'identité turque. Elle acte en fait une conver- jusque-là I'allié d'Ankara, à I'occasion de ses cre I'ennemi intérieur. Ou, plutôt, les enne- gence sociologique qui a force d'évidence sorties verbales à Davos ou des expéditions mis, tant ils sont nombreux et tant la fabrique démographique, accrue par la volonté de navales présentées comme humanitaires à nationaliste ne fonctionne qu'en produisant, revanche des milieux traditionnels marginal- destination de Gaza. à côté du citoyen-modèle, son double isés par le kémalisme, des classes démonisé. laborieuses délaissées par les partis sécular- Le fil rouge? Que la Turquie, sortie de I'ef- isés, de la paysannerie menacée par la mod- fondrement de I'Empire ottoman, déportée à Qui ont été les victimes de cette politique? ernisation mais aussi, dans un premier I'Ouest par une laiþisation jugée contre- temps, des minorités tentées de rompre la nature, redevienne la première puissance du Dès I'inst¿uration de la République par chape de plomb étatique. La réalité va monde musulman et sunnite. Kemal, la modernisation et I'occidentalisa- cependant vite reprendre ses droits: le fonda- tion se traduisent par I'exclusion. C'est vrai mentalisme sunnite devient la religion con- des minorités religieuses non-musulmanes, stitutive de la 45 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê-Rirsistø Stnmpø-Dentro de Ia Prensn-Basin Ozeti >| Il faut rappeler les dizaines et dizaines Le sommet de la politique d'islamisation deviendrait le pays à la fois le plus peuplé et de journalistes virés sur ordre d'en-haut, d'Erdofan est le soutien implicite de la le moins avancé, le plus religieux et le emprisonnés pour offenses à la patrie, à I'is- Turyuie à Da'ech, par hostilité au régime moins démocratique de I'Union. lam, au chef de l'État. Il faut rappeler les d'Assad, aux courants progressistes arabes, Militairement, elle en porterait les fron- poursuites judiciaires contre l'écrivain Orhan et par une alliance objective sur le sunnisme tières sur des zones de guerre. Mais, Pamuk qui avait osé évoquer le génocide des fondamentaliste. La Turquie s'élève enfin surtout, culturellement, philosophiquement, Arméniens, contre le pianiste Fazil Say qui contre I'essor de I'identité kurde en Turquie l'État turc, non pas les intellectuels turcs, avait osé se déclarer athée. Mais aussi la et, de ce point de vue, son alliance avec refuse cette épreuve typiquement restauration du voile dans I'espace public Da'ech est objective. européenne du retour critique sur soi et sur sous prétexte de liberté de conscience, I'hy- I'acceptation d'une mémoire partagée quant pertaxation du raki et plus généralement de C'est l'Éht turc qui a déverrouillé l'État au passé, à commencer par le génocide des I'alcool sous prétexte de lutte contre I'al- islamique en lui offrant un hinterland prop- Arméniens. Mais I'animage de la Turquie à coolisme, la multiplication des mosquées ice au transport des combattants, à I'approvi- I'Europe, sous la forme de partenariat priv- sous prétexte de la moralisation de la sionnement en arnes, au transfert de devis- ilégié, doit demeurer un objectif. Il ne passe jeunesse, etc. es, au commerce du pétrole. C'est la société pas par une amélioration des cadres poli- turque qui souffre de ce rapprochement tiques ou économiques, mais par une libéra- Dans le même temps, le mouvement protes- insensé. C'est I'Europe qui s'entête à demeur- tion des mentalités. Ce que veut empêcher tataire né à Istanbul après qu'Erdogan a er aveugle à cette connivence mortifère. Erdo$an. annoncé sa volonté de détruire le F¿rc Gezi de Taksim, ce bastion alévi, a récemment Pour quelle raison cette ambiguiTé turyue L'affrontement russo-turc est-il en passe enflammé la Turquie. La résistance qui n'est-elle pas dénoncée par les pays qui de se durcir? existe est ainsi populaire et parcourue par les luttent contre I'Etat islamique? survivances minoritaires. Erdolan a osé défier Poutine sans en avoir Parce que I'Europe impotente, sans diplo- les moyens et pour complaire aux Éhts- Nous sommes face à un engrenage et une matie et sans armée a cédé, au chantage Unis. L'opposition là encore est ancienne, dérive autoritaire qui ne dit pas son nom. Au d'Erdoþn sur I'endiguement supposé des ancrée, pluriséculaire et constitue un invari- point que, alors qu'Erdofan fustige 46 Reuue de Presse-Press Reaieu)-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaista Stampø-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Basin Ozeti - Ou si I'on préfèrey'u économique, une politique d'inféodation devoir et de I'honneur. envers les pays théoriciens et fournisseurs de Mais cet aveuglement de la gauche au pou- I'islamisme arabe qu'il était prêt à intituler voir est-il si surprenant? Ce furent les social- pompeusement WEEE 30 JANVIER 2016 Le scepticisme règne à Genève Syrie . Les discussions organlségs par I'ONU afin de trouver un début d'issqe à lq guerre en Syrie ont commenõé. L'absènce d'acteurs majeurs rend la mission très ardu"e. 47 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaieut-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaista Stampø-Dentro de In Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti 22 January 2016 Iraqi Kurdistan president : time has come to redraw Middle East boundaries Massoud Ba¡zani claíms era of Sytes-Picot is over a¡rd a new international agrsement is needed for the Middle East Martin Chulov ûr Erbil FTiday ãZlall.nry2O16 http ://www.the guardian com ¡a¡he president of lraq's autonomous I fur¿istr north has called on global leaders to acknowledge that the Sykes- Picot pact that led to the boundaries of the modern Middle East has failed, and urged them to broker a new deal paving the way for a Kwdish gtate. Masoud Barzani, who has led the tou- bled counky's Kurda for the past decade, said the international community had started to accept that lraq and S¡¡ria in particular would never again be unified and that "compulsory co-existence" in haqì Kurdísh leailet Møssouil Barzøni ønnounces the liberøtion of Sínju, lrøq, lrom the region had been proven wrong. Irlìs ìn Nooember 2075. Photogrøph: Safrn HømedlAFPlGetty lmages "I thinÏ that within themselves, [world leaders] have come to this conclusion He said independence, which has been t¡¡pe of agreement it is, what mechanism that the era of Sykes-Picot is over," the centrepiece of Kurdish ambitior¡s for it can bring and rely on to formalise Ba¡zani told the Gua¡dian. "Wtrether they decades but has been fiercely opposed things, and what will be its status. VVhen say it or not, accept it or not, the reality by suspicious regdonal neig'hbours, was the formalùsation of that agreement will on the grround is that. But as you know, "now closêr than at any other time". be is not known yet. It's illogical to con- diplomats a¡e conservatives and they Countries that had long been against the tinue or insist on repeating a wrong give their asses¡ment in the late stages move were being swayed by the claim experiment that was repeated for 100 of thingis. And sometimes they can't even that sovereignty within the current bor- years and is leading nowhere." keep up with developments." ders of the Kurdish regional government could instead bring clarity, he said. "Right now, Iraq is divided. We a¡e not The political map of northern lraq has responsible for it. On the contrary, we changed drastically in the l8 months /^ver the past l0 years, an dready have done ou¡ best to preserve Iragi since Islamic State overran kaq's second \.ftenuous relationships with Baghdad unity and a democratic kaq. In 1991, we city, Mosul. Kurdish forces a¡e now in fi¡Il has been shredded. Irãgi leaders have went to Iraq and negotiated with those control of Kirkuk and Sinjar and have been particularly angered by the seizure criminals that were responsible with the claimed control of thousands more miles of Kirkuk, which has seenErbil di¡ect the chemical bomba¡dment, the Anfal cam- of land that had been under control of flow of the cifi/s oil to its pipeline sprea- paign flaunched by Saddam Hussein Iraq's central government. ding north to Turkey. Erbil, meanwhile, against the Kurdsl. had seen its prescribed share of cent¡al Now, four months before the centennial budget revenues slashed before it took "People talk about the experience of of the Sykes-Picot agreement under the city, beating Isis in a race for control national reconciliation in South .Africa. which Britain and France canred spheres in the days following Mosul's fall. With atl my respect for what they experi- of influence from the ruins of the enced, what we as the Kurds did ... hap- Ottoman Empire, Barzani said maintain- Ba¡zani said regional and global powers pened even before the South African sit- ing the status quo would ensure further now needed to enshrine a new pact that uation. After 2003, we went to Baghdad regional disintegration and destruction would protect communities in kaq and and tried ou¡ best through the constitu- 'Tyranny has gone': Ku¡ds and Yazidis Syria, where divisions have become tional process, But the existing culture in celebrate recapture of Sinjar from Isis entrenched on socio-religious and sec- Iraq is not one of co-existence. Read more ta¡ian lines. "There must be a [new] agreement, it is important to see what "So if we can't live together we have Þ 48 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaieu)-Berheaoka Çapê-Riaista Stømpø-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozgti > to live with other alternatives." experience throughout the last l5 years mission to exercise our rights." proves that we a¡e the element of stabil- Barzani announced he would push for itv." Barzani said regional attitudes had shift- independence on I Jufy 2014, the first ed markedly. "It has been a dramatic time a Ku¡dish leader had pledged to do nleighbouring states have long been change," he said. "To give you onê ex¿rm- so after decades of a¡med struggle, civil Il concerned about the domestic impli- ple. Using Kwdistan and Kurds was for- wa¡ and displacement. The announce- cations of a sovereign Kurdish state. bidden in Turkey, but a month ago when ment was meant to lead to a referendum, Turkey, Syria and Iran have large I went to Turkey, the Ku¡distan flag flew but it failed to generate momentum and Kurdish minorities of thei¡ own. Turkey, in the presidential palace. was soon subsumed by the Isis advance in particular, has fought a fou¡-decade on Erbil, and the worsening crisis in Iraq campaign against Kurdish militants that "If you compare it to the time I have lived and Syria. it believes want to create an autonomous with, throughout all our experiences, I regrion in its south-east. ¡{t the same time, think it is now much closer than at any He told the Gua¡dian that some neigh- however, it has cultivated wa¡m relations other time. I know that it's a heavy bours had come to see the Ku¡distan with the KRG leadership. weight, but it's a sacred responsibility."l region €rs a source of stability in a region otherwise dominated by geopolitical "\Me have not discussed this with Turkey, chaos. "A¡l of the opposition to us has whether they are going to accept this or been based on some wxong perceptions. not. I don't think [they would oppose it]. The Kurdistan region is not a source of This is ou¡ national right. We are not a threat for any of the neigtrbours. Our threat to ¿rnyone, but we don't seek per- I REUTERS Curfe\ü uridened in southeast Turkey, clashes kill zB DIYARBAKIR, Turkoy I Jan27,2016 | By 9oyhmus Cakan SECTIRITYFORCES KILL,ED ao KURDISH militants in south- east Ihrkey while tl¡ree Thrkish soldiers died in a rebel attacþ the military said on Wednesday, as authorities widened a cur- few in the rnainly Kurdlsh region's largest city, Diyarbakir. Hundreds of locals, including children and the elderly, fled curfew-bound areas of Dþrbakir's Sur district as gunfìre and blasts resounded and police helicopters flew overhead, a Reuters witness said. Some people cried as they carried away possessions. Southeastem Ti¡rkey has endured its worst violence in two decades since az-tfz-year-old ceasefire between the state and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants collapsed in Jul¡ reviving a conflict that has killed 4o,ooo people since 1984. The army said u PKK members died in the town of Cizre, near the Syrian Resídents cøry theìr belongings as they flee lrom Sur dístrict, border, and nine more in Sur on Thesday, bringing the militant death toll whìch ís pørtiølly uniler curfew, in the Kurilísh-ilomìnøteil south- in the two towns to some 6oo since security operations began there last eøstern city of Dìyøtbakít, Turkcy lønuøry 27, 2076, month. ReuterslSertøc Køyør It said three soldiers were killed in a militant attack in Sur, where securi- ty sources said militants opened fire with rifles and a rocket launcher. ple sheltering in a Cizre cellar, where four have died and three are in a The ancient Sur district, enclosed by Roman city walls, has suffered critical condition, according to information obtained by Emma Sinclair- extensive damage in the fighting and much ofit has been under a round- Webb of Human Rights Watch. the-clock curfew since Dec. z. "Medical attention is not being provided to those in need. This is an The district governor's office said the curfew was extended to five more urgent situation that the Turkish government needs to address immi- districts so securityforces could remove explosive devices and barricades nently to prevent loss of life," she told a news conference in Istanbul. and fill in ditches set up by militants. Rights groups, and a doctors' association have called for ambulances to be Turkey, the United States and the European Union all classify the PKK as allowed to rescue the wounded. The HDP said three of its parliamentari- a terrorist organization. The PKK sap it is fighting for autonomy for ans had gone on hunger strike and were staging a sit-in at the offices of Turkey's Kurdish minority. the Interior Ministryto force authorities to send ambulances. governor's "URGÉNTSTTIJATIONII The local office said emergency services were unable to enter the area because ofthe PKK, Rights groups and locals have voiced growing concern about the civilian (safe) death toll in the security operations since last month. The pro-Kurdish "Our ambulances have been sent to the closest location and have HDP party puts the toll at nearly rzo. asked for all the wounded, if an¡ to be brought to this location. But despite all our efforts, our call has been ignored," thè Sirnak province Rights groups and the HDP have highlighted the plight of some z8 peo- govemor's office said.O 49 Reaue de P r esse-Pr ess Reaieut-B erheooka Çap ê - Riaista Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensø-Basin Ozeti ryor ?rtÇ.. January 2112016 conducted in Moscow. Meanwhile, Education Minister Nabi Russia sends soldiers, engineers Avcr said it was true that Russian troops were acting together with Syrian regime to near Turkish border forces in areas that were controlled by QamishH Assad. "[The report ofl some Russian military USur Ergan ANKARA 154 base in the south of Qamishli, which is - Janaaryl27l2Ûl6 presence in together with www.hurriyetdailynews.com equipped with artillery batteries, radars and Qamishli [Syrian] regime forces is true," said Avcr, according anti-aircraft weapons, and serves to defend to state-run Anadolu Agency. "In ussia has sent soldiers and engineers to the airport. Qamishli, J) regime forces, Russian soldiers and the PYD I\the international airport in Syria's Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency Union Party] act together." across the border from Turkey's reported the Russian soldiers would be [Democratic Qamishli, Turkish Defense Minister ismet Yrlmaz Nusaybin, the Syrian Observatory for deployed to areas of Qamishli that are under said there were also contrary claims regar- Human Rights (SOHR) has reported. the control of the Syrian regime, and not the ding the deployment of Russian soldiers at In a statement quoting local activists, Democratic Union Party (PYD). adding that none of these claims SOHR said Russian soldiers and engineers Turkish intelligence sources have confir- Qamishli, would change anything. were dispatched to the international airport med to daily Hürriyet that Russian forces "This will not change anything. One in Qamishli in order to expand the facility arrived at Qamishli, stating Turkey's radars needs to be a part of an international coali- and enable the landing of Russian fighterjets had noticed the plane carrying the soldiers. tion. I believed one cannot achieve success and cargo planes. The airport would serve to The deployment is not a first, sources by stepping out of the coalition. If a fight enhance Russia's defenses, the SOHR clai- said, adding that Russian forces were pre- against terrorism is needed, then internatio- med. viously spotted in parts of Qamishli that are nal cooperation is needed," Yrlmaz was quo- Meanwhile, the Local Coordination controlled by the regime. The number of sol- ted as saying by Anadolu Agency. Committee (LCC) reported that some 100 diers sent to the area remains unclear, the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister TuSrul Russian soldiers of different ranks arrived at sources explained. Türkeg said, "No matter what how many the airport in Qamishli on Jan. 18 with a The reports were denied by Kurdish Russian troops are stationed at the border of Syrian military plane. sources speaking to daily Hürriyet, howe- they cannot be a threat to Turkey, According to the LCC's statement, ver, which claimed all communications bet- Qamishli, which is a member of NATO." n Russian soldiers were brought to Regiment ween Russia and the PYD were being pAsroclaudPrw Lavrov also warned against Saudi Arabia's proposal to invite only opposition groups that it hosted at a meeting last month, saying the Syrian peace process Russia urges for should also include other opposition representatives, like those that met for talks in Moscow last year. The current opposition negotiating team announced in Saudi Arabia last including Kurds week includes Saudi-backed Islamic rebel factions like Jaish al-Islam, or the Army of Islam, which Russia considers terrorists. The nearly five-year Syrian conflictthat began in 20ll with protests against in Syria talks Assad's rule, has morphed into an allout war that has killed a quarter-million and displaced millions. January 26,2016 Vladimir Isachenkov (AP) , Lawov's statement at a news conference reflects the tough posturing ahead MOSCOW Russia on Tuesday argued strongly against Turkey's of Syria peace talks set to start Friday. U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura jockeying demand to keep- a leading Kurdish grcup out of Syrian peace talks, and will be sending invitations amid intense between countries like said it expects the U.N. envoy to rcsist "blackmail" by Turkey and oth- Russia and Turkey about who should be invited. ers, reflecting sharp differcnces that rcmain ahead of the talks. Russi4 a key ally ofAssad, has called for the inclusion ofKurdish represen- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also denied allegations that tatives, and the U.S. and others have supported the Kurds in the fight against Moscow had urged Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and could IS. Russia's relations with Turkey are at a freezing point after a Turkish fight- offer him political asylum. er jet downed a Russian warplane at the border with Syria in November. He specifically shrugged offreports last week claiming that Russia's military In Ankar4 Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Tuesday reiterated intelligence chief had haveled to Damascus to try to persuade Assad to go. Turkey's opposition to including Syrian Kurdish forces at the Geneva talks. Lavrov said there was no point in such a hip as Assad visited Moscow in the "A table without the Kurds would be incomplete. We do not oppose the fall and had extensive talks with President Vladimir Putin. Kurds but we oppose the PYD and YPG who oppress the Kurds," Davutoglu "No one has asked for or offered any political asylum," he said, adding that said in his weekly address to his party's legislators. "It is not acceptable for Assad had promised Putin he would sit down for peace talks with oppositiott, us for a tenor organization to be included within the opposition." including armed groups, and engage the "pahiotic" opposition in the fight Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglq in an interview with NTV television, against the Islamic State group alongside the Syrian army. said Turkey would tioycott the talks if the PYD were invited. Lavrov emphasized that the Kurdish group, the Democratic Union Party, or Lavrov has dismissed the demand by some opposition groups that the Syrian PYD, plays an important role in fighting the Islamic State group and is an military must lift the siege of some areas before the talks begin, saying that essential part ofpolitical settlement in Syria. unblocking the besieged areas and delivering humanitarian aid should be an Turkey sees the PYD and its YPG militia group as branches of the Kurdistan important part of the negotiations. Workers' Party, a Kurdish resistance gtoup it has long fought and considers a "There must be no preconditions for starting the talks, and the humanitarian terrorist group. issues must be among the central issues on their agend4" he said, adding that government Lavrov wamed that it would be a "grave mistake" not to invite the PYD. while the plight of the cþ of Madaya blockaded by Syrian "How can you talk about political reforms in Syria if you ignore a leading forces has been widely publicized, a similar situation in government-con- Kurdish party?" he said, adding that the Kurds account for 15 percent ofthe holled Deir el-Zour has been largely out of the public eye. o population. 50 Reaue de Presse-Press Review-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaista Stampø-Dentro de Ia Prensø-Basin Ozeti Arrestation en Turquie : I'UE dénonce un "climat d'intimidation" Des universitaires turcs qui s'opposaient aux opérations contre les Kurdes ont été arrêtés. L'UE invite la Thrquie à se conformer anDK standards européens. AIiP - lryø ' ró/or/zor6 . '" Le Point.fr "ri¡l¡ii';.i#$ T Tne pétition suscite le trouble en Turquie. LJ Un" vingtaine d'universitaires turcs qui avaient signé une pétition appelant à la fin des opérations controversées de I'armée contre la rébellion kurde dans le sud-est de la Turquie ont été interpellés. L'Union européenne a dénoncé cette action, évoquant < un climat d'intimidation >. L'Union européenne a dénoncé samedi I'inter- pellation d'une vingtaine d'universitaires turcs qui avaient signé une petition appelant à la fin des opérations contrrrversées de I'armée contre Les unioetsitaires ønêtés ilénonçøient les øctìons du gonternement contte le PKK lmøge la rébellion kurde dans le sud-est de la Turquie, il'íllusttøtion. @ Anødolu Agencyl Aziz Asløn regrettant < un climat d'intimidation >. C'est < un développement extrêmement préoccupant taque contre le siège de la police à Cinar le 14 mort depuis zoo5, a été redynamisé fin novem- >>, a estimé la porte-parole de I'LJE pour les janvier > qui a fait six morts dans cette ville du bre à la faveur d'un rapprochement entre Affaires étrangères dans un communiqué. sud-est et a été attribuée aux rebelles kurdes, a Ankara et Bruxelles pour tenter d'endiguer le déclare la porte-parole de I'llE. < Mais la lutte flux de migrants venant de Syrie et d'Irak. METTRE r¿ r-Écrsr.nrroN TTrReuE contre le terrorisme doit pleinement respecter Atrx STANDARDS nunopÉnNs les obligations du droit international, y com- L'< initiative des universitaires pour Ia paix > pris les droits de I'homme et le droit humani- avait été rendue publique lundi par r eoo intel- Dans toute la Turquie, des enquêtes ont été taire >, a-t-elle poursuivi. < [å liberté d'expres- lectuels qui exigeaient la fin de I'intervention ouvertes pour <( propagande terroriste >, < sion doit être garantie un climat d'intimi- musclée des forces de securité turques contre insulte aux institutions et à la République [...], dation r¡a à I'encontre de cela >, a insisté la les partisans du Parti des travailleurs du turque ) et < incitation à violer la loi > contre porte-parole. Kurdistan (PKK) dans le sud-est en majorité les signataires de la pétition, qui risquent un à kurde de la Turquie. Dans ce texte, ils dénon- cinq ans de prison. Une dizaine d'universités 1 2OO INTEIIECTT,]EI.S EXIGENT IIl' trIN cent << un massacre délibéré et planifié en totale ont parallèlement engagé des poursuites disci- DE LINTERVENIION @NTRE I,E PKK violation des lois turques et des traités interna- plinaires contre plus de soixante autres pro- tionaux signés par la Turquie >. < L'UE réitère fesseurs ou chercheurs. < Nous aüendons de la Turquie que sa législa- sa conviction profonde que le processus de paix tion soit mise en oeuvre conformément aux avec les Kurdes reste le seul moyen de résoudre < Nous réaffrrmons notre condamnation la standards européens >, a-t-elle déclaré, alors un conflit qui continue à coûter trop de vies >, plus forte de toutes les formes d'attaques ter- que le processus d'adhésion avec I'UE, au point a assure la porte-parole. r roristes, y compris par le PKIÇ ainsi que de I'at- iligrants: l'UE assure qu'elle yelsera bientôt les 3 milliards d'euros promis à la Turquie Ankara,25 janvier 2016 (AFP) Mais le contrôle de I'argent promis par l'UE suscite des tensions. "Ce n'est pas de I'argent de poche, Cest de l'argent destiné aux proþts", a L'UNION EUROPÉEilNE (UE) s'ett efforcóe lundi d'apaisor la grogne de la insisté Mme Mogherini, "ce n'est pas de l'argent qui ira dans les mains du gou- Turquie gui s'inquiète du retard pris par le volet f¡nancier de I'accord ¡ur vemement turc, cest de I'argent destiné aux proþts pour les réfugiés'. que promls les m¡gfantr, aslurant lcs 3 milllards d'euros lera¡ent vsraés De son côté, le ministre turc des Afiaires étrangères Mevlüt Cavusoglu a encore à rabonnable". Ankara "dan¡ un dólai une fois regretté la lenteur du versement des fonds. "Nous ne le prenons pas Lors d'une visite à Ankara, la chef de la diplomatie europÉenne Federica personnellement, Cest une décision inteme de l'UE. Mais le moindre retard Mogherini a indiqué que les discussions sur cette enveloppe étaient toujours "en affecte la vie quot¡dienne des réfugiés, leur scolar¡sation et leur situation médi- cours", mais a minimisé les informations faisant état de divergences sur leur uti- cale", a-t-il lancé. lisat¡on. La Turquie, qui souligne qu'elle reçoit à elle seule 2,2 millions de réfugiés "Je suis confiante sur le fait que I'argent promis sera là dans un délai raisonna- syriens, critique depu¡s des mois la lenteur avec laquelle l'UE a Éagi å la crise, ble', a déclaré Mme Mogherini devant la presse. et ne manque pas de rappeler qu'elle a déjà dépensé 10 milliards de dollars La responsable européenne a parailleurs appelé à I'anêt immédiat des combats pour leur accueil. qui opposent les forces de sécurité turques aux rebelles du Parti des travailleurs - Accord pleinement appliqué'- (PKK) à kurde la Turquie. du Kurdistan dans le sud€st dominante de Les Européens ont en retour rappelé lundi les Turcs å leurs engagements de Ankara et Bruxelles ont signé fin novembre un "plan d'action" qui ptÉvoit une contenir le flot des migrants, qu'ils jugent trop élevé. "L'essentiel pour nous est aide européenne de 3 milliards d'euros aux autorités furques en échange de leur que I'accord que nous avons conclu so¡t ple¡nement appliqué", a souligné Mme engagement à mieux contrôler leurs frontièr€s et à lutter contre les passeurs. Mogherini. + 51 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çapê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de Iø Prensa-Basin Ozeti + Malgré cet accord, des milliers de migrants cont¡nuant chaque jour à tenter Après deux ans de paix relative, la guene Ëit à nouveau rage depuis l'été dans la traversée périlleuse entre les côtes turques et les ¡les grecques, malgré la le sud-est turc entre les forces de sécurité et le PKK, inscrit sur la liste des orga- météo hivemale. nisations tenoristes par l'UE et les Etats-Unis. Depuis le début de I'année, l'Organisation intemationale pour les migrations Ces afirontements ont fait de nombreuses v¡ctimes dans les deux camps, ainsi (OlM) a déjà dénombré 36.000 anivées en Grèce, après les plus de 850.000 que des dizaines de victimes civiles selon les ONG. enregistrées en 2015. M. Hahn a plaidé pour une reprise rapide des pourparlers de pa¡x entre le gou- que prête Lu¡ aussi en visite å Ankara, le commissaire européen à l'élargissement, vemement turc et le PKK, intenompus depuis l'été, et a dit I'UE éta¡t Johannes Hahn, s'est toutefois félicité de la récente décision d'Ankara d'accor- à y contribuer. der des permis de travail aux réfugiés syriens, saluant "un pas significatif et Le m¡n¡stre turc des Afiaires européennes Volkan Bozkir a sèchement répondu important'. à ses invités qu"'en tiant que pays souverain, la Turquie continuera son combat qui Bruxelles, qui a accepté dans le cadre de cet accord de relancer les discussions contre toutes les organ¡sations terroristes, y compris le PKK, menacent sa d'adhésion de la Turquie à I'UE, a par ailleurs appelé à la fin des combats dans sécurité nationale". le conflit kurde. Samedi, le vice-prÉsident américain Joe Biden avait apporté à la Turquie son plaidant pour "Nous appelons à un cessezle-feu immédiat dans le sud-est et condamnons soutien à la lutte contre le PKK cependant lui aussi le retour de la fermement toutes les formes de terorisme", a d¡t Mme Mogherini. paix. a 24 janrlier ?.016 égale> et un portrait d'Abdullah Ocalan,le lea- der du PKK emprisonné. M. Demirtas a dénoncé la répression dans le sud-est du pays à majorité kurde, où I'armée affirme avoir éliminé des centaines de < Des négociations sur la Syrie sans les Kurdes d ne peuvent pas "donner de résultats" (Lavrov) Moscou, 26 janvier 2016 (AFP) des Nations unies pour la Syrie, Stafian de Mistura. Ce demier avait refusé lundi de donner des déta¡ls sur les personnes et les groupes invités à Genève. LES NÉGOCIATIOI{S próvues à Genève entre oppooants et rcprÉsentants Ma¡s la coalition de l'oppos¡tion syrienne, la principale composante de I'opposL du régime syrien ne pourront pas "donner de résultaf'si le principal part¡ tion en exil formée le mois demier à Ryad et qui compte parm¡ elles d'impor- kurde syrien n'est pas invité, a déclaré mard¡ le chef dc la diplomatie russe tantes factions rebelles armées, a formé une délégation pour Genève excluant Serguel Lavrov lors d'une conférence de presse à Moscou. le PYD et d'autres figures de I'oppos¡tion. "Sans ce parti, sans ses repÉsentants, les négociat¡ons ne peuvent pas donner La Russ¡e, pays allié du régime de Bachar al-Assad, a cherché à faire participer le résultat que nous voulons, à savoir un règlement politique définitif' du conflit certains de ces responsables aux pourparlers soit dans le cadre d'une déléga- syrien, a déclaré M. Lavrov. tion élargie so¡t d'une délégation parallèle. Si le Parti de I'union démocratique (PYD) de Saleh Muslim n'était pas invité, la Ma¡s la coalition de I'opposit¡on a accusé Moscou de chercher å inclure des per- Russie n'imposerait pas pour autant son "veto" aux poumarlers de pa¡x qui doi- sonnalités proches du régime et a menacé de boycotter les négociations si d'au- vent débutervendredi à Genève sous l'égide de I'ONU, a-t-il toutefo¡s précisé. tres représentants de l'opposition y étaient invités. Soutenu militairement par les Etats-Unis, le PYD, et sa branche armée le PYG, Les pourparlers de Genève doivent porter sur la feuille de route établie en combattent les jihadistes de I'Etat ¡slamique. Le principal part¡ kurde syr¡en est décembre 2015 par le Conseil de sécurité de I'ONU qu¡ prévoit un cessezle-feu, considéré par la Turquie comme une branche du PKK turc, organ¡sation terro- un gouvemement de transition dans les 6 mois et des élections dans les 18 riste aux yeux d'Ankara. mois. Les pourparlers entre I'opposition syrienne et le régime de Damas, poussées La guerre c¡vile en Syrie, qui dure depuis cinq ans, a déjà donné lieu à deux depuis plus¡eurs mois par Moscou et V\hshington, devaient initialement com- séries de négociations à Genève, appelées Genève 1 et Genève 2, ma¡s qu¡ mencer lundi mais ont été reportées en raison d'un blocage sur la compos¡tion n'ont débouché sur aucun résultat. des délégation. Ces pourparlers ne "sont pas un Genève 3", a prévenu M. de Mistura, espÉrant Les ¡nvitations à ces discussions seront envoyées mardi par l'ém¡ssaire spécial que ce sera "une success story à la genevoise". a 52 Reaue de P r e s s e -P r e s s Reaiew -B erhea oka Çap ê - Ria ist a Stampa-Dentro de Iø Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti Le POint 20.ianvier 2016 Turquie : dans I'Est dévasté par la guerre L'année tnène ulne guerre scrns tner.cí orux rebelles kurdes. Reportøge ù Sílopí, quí uoít une leaée partíelle du couure-feu quí la pørølyse depuís plus d'u¡t mois. ';.,,'ì3r De notre envoyé s¡r,écial à Silopi, ,f Quentin Raverdy le zo / or/ zor6 L Le Point.fr t; J undi, en milieu de journée, la nouvelle se I:répandait comme une traînée de poudre sur les portables et les réseaux sociaux : à partir de 5 heures, le lendemain matin, et jusqu'à t8 heures, I'armée turque allait enfin ouvrir I'accès de la ville de Silopi (à la fron- tière avec la Syrie et I'Irak). Trente-six jours que cette ville - à majorité kurde - de 88 ooo âmes a été placée sous couvre-feu total par le gouverneur de la province, le temps pour les forces de sécurité turques de venir à Une femme ilans une maìson détruìte ,ù SìIopi le 79 janaier. Les cioils ont pøyé un louril bout des combattants du Parti des travail- tribut døns Iø reprise iles hostilités ilans I'est ile lø Twquie. @ dpølAFPl Can Merey leurs du Kurdistan (PKK) et de sa branche urbaine - les Unités de protection civiÌe, les bel et bien ouvertes, les routes y conduisant, cours des opérations dans les deux munici- YPS - implantés dans plusieurs quartiers de elles, sont toujours closes. Malgré I'annonce palités de la province de Sirnak, bastion du la ville. officielle faite par le Premier ministre turc en PKK. Au loin, les tirs des chars et les rafales personne, Ahmed Davutoglu, I'axe principal de mitraillettes sont quasi ininterrompus. En juillet dernier, après deux années de paix vers Silopi, qui longe la frontière syrienne, relative, le cessez-le-feu entre le PKK et est barré par la gendarmerie. Quatre heures NETTOYAGE Ankara a volé en éclats, ravivant les braises de route plus tard, à travers la vallée du d'une guerre vieille de 30 ans, qui a déjà Tigre, même refus à I'entrée nord de la ville. Trois nouveaux contrôles de police plus tard, coûté la vie à près de 4o ooo personnes. En Silopi apparaît enfin. Sur le bas-côté de la zor.5, plus de 3 ooo rebelles kurdes ont été al faut patienter. læs militaires font entrer route, des kilomètres de camions de livraison tués au cours de lourdes opérations menées lles visiteurs au compte-gouttes et il faut attendent de pouvoir traverser la frontière par la Turquie, rappelait en début d'année le montrer patte blanche. Par les vitres de leur avec I'Irak, après un mois de chômage tech- président Erdogan. Deux cents membres des voiture, les habitants observent, impuis- nique, à cause du couwe-feu. Dans I'autre forces de sécurité ont également perdu la vie. sants, de I'autre côté du fleuve, la ville voisine sens, I'armée turque, elle, plie bagage et Et chaque jour, le bilan s'alourdit. de Cizre, elle aussi sous couvre-feu depuis quitte Silopi. L'ambiance reste éìectrique. plus d'un mois. Ankara a déployé pas moins Partout de lourds véhicules blindés patrouil- Mardi, si les portes de la ville de Silopi sont de ro ooo membres des forces de sécurité au lent dans des rues inhabitueìlement silen- cieuses. Même si le couvre-feu n'est que partielle- ment levé, la vie reprend doucement son cours : le supermarché de I'avenue principale a relevé ses rideaux, et de part et d'autre de la route, des vendeurs de fruits et légumes hèlent des habitants épuisés par un mois de disette et forcés de rester cloîtrés chez eux. [æs vitriers, eux, ne chôment pas et rempla- cent à la chaîne les devantures des échoppes. De prime abord, les rues semblent calmes. < C'est normal, ces cinq derniers jours, il n'y avait plus de combats et les autorités en ont profité pour nettoyer les rues et ramasser les douilles de balles >, explique un habitant. Et les fortifications des combattants des YPS, retranchés dans quelques quartiers de Silopi, n'y ont pas échappé, rappelait le Premier ministre turc : < Toutes les tranchées ont été 27 ciztils sont morts penilønt les 36 iours ile combøt entre les rebelles kuriles et l'armée bouchées et toutes les barricades ont été turque à Silopi. Selon les autorités,720 combattønts kurdes ont égølement été élim- démontées. > Après ce succès militaire (136 inés. TURKEY CURFEI4/ @ Emin Ozmen militants kurdes ont été éÌiminés, > 53 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaoka Çnpê- Riaistø Stampø-Dentro de la Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti > selon Ankara), il faut vite faire place nette toute une vie à reconstruire. Dans la cour, ont aussi livré une bataille de mots. Partout et relancer I'activité. une télévision locale tourne quelques plans. des graffitis ont fleuri, célébrant le PKK et < Les forces spéciales ont tué une trentaine son leader emprisonné AMullah öcalan. læs << PIREQU'ÀKOBANÉ >> de mes chèvres >, déplore une femme en forces spéciales ont répliqué, peignant un montrant du menton les dépouilles d'une peu partout des croissants de lune, à la gloire C'est en s'enfonçant dans les ruelles de la dizaine d'animaux en putréfaction. Et de de la Turquie, et adressant directement des ville que la violence des combats se matéri- pointer ensuite la colline voisine d'où les messages cinglants aux rebelles : . Si vous alise. < Allez par là, Cest pire qu'à Kobané r, chars turcs auraient ouvert le feu. saviez que vous alliez avoir peur, il ne fallait prévient Tahir, un jeune du quartier de 7-ap pasjouer ! > (particulièrement touché), en indiquant un BATAILI,E DEMO|rS chemin boueux. Partout des impacts de Très vite, la nuit tombe sur Silopi, au sortir de balles et d'armes lourdes ont lacéré les murs. Cette famille avait fait le choix de partir au son premier jour de reìative liberté. Iæs rues [æs poteaux électriques sont renversés, de début des opérations, comme un tiers de la de la ville sont totalement plongees dans le nombreuses maisons sont éventrées et les population de Silopi. Pour ceux qui sont noir, l'électricité n'ayant pas été rétablie. Tout voies pavées ne sont plus qu'un lointain sou- restés commençait alors un mois de priva- le monde se terr€ chez soi. Des tirs se font venir. Pris au piège dans des combats, vingt- tions. < On n'avait presque rien à manger, on entendre, puis une lourde explosion (une sept civils ont été tués à Silopi, selon le parti a dû se contenter d'un peu de pâtes et de fro- mine neutralisée parla police). Après un mois pro-kurde du HDP. Près d'une centaine en mage. On n'avait même pas d'électricité ou de eombats, personne ne semble plus surpris I'espace d'un mois, durant les couvre-feux d'eau. J'ai dû boire de I'eau de pluie >, de rien. Iæ silence finit par s'installer. Seuls imposés à travers tout le sud-est de la explique Tahir, en marchant vers les décom- les haut-parleurs de la police viennent tnru- Turquie. bres de sa maison. bler le silence : << Iæ couvre-feu temporaire reprendra de r8 heures à 5 heures du matin, T Tn peu hagard, un couple d'habitants Par petits groupes, les habitants déambulent et ce, jusqu'à nouvel ordre. r¡ LJ regarde ce qui reste de la maison fami- dans les rues des quartiers touchés. Sur les liale : deux étages partiellement calcinés et murs, combattants kurdes et forces de I'ordre 28 janvier2016 TR "Un représentant du ministère a appelé le gou- verneur de la province, qui a ordonné de sécuris- er I'accès à I'immeuble afin que celui-ci ne s'ef- fondre pas complétement, ce qui, le cas échéanL pourrait causer de graves ennuis aux autorités de la région. Actuellement, les bombardements t continuent mais on évite de toucher notre *\\ immeuble", poursu¡t M.Tunc. z pr¡sonniers "C'est horrlble de sentir son impuissonce. Turquie 28 Kurdes Hler, fol bondé lo Jombe blessée de mon voÍsin, elle o déJù commencé ù bleulr. On ne pouvølt pos anêter le song. J'oi essoyé de le de décombres attendent søuver mals Íl ovolt perdu beaucoup trop de song. Je m'en veux de ne pos avolr pu le sduvet", øvoue Mehmet Tunc. toujours I'aide Pour le moment les 28 personnes bloquées dans I'immeuble ne reçoivent aucune aide du gou- fr.sputnlknews.com - 28.01.2016 "ll y a quotre joun, l'immeuble o explosé, vernement turc. Selon le député du Parti démoc- 28 personnes y comprls mol, se sont retrou- ratique des peuples Nimettullah Erdofmug, les príses piège avec autorités ne cherchent même pas à discuter d'un 'DES GENS MEURENT sous nos yGux et nous, on vées au dons le sous-sol plus groves. plan d'évacuation. "Ce qu'ils ont fait, c'est ne peut rien faire", a déclaré à Sputn¡k Mehmet des blessures ou molns Quatre personnes s'adresser au gouverneur régional. Ankara a Tunc, un des 28 kurdes bloqués dans un ¡mmeu- sont mortes ù couse de l'absence probablement décidé de faire retomber toute la ble partiellement détru¡t par des bombarde- de médlcoments. Nous n'ovons pu leur responsabilité de la situation actuelle sur les ments turcs dans la vllle kurde de Jizra. øpporter I'oide médlcale nécessølre. Mointendnt, leurs corps reposent sur le sol forces de sécurité locales", a-t-il estimé. Jizra est en partie encerclée par les forces ù c6té de nous. on étouÍfe ¡r;i, ll y a beou- Après l'attentat-suicide meurtrier de Suruç (ville turques qui poursuivent une opération spéciale coup de pousslère, l'odeur des cødovres turque située à la frontière turco-syrienne), per- contre les partisans du Parti des travailleurs du comrnence déjù ù se þire sent¡r", toconte- pétré le 20 juillet 2015 et attribué à Daech Kurdistan. Plusieurs étages d'un immeuble se ¡1. (acronyme arabe de l'État islamique), le gou- sont effondrés suite aux bombardements turcs. personnes vernement turc a annoncé avoir effectué des 28 personnes sont bloquées dans le sous-sol du Les bloquées dans l'immeuble, dont bombardements contre des groupes djihadistes bâtiment depuis quatre jours déjà. deux sont gravement blessées, attendent tou- jours d'être évacuées. Mais la demande envoyée en Syrie. En réalité, il en a surtout profité pour par frapper princ¡palement les positions du PKK, "Pour comprendre toute l'horreur de ce qui des représentants du Parti des travailleurs notamment au Kurdistan irakien. O se pøsse ¡c¡, ¡l Íout le voir de ses prcprcs du Kurdistan au Ministère de l'lntérieur reste yeux", dÍt Mehmet Tunc, habltont de Jizro. toujours sans réponse. 54 Reoue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheuoka Çapê- Riaistø Stømpø-Dentro de lø Prensø-Basin Ozeti lauu¿rlr lJ. llll(r BÍden calls for tchange of att¡tudet by Turkish government US Vice Presídent Joe Bíden called for a "change of attÍtudet'by TurkÍsh Presídent Recep Tayyíp Erdogan toward critícs of Turkey's increasíngly destructÍve mílÍtary campaÍgn agaÍnst KurdÍsh rebels and cÍties Ín southeast Turkey. Week in Rcview January 24,2016 wwur.al-mon¡tor.com Q peaking in lstanbul on Jan. 22, Biden said, "lf you don't have an abi- \rlity to express your opinion, to crilicize a policy, to offer competing ideas without fear of intimidation or retribution, the country is robbed of opportunity and the country is being robbed of possibilities." He added, "When lnternet freedom is curtailed and social media sites like YouTube or Twitter are shut down and more than 1,000 academics are accused of treason simply by signing a petition, that's not the kind of example that needs to be set in the region." Biden said that Turkey's comm¡tment to free expression and democracy matter "not only to Turks but to America." Cengiz Candar writes of a "witch hunf'conducted by the Turkish govern- ment against academics and intellectuals who signed a petition protest- US Vìce Presìilent loe Bìden (L) and Turkish Presíilent Recep ing the Turkish military campaign against Kurdish towns in southeast Tøyyip Erilogøn chøt after theb meetìng ìn lstønbul, føn, 23, Turkey. Erdogan slammed the signatories as "so-called intellectuals' 2076. (photo ba REUTERSI Sedøt Sunø) comm¡tting "treachery" by engaging in propaganda on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Turkey considers a terrorist group. the jihadi group. What Turkey has done to combat lS has often followed Biden told Turkish lawmakers that the United States backed Turkey's months if not years of US pressure, or has occurred in the aftermath of campaign against the PKK, but that its heaw use of force in southeast- lS-linked terrorist attacks, such as the deadly suicide bombing on Jan. ern villages is unsustainable. 12 in lstanbul. Turkey has dealt w¡th lS and the al-Qaedalinked Jabhat al-Nusra with a kind of strategic relativism in the broader context of its Mahmut Bozarslan reports this week on the effect of the Turkish military more pressing priorities in Syria, which are degrading the Democratic predominantly campaign in Silopi, a Kurdish town of 121,000 on the lraqi Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the People's Protection Units border. Silopi has been the scene of some of the worst fighting between (YPG), and toppling Assad. the Turkish military and the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H), the PKK's radical armed youth wing, which many residents "For years, Turkey has been critic¡zed for its porous borders that allow also blame for the carnage. fighters and weapons to pass unhindered. When it is pointed out that jihadis control border tenain and Turkey is becoming another Pakistan, greeted "A fluny of military activity was the first thing that the eye in town, Turkish officials merely respond that such allegations are exaggerated. with dozens of armored veh¡cles roaming the streets. The Habur cross- When Jabhat al-Nusra and then lS became well-established and promi- road, which cuts through the city, had become demarcation line. ing a nent, Turkey's argument was, 'Assad has sponsored these organ¡za- The neighborhoods on its right side were easily recognizable as the the- tions. Their source is the regime. lf the regime goes, then this question ater of the clashes. One could barely walk through the area, let alone will go away too.' But when the United States added Jabhat al-Nusra to drive. The streets were dotted with craters the result of explosions - its terrorist list in 2012, ïurkey covertly continued to support that group," as a combat by both sides. security up employed tactic The forces blew Tastekin writes. barricades to advance, while the militants detonated trenches full of explosives to keep them away. ïhe buildings along the streets were rid- fastekin adds that "despite constant warnings from the United States, dled with bullets, now the hallmark of neighborhoods where the clashes I Turkey did not try to block the transfer of lS oil through its border until take place," Bozarslan writes. March 2014. Although some measures were taken to cut the pipelines across the Assi River at Hatay, oil trade continued via traditional smug- Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. f,l iden met Jan. 23 with Erdogan and gling routes," Tastekin's article asks why the Turkish security services IJOn the agenda was what more Turkey can be doing to battle the were able to move so quickly to round up lS cells after Jan. 12. "This lslamic State (lS). Biden has been kind of truth teller on matters, a these naturally the question, if Turkey had the security intelligence to providing possible lustified candor not always by US diplomats who have enga- detain so many people in one night, why didn't it take action before the ged in agonizing diplomacy for what would seem to be the most basic bombing? Then came reports that the national intelligence service MIT coordination, such as allowing the United States to use lncirlik Air Base had warned security agencies on Dec. 17 and Jan. 4 that tourist s¡tes to bomb lS. Biden bucked diplomatic niceties on Oct. 3, 2014, when he and foreigners could be targeted. The only court action against lS ope- "biggest problem is in cracking foreign let slip that the our allies" down on rations in Turkey followed the complaints of families of the young people fighters in Syria, and that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab who had joined the organization. Of 67 suspects listed in the charge Emirates "were so determined to take down [Syrian President Bashar al- sheet submitted to the court, 23 were named by their own families; 29 proxy poured I Assad and essentially have a Sunni-[Shiite] war. ... They were released. This and similar cases g¡ve the impression that legal hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of tons of weapons into action against lS is not taken very seriously. Government officials say anyone who would fight against Assad except that the people who - such allegations are baseless. According to them, in the first 11 months supplied were al-Nusra and al-Qaeda and the extre- were being [Jabhat] of 2015, 1,200 people were detained on susp¡c¡on of links to lS and at jihadis parts mist elements of coming from other of the world." least 350 were arrested."a Fehim Tastekin explains the reasons for the many, well-justified ques- tions in Turkey and elsewhere about their commitment to fighting lS. While there is no question that Turkey has been a target and victim of lS terrorism, Ankara can hardly be considered a leader in taking the fight to 55 Reaue de Presse-Press Review-Berheaoka Çapê-Riz:ista Stampa-Dentro dt lo Prrnto-Boti, Oztti @ JANUARY 23rd 2016 Curfews in Turkey's south-east Turkey and the Kurds Since August 2015 ffi Current I Previous tf Widening TURKEY IRAN the conflict . Batman 0iya o '#o A campaign against the PKK turns the country's south-east into Iinar a war zone Jan 23rd 2016 | DIYARBAKIR I IRAQ http ://www.econom ist.com SYRIA r.,rrr, wresting territory from a government that boasts NATO's second-biggest army and has few qualms about using force. Yet the 1 rebels may not care. The longer the fighting lasts, the more recruits are driven into the I r n group's arms, says Cengiz Candar, a Turkish + analyst: "The way they see it, even if they ¡ lose militarily...they stand to gain politically." rf a -ó' i The ruling Justice and Development (AK) rjt$, I :', party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also feels it has little to gain from de-escala- tion. After a decisive win in November's elec- tion, brought about in part by the fighting and a surge in Turkish nationalist sentiment, Mr Erdogan believes he has a mandate to pum- mel the rebels. "As unfeasible as it is, Turkish voters are focused on eradicating the PKK," says Akin Unver, an academic. "That's the dream the government sold to the THE birds of Diyarbakir are doing very little Sur. The region's governor, Huseyin Aksoy, electorate." perching these days. Just when they man- has heard reports of 50 to 70 militants left in age to settle on a satellite dish, a blast of the old city. He insists that the army has Mr Erdogan, who for years has wanted to artillery or machine-gun fire sends them trained most of its flrepower on the militants' change the constitution to grant himself an dashing skyward. The humans who live here booby-trapped ditches and barricades: "The executive presidency, may even be consid- are distraught, too. "We can barely get any heavy weapons are not being used aga¡nst ering another snap poll after two ballots last sleep," says a woman walking her son to people." year. "He thinks he can get another 5% of the school just outside the Sur district, the city's vote," says Mr Unver. That could be enough historic centre, where Turkish forces are bat- Locals disagree. Residents fleeing Sur say to keep the pro-Kurdish Peoples'Democracy tling militants aligned with the Kurdistan swathes of their neighbourhood have been Party (HDP) out of parliament and give AK Workers'Party (PKK). destroyed by artillery fire. Historical sites, enough votes to change the constitution. including a 16th-century mosque and a ln July the PKK, which has waged a newly restored Armenian church, have been AK was once the party that broke taboos by decades-long war for Kurdish self-rule, damaged, says Ahmet Ozmen, deputy head acknowledging the Kurds' past persecution. returned to killing Turkish police and soldiers of the local bar association. ln November the Now prosecutors have placed over 1,100 after a two-year ceasefire. The group bar's president, Tahir Elci, was shot dead Turkish academics under investigation for accused Turkey of tacitly supporting lslamic during a gun battle moments after making a writing a letter calling for an end to military State (lS). (The jihadists had tried to wipe out televised plea for peace. operations in the south-east. The producer the Syrian Kurdish border town of Kobane as and host of a TV show are under investiga- Tukish soldiers looked on, and have killed The local economy, which was just emerging tion after a caller pleaded for compassion for scores of Kurds in bomb attacks across from decades of war, is again reeling. Metin bystanders. Turkey.) Turkey responded with air raids on Aslan, of the local chamber of commerce, PKK camps and a crackdown in the largely estimates the cost to Diyarbakir alone at It is civilians who pay the greatest price. Of Kurdish south-east. Since then, fighting in more than $300m; the unemployment rate the roughly 24,000 residents caught in the Diyarbakir and other Kurdish cities has killed threatens to climb from 16% last year to over fighting in Sur, at least 20,000 have fled the at least 230 Turkish security officers, up to 30%. The city's gleaming new international district. Yilcan Tas abandoned what was left 240 civilians and hundreds of PKK fighters, airport, a reminder of the faith investors once of her family's house last month. She, her says the lnternational Crisis Group, a think- placed in peace talks between the PKK and husband and their six children now live in a tank. Last week a PKK car bomb killed a the government, is nearly empty. pair of cramped rooms next to refugees from police officer, three children and two other Syria. Ms Tas blames PKK militants for pack- civilians. The PKK, its ambitions fanned by Western ing a ditch next to her house with explosives, support for Kurdish victories over lS in Syria, putting her family's lives at risk, and the army ln Diyarbakir Turkish tanks, along with 2,000 is facing a reality check in Turkey. lts fighters for destroying the neighbourhood. "ln the police and soldiers, appear bent on burying may hold out for a few more weeks in Sur, end, we are the ones who are wretched," she in rubble the PKK fighters still holed up in Silopi and Cizre, but it stands little chance of said. "We are the ones being ruined." I 56 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaieut-Berheuokn Çøpê-Riaista Stampa-DentrglLe In Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti January 30,2016 UN snubs most powerful Kurdish group at Geneva talks As talks got undcr my, thc PYD'¡ lordcr is strying in Gcncya writing for rn lnvitation thrt sccms unlikcly to comc. Basma Atessi - 30 Jan 2016 troops on Kurdish demonstrations left an estimated http ://www.aljazeera.com 30 people dead. .ANTI-ASSAD IN WORDS' Geneva, SwiEerland -The leader of the most Muslim says that since 2003, he has ftequently powerful Kurdish group in Syria, which currently been imprisoned by Assad's government. controls about 15 percent of the country is sitting But the fad that the YPG has rarely engaged with two of his aides in a modest apartment ¡n a in clashes with government forces since the mass quiet neighbourhood not far from the UN head- uprising erupted in 2011 has ra¡sed questions quarters in Geneva. about its alliances. Salih Muslim, whÒ left his family in the restive Government troops simply withdrew ftom Syrian city of Kobane, is waiting to receive an invi- Kurdish areas during the conflid, and the YPG tation to the peace talks being held here between PYD leøiler Sølih Muslim is sitting in stepped ¡n to replaoe them, leaving the Kurdish the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition. ø Genevø øpartment wøìting to be group to govern those areas and protedthem from But this seems unlikely to happen any t¡me inoited to the tølks [Basma AtøssilAl lSlL when it attempted to expand. soon. UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has fazeeral 'Why doesn't the YPG launch at least one already sent out the invitations and the talks have attack against regime troops?" Maksim Alissa, a begun. Muslim and his PYD party have been Syrian- Kurdish journalist, asked Al Jazeera, other excluded, despite the fad that the Kurds ì¡vere the ment made some arrangernent br us and adding that Muslim is anti-Assad in words but not groups to be here, and we made it as a preparation most successful fighting force on the ground in action. peace process. ì get 2015. br the /e will ready, but we Alissa suggests that after the deterioration of The armed wing of the party, the YPG, has have not hed any invitation br now," Muslim explai- relations between Syria and Turkey bllowing the managed to regain much of Syria's traditionally ned. start of the uprising, Assad's government decided Some prominent voices have been against his Kurdish territory from the lslamic State of lraq and to reach out to Muslim and his party to annoy attendance. the Levant (lSlL), and according to the IHS think- Ankara. delegation, which was tank, expanded the territory under its control by The main opposition But Muslim says the Kurdish area is cunently brmed in Riyadh last month and indudes a broad 186 percent within a year to occupy 15,800 square sunounded by "extremists", and it is them the YPG opposit¡on groups, accused the PYD kilometres of Syria. spedrum of is focusing its fight on. of cooperating with the government of President 'Thee is something rne really want: the peace 'We are not only fighting lSlL but the mentality Bashar al-Assad during the war. And Turkey, a key process to be started ¡n Syr¡a," the sofrly-spoken of lSlL, like Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar alSham. player, party the leader told Al Jazeera. regional says the ¡s linked to They have the same mentality. And we are also Kurdistan Party (PKK), which has waged "lts impossible fur it to be done if we are not Workeß against the regime if they attack us," he told Al a 32-year insurgency against the Turkish state that part of it. lÂþ are sincere and we are genuine and Jazeera. has seen more than 40,000 killed and is listed as a we would like to be part of it." A representative of Ahrar al-Sham, one of the group Like his impeccably ironed white shirt, tenorist by the European Union and the most eftdive fighting groups across Syria, is part Muslim's calm demeanour gives little clue to the United States. of the opposition delegation included in the Muslim denies both daims, saying they are åd that this is a man who has come from a battle- Geneva talks. lies Ëbricated by Ankara. field or that, in 2013, his youngest son was killed When asked what he thought of that, Muslim 'We part of Syrian revolution," the 65- fighting lSlL in the Kurdishdominated Tal Abyad. are the said: "lf they are coming for the peaoe process year-old insists. Neither does it hint to his more than two decades then it's OK. lt means they believe in a democratic 'The relation with Assad is just an accusation. of acfivism br Kurdish rights. solution and a political solution. Everybody knows that we have been struggling The small, simply furnished apartment in 'The first step in this process is ceasefire. So if against the regime since 2004, seven years before which he is staying also says little about his they accept [a] ceasefire and are ready for a politi- start of Syrian revolution. have had infiuence as a political leader. the the l /e cal solution, then any group which is genuine to many martyrs killed by the regime," he continued. 'We haven't been invited. The Swiss govern- accept this ¡s no problem fur us." f, ln 2004, a bloody crackdown by government La Turquie_ contre la présence des Kurdes-syr¡ens 9u PYD Eil aux discussions de paix sur la Syrie (Davotuglu) Ankara,26 janvier 20f6 (AFP) mique (El) sur le sol syrien. En 2015, leurs combattants ont repoussé les jiha- d¡stes hors de Kobané puis de Tall Abyad, deux v¡lles syriennes, et occupent LA TURQUIE REFUSE "catégoriquement" la prÉsence des Kurdes syriens désormais une large bande de I'extrême nord du territoire syrien le long de la du Part¡ de I'union démocratique (PYD) lors des pourparlers de paix sur la frontièr€ furque. Syrie qui doivent débuter vendredi à Genève, a confirmé mardi son Dans le cadre de la coalition militaire antijihad¡ste, les América¡ns foumissent Premier m¡nistre Ahmet Davutoglu. armes et assistance aux Kurdes de Syrie. "Nous refusons catégoriquement que le PYD et les YPG (Unités de protection Mais les Turcs y sont farouchement opposés, redoutant qu'ils n'étendent leur du peuple, les milices combattiantes du PYD) qu¡ oppriment les Kurdes soient ¡nfluence le long de la frontière turco-syrienne. lls ont menacé d'interven¡r s'ils assis autour de la table", a déclarÉ M. Davutoglu devant les députés de son progressaient au-delà de la rive occidentale de la r¡vière Euphrate. parti. Les pourparlers entre l'opposit¡on syrienne et le régime de Damas, sous l'égide "Une organisation tenoriste présente dans les rangs de I'opposition pendant les de I'ONU, devaient commenoer lundi ma¡s ont été reportés en raison d'un blo- discussions est de notre point de vue inacceptrable", a-t-il souligné. c¿¡ge sur la composition des délégations. La Turquie considère ces deux mouvements comme proches du Parti des tra- Le chef de la diplomatie russe Serguei Lavrov a estimé mardi que ces discus- vailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK), qui mène depuis 1984 la rebellion sur le sol turc. sions ne pourraient donner "aucun ésultat' s¡ le PYD n'était pas invité à Genève. La Russie const¡fue avec I'lran le demier soutien äu président syrien Bachar al-Assad. "Le PYD qui coopère avec le rég¡me (syrien) ne peut représenter le juste com- bat du peuple syrien", a ¡nsisté le chef du gouvemement. Le gouvemement islamo-conservateur turc a rejoint la coalition antijihadiste mais a de son combat contre le PKK sa priorité. Les YPG constituent I'un des fers de lance de la lutte contre le groupe Etat isla- hit 57 Reoue de P r esse-P r ess Reaieut-B erheaokn Çap ê- Riaistø Stømpa-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Ozeti Bloomberg .l¿rr¡tt¿rlr ll. ll)lr) lraq Kurds Agræ on lndependenoe Vote, Official Says Khalid Al Ansary / January 27,2Ot6 http ://www. bloom berg.com o Vote could lead to break-up of OPEC's second-biggest producer o Baghdad says unilateral independence is unconstitutional I raqi Kurd¡sh leaders plan to hold a referendum on the region's independence, lan official said on Wednesday, in a move that could lead to the break-up of A peshmergø fighter plønts a Kuùlísh flag nem Kirkuk, OPECs second-biggest oil producer. northem lrøq. Massoud Barzan¡, pres¡dent of the semi-autonomous Kurdish Reg¡onal Kurdish leaders have agreed Government, and other all to hold the referen- Saad Al-Hadithi, a spokesman for lraq¡ Prime M¡n¡ster Haider Al-Abadi, said dum, K¡fah Mahmoud, an adviser at president's office. said the "any unilateral position from any party without coordinat¡on or approval will be While they all agreed to hold the referendum, the vote "doesn't mean aga¡nst the constltution and illegal." independence. is decision people," Mahmoud said. lt the of the The Kurds have been holding back crude produced in the¡r enclave ¡n The Kurds, who historically have resisted control by Arab-dom¡nated gov- northern lraq and exporting it ¡ndependently since June via a pipeline through ernments in Baghdad, are independently developing oil reserves they say may Turkey, as they exercise greater control of their own affairs. KRG finances have total 45 billion barrels - equ¡valent to almost a th¡rd of the depos¡ts in the rest been eroded by a budget impasse with Baghdad, the collapse in crude prices, of lraq, accord¡ng to BP Plc data. and the cost of a war against lslamic State militants. O .lanrar.r' 27 ,2016 Kurdish government pledges year of 'refonn and modernization' 27 ian 2016 in Erbil on Wednesday, the prime rudaw.net/engllrh minister said that the Kurdistan Region is working on an all- Kurdi¡tan Rcg¡on-To cncompassing reform plan to help ERBIL, the region move beyond its current Lovercome a financial crisis and cris¡s and encourage growth. stabilize its economy the Kurdish From 2006-2014 there was government launched the first step more than $30 billion worth of of its wide-ranging reform program investment in the Kurdistan starting with the restruc'turing and Region, $5 billion of it fore¡gn reform of the finance ministry. investment which went hand in Kurdistan Region Prime hand with social development, said Minister Nechirvan tsarzani said Barzani. the reform program starts with "But in the meantime we have modernizing the finance ministry to look back on our mistakes and which would be a stepp¡ng stone opportunities for reform which we for further reform in all other seo failed to seize on time," he said. tors. "This would be the year of Barzan¡ said that his cabinet relorm and modernization," vowed was committed to strengthen the the prime minister. Kurilìstan Regíon Pñme Ministet Nechiruøn Børzøni pledgeil ø fi nancial and administrative sector Barzani said that the reform gear of 'rcform ønd moilernizøtion' on Weilnsdøy fanuøry 27, program will work with proÞssional that would include redrawing the 2076. Ruiløw Photo. work of public banks and throwing syndicates, investors and acade- full support behind the private sêc- mics and "We will pursue a policy tor. of poverty reduclion and strengthe- State (lSlS) and the hosting of lessen Erbil's burden by shoulde- He is committed to open and ning ofthe production seclor." more than 'l .8 refugees to wh¡ch ring some of the Peshmerga transparent governance, he The Kurdish government has "Baghdad has contributed very l¡t- expenses. added. been under severe financial strain tle financially," he said. "The financial situat¡on ¡s the "This will help us create a sus- for almost two years afier Baghdad As part of its reform plan, said biggest threat to the Kurdistan tainable and modern economy," blocked its share of the national the prime minister, the Kurdish Region," said Barzani. "l therefore said Barzani. "And it will create a budget and the sharp decline in oil government takes austerity mea- ask the coalition countries to acii- healthy and competitive job and prices which is the main source of sures, which includes a temporary vely support the'Kurdistan Region investment environment." revenue for Erbil. reduction in civil servant salaries, financially. Our brave Peshmerga Speak¡ng to a group of cabinet Barzani added to the list the urging in the meantime that the and the people expect that of our ministers, investors and politiclans expensive war with the lslamic international community could help allies." r 58 Reoue de Presse-Press Reoieu-Berheooka Çøpê- Rivista Stømpa-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti samedi 30 - dimandre 3l janvfer 2016 Les fantômes de Sinjâr, cité yazidie en ruine Libérée en novembre par les forces kurdes irakiennes, la ville est toujours sous la menace de l'État islamique. Ses anciens habitants n'ont pas pu regagner leurs maisons, souvent détruites par les combats. ÉMlUENilETALFATTo ENVoYÉE SPÉCIALE À 5INJAR ruf Le boulanger est en retard. Dans la petite boutique, ses quatre ouvriers empilent rapidement les pains plats juste sortis du four un peu trop moder- ne dont il â fallu réparer une pièce le mattr nême. Forcément, la cuisson a prls du retard. Et les hommes se dépê- chent daru des nuages de farine : Sinjar attend le patn. Logman est le seul boulanger ayânt osé retor¡rner dans la cité ¡ibérée en novembre du joug de Daech. Alors aujowd'hul, à bientôt midl, plusieurs milHers de soldats ku¡des - qrasinient les seuls habitant$ de Sinjar, qui reste une ville fantôme - s'fmpatientent. La boulangerie est toute neuve: un mois àpeine. Logrnan ar¡ssi est nouveau dans le nétier. Avant la guerrè, il était ouwier du bâtlnent. Mais les djihadis- Dans la clté llbérêç dc SlnJar, la róallté est falte de ruine¡, de dangr toujours proche, tes qui se sont emp¡rés de Sinjar en dc mlna rt dc charnlcr¡. ÉMLTENNE MALFATTo aott 2014 ont détruit ses oudls. Alors Logman s'est mis àfaire des pains. Trois che. Powtant Logman tient à êue icl. Il les enviroins de Dohuk. << Les gens ont mille par þur, grâce à son four moder- habite la maison d'r¡n cousin, accolée à Wn qnte Daeeh soít entratn de creuser ne de fabrication iranienne. Aves de lie la boulangerle. La sienne a brtlé dans des turnels potr rejoindre lc ville >, ex- farine et de I'eau liwées depuis Dohuk, les colrbats. plique-t-il. Et les quelque cinq mille ville du Kurdlstan àtrols her¡¡es de rou- Un gamin dépenaillé, au sourire tl- pechmergas déployés dans et autour de te. Avec un générateur pour l'électrici- mide, se glisse dars la boutiçre. Un des Sinjar ne suffisent pas à apaiser ces té. Et Daech à quatre lidlomèues. boulangers, bloubon fauve et regard craintes. l,f souvenir d'aott 2014, L'euphorle çi régnait dans SinJar à somhre, lui tend des pairu. Ivan, 10 ans, qrand les soldats kurdes ont fui face à la libération - la üerté d'avoi¡ mis est I'urt des seuls er¡fants de SinJar. tr I'avancée djihadiste, reste présent dans Daech à la porte, la cerdtude que cette les mémoires. De fait, Sinjar reste vul- victoire ouvrirait à la voie à Ia recon- nérable. Læs bastions djihadistes de Baaj quête de Mossoul - est vlte retombée. llQuand ils écrivaient - au sud - et TalI Afar - à I'est - sont la vllle s'est retrouvée face à une réalité "chiite" ou "yazidi", trop proches pour que la ville soit hors faite de ruines, de danger touJorus pro- voulait dire que de danger. Des obus de mortiers tou- che, de mlnes et de cha¡niers. Plw ça chent presque quotidiennement la cité. d'rure dizal¡re de fosses coÍrmunes les combattants pouvaient << Alt ilébut, íI en tombaít ilix ouqrlirwe contenant des ¡estes d'hommes, de rentrer se servirtt parJøn >>, râconte Logman. << Ces dq- femmes et d'enfants ont'été mises au LOGMAN, BOULANGÊR À SIN.,AR nler s jow s, ça s' e st un pev calmé.., r> jour dans les er¡virons de la ville. Le Au danger, s'aJoute la difflculté de dernière décorn¡erte macabre lemonte habite avec son grand-père, assis rm vivre dans une ville détruite, tombe- à une dlzalne de jours. < E1t ily sn o. sans peu plus loih. En costume de,ville, reau dé gravats oh surnagent quelques douts il'autres daß les rnnes Ei n'ont keffieh, montre argentée et grosse che- fragments de vie d'avant. Un tricycle pes wore été fhérées>, estlme le valière, Saadou lasan paralt beaucoup rose échoué dans une_ rue. Une théière lieutenant-colonel pechmerga Sherzad plus que les 62 ans qu'il aruronce étrangement intacte, posée sur une Halit. . Ce yazidi est revenu à Sihjar il y a table basse dans la coul d'une maison Alors Sinjar s'est aJoutée à la longue dix jows, Il a remis en ord¡e son ( rna- détruite. Un gamin coiffé d'un keffieh liste de cités libérées devenues villes gasfn o de parpaings - miraculeuse- qui passe à fond de uain sur une bicy- fantômes, oir on ne c¡oise que militaires ment épargné - et attend le client, assis clette gúnçante et disparaft dans les et ct¡lens errants. sur une chaise en plastique, kalach- rues désertes. ,rII n'y a pøs ile vie >> lci, explique nikov sur les genoux, on ne sait jamais. < 59 Reuue de Presse-Press Reuiant-Berheuoka Çøpê-Ríaista Stampø-Dentro de lø Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti Logman, improvisé guide une fois la qntent penilant les ft øpws sétíennes rr, vaguement une énorme grenade à fownée achevée. PIus à gauche << mu- explique Logman. manche. Des câbles blancs traforent au sulmcn súnnÍte > a été inscrit. Sinjar, Un peu plus loin, derrière une porte, sol - attention à ne pas marcher tlessus, qui comptait quelque 300 000 hebitants un escalier creusé dans la roche. Une prévient logman çi soupire en regar- avant la guerre, était une cité plwi- autre entrée du souterrain. Les parois, dantlabombe. confessionnelle le plafond très bas s'effrit€nt sous la Logman ne sourit jâma¡s. Son visage L'intérieirr de la maison marquée ma¡n. Lß tunnel serpente sous la inaison reste sombfe, ses yeux éteints . tous les << chííte > est sens dessus dessow. Des - la tâche a dt être titanesque. On tré- << revenants r de Sinjar semblent ainsi. bâssines, des restes de nourriture, du buche sur des ventilateurs, des sanda- Ce n'est þas parce Ere la ville est libérée mobilier brisé. Un maillot de corps sus- les, un matelas - Logman le soulève que tout va mieux, expliquent-ils. Iæs pendu à une corde à linge. Des dizaines précarrtionneusement avant d'avancer; ¡nassacres, les charniers ne s'effacent de sacs de terre envahissent les pièces, on ne sait jamais ce qu'il peut y avoir ,pas. Et surtout les prisonniers, raflés entreposés par les djihadistes - des dessow, par milliers lors de la prise de Sinjar - fortifications pour les combats urbains. Plusieurs centaines d'engins erçlosifs Daech détiend¡ait encore 3 500 << es- Dans lapièce dufond, une montagne de improvisés (nnf) ont été découverts claves >> en Irak selon les Natlons unies. sacs entoure un trou pèrcé dans le dans la ville; et les décombres restent < Tlrvois le gcrçon ilemaboutíEue, cehd béton. Plus de trois mètres de vide. Un dangereux. Quelques rues plus loin, un øvec le blwson fawe? >, demande des tuirnels creusés par Daech, co¡nme EEI est posé sur u¡r matelas dans I'en- Iogman. < Des responsables kurdes_, non invités aux discussions @ syr¡ennes, quittent Genève (sources kurdes) Genève,30 janvier 2016 (AFP) all¡ance d'opposants kurdes et arabes, a Q¡alement indiqué à IAFP avoir quitté la Suisse, faute d'invitation aux discussions. LE CHEF DU PRINCIPAL parti kurde syrien PYD, Salch Muslim, ainsi que La participation ou pas des Kurdes aux négociations ¡ntersyriennes ava¡t susc¡té d'autrês responsab¡es kurdês qui sc trouyaient à Gcnève en cspérant ôtrc une controverse. La Russie, alliée du rfuime de Damas, a estimé qu'aucune invitées aux discussions sur la Syrie, ont finalement quitté la Suisse, négociation ne pounait donner de résultats sans eux, tandis que la Turquie a I'ONU ayant renoncó à les convior, ont ¡nd¡qué samedi à I AFP des sources jugé leur présence inacceptable. kurdes. Le PYD est en pointe dans la lute contre les jihadistes de I'Etat islamique dans Saleh Muslim et ses conseillers, anivés la semaine demière à Gênève, sont par- le nord de la Syrie, ma¡s il est considéré par Ankara, qui craint par dessus tout tis vendredi soir, selon une de ces sources. les vélléités d'indépendance kurde, comme une émanation du PKK (parti des "Nous avons quitté Genève parce que nous n'avons pas eu d'invitation. Nous ne travailleurs du Kurdistan), son ennemi numéro 1. nous sentirons engagés par aucune déc¡sion prise à Genève, y compris par un Les Etats-Unis soutiennent le bras armé du Conseil démocratique syrien (CDS), cessez-le-feu", a indiqué cette source sous couvert de l'anonymat. alliance d'opposants arab€s et du PYD, dans sa lutte contre l'El. "Sans nous, le processus (de Genève) connaltra le même sort que les précé Après plus de dêux ans de c€ssez-le-feu, le conflit kurde en Turquie a repris l'été dentes discussions", a ajouté cette source, en référenc¿ à l'échec de discus- demier, faisant voler en éclats des pourparlers de paix engagés par le gouver- s¡ons ¡ntersyriennes en 2014 en Suisse. nement islamo-conservateur turc avec le PKK à l'automne 2012. llham Ahmad, co-présidente du Conseil démocratique syrien (CDS), une Rencontre en Syrie entre combattants kurdes et d hauts responsables occ¡dentaux Qamichli (Syrie),3l janvier 2016 (AFP) Les FDS sont composées principalement des Unités de protec{¡on du peuple kurde (YPG), une puissante milice de Kurdes syriens qui s'est révélée être une UNE DÉLÉGATION incluant l'envoyó spécial américain pour la lutt6 contre des plus effcaces contre l'El. Elles comptent également des unités composées le groupe Etat ¡slam¡que (El) a rencontré en Syrie des membres d'une dArabes syriens, musulmans et chrétiens. alliance kurdo-arabe combattant tos jihadlstes, ont ¡ndiqué dimanche à Cette renc,ontre intervient alors que les Kurdes syriens ont été exclus des négo I'AFP des sourcos proches du dossier. ciations de pa¡x indirectes qu¡ démarent lundi à Genève entre le réègime du Cette visite serait la première d'un haut responsable américain en Syrie depuis président syrien Bachar al-Assad et I'oppos¡tion sous l'égide de I'ONU. le début de la guene dans ce pays en 2011. La Turquie s'oppose farouchement à leur présence à la tâble des négociãt¡ons, Brett McGurk, l'envoyé spécial du président américain Barack Obama pour la les accusant de soutenir le Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) qui mène coalition internationale combattant l'El en Syrie et en lrak, était accompagné de une guérilla en Turquie. hauts responsables français et britanniques, ont ¡nd¡qué ces sources å I'AFP. Malgré cela, les FDS bénéficient du soutien appuyé sur le tenain de la coalit¡on Les discussions avec de hauls responsables des Forces démocratiques intemationale ant¡-El menée par les Etats-Un¡s. syriennes (FDS), regroupant des combattants arabes et kurdes syriens, ont eu Pour l'analyste Mutlu C¡v¡roglu, bâsé âux Etats-Unis et spécialiste des affaires lieu samedi dans la ville de Kobané, contlôlée par les Kurdes et s¡tuée au nord kurdes, la visite de l'envoyé spécial de Barack Obama vise à "calmer la colère de la Syrie près de la frontière turque. des Kurdes" après leur exclusion des pourparlers de Genève. Elles ont porté sur "les plans m¡l¡taires" pour lutter contre l'El, a indiqué à IAFP Elle a pour objectif de "leur donner I'assurance qu'¡ls ne sont pas ignorés et qu'ils une source kurde proche de la délégation participant à cette rencontre. auront une part dans le processus", a{-il ajouté. Cette rencontre a été confirmée à IAFP par une deuxième source kurde sur le Des sources kurdes avaient indiqué plus tôt à IAFP que le secrétaire d'Etat terrain. adjoint américain Tony Blinken avait eu un entretien téléphonique avec le chef Contacté par I'AFR le département d'Etat américain n'a pas pu dans I'immédiat du Parti de I'Union démocratique kurde de Syrie (PYD, branche politique de I'op- confirmer ou ¡nfìrmer la tenue de cette rencontre. position kurde) Saleh Muslim au sujet des pourparlers de paix. 60 Renue de Presse-Press Reaiqû-Berhet¡okn Çapê-Riaista Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti tJo lntcrn¡tiou¡lNetu qrl|¡¡c8 JANUARY27,2016 Undoing progress in Türkey nearry acenturyinruins has encour- teens and 20s who were born into that Abdulhñ Dcmirbr¡ aged "hidden" sunrivors in Tlrrkey of earlier era of violence, poverty and dis. tlrc l9l5 genocide to rediscover.and em- placement, and grew up in radicalized brace their heritage. Efforts to restore gbeüGs. the old synagogue in memory of Sur's Now a new gÊneration will grow up tsfAi{Bul Entire towns and districts once vibrant Jewish community were with tùetraumaof killing, destruction are under siege. Tanks ram through underway beforethe eruption of vie. and forced migration. Where will tJtey narrow alleys closed otrby barricades lence last sr¡mmer. go? What will become of ttrem? A¡rd andtrenches. Residents are trapped in- In 2012, Sur's community leaders es- how will anangriergeneration of Kurds doors for weeks because of cr¡ifpws. tahlished an interfaith dialogue group and Il¡rks ftrd cominon ground? The ihose who ventr¡re outsiderisk sriper bringing together representativés of truth is that my generadon may be the fire. Their bodies lie on the streets for the region's different ielþions, anl- lastto reach apeaceful settlement days before they can b¿ collected- Bul- .turesand civil society groups. Iho¡rn through diatogue. lets fly in througb windows and build- asthe Couci! of Forty, it hasplayed a Dialogrre ispossible whenthose in ings collapse under shelling, killing crucial role in keeping sectarian vio- po\rrer want it. Last spring, the two those seclci¡U shelter at home. lencefrom reaching our city. Thanks sides were on the verge of a break- This is not Syria" Tbisis lürkey, tüe . to its efforts, Sur throughaftertwo and ahaüyears of European Union candidate country Ttccountn/¡- cåmetosYmbolize negotiations The Kurds, whengiven a once hailed as ac.hampion dtlre Arab nlonm---: --; - ' tüe vision of peaceftrl real and fair c,hoice, have repeatedly Spring. The ænf,ict tùat restarted here ;- ;-.-; coexistenceinare- picked pofüics overviolence and opted after the breakdown of tdke bcttreen Iry'lq gionplaguedbyin- for coexistence in a democratic T[rrkey,' the Ttukish ståte and tùe l[¡rdistan dl!|flnûcu¡. tolerance. where tbeir riglrts andidentities are Workers' Party, or PJ(J(,last summer ürcandhr. Itcausesmeim- recognized, over separation. But as the hæ turned into a devastating war in itr¡lrüd mensegrieftosee destruction gocs on, tlreirfaith.in ape Kurdish towns and cities. rdbot{inga thatPluralismfall lftical solution withers. One of the most aüected places is the ncrrtvnsimd apartalongwith In 2(X}7, Sur became the ñrst munici- city of Diyarbakir's historic Sur districÇ D¡o;f,-. Sur'sbrrildings.Sec- pality in Tt¡rkey to offer sen¡ices in lo- where Iwas mayor frodr20Utoz{}f{. tarianism is destro.y- - cal languagps, iniluding lúrdish, Ar- Sur has bcenunder 2¡{-hourcurfew ing S¡¡riabefore our menian and Assyriaq besides the sirrce ttte bcginning of December. Many very eyes. Tb avoid the sa¡ne fate oûEcial Tf¡*ish - a mor¡e that infuri- of its neigbborhoods lie in ruins. Its his. in Tlrkey, the Comcil of Forty has ated the authorities in Ankara and led toric buildinp a¡e damaged, once busy called on the government to lift the to my removal as mayor. In 2(X)$ shops are shut hospitals lack staff and orrþws, and asked all sides to end months afrer being reelected with two-. sdrools a¡e closed. Tens of tåousands of hostilities and return to peace talks tåirds of tüevote, I was arrested on peoplehavefled. within the framework of parliamentar¡r charges of seinratisn (I was released SurS walls sr¡rround an ancientcity democracy. five montls later on healt[ gror.urds that has been bhahited for millenni- President Recep laWip Erdogan and keptmyrole as mayortüroughout r¡ms. Its narrow streets, spacious said recently tlrat military operations in myarrst) courtyards and elega¡rt stone struc- the besieged Kurdish towns would con- As I wasrounded upalongwitlthun- tures are reminders of arichmuhicr¡l' tinue untiltheywere'¡cleansed" of dreds of Kurtish activists and elected turallegary - alegacythathas sur- " !erroi.çts." "You will be annihilated in politicians, myteenage son left our vived, albeit in animpoverislred state, tlrose houses, those buildings, those house to join ttre P.ILK. "You are wast- a century of conflict. S¡nall but increas: ditcheswhich you have dug," he ingtime witùyour politics and dia- indy visible commgnities of Armeni- threatened. Butwhat peace canbe built logue,r' he told me. I dedicaæd my life ans, Assyrians, Ouldeans, Yazidis and tfuough destruction? Decades of mili- totryingto prove himwrong and bring otler minorities live alongside adher- tåry policies agaùtst tbe Kurds have him homeinpeace.l havebeen dis- ents of diverse interpretations of Isla¡t shom only that violence begets more couraged before, but never lost hope. in what is now a predominantþ Sunni violence. Today, I struggXe to keep tåat hope Iû¡rdishtown Many residents of these ton¡ns are alive. Over the pastdecade, our municipàl- poor familiès who were forced to flee ity worked hard to revive and preserve ttre countryside when the conflict be DGmnes ís thà tor-ner møyot this heritage. We oversaw the restora- tween the Kurds and the Ti¡rkish state ^sorru¡Hol Dþarfuhir's Stlu' ¡listrict anil a þuttd- tion of manyhistoric bui$ings, includ- was atits peakinthe 1990s. Thosewho ittg nenber of tlæ cnwcil ol Forty. ing mosques and churches.The re. ¿¡g rligg¡ng trenches and declaring opening of the Surp Giragos Armenian "e€lf-rule" in Sur and other cfties and Church, whichis nowthe largestAr- tovrns of soutùeastern lbrkey today menian church in the Middle East, after are mostly Kwdish youthsintheir 6l Rwue de Presse-Press Rwieut-Berhwo\a Çøpê- Rivista Stømpa-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Bøsin Özeti nutcrn*ioqrl Nctu {ork @imcs JANUARY 29,2016 Iran's president goes on aspree in Europe ?Anls Rouhani signs deals, trmmping reservations about human rþhts BYADAMNOSSITER, Europe; whose cconomic struEgtes havè grovm tûat rruch greater withre- cent problems in crucial markets nke China and Russla,is nrshittgto do busi- nesswith ancwly accessiblc and oa3or, if still problemetic, paÌtrer: Irarl With the lifting of sa¡rcdons aftcr its nuclear dealwith the West"Teùran bae gone shopping this wcek, bringing itg checkbook and alorylist of items ithad been unable to acquire for years, fron þtliners and European ceñ¡ to phamra- ceuticals andnctals. Despite linærùU aninositioo and tùe Fïa¡tçois Holande atthêÉIys¡6G P¡hælnParls United States'dcd¡nation of Iran as a Plcd.leûtHassadRor¡h¡niwith President stþruÐr of tcrrorist grq¡ps, Eutopcan on Thursdqy. Þanco and Iran havedgned deals for ¡utonoDiles' airplanes and olt. govenrments end conpanics hmo an rnarket may not be as easy to gain ac- made it cleartlrateconomic opportnity stàh¡cc. So far thc conitshþ has worked cess to as many here hope, and that it is going to tñ¡mp conoenrs owr hr,unan swimningly. may notbe the answertlrat Ëumpe de rights, security and politics for now. Italian and FT€nch bt¡si¡ross leadens sires ø its economic downh¡rn, tlre al- lte lranian prcsidcnt, Hassan Rouh- have bareþ been able to sign the con- lure is provingnearly irresistible. ani, began his shopping sprte in ltaþ, tracts fast enow[" cvc.n as tlrb Gerrnans Iì[r. Rouhani represents ons.stop a¡rd continued it on Thnsday tui Flance. lookonenvior¡sÌy. ghopping by himsGtf: The Iranian gÕv- Th3 Iranian lcaderwas t¡oatcd ùo fl¡ll By the end of Ïhnsday morning, less ernment controlis 80 percentof the coun- state honors st olrc of the Fls¡rc"h RcpuÞ tlran24 hoursinto IUr. Rouhani'svicit to try's.econom]r. Andwith a population of lic's most sancdfed spots, Los Invalldcs, trttncg the carmalrer PSA Pewpot Cit- around 80 million, muc,h of it young and and the red carpct was rolled out for him nttin had signed ade¡lwortlr4ü)million oager to spend after years of lo\tr€ost at meedngrí with top business leadors. surcsr or aboü S438 million" with the Chinese gpodg Western companies can- Later inthedqy, he metyith ltesidcnt Iranian carmaker ßlrodro. The dil com- not get tlrere fast enougb" François Holandc at the E[¡rsóe Palaca pany Tbtal said it would sign a deal for and Iæst they otrend tùeir gus¡t, thc 1t0,000 to 200,000 barrets a day. Airbus f,feals andpotential deals, sigrred promised for cars, planes, metals, Frendr kept wine off the menu, as did will sell ll8 planes to tlrc lraniaris.' pharmaceutictrls- have been cascad- tlre ltalians, who a'lco covered up nude Dven as anal¡¡sts warnthat the lrani- - ing. Ftench companies should "nrslt'' to Iran and "not waste any time," said Pierre Gattaz, president of the Medef, a Frendr business federation. ' As Prime lyfinister Manuel Valls said onThursday, "Fìrance is available for Imn." Paris,he said - with Mr. Rouhani dhis sid€ at ameeting of the Medef - is "readyto mobilize its companies,its en- gineers and its tæhriicians, its numen- ous resou¡ces, to condbute to the mod- ernization of your cormüly." Laþr nfr. Rouhâni was received by President Hollande, r¡nsmil- ing afrer a day marlred by hman rights pótests again* the lranian president in Paris. About 20 agreementswere signed in the presenæ of tlre bto presidents, ¡altging tor¡ pledges to cooperaûe in healttrand agribulffretodealsfurplanes, constnrctionworkandpharrnaceuticals lúr. Hollande said S¡niahadbeen dis" cussed - lran's support for Bashar al- Assad is unwavering, while FTance in- to callattentiontothe bigb number of exeo¡donsillranand rigbtsconcems. sists he must go.. "We spoke of every- 62 Reuue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheooka Çapê- Riaista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti .hing," out at least 830 for last year by Nov; Mr. Hollande saiú "I râzlled world, to assure the integration of lran rying in the global economyj' Mr. Khavand 1, accordingto Human Rights\À¡atctL the attachnent of Flance to human focused on repression said. Another rally rigfits;" he added, as Mr. , Rouhani political prisoners in where Analysts also said that Mr. Rouhani's and Irarl looked ongrimly. Human Rigüts Watch says that scores Beyond the money, though, Mr. Rou- trip was a calculated gamble against the hani's visit has importaqt political and conservative elements - tlrat he has of people are held "for their affiliation s¡mrbolic overtones. the popular will on his side. with banned opposition parties," and E¡perts said that signing deals and f'His opponents say, 'You've journalists and bloggers are routinely meeting with Western politicians rein- weakened Iran with the nuclear deal,"' jaited. forces his own moderate factioú in the said Thierry Coville, an lran specialist at The Flench and Italian businessmen face of powerful conservative elements the Institut de Relations Internationales who greeted Mr. Rouhani this week in Iran mostly because it shows the et Stratégiques, a think ta¡lc "And he were all smiles, ñonetheless, and the plesident- talring an active role to turn says, 'My politics of normalization rein- politicians who shepherded them were arormd his country's economy. forces the role of lran in tlte world."' scarcely less benevolent "The logic of Rouhani, to get out of "He's telling the lranian population France, well practiced, also maintains this difficult situation, is tùe normaliza- that, 'We are being taken seriousþ,"' excellent relations with lran's archrival tion of lran's economic relationò with the Mr. Coville said. "And I think the popu- Saudi Araþia, itself a leader in human world," said Fereydoun Khavand, a pro lationis receptive." rights violations. Mr. Rouhani, for his fessor of ec¡nomics at tle Université To be su¡e, Mr- Rouhani's moderation part, appeared pleased with his recep Paris Descartes. "He is supportd by is relative, and several substantial tion, hailinÈ "a new relationship" witb tlre middle classes, the urban popula- protests against his visit were mounted France and saying he wanted to "turn tion." in Paris onThursday. thepageJ' lnr. nounat i *d the tl-odd ministers A halfdressed womanharnessed her- accompanying him on the state visit to self byropeto abridgeas aremindertltat Europe represent tüe moderatè faction, Iran discriminates against women and is "and theywantto openup and go tothe a leader in executions by hanging - car- Some zoorooo at risk in Turkey's fight against Kurdish militants ISTANBUL - January 2l,2016 - By Ayla Jean Yackley SECURITY OPERATIONS in Tlrrkey's mainly Kurdish south- east have put up to 2oo,ooo people at risk, placing them in the crossfire or cutting them off from emer3encï¡ and basic serwic- es such as water, rights group Arnnesþ International said on Thursday. Round-the-clock curfews amid clashes between security forces and the armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PIK) have confined people indoors, even forcing some to live with the corpses of dead relatives, for days, it said in a report. Authorities say the curfews are aimed at protecting civilians amid near- daily clashes. "T\rrkey has never taken an approach that would endanger the lives of innocent citizens," a senior official said on condition of anonymþ in response to Amnesty's report. 'lfhis is a struggle against a terrorist organ- ization that harms everyone in the region and is responsible for the deaths of many people, primarily security forces." parliament's Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which has Kurdish roots Violence is at its worst in two decades after a 3r-year insurgency reignit- and had played a role in the last effort. ed in July. Since then, more than r5o civilians, as well as hundreds of sol- "We don't have a road plan in front of us. Those with guns in their hands diers and PKK fighters, have been killed, Amnesty and government ofü- and those who support them will pay the price of treason," Erdogan said cials say. Operations intensified last month in Cizre and Silopi towns and in a speech in Ankara. the Sur district of Diyarbakir, the largest city in the region. On Wednesday, PKK militants were killed in three towns, while a sol- "Among those killed were young children, women and elderly people, 33 dier was killed and seven wounded in Dþrbakir, the region's biggest city, who are very unlikely to have been involved in clashes with security the army said. forces," London-based Amnesty's report said, adding authorities had blocked observers from visiting areas under curfew. Amnesty accused Turkey's Western partners of failing to speak out against the measures because of the NATO member's role fighting Islamic "Crippling curfews that do not allow people to leave their houses at all State in neighboring Syria and hosting war refugees. Turkey shelters z.z have been in place for more than a month, effectively laying siege to entire million Syrian refugees and has agreed with the EU to do more to stop neighborhoods," John Dalhuisen, an Amnesty director, said in the report. their exodus to Europe. PEACE TALKS DERAILED European Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn on Wednesday The clampdown in a half-dozen towns in the southeast, home to most of called for "an immediate ceasefire and an urgent return to the Kurdish Turkey's r5 million Kurds, is aimed at rooting out militants who have dug peace process" at the European Parliament, according to a transcript of trenches and built barricades in a bicl to declare autonomy in urban areas. his speech. The clashes spelled the end to a ceasefire and peace talks seen as the best The PI(K is considered a terrorist organization by the Èuropean Union chance yet ofending the conflict that has killed 4o,ooo people since 1984. and the United Stâtes as well as Turkey. o President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday ruled out re-opening talks with 63 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheuoka Çøpê-Riaistø Stampø-Dentro de la Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti @ Group saidtrapped in cellarbecome foqrs in Turkey's Kurdish corrflict January 29,?.016 / By Melih Aslan and Daren Butler / Reuters ISTAI\IBUL I Turkísh President Tayyrp Erdogan and the pro- Kurdish opposition traded blame on Friday over the fate of more than ao people it sa¡rs have been lrapped for a week in a cellar in a southeastem town as fighting rages between securi- ty forces and Kurdish militants. Six of zB people trapped in the basement of a residential building, under z4-hour curfew, in the town of Cizre have died over the past week and others are seriousþ wounded, according to the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). Three members of the HDP, the third biggest party in Turkey's parlia- ment, have gone on hunger strike in protest at a failure to rescue the group, whose fate has become a focal point in the region's worst violence in decades. "Ifthere had been a sincere effort (to get them out) we would not be talk- ing about six dead people today," HDP deputy Idris Baluken told a news conference in Ankara with two colleagues, all on hunger strike since Wednesday. Turkìsh police stønil guud one of the entrance of Sur ilistrict, "We are talking about the problems of our citizens who for seven days whích ís pañíally under curfeu, ìn the Kutdísh-ilomínøteil south- cannot find food, water or drugs, who have died due to blood loss because ofthe lack of intervention." eøstern cíty of Dìyaùøkír,Turkey lønuary 29, 2076,Reuters / Sert ac Køy ør The fighting, moving into towns scarred bytrenches and barricades, coin- cides with threats from Islamic State militants over the border in Iraq and a terrorist organization. The PKK sa¡æ it is fighting for autonomy for Syria. NATO allies eager to see restoration ofcalm in a volatile area have Turkey's Kurdish minority. called for a ceasefire and talks to end the conflict. The T\rkish army says more than 6oo militants have been killed since Thousands of civilians have been caught up in the fighting between the security operations began in Cizre last month, and denies accr¡sations it Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and security forces that a flared after has killed large numbers of civilians. two-year-old ceaseñre collapsed in July. The fìghting has caused extensive damage not just in Cizre but also the ambulances Baluken said belonging to the HDP-run municipality in town of Silopi, near the Iraqi border, and the ancient Sur district of the Cizre, near the Syrian border, had tried to reach the group trapped in the main city Dþrbakir, enclosed by Roman-era walls which were added to on occasions security cellar tt but had been blocked at force checþoints. the UNESCO World Heritage list last year. All have been under curfew The building appears to stand on a streetcomer and may lie in the cross- since December. between and rebels. are excluded area. fire military Joumalists from the The former mayor of Sur said years of progress toward peace in the region NALL LIES" were being undone. Erdogan rejected the notion that ambulances were being obstructed by "Decades of military policies against the Kurds have shown only that vio- the state, blaming the militants and accusing those on hunger strike of lence begets more violence," Abdullah Demirbas wrote in an op-ed in the being servants ofthe PKIC New York Times this week. "This is all lies. There are alwa¡a ambulances there," he told reporters in He likened the scene to neighboring Sy'ia, describing towns "under Istanbul. "They are deliberateþ not bringing the wounded out," he added. siege", bodies þing in the street for days and buildinç collapsing due to shelling. o Turkey, the United States and the European Union all classify the PKK as de Sur et dans plusieurs autres villes, sous @uvre-feu total, pour éliminer des Turquie : quatre soldats groupes de þunes rebelles qui y avaient installé des barricades et des tran- chées, défiant les autorités. tués lon¡ de combats avec Les affrontements qu¡ continuent de s'y dérouler ont fait de nombreuses vict¡mes dans les deux camps, ainsi que près de 200 civils, selon les ONG. le PKK dans le sud-est Dans le district historique de Sur, à Diyarbakir, le couvre-feu en place depuis le quart¡ers pour per- Diyarbakir (Tirryuie), 27 janvier 2016 (AFP) 2 décembre a été étendu à cinq supplémentaires et å une rue mettre aux forces de I'ordre de démanteler et déminer les positions tenues par les rebelles, ont annoncé mercredi les autorités locales. QUATRE SOLDATS turcs ont été tuós mercrud¡ loË de violents affionte- ments avec des rebelles du Parti des travaillours du Kurdistan (PKK) à Un couvre-Þu règne depuis près de 50 jours dans la ville de Cizrê, alors que D¡yarbakir, dans le sud+st à maJorité kurde du pays, où un couvrc-feu celui qui visait la ville de Silopi a été levé partiellement la semaine demière. controvorsé e encoro ótó renforcó. L'armée a par ailleurs annoncé avoir "éliminé" mardi 20 "terroristes" supplémen- Les combats ont éclaté dans le district de Sut lorsque des hommes du PKK ont taires à Cizre et Sur, ponant à près de 600 le nombre des pertes æbelles depuis ouvert le bu sur des soldab avec des armes automatiques et des lance- le début de son offensive. Ces chiffres n'ont pas été confirmés de source indé- roquettes, a annoncé le commandement militraire sur son site intemet. pendante. Trois soldats ont été tués et s¡x autre blessés, a ajouté l'étrat-major. Après plus de deux ans de cessez-le-feu, le conflit kurde a'repris l'été demier, pourparlers paix par gouvemement Un quatrième soldat est décédé plus tard de ses blessurês à l'hôpital, a indiqué Éisant voler en éclats les de engagés le islamo-conservateur t¡rc avec le PKK à I'automne 2012. Ce conflit a fait plus de de son côté I'agence de presse Dogan. 40.000 morts depuis 1984. L'armée et la police ont lancé en décembre une vaste offens¡ve dans le d¡strict 64 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheuoka Çøpê-Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de Ia Prensø-Basin Ozeti {m@ 29 janvier 2016 Alep: le tourment décisif des lrappes russes La plus grande ville syrienne, qui n'est plus qu'un champ de ruines, risque d'être assiégée par l'armée du régime et ses alliés. Par Luc Mathieu, Envoyé special à Gaziantep, à la frontière turco-syrienne 29 janvier 2016. wwwJiberationJr f\ue restera-t-il d'Alep ? En Çrestera-t-il seúlement quèIque chose, sinon des ruines et des quartiers ravagés ? Alep, la plus grande ville de Syrie, est en guerre depuis quatre ans. Dévastée par les combats entre rebelles et soldats du régime, elle est aujourd'hui bombardée par l'aviation russe et risque d'être assiégée par les forces de Bachar al-Assad et leurs alliés. 65 Retrue de Presse-Press Reaimt-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaistø Stømpø-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti r¡r et Jarablous - et large d'une trentaine. Sauf qu'aujourd'hui, une partie de cette zone est sous l'emprise de I'EI. Les Turcs s'ap- puient sur les groupes syriens qu'ils financent et arment, tels les Turkmènes de Sultan Mourad. Ils effectuent aussi parfois des tirs d'artillerie lourde depuis la Turquie. Après plusieurs revers, les rebelles ont repris I'initiative. En trois semaines, ils ont recon- o ps lgttt t¡d¡¡rlCr¡. quis une dizaine de villages à I'EI parbrkc et se rapprochent de leur fief de o gor¡rtgûgnmt¡h¡ Manbij. Avant de se retirer, les Op¡¡ Lr K¡¡dac jihadistes avaient pris soin d'em- I piler des cadavres décapités de .ffihffi Ah¡âr d-Sh¡nl. Aítró¡ combattants de I1ASL à I'entrée ryrimnr ltbrc...) de plusieurs villages - les têtes 80upo. ln¡üNl¡ br lhirrl étaient regroupées un peu plus Ood¡atÀ¡.tñ¡ loin. I- EI est également ciblé par le régime et ses alliés. Eux pro- informations, I'Organisation ennent que très rarement à trou- d'Alep contrôlés par le gouverne- gressent depuis le sud d'Alep et mondiale de la santé (OMS) a ver du fuel pour alimenter les ment à s'enfuir. Yasser,28 ans, la base militaire de Kuwaires, créé une base de données qui poêles. < 66 Revue de Presse-Press Reaiew-Berheaokn Çøpê-Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensa-Bøsin Ozeti ni¿rnrc¡N January 2712016 :INTEREST A New Middle East? A fI.S. Blueprint for Syria Why does Russia always seem to be a step ahead of the U.S. in Syria? The answer is simple: Moscow knows exactly what it wants, and the U.S. doesn't. Henri J. Barkey but then this is does not appear to be much Such an American announcement mayelic- fanuary 27,2016 of a burden. it strong reactions from Turkey, which www.the-american-interest.com the autonomy The U.S. govemment has no convincing abhors idea of any Kurdish and would rather see Sunni Arabs rule altemative vocabulary to offer. The Sunni Syria, or from Russia and Iran who may ¡ friend who works in the Obama maiority does not trust Washington, espe- .f\Administration recently lamented that cially since the failure to live up to its rightly see that the areas that would be the Russians are always a step ahead of us chemical weapons ultimatum. By not under the control of Alawis would be much less than what they now control. The main when it comes to Syria and the Middle East. employing force after a clear and justified obiection would be that this could be the If we are wondering why this is the case, the reason for doing so, it has forfeited all cred- beginning ofthe redrawing ofboundaries in answer is simple: Moscow knows exactly ibility. In other ways, too, the Obama the region. Maybe so. But the people in the what it wants in Syria and we do not. The Administration has been more of a specta- time has come for the U.S. government, tor than an activist. Regime supporters region should decide these boundaries, publicly with selected allies, to offer what it have little reason to look to the United though not through war. thinks a comprehensive solution to the States since Washington has ignored their f A fhatever the merit of the idea, it will Syrian crisis should look like. As suggested concerns by focusing solely on Assad and VV r.tu. three purposes. First, it will below, even proposition put forth if the conflating the regime with the bulk of consolidate American thinking along a here does not end up as the ultimate out- beleaguered Alawi and Christian popula- concrete end-state and bring coherence to govern- come, it is important for the U.S. tion. The Syrian Kurds are the only ones the policymaking enterprise. Second, and ment to assert a leadership role to start the cooperating, but they too are cognizant of most importantly, it is a way to signal to process going. tlre unreliable U.S. policy record on the Syrians everywhere that there is a definite The Russians, along with the lranians, want Kurds and are wary of Turkefs natural plan out there to end the fighting. For the Assad to remain in power. He offers Russia influence on its long-standing American Sunnis, the knowledge that theywill obtain a strategic window with the base in Tartus ally. the majority of Syria might also galvanize them ultimately take on ISIS. Third, and elsewhere. Syia's mafia-like regime the eve of a possible Syria meeting in to it ¡¡n has the added advantage of overtuming the structure has deep links with its counter- lr.,f Geneva, a forward-looking U.S. propo- parts Moscow whereby a negotiating where, date, in small elite ben- sal could be as straightforward as the follo- table to economically. Washington has been discussing the issue efits For the Russians, Syria wing: The U.S. government commits itself almost basis Russian is where they can make a stand against their to the creation of a confederal democratic entirely on the of terms. dreaded nemesis: Western-inspired soft Syria that is divided along confessional and regime change. ethnic lines. In its most elementary form, To be sure, trying to implement a confeder- By contrast, the U.S. position is all over the the new Syria would be divided along three al solution would be messy, and, as always, place. It first wanted Assad to leave and main areas, AlawiÆhristian, Sunni, and the devil is in the details. All actors would supported rebels, perhaps not enthusiasti- Kurdish, with Damascus remaining as the be tempted to game the proposal. Some cally. With the emergence of the Islamic capital although temporarily run by a UN population movements are likely to occur State, it has shifted priorities to fight it. administration. Each of these regions as a result, but it is better that this happen Washington has been contemplating an would send representatives to a goveming by design and not though ethnic cleansing, arrangement with Moscow whereby Assad council where they would exercise veto which is what is going on now in selected would remain in power for a "transitional" rights over certain types of legislation, such parts of the country. period so that everyone can focus on ISIS. as defense, foreign policy, and natural Russia is unlikely to deliver in the long run. resources, but certainly not on all. This Its air force is helping Assad consolidate would encourage cooperation across Still, this is possibly the only constructive power along the heart of Syria, the regions. Other, smaller groups such as the option out there: Not everyone will get Damascus-Aleppo axis. This will be com- Druze and the Turkmen, provided their what they want and drawing the lines sepa- pleted when Aleppo is taken from the oppo- numbers add up, could get subsidiary rating communities will require tough give sition. For the Russians and Assad, the rest regions. and take. But at least one can visualize an end to the fìghting and, with the U.S. gov- of Syria does not really mater. principle pro- The underlying behind this ernment taking the initiative, begin to produce posal is that after fÏve years of war and its This could a stable equilibrium think about how to organize the day after. n even if the opposition refuses to accept it accompanying atrocities the lack of trust and continues fighting. But this opposition, that permeates Syrian societywill not abate Heni J. Barkey is the director ofthe squeezed between regime and ISIS forces, is anytime soon. Therefore, citizens will feel Middle East program at the Woodrow weaker and therefore incapable ofchanging safer and more willing to reconstruct their Wilson Center. the facts on the ground. All it can do is societies if they are govemed by their own inflict casualties on the govemment side, kind. 67 Reaue de P r esse-P r ess Reoieut -B erhepokn tro de la Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti Øelegraph l¿rrt¡itt'r l¡). ll)l lr IUrkish tornm of CTæ under siqe asl goverrrment @nflict rtrtith lfunds rtrors¡ens As many as loorooo of the town's l2orooo people have fled under fire from Ttrrkish government hoops, with many now trapped below ground W ZíeWeíse, Istanbul has been under siege, as many as zg Jøn zot6 loo,ooo of the town's 12o,ooo wwrlr..tele,gr aph.co.rtk people have fled, according to Faysal Sariflldiz, the local MP from 1¡'iding in a basement as shells the Kurdish-rooted Peoples' I Iexploded nearby, Mehmet Democratic Party (HDP). Yavuzel described the scene At first, the renewed conflict around him. between Kurdish guerrillas and "Five of us are heavily injured. Tirrkish forces took the form of We have not had water for two bomb attacks on government days," he said. "There is only the troops. Turkey retaliated by sen- sound of the mortars. If they hit ding jet fighters to bomb PKK this building, the injured will lose camps in northem Iraq. their lives." Ely winter, this tit-for-tat vio- Mr Yavuzel is among z8 men, Lllence had given way to urban women and children who have warfare. The PKK's youth wing dug doctors to reach them. The case is groups estimate that 2oo civilians sought refuge from the Turkish trenches and declared autonomy in pending. have also died. army in the basement of a bombed- the centre of several cities. The T atif Karaman. who lived in Large areas of Cizre now lie out building in the town of Cizre. security forces responded by impo- Lñirr", said thát his only son, empty and abandoned. "It's only Sitting on the banks of the sing curfews and, in the case of Cihat, was among those who died myfamilyleft in our eight-flat buil- Tigris, this largely Kurdish town Cüre, sealing off three districts of in the basement. The father insis- ding. Our relatives had to leave has been sealed-off and bombar- the town. ted that his son was not a fighter their houses and came to us, so ded by Turkish forces since Dec 14. In the basement, six of the z8 but a student who had travelled to we're almost zo in my flat," said a A siege is taking place - not people are believed to have died of Cizre to show solidarity with its father-of-two who asked to remain over the border in war-torn Syria, their wounds. Ambulances have people. anonymous. but in a corner ofT\:rkey. Images been unable to reach them because "When I spoke to my son, "You can be the target of sni- from Cizre show tanks roaming of the fighting. The survivors before he was injured, he said 'I pers at any time," the man said bombed-out neighbourhoods while include a g-year-old boy and a ró- will come but cannot get out of overthe phone as an explosion was masked youths dig trenches in rub' year-old girl. They dress their here. Be patient'," said Mr heard in the background. "My ble-strewn streets. wounds with nappies and sleep Karaman. "I went to Cizre but I friend's uncle went to feed his dog This area of south-eastern next to decomposing bodies while could not retrieve my child alive, and paid with his life. He had Tirkey has been sliding back into shells explode outside. nor are they giving me his body. I nothing to do with the PKK." conflict since a ceasefire with lawyers representing the peo- just wish the others do not die. He "We are prisoners in our Kurdish guerrillas fromthe banned ple trapped in the basement have must be the last." homes,' he added. "Education is Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) asked the European Court of Since December, the armysays suspended, exams are suspended; colþsed last summer. Human Rights (ECHR) to order nearly 6oo PKK guerrillas have law and humanity have been sus- During the six weeks that Cizre T\rrkey to allow ambulances and been killed. l¡cal human rights pendedtoo." o . REUTERS Turkey says Russian jet violated its airspacea again, warns of consequences ANKARA I January 31,?Ã16 / By Ece Toksabay / Reuters that Rr¡ssia wanted issues between the two countries to escalate. 'We a¡e making a clear call to the Rr¡ssian Federation not to violate Tirkish TLIRKEÍ warrred of onsequences on Saturday after saying a airspace, which is also NATO airspace," the statement said. Russian SU-34jet had violated its airspa.ce despite warniqgs, once rnore sbking tensions between two counùies inr¡olved in S],ria's 'We are emphasising once again that the unwanted consequences of such will war, but Russia denied that there had been any incrrrsion. irresponsible behaviour belong frrlly to the Russian Federation." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg saidtheviolation hadtaken place, In a similarincident in November, Türkeyshot down a Russian warplane fly- and urged Russia to "take all necessary measures" to enswe NATO airspace ing a sortie over Syriathat it said had violated its airspace, triggering a diplo was not violated again. "Prwious incidents have shown how dangerous such matic rupture in which Russia imposed economic sanctions. behaviour is," his statement said. Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov Thrkish President Ta¡'yip Erdogan said he wanted to meet his Russian coun- denied that any Russian plane had entered Tirkish airspace, and called the Putin after the incident. Turkish allegation "pure propaganda". terpart Madimir "I told our Foreþ Ministryto conveymy desireto meet Mr Putin personal- He saidTurkish radar installations were not capable of identifying a particu- ly. There has been no answer on this yet," Erdogan told reporters at the air- lar aircraft or its type or nationality, and that no verbal waming had been port before departing for to latin America issued in either English or Russian. avisit The downing ofthe Russian warplane inNovember left relations betweenthe Tirkey's Foreþ Ministrysaid in its statement that the Russian ambassador two countries in tatters. Russia responded with economic sanctiors that have had been summoned late on Friday, and that the violation was a clear sþ hit Turkish exports andtourism revenues. a 68 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaiezu-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaista Stampø-Dentro de lø Prensa-Basin Ozeti 7Å2916 D il:ïf.'' Janua,ry pass the threshold needed to enter the Turkish parliament for the fìrst time in history, Death and destruction After the elections, the security services round- ed up hundreds of HDP activists and party members, particularly in the south-east where the party won huge electoral majorities. Local in Diyarbakir residents in the most act¡ve Kurd¡sh neighbor- Parts of Diyarbakir, the dc facto capital of Turkey's Kurdish reg¡ons, hoods organized into armed groups known as the YDG-H, and responded by digging trenches have been undcr a Turkish army ¡mposed curfew for two months now. and erecting barricades, declaring the areas off- Tom Stevenson raports from a destroyad city under siege. l¡m¡ts to Turk¡sh security forces and going on to announce "self rule" in the neighborhoods. A CITY UNDER FIRE The Turkish army has been simultaneously fighting YDG-H militants in Kurdish cities and conduct¡ng airstikes on PKK bases in the Qandil mountains on the border between Turkey and lraq. Hundreds of lives have been claimed. According to information collected by the Diyarbakir Municipality, more than 20,000 peo- ple had already fled Sur in Diyarbakir by January 26, and the Mayor's offìce fears that the expan- sion of the curfews could more than double that number. Harun Ercan, an official in the Diyarbakir Municipality's head office, showed DW a file meticulously listing the details of the Sur refugees: names, numbers, phone numbers, and addresses within Sur - many of which may have now been demolished in the fighting. "Some have sought refuge with relatives, others trust the state at this point, and the government have grouped together to rent temporary Tom Stcvcnson, Diyrrbakir, Turkcy and army are paying no heed to international accommodation, but the army is giving families 28.0r.2016 lawj'Bilici told DW in the organization's office in little time to prepare before ordering them to http://www.dw.com the city. leave their homes, so many don't have much HARROWING FIGURES money with them," Ercan said. ln a report IHD presented in Diyarbakir on Before December, Ercan said, the army would ahousands left Sur, the historic walled center I of Diyarbakir, on Wednesday clutch¡ng su¡t- January 27, the organizat¡on documented 198 first establish coordinates for the use of its have cases and the few possessions they could carry. civilians killed during the curfews, as a result of heavy artiller¡ but ¡n the last month they On their way out residents filed past groups of fighting and the conditions, across the south- been shelling "almost at random" into civilian Turkish soldiers and the armoured vehicles they east, including 43 women and 33 children. Of areas. will soon use to bulldoze their way through those civilians,40 were killed in Diyarbakir's Sur NO RESPITE streets and homes alike in their fight against d¡str¡ct "The government perceives the Kurdish libera- Kurdish militants holed up in the c¡ty. The central command of the Turkish army t¡on movement as a whole to be too powerful, The government says the operations, which it claims it has killed more than 500 "PKK terror- and they want to break ¡tj' Ercan said. "lt's no dubbed a "winter offensive" in November, are ¡sts" in D¡yarbakrr and $rrnak since December coincidence that the places where the army is necessary to rout out m¡l¡tants linked to the 15. operat¡ng, the places under curfew, are the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is "The only solution is a ceasefire from both places where HDP's vote share was highest and fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region sides," Bilici said. where most people support the Kurdish rights within Turkey and has been battling state forces struggleJ' The Turkish state has been carrying out military ¡n multiple Turkish provinces. operations across the country's predominantly "The message is simple: ask for self-rule, get But for those who haven't already fled, electric- Kurdish south-east since July last year, after the your house destroyed;' Ercan said. ¡ty and water services are cut off and city offi- People's Democratic Party (HDP), a political Speaking about the fighting in an interview groups cials and rights say the bod¡es of those party represent¡ng the Kurdish rights move- with Turkish television station A Haber in killed - fighters alike - have lain in civilians and ment, won enough seats in a general election to December, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu the streets for days because families are unable said the target of the operations was not the to recover the corpses or send them for burial. Kurdish people as a whole, but "terrorism" Earlier this week, Turkey announced the area which he said had been brought from the vil- under curfew would be expanded to both sides lages into major settlements. Gazi street, the main thoroughfare that of ln a statement on the expansion of the curfews bisects h¡storic Diyarbakir, taking in a further given on January 27, the local governorate said five of Sur's 16 d¡stricts. the move was taken to "restore public orderJ' lt "Sadly the government is pushing forward this also added that it could not confirm any infor- conflict," said Raci Bilici, head of the Diyarbakir mation about abuses in the areas under curfew branch of Turkey's Human Rights Association until "the terrorists have beeñ cleaned out and (rHo¡. Diyørbøkh almost resembles ø ghost town security forces can enter freelyJ' "Especially in Sur, many Kurdish people want øs locøls try to find refuge elsezohere But few in Diyarbakir's civil society seem ê self-governance because they feel they can't 69 Reaue de Presse-Press Reaieru-Berheaokn Çapê-Riaista Stampø-Dentro de la Prensø-Basin Ozeli ¡ I Trying to cope with uhat little protection there is Actioists in Diyørbøkir søy the EU høs shirked its responsibilities + to agree with the governor's assessment. fews but has rejected human rights abuses because of its interest in the cases to have the curfews themselves Turkey stemming migrant flows to Europe. Neget Girasun is a lawyer from the Diyarbakir deemed illegal. Bar Association and former colleague of the late Reha Ruhavioglu, a member of the religiously Tahir Elci, a human rights lawyer renowned for "The curfews don't have a legal status under based human rights group Mazlumder, said his support for Kurdish pol¡tical and cultural Turkey's constitut¡on, so they're extra-legal that there was plenty of blame to go around rights who was murdered in Sur in November. technicallyJ' Girasun said in his office in between the state and the militants in Turkey, Diyarbakir. but that Europe was showing great hypocrisy in Girasun has spent the last two months prepar- the conflict. ing an application to the European Court of "We had hoped that in Europe there might be a Human Rights (ECHR) on behalf of families chance to pursue this. but frankly it looks like a "We have higher expectations from the EU, under curfew to have the curfews in Sur and pol¡tical decision - Europe is supporting because we partly learned about human rights other south-eastern cities condemned as illegal. Turkey's government politically and there's no from Europe, but in this war it look as though Having first sought to do the same in Turkish interest in the rights of the people in the south- the EU cares more about ¡ts trade agreements courts, and had the case dismissed within east," he told DW. and security deals with Turkey than any talk of valuesj' he told DW in a cafe in Diyarbakir. hours, he and his team fìled at the ECHR in Everyone DW spoke to ¡n Diyarbakir, regardless September. of their political assoc¡ations, believed that the "Where is the pressure from the EU on Turkey WHERE IS EUROPE? European Union has shirked its responsibilities over th¡s? People are dying in great numbers by ignoring what is happening in south-eastern and even the civil associations are staying quiet. But the attempt has thus far proved fruitless. Turkey, or that it is actively supporting the Unfortunately it looks like the EU only cares The ECHR has condemned individual abuses Turkish government's pos¡tion and overlooking about the rights of Europeans."r committed by the Turkish state during the cur- Assoclated Prcss themselves not committed any crimes." She said the group also found that Amnesty: Iraqi Kurds Arab civilians rvere baned from returning to their villages by Kurdish forces. "We are not talking about collateral damage happening in the heat of bat- destroy Arab villages tle, rather this is delibemte destruction," she said. Amnesty researchers investigated 13 villages in the provinces of Ninevah, january 21.,2016 / By Bram |anssen, AP Kirkuk and Dyala, and the report included satellite imagery thatAmnesty said conoborated its claims. IRBIL, Iraq " Imqi Kurdish fortes have destroyed thousands of The report said the peshmerga carried out the attacks in retaliation for Arab homes in villages under their contml, according to an Amnesty alleged support for IS rvithin Arab communities. The villages detailed Inþrnational rtport released lVednesda¡ which said the actions came under Kurdish control when peshmerga fighters pushed back IS last could amount to war crimes. year. After pushing the Islamic State group out of over a dozen Arab villages The Kurdish Regional Govemment in northern Iraq has said civilians are over the past year, Kurdish forces bulldozed, blerv up and bumed dorvn being prevented from retuming to their homes for their orvn safety, citing thousands of homes in an attempt to prevent civilians from retuming, the the explosive booby{raps that IS often leaves behind when it retreats. report said. A spokesman for haq's Kurdish region responded to the Amnesty report "The forced displacement of civilians and the deliberate destruction of by saying that Kurdish forces implement the "standards" and "principals" homes and property without military justifìcation may amount to war of human rights and international law. crimes," Amnesty's Donatella Rovem, who carried out fieldlvork for the "There is no strategy planned by the (Kurdistan regional govemment) to report, said in a statement. destroy or destruct any component villages, any component set up in Iraq's Kurdish forces, also knolvn as the peshmerga, have been some of these nelvly liberated areas," Dndar Zebari said. the most effective ground forces in Iraq in the fight against IS. The United But he said there were a felv cases in lvhich "an entire village stood States has closely supported them with airstrikes, intelligence sharing and against the peshmerga" and fought with IS. training programs. Sunni lalvmaker Hamid al-Mutlaq said that despite the "good stance" of very, seriously," Steve Warren, "We take these issues very Col. the regional Kurdish authorities in helping people who have been forced spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, said in a press briefing Wednesday. of their homes, "there are some Kurdish parties (lvho) do r,vhat is men- govemment territory... rvhether it's Iraq or Syria "As forces liberate in in tioned in the report," without elaborating. there's got to be security for all the civilian population." "We denounce any act that is against humanity and human rights whether Rovera told The Associated hess the abuses documented in the report are from Sunnis or Shiites or Kurds," he said. ¡ "a form of collective punishment on families and communities who have 70 Reaue de Presse-Press Rwieu)-Berheuoka Çøpê- Riaistø Stampa-Dentro de Ia Prensa-Basin Ozeti LT TIGARO samedi 3O - dimanche 3l janvier 2016 Les espoirs de la diaspora iranienne en France L'éplcerle Seplde, rue des Entrepreneurs, dans le XVe arrondlssement de Paris. C'est dans ce quartier que I'on peut rencontrer des membres de la dlaspora iranienne, comme Réza et A[ (cFdessus). J.-c. MARMARA/LE FtGARo Forte d'environ 1 25000 personnes,, l la communauté iranienne n'ajamais totalement n microscopiçre quartier iranien On est plein d'espoir, secache dáns Paris, Une dizaine de restawants et d'épiceries se font coupé les ponts avec sa On a de la famille là-bas, face dans une des artères qui tra- Le Cepaysriche, avecune verse le XVe a¡Iondissement : la terre d'origine. retour population éduqrée, bien nommée rue des Entrepre- tellement de I'Iran sur la scène a été si lorrgtemps fermé... I s'yprendre rencontrer internationale, marqué Ferrandi, dirige le restaurant-uaiteur Chez Mazehet, nebavardant entre lesbocauxdepistaches, les cartons contlnue à fournir la veuve du chah, l'impératrice Fa- rah Pahlavi, pour ses réceptions parisiennes. En face, de dattes et les cageots de goyaves. E¡n cette fin de ma- par la visite cette semaine tinée de semâine, les commerces ronronnent. Un Sepide, caveme d'Ali Baba persane, otr les irutruments marchand le conûrme : < Autrejof,s, lø clleftèle étqlt de musique traditionnelle'côtoient les denrées ali- du président Rohani mentâires, a longtemps été tenue par un dignitaire de plus rwtúranse, les mères de tanúte falsaíent de b øi- stne trøilltlonnelle, les gens avølent plus il'ûgent. On lrancien régime. Organisateur des fêtes fashreuses cé- à Paris, suscite lébrées pour le 2500e de la s'était itætallé lci parce qu'íl y allriit de la ilemanile. " à Persepolis anniversaire Dans les années 1980, nombre d'Iranierr en exll fondation de I'empire perse en 1971, il s'était recon- avaient, en effet, élu domicile dans les tours modernes I'enthousiasme verti en épicier. À Paris, I'homme n'avalt rien perdu du front de Seine, .dans des appartements qu'ils de sa zuperbe : avec ses clientes, il évoquait I'lran, la < prenait avaient achetés su¡ plan avant la chute du chah. l¿ ré- de beaucoup d'hornmes larme à l'æil, A chaqte JoIs, cela des heures volution islamique de 1979 ayant balayé l'ancienrégi- pow acheter utr.¡ørryiø.t ilepistaches... >,, soupire; irmu- qui sa mère cet me, lespied-à-terre se sonttransformés enresidences d'affaires, d'avocats sée, Sara Yalda, accompagrrait dans principales, les familles, venuesse réñrgier enprincþ antre où, aujourd'hui encore, après dix minutes de qtrelques mois, ont fait souche. conversation, on vor¡s propose courtoisement ü¡r thé ou d'entrepreneurs. bien fort qu'un employé s'empresse d'aller chercher Ph¡s de trente-cinq _ans ont passé, lllran a connu quarantaine pétillante, bien des soubresauts. t€ de¡nier en date - l'accord sur < Pour la population de l'autre côté de la rue. La le nucléaire, la levée des sanctions et le retour de Té- Sara Yalda organise des conférences (1). Ces dernlères héran sur la scène internationale - est observé avec un semaines, elle a été particirlièrement sollicitée sur mélange deþrudence et d.'espoir par une diæpora qui iranienne, il faut I'Iran et sur les perspectives qu'ouue cette pujssance est tout sauf homogène en France, En 1979, la révolu- ré$onale redevenue fréquentable. Auparavant, elle tion avait surpris le père dç Sam Tavassoli, Ali, alors que Çâ marche ), avait rñis vingt-sept ans avant.de revenir daiîs son pays qu'il étudiait aux Beaux-A¡ts à Paris. Il se destinait à natal, Ce retour hü a inspiré un très émouvant et premier (2). être architecte, il a ouvert une pedte boutique rue des affirment-ils. drôle roman gère Entreprenews. AuJourd'hui, son flls Sam, volubile et À Lyon, Shirine Vernay un bel hôtel avec son sympathique, passé par l'école de gastronoÍde mari. Lorsqu'elle quitta I'Iran en 1979 avec sa mère et 7',1 Reuue de Presse-Press Reuieut-Berheuoka Çøpê-Riuista Stampa-Dentro de lø Prensø-Bøsin Ozeti qu'un 25 lå << ruée vefs I'or >> sa sæur cadette, elle ne parlait pas français. Son père, continuent d'aller voir leur tardlle, Sans im- lahs et un tiers a moins de ans, , se fasse sentir, malgré la de a commencé. En quelques journallste et professeur à runfuersité, mli àla retraite mense décalage différence comme cêrtains I'appellent, professiorurelle à I'Iran Me d'office, les rejoigrit un peu plus tard, La h4ille dut mode de vle, le statut imposé aux femmes et I'em- mois, I'activité liée de Ma- .. revoir son üain de vie. Auþurd'hui, les enfants de preinte quotidienne des prescriptioru ieligieuses. fl hasti Razavi, du cabinet Augtst-Debouzy, a pris envi- qdvtvent << uræ Shirine reprochent à leur mère de ne pas lew avoir n'y aguère ile äfférence ertÍemes ceuslr¡€e ¿ ron 10 % de son temps. On sent $fentercence apprislefrrsi... Télúran et moi, ætwte Shirine Vernay, qui lors de son iløts læ PME comme funs les grands grorqes Írmça{s, passage les amérlcains qi Sarn, Sara, Shirine, tous s'interrogent évidemment demier à Îéhéran est allée vlsiter un nouveau Wù- etu Wmcée pø mãias pt - boutiques Montblarc ou Du- le¡tt comme de be", analyse I'avo- sur I'avenir de l'lran, << Onætplebtil'espoir. Onadela centre commercial. Izs ilel'Iran "theplaceto pont y côtoysient les concess¡onnoíres Feftari et Lam- cate d'affaires. ivor¡s sommæ sollicitéspc, toutes softes fanlile lù-bos. Ce pa¡¡s ríche, wec une popiatíim tele- borghini I Des biens qtine sont ililernmantpas accessÍ- de hnce, énergíe, secteurbørcaire mant éiluEúe, s ëté sÍ lorytemps termé... SÍ les gens æciété: powaíat désormais resplrø ilavantage, t¡antller bþs d tous maß, vlø Dubat, l'enúøgo est largene¡û et fln,rncier. Blen sû¡,, ütøtt être capable ile "il&úq" ! > eÌles, ce cotnpliEté de mianx ! >>, s'enthowiasme Sara Yalda, impressionnée, contott¡é l'Irgrpow Mais n'estþaspltæ rye : enChbtæ lors de ses séjours à Téhéran, par o la solf ile cowtols- Beaucoup d'edlés l'assurent les trøtalfler $r iles contrats m, mtme, il'e,xpll- fêtes à Téhéran n'ont rien à envier qrcr ùdes Am& ilelaf}.ance ! > sance iles jewres >> . << Une ørúe svøüt oinsi un øploi du .ícailwlefoncllutnøttøtt soirées parisiennes, en Parlewconnaissartce dupays, dupersan- même siles tøtrps ile mlnlstre, Jonglant ettûe 1es cours il'angJøls aux ni d'informatíqrc et ile yogø ! ,,, râcont€-t-elle) tout er consommation d'alcool, ni en élé- edlés qui ontgrandien Flance se font repérer à cause gance. Et c'est avec lamême unani- de leur léger accent -, les Franco-lranieru ont rure riânt au souverilr de < ces jannes filles qnúsbtent ùk qu'ils des pas de rigrcw ßk/mírye en mettant d¡¡ stic¡¿ à làvres rougr mité compatent le sort carte àjouer. Tous n'ont cependant llhtention ,< polrlpd,er rr, et < ile la langte blør pendue des.clv$feun terirmes iranierures à celuides Saou- se précipiter. I'awaís aímé aurtrmlieusympthí- detordEti,.autemryde lc Søvok (le service de rensei diennes. Certes, tenue vestimentai- W lù-bæ. Powqtol pøs ?, confle Sam Tavassoli, le islamique juridique gnement à l'époque du chah, I,IDLR), ourofat été ex. re et statut infé- restaurateur. Mois c'est quød ftÊmeunmonde ilere- rieu¡ à celui des homrnes n'ont rien quíns. On ne soit jamøts slnotre tête lanr re,,lent ! r> rtdÍes ør-prinnpour moÍns gue celc ! >,. lout reste s eléatoIe cependant; parfols dérlsoire, < Søtez-vow d'enviables, disent-lls en subctance, Del'autre côté de la rue,lafilledupatronde l'épice- y quatre pourquoí la cotnwion Intentet d'un omi s'est so¡tdøftl mais sont moins rigoristes qre le calcan du rgyaume rie Sepide, Tanine, 32 ans, a quitté Paris il a mois poui monter une société de conseils et de servi-' bloquée ? >, interroge-t-ell.e. Sa réponse fuse : IeJetme wahhabite. << Apr¿s tout, l'Irúm 6t lp Ws le plw cülîsé Téhéran. Le prospecns, orné des homme était en train de remplir un dossler pour I'uni. fuMoyen-Orient ! >, s'écrient-ils, pronrpts à critiquer .ces aux erQatriés à est en borure place sur le versité du Sr¡ssex. La demière syllabe de la région an- I'ennemlhéréditaire. drapeaux français et iranien, jeune femme estr paralt-il, très contente glaísene passaitpas la censuredes moþtts Si I'oppression, les années de guerre contre I'Irak, comptoh. La son les attaques chimiques ont profondément marqué le de sa nouvelle vie. Dans la boutique, I'adþint de Unccrrteàþuer peuple iranien, elles n'ont pas pour auta:nt nourri de père n'a, lui, aucune lntèntion de fåire le voyage re- 'ressent¡ment exil qui emmena sa famille lalque, mangeant Autour de 25 000 personnes ftnment la << communau- à l'égard de ceux qui avaient quitté le tow d'un porc en té > irânienne en France, constituée de strates succes- pays. Tout au plus quelques remarques por¡r remet- du et buvant de l'alcool, loin de I'Iran décem- 1979. Reza Ana¡i avait vingt ans et a, depuis, exer- sives : les opposants au chahpuis, après la révolutlon, re à sa place celui ou celle qui oubliait un peu vite les bre marchand tapis la bourgeoisie qui a fui I'instauration de la République épreuves subies par la population: < Où étdis-tu cé plusieurs métiers, dont ceux de de et de palron d'un institttt de beauté. E*ffirlt 25 janvier 2016 Conflit kurde: I'UE veut un "cess ez-le-feu immédiat" dans le sud-est de la Turquie 25lanv,2O16 www.leparisien,fr Turquie continuera son combat contre toutes les organisations terro- ristes, y compris le PKIÇ qui menacent 1 a chef de la diplomatie européenne I¡Federica Mogherini a appelé lundi sa sécurité nationale", a assuré M. à un cessez-le-feu immédiat dans le Bozkir lors de la même conférence de sud-est de la Turquie, en proie à de presse. violents combats entre les forces de "En le faisan! nous essayons de sécurité turques et les rebelles du protéger les droits de nos citoyens", a- Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan t-il plaidé. tPKK). Après plus de deux ans de cessez- "Nous appelons à un cessez-le-feu le-feu, le conflit kurde a repris depuis immédiat dans le sud-est", a déclaré l'été dernier, faisant voler en éclats les devantla presse Mme Mogherini à I'is- pourparlers de paix engagés à I'au- sue d'un entretien avec les dirigeants tomne 2012 par le gouvernement turcs à Ankara, précisant que l'Union islamo-conservateur turc pour tenter européenne (UE) "condamne fetme- de mettre un terme à une rébellion qui Des mønifestants pro kuriles løncent des pierres sur un ment toutes les formes de terro- a fait plus de 40.000 morts depuis risme". 1984...... 1!.*!s*.!.r..ls.nv.!.iç.:.Í*.r.:.!,ç..x*s:.!..4v.p.w::...... Le ministre turc des Affaires euro- Les affrontements en cours, péennes Volkan Bozkir lui a immédia- plusieurs villes sous notamment dans par I'armée contre des tement répondu que son pays enten- majorité les ONG. cres" commis couvre-feu du sud-est à civils, suscitant la ðolère des autorités dait continuer son combat contre les kurde de la Turquie, ont fait de nom- Plus d'un milliers d'universitaires rebelles kurdes. turcs et étrangers ont récemment et des poursuites iudiciaires conffe les breuses victimes dans les deux camps, pétitionnaires. I "En tant que pays souverain, la ainsi que des dizaines de civils selon signé un texte dénonçant des "massa- 72