PKK sabotages reform in Turkey

With its attacks the PKK is wilfully sabotaging political reforms that would benefit the Kurds, the left-liberal daily Der Standard writes: "The PKK planned its series of attacks in the border province Hakkari for the very day when the new constitutional commission is due to start work in Ankara. That is no coincidence. The leaders of the underground army are clearly trying to sabotage the most important political project in the country. With a new constitution the parliament and the government aim to put the days of military custodianship behind them and redefine Turkish citizenship. That includes giving the country's minorities - first and foremost the roughly 20 million Kurds - a genuine place in the Turkish Republic for the first time. Now, however, the generals once more have the say, while the political leadership has announced reprisals for these new deaths. Under such circumstances the major legal reform can hardly be successful."

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