NICOSIA, Cyprus -- In a growing climate of fear punctuated by riots and bomb explosions, Kurdish nationalists in Turkey are pressing their claim for autonomy. Turkish military leaders and politicians feel that granting such a demand would be tantamount to storing dynamite under the republic's foundations, and likely to result in Turkey's fragmentation along ethnic lines. As the country counted its latest victims of clashes between the army and Kurdish rebels, Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, chief of the general staff, called for "unity, loyalty and self-sacrifice" from Turkish soldiers so that "no one will be able to divide the homeland." He addressed the troops in the provinces bordering Iraq and Iran, where recent clashes took place. Hardly a day goes by without rioting and clashes in the mountains, where Kurdish fighters are reportedly supplied with weapons from Iraq. The victims include Kurdish guerrillas and an increasing number of Turkish soldiers. Mosques and government buildings have been bombed. Although the PKK has proclaimed a unilateral cease-fire in its campaign, local clashes accompanied by mass demonstrations and rioting have led to a general deterioration of the situation.
The PKK is registered as an "official" terrorist organization by the US, EU and Australia
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