European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 01, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday september 1, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 17 / Turkey s minibar with kurdish rebels by Emel Anil associated press for centuries kurd have been struggling for autonomy in the Middle East fighting and losing wars in Iran Iraq and  they have not Given up. And for the past year a Lew Hundred kurdish guerrillas have engaged crack troops of the turkish army in a Man War of attrition in the rugged Eastern terrain. So far. According to official count the rebels have killed 47 military personnel three policemen and 52 civilians. Their own losses Are almost Iqual. P.? Klied in shootouts with soldiers. Dozens have been rounded up and jailed and at least 10 have received the death penalty in subsequent trials. At the beginning there were Border skirmishes with the guerrillas based in Camps in Syria Iraq and Iran. In. May 1983, Turkey obtained Iraq s consent and sent two commando brigades across the Mutual Border to push the Guei shias Back. Most turks Felt that the problem had been dealt with conclusively. But a year later the guerrillas mostly members of the kurdish labor party pkg also known Here As the a ocular gang started hit and run attacks against turkish villages we military garrisons. Utile official information is available on the incidents besides routinely announced death tolls. Reports from local sources Are often exaggerated. We do not want to publicize this matter said a member of parliament from the ruling motherland party when asked about the almost weekly skirmishes. But news gets out As slain soldiers Are Given elaborate funerals. The guerrillas appear to be moving North from Turkey s Southern Borders with Syria and Iraq. According to local sources several Hundred fresh recruits have infiltrated into the country since the Start of the warm season. Recently the guerrillas seemed to be in control of mount Ararat the legendary Landing spot for Noah s Ark after the great deluge. In lit july and Early August the kurdish rebels raided four Mountain Camps of japanese French american and West German climbing groups and expeditions in search of the Ark. They seized the equipment of the climbers held them hostage for several hours and warned them never to return to the Mountain according to turkish news Agency reports. The reports said army troops were combing the mountains to catch the guerrillas. An estimated 10 million kurd live dispersed in a 74,000-Square-mlle landlocked Region of High Mountain ranges and arid Flat land within the Borders of Turkey Iraq Iran Syria and the soviet Union. They enjoy limited autonomy in Iraq. In Turkey where there Are an estimated 6 million kurd in a total population of 50 million a policy of assimilation has confrontation with turkish Writy fore., on mount Ararat add in death for of of kurdish guerrilla to. Been in Force for decades. Kurd who share the moslem sunny Faith with the majority turks need Only to learn turkish to join the mainstream of society. Turkish citizens of kurdish origin have risen to prominence As presidents premiers army generals and Cabinet members. Kurdish is not recognized As an official language in Turkey and education publications and radio broadcasts in the language Are forbidden. In Many Eastern villages however officials need interpreters to communicate with the residents. In their coffeehouses and Homes kurd listen to tapes of songs in their Mother Tongue. Despite the restrictions on kurdish culture. Turkish officials claim an overwhelming majority of kurd Are Loyal citizens with no nationalistic ambitions to set up separate state. The guerrilla group pkg a said by turkish officials to be More marxist than nationalistic. In recent trial of captured rebel defendants testified of syrian and soviet involvement and support for their cause and having been trained in guerrilla Camps in Syria Iraq and Lebanon. One defendant Abdurrahman Kandemir told a martial Law court in Plyar Baker the largest City in the East that our aim is to establish a communist kurdish state. This state is to t a member of the Warsaw  Sahlin Billil. Another defendant testified that he was recruited in West Germany than sent to Damascus Syria and later to Lebanon Tor training. Most turkish officials insist that there is an Eastern problem in the impoverished backward area rather than a kurdish problem. In a recent interview with the leftist Istanbul Dally cumhur yet Diyarbakir mayor Nurettin Dilek cited High unemployment is the most important problem. Luring investments to the East was one of the major Campaign promises of Premier Turgut Ozal who believes most social and political problems have an economic basis. But generous tax Breaks and Low interest state credits failed to attract private sector investments to the Region. The reason they do to come is the same reason for the failure of so Many state investments in this area Lack of skilled labor and inadequate infrastructure said a state planning official in charge of development projects for the East. He did not allow the use of his name because most turkish officials Are Only allowed to speak on background with reporters. The situation represents a Perlecy vicious Circle he said. Because the Region is so backward not Only economically but socially trained manpower is reluctant to move East. Without skilled workers to build and operate plants run facilities the area remains  -4