Whereas, since 1984, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK),
also known as the Kongra-Gel, has waged a campaign of violence and terrorism
against the people and Government of Turkey;
Whereas it is estimated that at least 30,000 people have
been killed in PKK-associated violence since 1984;
Whereas the United States Government designated the PKK as
a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997, as a Specially Designated Global
Terrorist in 2001, and a Significant Foreign Narcotics Trafficker in
2008;
Whereas, in 2010 and 2011, the Department of the Treasury
designated the top leaders of the PKK/Kongra-Gel as Significant Foreign
Narcotics Traffickers, including the head of the PKK/Kongra-Gel Murat Karayilan
and senior leaders Ali Riza Altun and Zubayir Aydar;
Whereas, in 2004, the Council of the European Union added
the PKK to its list of terrorist organizations;
Whereas President George W. Bush in October 2007
characterized the PKK as a common enemy of the United States and
Turkey, saying of the PKK, It’s an enemy to Turkey, it’s an enemy to
Iraq, it’s an enemy to people who want to live in peace.
;
Whereas President Barack Obama in April 2009 stated that,
Iraq, Turkey, and the United States face a common threat from terrorism.
… And that includes the PKK
;
Whereas the Government of Turkey, under Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has begun to take historic steps to resolve sources of
grievance among Kurds in Turkey that are exploited by the PKK;
Whereas the PKK has a safe haven in the Qandil Mountains
of northern Iraq where many PKK fighters are currently based;
Whereas the Government of Turkey has been developing and
deepening diplomatic, economic, and strategic ties with the Kurdistan Regional
Government in northern Iraq;
Whereas Prime Minister Erdogan on April 20, 2012, stated,
The stance of the Turkish state is clear: once [the PKK] lay down their
arms, it is [our stance] to completely stop military operations
;
Whereas Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan
Regional Government in northern Iraq, stated on April 20, 2012, The PKK
should lay down its arms. … If the PKK goes ahead with weapons, it will bear
the consequences.
;
Whereas the PKK has support networks in countries in
Europe, which engage in illicit and deceptive activities to facilitate PKK
recruitment, financing, logistical support, training, and propaganda, including
satellite television broadcasting and print media that support the PKK’s
violent terrorist agenda;
Whereas, according to the 2011 EU Terrorism Situation and
Trend Report, published by the European Police Office (EUPOL), the PKK is
actively involved in money laundering, illicit drugs and human
trafficking, as well as illegal immigration inside and outside the EU,
and fundraises in the EU using labels like donations and
membership fees, but are in fact extortion and illegal
taxation
;
Whereas the Europe-based satellite television channel, Roj
TV, was banned from broadcasting in Germany by the German Interior Ministry in
2008 and, in January 2012, convicted by a court in Denmark for promoting
terrorism
as an undeclared propaganda arm of the PKK;
Whereas PKK-affiliated television channels continue to
operate in European countries, including Sweden, Norway, and Denmark;
Whereas Turkey since 1952 has been a member of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO);
Whereas the armed forces of Turkey and the United States
have served together as allies during the Korean War, in Kosovo, in
Afghanistan, and in the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, Operation Unified
Protector;
Whereas President George W. Bush said of Turkey,
[Turkey’s] success is vital to a future of progress and peace in Europe
and in the broader Middle East—and the Republic of Turkey can depend on the
support and friendship of the United States
; and
Whereas President Obama said of Turkey, “Turkey is a
critical ally. Turkey is an important part of Europe. And Turkey and the United
States must stand together, and work together, to overcome the challenges of
our time”: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)condemns the
continued campaign of terrorism by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and
expresses solidarity with the victims of PKK violence;
(2)reaffirms that
the PKK is a common enemy of the United States and Turkey, and all responsible
countries and governments in the world;
(3)urges the PKK to
lay down its arms, renounce violence, and pursue peaceful dialogue with the
Government of Turkey;
(4)commends the
historic steps taken by the Government of Turkey to address the sources of
grievance and alienation that have been exploited by the PKK to justify acts of
terrorism;
(5)welcomes efforts
by the United States Government to support the Government of Turkey in
developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to eliminate the threat
posed by the PKK;
(6)encourages the
United States Government to make available diplomatic, military, and
intelligence support to the Government of Turkey so that it can apprehend or
eliminate irreconcilable violent elements of the PKK;
(7)applauds the
deepening economic and political ties between the Government of Turkey and the
Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq;
(8)supports greater
cooperation between and among the relevant authorities in Turkey, the United
States, the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, and Iraq to end the PKK sanctuary in the
Qandil Mountains of northern Iraq;
(9)urges increased
intelligence and counterterrorism cooperation among the governments of the
United States, Turkey, Germany, and other countries in Europe to disrupt and
eliminate PKK support networks based in Europe, including PKK financing and
fundraising; and
(10)urges the
European Union and governments in Europe—
(A)to take measures
to ensure the PKK cannot use their territories for fundraising, recruitment,
financing, logistical support, training, and propaganda; and
(B)to ban and
prevent from operating on their territory any media, including satellite
broadcasting stations, that is financed, controlled, or coordinated by the PKK
or that promotes the PKK’s violent terrorist agenda.