[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 78 (Thursday, May 27, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6438-S6439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PLIGHT OF THE KURDISH PEOPLE

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today out of concern for the plight of 
the Kurdish people living in Northern Iraq and Eastern Turkey. They 
have been victims of some of the most egregious human rights abuses in 
recent years including brutal military attack, random murder, and 
forced exile from their homes. While American efforts in Northern Iraq 
have greatly improved the plight of the Kurds, there is certainly much 
room for improvement both there and in Turkey.
  In 1988, the world was stunned by the horrific pictures of the bodies 
of innocent Kurds disfigured by the effects of a poison gas attack by 
Saddam Hussein. We may never know exactly how many people died in that 
particular attack due to Saddam Hussein's efforts to cover up his 
culpability. The number of victims, however, is most likely in the 
thousands.
  This was certainly not Iraq's first deplorable attack on the Kurds 
and, sadly, it was not destined to be the last. Yet, this attack 
continues to represent a stark milestone in the long list of deplorable 
deeds Saddam Hussein has perpetrated against his own people.
  In recent years, however, the United States has come to the aid of 
the Kurds of Northern Iraq. At the conclusion of the Gulf War, the 
United States and our allies established ``no-fly'' zones over Northern 
and Southern Iraq. These zones, plus the damage the Iraqi military 
sustained during Operation Desert Storm, have mercifully curtailed 
Saddam Hussein's ability to attack the Kurds in Northern Iraq. Mr. 
President, the men and women of the United States Air Force who risk 
Iraqi anti-aircraft fire over Iraq each day in order to enforce these 
no-fly zones deserve our support and commendation. Not only do their 
efforts protect nations throughout the region and around the world from 
Saddam Hussein's aggression, but their daily flights serve as sentries 
against human rights abuses.
  Mr. President, the United States has taken other, more direct actions 
to help the Kurds of Northern Iraq. Following the Gulf War, the United 
States Agency for International Development worked to provide important 
humanitarian assistance to Iraqi Kurds. When Iraqi incursions into the 
region once again threatened the lives of thousands of innocent 
civilians, the United States worked to evacuate more than 6,500 people 
to the safety of Guam. Many were later granted asylum in the United 
States.
  Our relationship with the Kurdish people of Northern Iraq is not a 
one-way street. More than 2,000 of the Kurds who the United States 
evacuated in 1996 were either employees of American relief agencies or 
family members of those employees. Others have provided invaluable 
intelligence information to the United States.
  As I mentioned earlier, many Kurds also live in Eastern Turkey. A 
minority of Turkish Kurds have taken up arms against the democratically 
elected Turkish government in a bid for independence. Unfortunately, 
both sides in this internal conflict are guilty of human rights abuses 
against innocent Kurdish civilians.
  The Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, has devolved into a terrorist 
organization targeting not only Turkish military and police forces but 
innocent Kurdish civilians as well. While reliable estimates of the 
number of victims are extremely hard to come by, it is clear that 
thousands, probably tens of thousands, have died at the hands of the 
PKK.
  As is often the case, neither side in the dispute holds a monopoly on 
human rights abuses. The PKK's actions unquestionably demand a response 
from the Turkish government. Rather than a measured and targeted 
response, however, Turkey has declared a state of emergency in a large 
portion of Eastern Turkey, directly affecting more than 4 million of 
its citizens.
  Under the state of emergency, Turkey has severely rationed food, 
leading to great hardship amongst innocent civilians. In addition, 
Turkey has forced hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes, 
leaving more than 2,600 towns and villages mere ghost towns.
  These actions are all aimed at suppressing the PKK's terrorism. Yet, 
the government has actively targeted not only known terrorists but 
those believed to agree with the PKK's goal of independence--although 
perhaps not their methods--as well. Even those who support neither the 
PKK's goals nor their means suffer at the hands of the Turkish military 
and police forces.

[[Page S6439]]

 Thus, Turkey's Kurdish population is under attack from both sides 
without any place to hide.
  Turkey is both a democracy and an important ally of the United 
States. In Kosovo and Bosnia, Turkey has stood firmly with other NATO 
members against human rights abuses. In recent weeks, Turkey has opened 
its borders to tens of thousands of innocent Kosovars desperate to 
escape Slobodan Milosevic's murderous rampage. Turkey, along with our 
other NATO allies, deserves a great deal of credit for its principled 
stand in the Balkans. In fact, Turkey has allowed the United States to 
enforce the no-fly zone over Northern Iraq from our air force base on 
Turkish soil.
  Yet, it would be inappropriate for us to overlook Turkey's human 
rights abuses against its own people simply because of its commendable 
actions elsewhere. Mr. President, the intentional murder of innocent 
non-combatants is an anathema to the United States regardless of where 
it occurs or who the perpetrator is. Thus, the PKK's efforts to 
intimidate others by random murder, certainly not indicative of all 
Kurds, deserves our condemnation as does Turkey's abuse of its own 
innocent citizens in the pursuit of terrorists.
  Mr. President, we must never let our nation's commitment to the 
protection of human rights lapse. As we sit here today, the human 
rights of an entire race of people in Turkey and Iraq are under 
assault. I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning these 
abuses.

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