[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 85 (Thursday, June 7, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S3843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 486--CONDEMNING THE PKK AND EXPRESSING SOLIDARITY 
                              WITH TURKEY

  Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself, Mr. McCain, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Rubio) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 486

       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
       Resolved, 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.

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