Diyarbakır, a focal point on the eve of funerals

Diyarbakır, a focal point on the eve of funerals 16 January 2013 13:21 (Last updated 16 January 2013 22:47) Bodies of women brought to Diyarbakir from Istanbul. DIYARBAKIR The bodies of 3 Kurdish women who were killed in the French capital of Paris have been brought to Turkey's south-eastern province of Diyarbakir from Istanbul. A Turkish Airlines (THY) jet carrying the 3 bodies arrived in Diyarbakir at 20.45 hours (Turkish local time). A large group of individuals who came to the Diyarbakir Airport to receive the bodies and members of the press were not permitted to enter the airport due to security reasons. Out of the group, only deputies of the opposition Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), several mayors, and several BDP officials were permitted to enter the airport. These individuals later got out of the airport with three vehicles carrying the bodies. The bodies of the 3 women have been taken to the morgue of the Private Baglar Hospital. A number of individuals who came to the airport chanted slogans in support of the terrorist organization PKK. The crowd only carried the photographs of the 3 dead women in their hands and no other flag or banner was seen. Turkish Interior ministry took measures ahead of the funerals Turkish Interior Ministry took measures in order to maintain security in southeastern Diyarbakir province ahead of the funerals which will be held tomorrow for three Kurdish women killed in Paris. Ministry officials said that Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin would follow the developments at his office, and he would be constantly briefed by Diyarbakir's local authorities. The officials warned citizens against any provocations which could break out during the funerals. BDP's Demirtas accused French intelligence- Demirtas held the French intelligence responsible for the assassination of the women. "No one should try to explain to us that the assassinations took place without the knowledge of the French intelligence. This is a busy avenue and no one can even use a pop gun here without the knowledge of the French intelligence. We expect the French intelligence to share all information and documents that they have on killings with the public as soon as possible," Demirtas said. Also, commenting on the killings, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said that the murders might be the result of an "internal feud" and or it might be an attempt to derail the Turkish government's "good intentioned efforts" to end the conflict between Turkish troops and the PKK. Turkish intelligence officials have been conducting talks with the PKK's jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, in a bid to disarm the PKK. PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization also by the United States and the European Union. ''France is the party that should complete the investigation'' Spokesman for Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Selcuk Unal, has said France is the party that should complete the investigation into the slain Kurdish activists in Paris last week. Speaking at a daily press conference at the ministry on Wednesday, Unal said they demanded detailed information from France from the first instance and continue to watch the developments. He added France is the party that should and is expected to complete the investigation. Regarding Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call on the statements of French President Francois Hollande, Unal said there would be no need for a formal attempt when a call by a prime minister was made. He said they were in touch with French officials on the issue. Unal said speculations were made on France had not been sharing forensic/judicial information and added that was not true. He said what they wanted from French officials was to share detailed information from the first moment of the incident and security officials of Turkey had been in contact with their French counterparts. He said Turkey would follow up with the issue for sure but France is the party that should complete the investigation. On a question regarding the criminal record of Fidan Dogan, he said Turkish MFA was not responsible for those records and added international arrest warrant was issued for Sakine Cansiz. Answering a question on the future of the Turkey-France relations following the incident, Unal said they had been in touch with the EU countries on fight against terrorism and that include France. He said they would continue to be in touch with France through every mean. He said enhancing bilateral relations was the political will of Turkey and France. Killing of 3 Kurdish women in Paris Three Kurdish women --Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Soylemez-- were found dead on Thursday at Kurdish Information Center in Paris. They were shot in the head --what appeared to be an execution-style killing. Cansiz is one of the founding members of the terrorist PKK organization which Turkish troops have been fighting against since 1984. The fight has claimed tens of thousands of lives since then. The women will be laid to rest in their hometown in Turkey upon demand by their families. After killing of the women, Chairman of Turkey's Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Selahattin Demirtas and Deputy Chairperson Gultan Kisanak went to Paris. Around one thousand supporters of the terrorist organization PKKheld a rally in Paris to protest the killing of the women. At the forefront of the PKK cortege, there were Demirtasand Kisanak. Demirtas, Kisanak and the group of PKK supporters walked to the Kurdish Information Center where the killings took place. Demirtas and Kisanak left flowers in front of the center and received information on the murders from Kurdish representatives of various associations ====================== Iraq's Kurds condemn double bomb attacks in country's north 16 January 2013 18:29 (Last updated 16 January 2013 18:33) Iraq's Kurdish regional government condemned double bomb attacks in Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu. IRBIL Iraq's Kurdish regional government on Wednesday condemned double bomb attacks in the northern cities of Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu, targeting the two major Kurdish political parties which left at least 30 people dead and more than 200 wounded. "The Iraqi Kurdish government is ready to do what needs to be done to end attacks targeting the people," the regional government said in a press release. The double suicide car bomb attacks targeted Kurdistan Democratic Party and Kurdistan Patriotic Union offices. RELATED NEWS Erdogan: French state should find suspects 12 January 2013 13:12 Erdogan said French president should explain why they were holding talks with those terrorists and what they were talking about. Arınc :We have to be sad for those who were killed 11 January 2013 22:04 Turkish Deputy PM said he invited those criticizing his humanitarian attitude (in reaction to killing of 3 Kurdish women in Paris) to act with reason and fairness. Supporters of PKK hold rally to protest killings 11 January 2013 20:37 Chairman and Deputy Chairperson of BDP and group of PKK supporters walked until Kurdish Information Center where the killings took place. UN SG Ban condemns attack on Aleppo University 16 January 2013 20:35 Ban said targeting civilians is a crime of war. ================ RELATED NEWS Supporters of PKK hold rally to protest killings 11 January 2013 20:37 Chairman and Deputy Chairperson of BDP and group of PKK supporters walked until Kurdish Information Center where the killings took place. BDP supports talks with jailed PKK leader 15 January 2013 17:41 Party's deputy head said that they supported talks with jailed PKK leader Ocalan.