"We Don't Want to Give Birth to Martyrs"

Canan Güllü of the Turkish Federation of Women's Associations (TKDF) said: "Pain burns wherever it drops. We do not carry our children in our wombs for nine months in order to have them die."

She pointed out that it was women who suffered most during war: "It is us women who bear the martyrs. It is us who are raped in war. It is us who suffer most in war. Men do not understand this."

After the attack in the Daglica region of Hakkari, in which 12 soldiers died, Güllü has called for national mourning for each of the dead soldiers. She is preparing to meet with Köksal Toptan, the Parliamentary Speaker, who would like to pass a law concerning this matter.

Two million to condemn terrorism

The TKDF comprises more than ten associations and is planning to organise a rally to condemn terrorism which would be attended by around two million people.

Güllü added:

"We have been 'giving martyrs' for years. But our daily life continues. In the news they tell us the number of martyrs, their names, and the condolence messages of officials. But after the painful event we forget the soldiers and their mothers."

Message to and negotiations with foreign countries 

Güllü is imagining a meeting which would send a worldwide message, not unlike the protests in Spain following ETA violence. "We live according to the principles of our leader [Kemal Atatürk], who said, 'Peace at Home, Peace in the World.' We cannot demand war. But I am against the reasons that push this country towards war."

"The PKK problem has come to this point because it has not been taken seriously. The PKK is a terrorist organisation. I do not want dialogue with them. There must be a dialogue, within clear lines, with the main sources that feed it. The people to talk to are the USA, Iraq and the EU."

"We are a whole"

Güllü pointed out that she was from Diyarbakir and proud of it: "There are people who ignore the voices of the people there, who interpret their problems in a different way, there are those wo do not speak the language of the region's people."

"We are a whole. Everyone lives their own identity, but this country must be a uniting structure. I cannot say that that woman in Diyarbakir, in Trabzon, or in Mus is not my woman. ıf women unite, the pain can have an end."

"People living in Hakkari, in Cukurca, should be hearing the sound of music, not of bombs. The people living there have no idea about technological and economic developments. They are living in fear of their life, in worry. Why? This has to be questioned."

Protests must be peaceful 

Güllü said that protests against the deaths of soldiers must be peaceful: "This pain is the pain of us all. There must not be a fight for advantages. Protesters must be restrained and careful, and protests must be peaceful."

Asked about the possibility that the protests would turn into violence towards Kurds, she interpreted such events as "provocation".

"In order to prevent rallies condemning terrorism, there may be provocations. But otherwise everyone is the same in this country. I am also from that area. I have always been against the mentality that draws lines between people." (TK/NZ/AG)