Greens' Özdemir warns of civil war in Turkey

The Turkish border town of Cizre, which had been sealed off from the rest of the world for nine days during clashes between Turkish security forces and insurgents, received a prominent German visitor on Tuesday. The head of the Green party, Cem Özdemir, urged Turkish forces and Kurdish insurgents to lay down their arms before any further escalation of the conflict.

"This current conflict absolutely has the potential of dragging Turkey into civil war," Özdemir said during his visit to the Kurdish-majority town of Cizre in Southeast Turkey. "There are certain indications that imply that the conflict is beginning to reach the populace."

The siege of Cizre

Özdemir inspected the embattled town of Cizre and accused Turkish security forces of using heavy arms while combating Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) insurgents over the course of the past week. He said that he was "shocked" by the damage that the military operation caused, saying it implied an all-out siege of the town.

"There's nothing that could possibly justify the use of heavy artillery against civilians," he said. "The people here have had to endure terrible things."

Kurdish pressure groups have accused the military of committing serious human rights abuses during the recent military intervention in and around Cizre. The Turkish government put Cizre under curfew on September 4 after repeated clashes between the military and PKK fighters led to deaths on both sides. The curfew lasted for nine days, attracting widespread criticism for isolating the town from the rest of the world.

"The place to deal with the Kurdish question is the parliament," Özdemir said during his visit to Cizre.

Erdogan as agitator of crisis

Özdemir also expressed that he was worried about the future of Turkey's democracy in the light of recent events. He accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of trying to gather support for Turkey's ruling party, the Islamic-conservative AKP, by using military intervention to polarize public opinion ahead of the upcoming November 1 elections. Özdemir had previously warned about Turkey's increasing radicalization under Erdogan's leadership.

"He pushed this country into a crisis without any cause," Özdemir told reporters. "These elections have to be free and fair. Otherwise we'll end up suffering this kind of instability for good. And taking Turkey's reputation as a stable partner in this region into account, there's really a lot on the line here."

Peace for Islamic festivities

Özdemir also saw an opportunity for reconciliation as Turkey started to prepare for the annual "feast of sacrifice," also known as Eid al-Adha, which is scheduled to start later in September.

"The Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha is around the corner and would provide a opportunity to send a signal of de-escalation and to stop this air of violence."

The fest, held in commemoration of the biblical and Islamic patriarch Abraham's purported willingness to sacrifice his son to God, is often regarded as an opportunity for the resolution of differences in Islam.

ss/msh (dpa, AFP)