Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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February 9, 2008

Turkish Leader Criticizes European 'Double Standard' on PKK
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1B32FE6:A6F02AD83191E160393B54975853BAC6A13B8D4F2090AB2B& PM Erdogan calls on
European countries to stop allowing affiliates of Kurdish Workers
Party to raise money, promote cause Turkey's prime minister criticized
European nations Saturday for providing sanctuary to groups that
support the Kurdish Workers Party, which Turkey, the European Union
and the United States have labeled a terrorist organization. VOA's Al
Pessin reports from Munich, where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
spoke to the European Security Conference on Saturday.







Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at Conference on
Security Policy in Munich, 9 Feb 2008Prime Minister Erdogan called on
European countries to stop allowing affiliates of the group, known as
the PKK, to raise money and promote their cause. The prime minister
said he would not name any countries specifically, but he also called
for the extradition of PKK members who are held in Europe. He is heard
here through an interpreter.

"Countries who apply double standards, or who remain unwilling towards
terrorism, in time, will become shareholders of negative consequences
of terrorism," he said.

Prime Minister Erdogan said European countries already suffer from
drug trafficking used to finance PKK activities.

He also called on the European Union to move forward with Turkey's
long-standing application for membership, and he rejected calls by
some in Europe to give Turkey a 'privileged partnership' status, short
of full membership.

In answer to questions from the audience of senior officials and
leading security experts from Europe, North America and elsewhere, the
Turkish prime minister challenged Armenia's foreign minister to
provide proof Turkey was responsible for a massacre of Armenians in
1915.

And he denied a charge by a Russian questioner that Turkey is
harboring Chechen terrorists.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will deliver a major speech at the
conference on Sunday. He says he will lay out what he sees as the
justification for European involvement in bringing stability to
Afghanistan - the need ensure it does not again become a terrorist
safe haven. Gates says he wants to convince ordinary Europeans to
support additional troop deployments to help the undermanned NATO
mission in Afghanistan.






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