Editorials
Monday, November 29, 1999The fate of Kurdish
guerrilla leaderTHE fate of the Kurdish guerrilla leader Abdullah Ocalan has become an international issue with major implications for Turkey. Ocalan was sentenced to death by a Turkish court and an appeals court has affirmed the sentence.The issue: A Turkish court has sentenced Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdish rebel minority, to death.
But Ocalan's followers, who seek autonomy from Turkish rule, warn that hanging Ocalan would endanger efforts at reconciliation between the Kurdish minority and other Turks and could lead to more bloodshed.
Plenty of blood, mostly Kurdish, has already been shed. Fifteen years of fighting have left 37,000 dead. There has been a lull recently, but executing Ocalan could be the spark that reignited the conflict.
European leaders have warned that Turkey's membership in the European Union might be rejected if Ocalan was hanged. No member of the EU sanctions capital punishment.
Ocalan's lawyers plan to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights, where an appeal could take two years -- and would probably result in a rejection of the death sentence.
Turkey hasn't executed anyone since 1984, but emotions are running high in the case of Ocalan.
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said Turkey would not be swayed by foreign criticism. "No one can get Turkey to accept anything through threats and pressure," he declared.
The crimes Ocalan committed were clear, Ecevit said. "There could not have been any other decision from the appeals court."
However, the sentence must be approved by parliament and President Suleyman Demirel before it can be carried out.
The Kurds have also fought for autonomy in Iraq, where they are viewed by the United States as an ally against Saddam Hussein. But Turkey is an important U.S. ally in an unstable region, and Washington has been reluctant to criticize Ankara for its repressive measures against the Kurds. In this situation, however, the U.S. should abandon its reserve and strongly advise Turkey to spare Ocalan's life -- and itself a lot of trouble.
Okinawa bases
IT appears that the United States and Japan are in agreement again on the relocation of a Marine Corps air station on Okinawa. The base at Futenma was slated for closure under a 1996 agreement to consolidate the U.S. military presence in Japan.
Located in a heavily populated area, the base has long been the focus of complaints over noise and potential danger to residents. In return, Japan was supposed to assist in constructing an off-shore heliport near Nago.
In February 1998, Gov. Masahide Ota, armed with a Nago residents' referendum, rejected the scheme. But in November Ota was defeated in a bid for re-election, returning Okinawa to the control of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after eight years. In addition, a supporter of the helicopter base was elected mayor of Nago over a base opponent.
Now U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre, in a meeting with Japanese Defense Agency chief Tsutomu Kawara, has welcomed the new Okinawa governor's support for a base in Nago. Kawara briefed Hamre on the plans.
THE heavy concentration of U.S. forces on little Okinawa has been a sore point in U.S.-Japanese relations, but the central government has no intention of moving U.S. forces from Okinawa to the main islands.
Relocating some forces to an area that is less heavily populated should help reduce friction with the Okinawan community. With the provincial governor now in support, it should be possible to move ahead with the plan.
Millennium in S.F.
SAN Francisco plans to usher in the new millennium with a giant olive dropping from a seven-story martini glass in Union Square. The martini spectacular is intended to be San Francisco's answer to New York's Times Square celebration.
It certainly will be different. The martini glass will sit atop the 13th floor of the Westin St. Francis Hotel. Protruding from the glass will be a swizzle stick with a 10-foot olive, which will slide down at midnight.
There are claims that San Francisco popularized the martini, which according to legend was created in Martinez during the California Gold Rush. We're willing to drink to that.
By comparison, Honolulu's millennium celebration will be much less imaginative -- just a lot of fireworks. The Legislature shrugged off Governor Cayetano's proposal to ban them, and this New Year's Eve should be the noisiest and smokiest ever.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
