Nevroz celebrated with enthusiasm in Diyarbakir

Approximately 250 people including Leyla Zana, Orhan Dogan, Selim Sadak and Ahmet Türk, former deputies from the now-defunct Democracy Party (DEP), now-defunct HADEP’s former leader Murat Bozlak and Fatma and Havva Öcalan the sisters of Abdullah Öcalan the leader of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) attended yesterday’s Nevroz celebrations in Diyarbakir held by the Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP) and the Democracy Platform.

Police boosted security before the celebrations, which were followed by a group of almost 150 European observers in addition to Norwegian Ambassador to Turkey Hans Wilhelm Longva and European parliamentarian Feleknaz Uca.

During the celebrations, protestors chanted pro-Öcalan slogans, carried flags symbolizing “Democratic Confederalizm,” an idea aiming to gather the Kurds in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria under a single roof, and bore Kurdish flags used by the Kurdish groups in northern Iraq.

The police monitored foreign protestors chanting slogans in favor of Öcalan and the PKK with a camera.

Addressing the large crowd during the celebrations, DEHAP Chairman Tuncer Bakirhan, referring to the statements made by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül, who said the military was in charge of the Kurdish question since 1995, said the problem cannot be solved by the military.

“The demands of millions of people must be listened to. The problem can be solved only in this way. We want everyone in Iraq including the Shiites, Kurds and Turks to live in peace … We expect a solution not from the United States or the European Union but from those who rule us,” he said and added, “The Kurds are ready with their projects, which will help to resolve the problem within three months.”

Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir called on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to draft regulations in an attempt to win back those living in mountains and in prisons into society, while Zana claimed the denial of the Kurdish problem for 80 years did not bring any result and said the Kurds had a share in everything in Turkey.

Turkey greets spring with the Nevroz Festival

The Nevroz Festival was celebrated yesterday with great enthusiasm across the whole of Turkey.

In Istanbul people flew to Sultan Ahmet Square and welcomed Nevroz.

Istanbul Governor Muammer Güler said Nevroz was a special day which strengthened both the national unity and fraternal ties with the brotherly Turkic world and added Nevroz was a symbol of renovation, beauty and the coming of spring.

Before the celebrations in Ankara, Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koç said Nevroz did not belong to a definite tribe or a group but it was a special day of the Middle East, the Turkic world and all humanity.

Nevroz was celebrated in Denizli in an area belonging to Pamukkale University and attended by Governor Gazi simsek.

The governor said some groups claimed to be the owners of Nevroz considered the occasion as a move to divide the country.

During the Nevroz greetings throughout Turkey, some commanders along with the enthusiastic people were observed jumping over the Nevroz fire.