Erdogan accuses German foundation of funnelling money to PKK

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has alleged that a German foundation is indirectly funnelling money to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) via legal means, and criticized Germany for remaining indifferent to the situation.

Erdogan told a group of Turkish journalists on a plane en route to Turkey from Macedonia that he is disturbed by the fact that some foundations aid the PKK, which he said is one of the reasons for the probe into the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), a suspected political offshoot of the PKK.

The KCK investigation began in December 2009. A large number of Kurdish politicians, including several mayors and elected officials from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), have been detained in the case. The suspects are accused of various crimes, including membership in a terrorist organization, aiding and abetting a terrorist organization and attempting to destroy the country's unity and territorial integrity. The BDP says the KCK investigation is the government's method of suppressing its politicians, denying any links between the suspects and any terrorist organization.

Erdogan told reporters that Germany's record on sending aid to the PKK is troublesome, but refused to name the specific foundation which he alleged is sending financial aid to the outlawed organization. The prime minister said similar foundations are signing loan deals with municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the BDP. Erdogan said these foundations are not only entering into loan agreements with the municipalities, but also controlling which contractors they work with.

Erdogan's remarks come at a time when Turkey has stepped up its air and artillery operations on suspected PKK members in northern Iraq in retaliation for an increase in PKK attacks on Turkish security forces inside Turkey. The PKK, branded a terrorist group by the Turkish government, the US and the EU, took up arms against the state in 1984 to fight for Kurdish autonomy. More than 40,000 people have died in the conflict, Today’s Zaman reported.