EU Anti-Terror Coordinator De Kerchove :

No Kurdish terror risk in EU

By Roni Alasor / Ararat News – Publishing (ANP), Brussels September 12, 2011 – EU Counter-terrorism Coordinator, Mr. Gilles de Kerchove told to Ararat News that there is no Kurdish terror threat in the European soil, unlike the accusations of the oppressor states towards the Kurds. According the European Security Services, the Kurdish organisations in Europe are very active in the political and cultural sphere, despite the fighting in their homeland, but they don’t have “terror potential” against EU.  

Last weekend, Mr. De Kerchove was invited as speaker to the Brussels conference "10 years after 9/11, Journalism in the Shadow of Terror Laws" organised by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Federation of European Journalists (EFJ). The EU anti-terror coordinator, who is also European Law Professor in the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), has pointed out that thanks to the commitment of the European Governments to fight against terror, Europe is now safer than before. Mr. De Kerchove underlined the necessity of having a defined strategy, partnership with the private sector, promotion of new technology and study of cyber-security in the anti-terror policies.

Regarding the Kurdish organisations in Europe, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Mr. De Kerchove told to Ararat News (ANP) that the Kurdish organisations in EU  don’t represent a terror threat against EU-member countries, even many million supported PKK are still in the EU-terror list since 2002. But he believes that the collecting of funds in EU on behalf of the Kurdish organisations to finance activities in their homeland is still active. However, according the European Security Services, it is difficult to stop nearly 1.5 million Kurds in Europe who support the Kurdish organisations. Mr. De Kerchove noted also that EU has good dialog with Turkey also in the security file, but they always remind Ankara that it has to ensure the fundamental rights of the Kurdish people and to find sustainable and peaceful solution to the Kurdish conflict.

Copyright : Ararat News - Publishing / Med-Diplomatic

Brussels September 12, 2011