"PKK Survives EU Arrests
By James Brandon
In early February 2006, French and Belgian police arrested more than a dozen senior members of the PKK (Kurdish Workers' Party), a militant group fighting for greater political, social and civil rights for Turkey's Kurdish minority. Initially, the arrests seemed a success for Turkey and the United States who have lobbied the European Union to take concrete action against the group, which they declare is a terrorist organization. Within days, however, the European authorities began releasing many of the captured PKK members. The episode underlines the difficulties faced by Turkey in both persuading the Europeans that fighting the PKK is also in their interests and that Ankara's commitment to human rights, freedom of expression and democracy is genuine."
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