3 Turkish soldiers killed after clashes with rebels

Dutch calls for EU to freeze Turkey’s membership

DIYARBAKIR, Dec 2, (RTRS): Three Turkish soldiers were killed on Friday after clashing with Kurdish militants in the southeastern province of Hakkari, military sources said.

The military launched an operation in the region, which borders Iraq, following the clashes, the sources said. The private Dogan news agency reported that several Kurdish militants had been “neutralised”.

Turkey’s southeast has been rocked by violence following the collapse of a 2-1/2-year ceasefire between the state and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in July last year. The PKK has repeatedly targeted security forces since.

Some 49 PKK militants were killed or captured in operations last week, the Interior Ministry said on Monday, adding that 269 people suspected of aiding and financing the militant group had been detained.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the autonomy-seeking PKK took up arms in 1984. It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Meanwhile, the Dutch government has lent its weight to calls for the EU to freeze Turkey’s membership talks, diplomats said on Thursday, raising the prospect of European leaders making such a move at a summit in two weeks.

A Dutch suggestion that the Union consider suspending the accession process for six months in protest at President Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown following July’s coup attempt was discussed at a weekly meeting of national envoys in Brussels. There will be further consultations before the Dec 15 summit.

Any such move, which would satisfy a call from the European Parliament last week, would be a political signal to Ankara but a largely symbolic one that would reflect the fact that accession talks have been de facto on hold for months already.

The EU executive, the European Commission, and most member states including Germany had hitherto rejected pressure to halt the membership talks, saying they preferred to keep dialogue open with Turkey, a key strategic partner, despite concern over rights abuses.

But diplomats said the intervention of the Netherlands, a founding member of the EU, added substantial weight to those favouring an official freeze, something already advocated by Austria.

Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders had given parliament in The Hague a commitment during a session on Wednesday that he would look into building an EU consensus on sending Turkey a signal. He also agreed with Dutch lawmakers, however, that the EU should remain engaged in a dialogue with Turkey.

They fear pushing the Turkish talks forward could fuel support for radical and populist groups riding a wave of anti-migration sentiment and growing unease about Islam in the EU.

The EU also depends on Turkey to control migration to Europe. Ankara, a NATO member playing a crucial role in the Middle East, has warned it could unleash a new wave of refugees and migrants on Europe.