Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front
Press Office
October 8, 1998
Statement No. 73

The task imperialism allotted to the oligarchy of Turkey was established through Turkey becoming a NATO member. For various internal and external reasons, Turkey was not able to completely fulfil the role allotted to it by imperialism. But in essentials, the Turkey which has been moulded and ruled by imperialism has made itself into a foundation for and an ally of imperialism and its collaborators in opposition to every national and revolutionary movement, as well as a means to protect and strengthen the status quo in the Middle East. For this reason it developed hostile relations with almost all the Arab and Persian peoples. It can be said that the policies of Turkey with regard to the Middle East were, in the interests of the oligarchy, transformed and brought into harmony with the policies of US imperialism. This policy of the oligarchy in Turkey, a policy of collaboration with imperialism, was united with a historical element lingering from the time of the Ottoman Empire and visible to the peoples.

This Ottoman policy of the oligarchy was strengthened by entry into NATO and the hostility to the Arab liberation movements and the development of ties with collaborationist Arab governments grew. The hatred the peoples of the Middle East felt for the oligarchy of Turkey increased. This went so far that even mentioning the oligarchy of Turkey was a reminder for the peoples of the attacks by imperialism. The politics of the fascist rulers in Turkey united with the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, and combined together led to humiliation of the Arab peoples. This policy whipped up Turkish chauvinism and made hostility among the peoples into a permanent feature.

Since the 1970s, with the development of the revolutionary struggle in our land, the oligarchy in Turkey, whose institutions are formed in such a way as to prevent the revolutionary struggle, has lost stability. Despite all repression the revolutionary struggle has developed and has reached a stage where it cannot be snuffed out. It is only natural that the Arab peoples, who have had historical and political problems with the oligarchy of Turkey, are not uninterested in the development of the revolutionary struggle. The oligarchy of Turkey, which is losing strength and power and is unable to make proper use of its collaboration with imperialism, has made a pact with Israel, the occupier of the territory of others and the greatest enemy of the Arab peoples, and this is a declaration of war on the peoples of the Middle East.

The originator of the pact between Turkey and Israel is the USA

The USA, which has not succeeded in forcing various Arab states to capitulate completely to imperialism, assessed the weaknesses of the oligarchy in Turkey and was successful in getting it to make a pact with Israel against the Arab peoples. With this pact, the USA wants the following

: A: To get the Arab and Persian peoples who still put up resistance to imperialism and have not completely surrendered to imperialism to capitulate on the basis of peace with Israel.

B: To maintain control over the Middle East by pulling new regions under the influence of the USA and making them protect its interests, and to keep the peoples divided and splintered.

C: To secure the future of the oligarchy in Turkey, by preventing the revolutionary struggle.

While the USA has unscrupulously continued to play its role as world policeman with the help of demagogy about a New World Order, inside this role a special mission has been given to Turkey and Israel. The targets of this mission are the peoples and states which are not behaving within the New World Order in a manner which corresponds to US interests and which are putting up resistance. The US policy of “divide and stir them up against each other and in this way dominate the market” by exploiting differences of nationality and religion has failed to yield the hoped-for results. The peoples who have experience behind them know that this kind of struggle does not lead to liberation. While the developing revolutionary struggle has forced the policy of the USA into a cul de sac, the USA does not hesitate to set off regional wars to protect its interests and prevent revolutionary struggles. The interests of imperialism require divided, splintered, mutually hostile and weakened peoples. If the peoples react more strongly against imperialism, it tries even harder to stir up new hostility between the peoples.

The statement about the PKK is pure demagogy
The real targets are the peoples of the Middle East

The oligarchy’s threats of war against Syria, buttressed by the claim about the PKK, is a propaganda activity aimed at winning support from imperialists and their henchmen who are hostile to the national liberation movements. This propaganda aims to prepare world public opinion for a display of aggression by them. The actual aim is to crush and subjugate those Arab governments which have not completely surrendered, to support Israel’s security and the dominance of the USA in the Middle East and to impede the revolutionary movement in Turkey.

The plan to attack was thrashed out in the Pentagon, in order to make the government of Syria capitulate. By naming the PKK as the reason for the attack, the demagogy of terrorism is being employed to lend legitimacy to the action. At the same time, with this attack the PKK is being sent the message that either under the control of imperialism it is satisfied with the amount of freedom granted to it, or else obstacles will be placed in the way of its further development. The USA’s peace in Iraqi Kurdistan and the associated threats of war against Syria are mutually complementary imperialist policies. What is wanted is not the liberation of the Kurdish people but a new, divided and splintered market for imperialism. The Kurdish people will either bow to this policy of imperialism or raise the banner of revolution. There is no third alternative.

In order to create a new leadership in Syria which is in harmony with the policies of imperialism and which capitulates, the USA, Israel, Turkey and various collaborationist Arab states have begun operations. The threats of war by Turkey against Syria are the real beginning of these operations.

Let us unite all the peoples

Turks, Arabs, Persians, Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrians, Armenians, Cherkess; Alevis, Sunnis, Christians, Jews, Druze… Let us unite all the peoples of the Middle East, let us not bow to imperialism’s threats of war. Let us not allow imperialism to divide nations and religions. Let us unite our forces against imperialism and Zionism.

The threats of war against Syria are an attack on all the peoples of the Middle East. The USA is leading the attack.

The Middle East belongs to our peoples, not to the imperialists

Peoples of Turkey:
There is nobody left who does not know what the Susurluk State’s exports look like. The name of the Susurluk State conjures up every form of massacre , criminal gangs, mafia, usury, every kind of extortion, exploitation and dishonour. Throughout its history the Susurluk State has stayed in power by sowing discord among the peoples, dividing them according to nationality and beliefs and stirring them up against each other. But the struggle of our peoples for justice and equality and against oppression renders it weak.

In the meantime neither the imperialists nor the monopolies or the gangs it organises offer a solution to the weakness of the state. In its helplessness , it steps up its massacres and fills the prisons with revolutionaries. But all the repression cannot prevent the revolutionary struggle, the struggle for justice, equality and a life in dignity, for an independent, free and democratic country.

The political parties, the military, all the institutions of the state have proven to be bankrupt in the face of the peoples’ struggle and have started going for one another’s throats. In the meantime, they can no longer rule. Neither economically nor politically do they have anything to offer the people. Finally they are trying to stay on their feet by setting in motion imperialism’s bellicose policies against fraternal peoples, sowing hostility among the peoples and stirring up chauvinism.

The Susurluk State’s spoiling for war, its threats do not serve our peoples but rather the Susurluk State and US imperialism in the Middle East. It serves to hinder our struggle for independence and democracy. As a leftover from the Ottomans, in the schools since the founding of the Republic, the Arabs were looked down on and hostility towards them was stirred up. This was consciously chosen propaganda to whip up hostility between our peoples and the Arabs. As a result, before today the demagogy of terror was used to ignite hostility towards the fraternal Arab people. In our country, Arabs, Turks, Kurds, Assyrians, Cherkess, Bosnians, Laz and a multitude of peoples of various nationalities and religions live. They are all our brothers and sisters. They have the same interests. There is no difference between us and the peoples living in Syria and any other country of the Middle East. The enemy of all the peoples is imperialism and its henchmen.

Let us oppose the policies of imperialism and the Susurluk State which stir the peoples against each other.

The peoples of Turkey will not let themselves be made into the gendarmes of the USA in the Middle East!

The peoples of Turkey will not allow a new Israel to be created in the Middle East!

The Middle East will be the grave of US imperialism!

Let us fight against imperialism and show the strength of the people!

Through our struggle let us give the Susurluk State an appropriate answer to its cries for war.

The Susurluk State is the state of imperialism and its collaborators.

If the Susurluk State is not overthrown and people’s power set up in its place, there will be no end to exploitation and oppression. Let us fight against the Susurluk state’s threats of war with the slogan “No to war”, and against the Susurluk State itself with the slogan “The peoples of the Middle East are brothers and sisters, we we will not fight against our brothers and sisters.”

Down with the Susurluk State!

Long live the brotherhood and sisterhood of the peoples of the Middle East!

Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front
Devrimci Halk Kurtulus Cephesi