To the Editor:
Your May 11th article, "Springtime Means Wartime", concerning Turkey's relentless war against the PKK as well as its Kurdish citizens is to be highly commended. It presented the fairest and most balanced view of the conflict that your periodical has published in over a decade.
If Turkey is to be accepted into the fold of civilized nations, it must act accordingly. As you report, its massive destruction of Kurdish villages and high incidence of civilian death, torture and abduction are among Ankara's greatest obstacles for fuller integration with the West.
Added to this list of nasties are its demonstrably bogus claims on Greek territory, its continuing and internationally embarassing occupation of Cyprus, its blockade of its former genocide victims, the Armenians, its continuing suppression of its almost extinct Greek Orthodox minority, and its human rights violations against its own intelligencia and dissidents.
These serious transgressions should no longer be swept under the rug as inconveniences tugging against fuller corporate profits and geostrategic jockeying. It is with great pleasure that we read that the Economist has finally come up to speed on this tragic reality and fully encourage your prestigious magazine's continuing interest in issues that affect human rights and our responsibility in protecting this most precious of all commodities.
Sincerely,
Phillip Spyropoulos, Esq.
Director