Ankara protests UK regarding another pro-Kurdish TV station

ORYA SULTAN HALISDEMIR

Ankara - Turkey was reported to have complained to the British Foreign Ministry and the Independent Television Commission (ITC) about the London-based Cultural Television (CTV) station on the basis that it had been broadcasting propaganda on behalf of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. The Foreign Ministry told the Turkish Daily News that it had responded to the complaint by saying that it did not believe some of the points Turkey had raised about the TV station were justified.

"However we have passed the matter to the hands of the Cultural Department, which will monitor CTV's Kurdish programs carefully for bias," a Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated.

Ankara was said to have been disturbed, particularly after CTV aired an interview with one of the leading PKK commanders, Cemil Bayik, and was said to have complained that CTV programs were inciting violence against Turkey, as was the case with the Med TV.

The ITC closed down the pro-Kurdish Med TV station in April after receiving a number of complaints and deciding that it had been broadcasting programs that violated its licence conditions. The Essex-based CTV is said to describe itself as "specializing in religious programs" and is not a new TV station.

An ITC spokesperson said there was no question regarding closing the TV station immediately, adding that complaints such as those made by Turkey, would be taken into consideration before reaching a decision, which, the official said, "might take years to conclude."