Turkish deputy PM issues warning to local councils

ISTANBUL

A Turkish deputy prime minister on Thursday said any local municipality facilitating terror acts in southeastern Turkey would face the law.

Speaking at the Prime Ministry Dolmabahce office in Istanbul, Numan Kurtulmus, said the first requirement for all democratically elected institutions, whether local or central administrations, was to serve within the law.

"Instead of doing this, if someone allows the digging of trenches and the planting of mines, bombs and traps, that is not a democratic right and can never be accepted as a democratic freedom," Kurtulmus said.

Kurtulmus said "necessary steps" would be taken.

Digging trenches and planting bomb traps are the methods used by PKK terrorists against security forces in southern Turkish provinces such as Diyarbakir, Sirnak and Hakkari.

Kurtulmus said no local administration had the duty of digging trenches or supporting those who dig trenches, which he said was betrayal of the votes given by the nation.

He also warned that the state and they, as people who have responsibility for ruling the country, would not remain as bystanders against "betrayal " against the nation.

Kurtulmus said the Turkish authorities were ready to listen to any perspectives to maintain peace.

"We are inviting all social segments and political opinions to maintain national unity and fraternity in Turkey as of now," Kurtulmus added.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu lashed out at a number of municipalities in the country's southeast, promising punishment if a promised financial probe uncovers links to the terrorist PKK organization.

Davutoglu said the aim of some local authorities was not to maintain their cities or enable a happier and more prosperous life for their people but to help the “terrorist ideology” via "polemics, lies and black propaganda".

The PKK -- considered a terrorist organization also by the U.S. and EU -- resumed its three-decade armed campaign against the Turkish state in late July.