Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, ministers, Chief of General Staff Ýlker Baþbuð and Force Commanders  came to Van to attend the funeral of 11 soldiers who died in the attack by Kurdish guerrilla in Þemdinli/Hakkari, yesterday.

Among the ministers were Defence Minister Vecdi Gönül, State Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Baðýþ, Interior minister Beþir Atalay. The funeral ceremony was held in in Van Gendarmerie Commandership. The funeral was attended also by 15 ambassadors of European countries who came to Turkey for a festival due to take place in Bahçesaray but was cancelled because of the heavy fighting and losses.

At the funeral, Prime Minister Erdoðan spoke, after the speech by Public Order Army Commander  General Nazým Altýntaþ. Prime Minister Erdoðan has vowed to keep up the fight against the PKK and said Turkey was willing to "pay the price" to "annihilate" the PKK. The imam also used words of anger against Kurdish people rather than taking side with peace and the people who suffer.

After the funeral, the bodies of the soldiers will be sent to their hometowns by plane.

Translator: Berna Ozgencil