Refugees: Ballot by Bullet

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When Turkish Premier Suleyman Demirel ruled out granting full autonomy to 10 million Turkish Kurds last week, his decision marked yet another crushing blow to this long-suffering Muslim people with a distinct language and history of its own. Demirel's announcement came in the wake of the worst fighting between the Turkish government forces and Kurdish guerrillas since 1984.

Just across the border to the south, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was reported to be rushing reinforcements for yet another possible bloody crackdown on his country's nearly 4 million Kurds. Iraqi Kurds are worried that Saddam may be planning to mount a full-scale offensive to regain his control over their territories, which he lost after the gulf war.

The Kurds have been pinning their hopes for self-rule on elections for an independent assembly. But many fear that unless international pressure stops Saddam's army, the soldiers could cast the decisive ballots.