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KurdistanObserver.com
A Dangerous Increase In The Kurdish Problem
November 22, 2005
Turkish Daily News
Recent events in Turkey show us changes in the 'Kurdish problem' and
illuminate the dangers we are facing. The upcoming period will see Turkey paying
a steep price for past mistakes. While taking care not to make new mistakes,
let's also not pay an inflated price. The outlook, however, is not good.
By: Mehmet Ali BİRAND
Kurdish parties and the Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) are showing their strength through recent events
Last week's events in Şemdinli, Yüksekova and
Hakkari must be examined rationally and carefully. We must not be alarmed by
what we see but instead watch for signs of what we may face in the future.
The situation is in a state of constant flux,
and the demands for "separation" are increasing as time goes on. Let me give you
a brief summary of where I think we have arrived after the last two to three
years:
The incidents in the Southeast cannot simply
be explained away as a PKK problem. The problems there are bigger than anything
that could be solved by the imprisonment of Abdullah Ocalan and the
implementation of the Copenhagen criteria. The dimensions of the problem are
rapidly expanding. The point at which we lose control of the situation is
approaching fast. And, even more dangerous, I believe, there are no tools and no
policies with which we can affect or change the course of this path. Methods
used in the past, which saw only measured success, did not give us the results
we expected.
The winds of change began to blow with the
American entrance into Iraq and are rapidly spreading everywhere. Looking, in
particular, at the most recent events, the real dimensions of the situation are
clear. I am sure you have also noticed this.
Local Kurdish municipality mayors follow the
lead of their parties and the PKK. The authority of the government is slipping
fast in these areas. Governmental representatives and security force members are
perceived as the enemy in these regions. The reaction of people attending
funerals in Yüksekova to the F-16s that flew over them many times (I have to
believe that this was a coincidence; I do not want to think or to believe that
an official authority could have been thoughtless or careless enough to order a
show of force with planes) was thought provoking.
Last week's incidents confirmed that the PKK
is regaining its previous strength, that its effectiveness has increased and
that the region is under direction of Kurdish leaders.
And what is more important is that within all
this Kurdish activity, voices have sprung up calling for a Kurdish federation
and separation. These requests, which used to be made with more trepidation, are
now being repeated comfortably and widely. And so, these are among my
worries....
What do the Kurds
want?:
Following the invasion of Iraq and the events
in its wake, the thoughts and words of Kurdish leaders guiding Kurdish
action have taken a different shape. Despite Ankara's firm stance on this front,
they are repeating their demands:
Politicization:
They know their struggle will not achieve
results with firearms and terror, which is why they want to take it to the
Turkish Parliament. For this reason, they are pressing for lowering of the
current 10 percent vote threshold level. The government of the Turkish Republic
and different political parties are all resisting, but for different reasons.
General amnesty:
A demand has been made for a general amnesty
for not only PKK members currently in prison but for those hiding in the
mountains, too. This is also put foward as a condition for a cease-fire.
Washington, Brussels and northern Iraqi leaders all maintain that a general
amnesty would reduce tension as well as bring those PKK members hiding in the
mountains down from their positions. Ankara, stressing that "amnesty is not
possible for murderous terrorists," is resisting this approach.
More freedom for Öcalan:
Another factor increasingly spoken of is the
question of arranging more freedom for jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan on
İmrali. Ankara, noting that even now Ocalan doesn't seem to have problems
delivering messages to the PKK, is ignoring these requests.
Self-rule:
It used to be that the Kurdish movement never
spoke of separation or a federal state. They used to maintain that they
preferred to stay in Turkey and partake in their share of the Turkish cake. But
these words are changing as time passes. The transformation of Iraqi Kurdistan
has had a great effect. And now, in a very open fashion, they want to free
themselves of the governor-provincial governor-commander triangle of pressure
and domination in the Southeast. (This is possible with new local authority
laws.) For the first time, words like "federation" and even "independence" and
"separation" are being uttered.
The PKK was finished,
but we brought it back to life:
I want to remind you of something.
Think of 1999, when Öcalan was captured.
The PKK was in shock, with no idea of what to
do and trying to find itself a place in northern Iraq. In short period of time
they relocated to the Kandil Mountains, to a location that suited their
purposes.
PKK leaders were pushing for an unarmed
insurgency at this point, with some saying this would help bring about a
solution and some maintaining that there was no other choice. They were
successful. Some resisted and some left the movement but, in the end, Öcalan
made his voice heard.
For five full years the PKK was inactive in
the Southeast. The region took a deep breath. Peace came to the citizens living
there.
But one important factor didn't change: A
major portion of the people in the region remained poor. And so, Turkey wasted
these five years.
It did nothing to pull the people of the
region up along with it.
None of the promised investments were made,
and no reparations were made to the hundreds of thousands of people who were
forced to leave their burned-out villages.
The misery continued. It was the perfect time
to capture the hearts of the people of the Southeast, but our government was
lethargic. We pretended not to see the particular situation at hand. We thought
the EU's recommended harmonization laws would be enough.
But now we see we were wrong.
The PKK came back to life during these wasted
five to six years. It cleared up the chaos within its own ranks and then, of
course, an incredible opportunity popped up before it: the American invasion of
Iraq. This development altered the balance across the entire region. Iraqi
Kurdistan is now under U.S. protection as independence becomes a reality.
Kurdistan was born. And the PKK, in this atmosphere, has shown clearly through
last week's events in Semdinli, Yuksekova and Hakkari how it has at least one
section of Turkey's Southeast under its control.
Turkey, which put off dealing with all of
this until today, is in a more difficult position than ever... It cannot figure
out what move to make.
Tomorrow: What should we do? Should we use
armed force again? |
