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Turkey: PM's Kurdish policy in the
spotlight
22.8.2005
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Istanbul, 22 August (AKI) - Turkish prime
minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently broke a
national taboo when he refered to the issue of
Kurdish separatist violence as an ethnic problem, in
contrast to the official government line which
brands Kurdish insurrection as terrorism. On
Tuesday, the issue is set dominate a meeting of
Turkey's National Security Council, (NSC) a powerful
non-elected body which includes members of the
government and the military.
First Erdogan, shocked many when he spoke of a
"Kurdish problem", rather than resorting to the
usual definition of "terror problem." Then during
his visit two weeks ago to Diyarbakir - the largest
Kurdish-populated city in southeast Turkey - the
premier said the government would not wave aside
democratic principles when fighting against the
militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the PKK.
Erdogan's remarks are thought to have rankled the
NSC's military members, and at the Tuesday meeting
it is widely expected they will press for the issue
of Kurdish separatism to be defined once again as a
terrorism problem.
The NSC's military representatives are believed to
have compiled a report, which they will table at the
meeting, listing what they regard as the causes of
terrorism and the need to continue adopting a
hardline approach. |
Erdogan reached out to
the Kurdish community in a speech on Aug. 12
Photo: AFP |
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Several top military officers have indicated ahead
of Tuesday's meeting that they believe that the war
against terrorism needs to be intensified. First
Army Commander and NSC member, General Ilker Basbug,
said the only way to eliminate terrorism is to act
against it "with determination". Army Chief of
Staff, General Hilmi Ozkok, earlier this month
complained that the Turkish military is forced to
operate under restrictions in its fight against
terrorism.
While the generals have refrained from directly
criticising the premier in public, Erdogan's
comments as well as his decision to meet a group of
dissident Kurdish intellectuals has drawn criticism
from Deniz Baykal, the leader of the main opposition
Republican People’s Party.
According to Baykal, the premier's moves mark the
first step towards starting "unacceptable"
negotiations with the PKK.
Dismissing the criticism, Erdogan said: "I listen to
everyone in this country who speaks, thinks and
writes, but while doing this I consult with my
advisers and make a decision after speaking with
them. However, some people claim the prime minister
is talking with the PKK. This is a disgrace. I did
not negotiate with the PKK and never will.”
Turkey’s most influential business group, the
Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's
Association, TUSIAD, released a statement last week
supporting Erdogan and called for socio-economic
incentives to boost development in the country's
Kurdish region, in line with reforms introduced in
parliament last year.
The PKK has declared a unilateral one-month
ceasefire which it says woud be effective between
August 20 and September 20. However, authorities
have blamed the group for an attack on Sunday night
in the Black Sea town of Macka in which two
policemen were injured.
More than 30,000 people have been killed since the
PKK started its armed struggle against the Turkish
state two decades ago.
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