BBP LEADER CALLS FOR ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT IN DIPLOMACY, ADVOCATES DEMOCRATIC FREEDOM

Today’s Zaman
June 9 2009
Turkey

"We would like to see the government pursue an independent and
proactive foreign policy, respecting the national boundaries of other
countries but involved in a closer relationship with the immediate
region, where we share a lot of values," the newly elected leader of
the Grand Unity Party (BBP) has said.

In an exclusive interview with Today’s Zaman, Yalcın Topcu, the
new head of the BBP, explained his views on a range of topics from
foreign policy to domestic issues. "Individual liberties and basic
rights should be fully extended to anybody in this land no matter what
religion or ethnicity he or she represents," he said. Touching on the
Ergenekon clandestine terror network, Topcu said the law should go
wherever the evidence leads and that Turkey needs to wash its hands
of all kinds of illegal and anti-democratic gangs, which have reigned
terror and havoc on the country for some time now.

Following the tragic death of its former leader, Muhsin Yazıcıoglu,
in a helicopter crash in March, Topcu was elected the new leader of
the BBP in the third round of voting last month, winning the support
of 507 delegates out of the 516 who voted in the round. He had worked
with Yazıcıoglu for many years. He was the first chairman of the
Ankara branch of the party in 1993.

The pro-nationalist BBP party differs from its rival the Nationalist
Movement Party (MHP), led by Devlet Bahceli, in that the former
emphasizes conservative and religious values mixed with nationalist
ideas. The BBP is also a strong advocate of democratic reforms
in Turkey and stood by the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AK Party) in both the 2008 closure case and the 2007 presidential
election debacle.

The newlyelected leader of Turkey’s Grand Unity Party, Yalcın Topcu,
emphasizes his party’s unwavering support for fully fledged democracy
and criticized anti-democratic endeavors and coup plots aiming to
topple the government and adds, ‘We do not want anyone prosecuted
and harassed just because he holds different beliefs and subscribes
to different thoughts’

Topcu reiterated the party’s unwavering support for fully fledged
democracy and criticized anti-democratic endeavors and coup plots
aiming to topple the government. "Solutions ought to be found within
the framework of democratic principles rather than backroom politicking
backed by clandestine illegal networks," he noted.

Though he expressed his discomfort with the name Ergenekon, as the name
is connected to the mythical emergence of the Turkic race in Central
Asia, Topcu said the lack of fully integrated democratic principles
in the system is the root cause of these illegal networks. "The
nation is apparently uneasy over these structures and wants them to
be cleaned out," he emphasized, adding that justice should punish
these conspirators.

He also lambasted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for describing
himself as the prosecutor of the case while at the same time
criticizing Deniz Baykal, the leader of main opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP), for defending suspects arrested during the
investigation. "Let the independent judges and prosecutors handle
the case," Topcu stated.

"The BBP is for democracy all the way," he emphasized at the party’s
headquarters in the Sıhhiye district of Ankara. Topcu recalled the
position of the late BBP leader Yazıcıoglu, who staunchly opposed
the Feb. 28, 1997 postmodern coup, in which the military pressured
the government to resign. At the time, Yazıcıoglu was famously
remembered as saying, "We do not greet soldiers who turned their
cannonballs toward [Turkey’s] own citizens." Topcu said the party has
not changed its stance on coups and military interventions since then.

He said no one should attempt to hamper the functioning of democratic
institutions in Turkey. "We do not want anyone prosecuted and harassed
just because he holds different beliefs and subscribes to different
thoughts," he underlined. Topcu also criticized state policies forcing
people into exile because they are deemed to be dangerous to the regime
in Turkey. "Our poets, respected people and litterateurs were forced
to live in exile, and this certainly did not help Turkey in any way,"
he said.

Youth branch to be monitored carefully The BBP leader also said he is
well aware of vicious attempts and plots to mar Alperen Ocakları, the
party’s youth branch, with bids to involve its members in provocative
conspiracy plans. "We have made sure our youth organization is well
run under a legal framework and have brought measures to prevent any
ill-intentioned involvement by certain groups," he said. "Membership
rosters are carefully screened, and we keep a close eye on any movement
within Alperen Ocakları," he added.

The subject of Alperen Ocakları has been hotly debated in connection
with the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who
was editor-in-chief of the Agos weekly. It has been widely suggested
that after the death of Yazıcıoglu, the young people who are
gathered under the roof of Alperen Ocakları, an organization that
promotes Turkish and Islamic ideals, could create bigger security
risks. Alperen Ocakları was originally established in 1997 under
the name of Nizam-ı Alem Ocakları.

It was reported that when the Ergenekon investigation started,
Yazıcıoglu convened the heads of the branches of Alperen Ocakları
in Ankara, telling them that the Ergenekon terrorist organization
was planning to use Alperen Ocakları in street skirmishes; he
cautioned them to keep away from Ergenekon. This was an explicit
order. Yazıcıoglu had sensed at an early stage the risk of this
dynamic organization being used in street altercations. Feeling the
heavy responsibility passed onto him, the new leader of the BBP,
Topcu, has assured that the youth branch will behave and that party
leaders will block any attempts by illegal organizations to infiltrate
the group.

BBP against EU membership The BBP is against Turkey’s membership in
the European Union. "We do not support EU candidacy for Turkey as
the latter has its own responsibilities to fulfill in the region," he
underlined, signaling that Turkey should take up the task of forming
an alliance of some sort in a region spanning from Central Asia to
the Middle East based on common historic values. "No need to bother
the Europeans, who are already expressing uneasiness over Turkey’s
membership," he said. According to Topcu, Turkey can maintain close
economic and political ties with the bloc without being a member of
the union.

"The imposition of European values, which at times are in conflict
with our own values, is derived from centuries-tested historical
development, and [these values are] not in the interest of Turkey"
he said. Topcu believes Turkey can form a better and healthier
relationship with the EU if the former acts on its own dynamics,
reinforcing its own values, coming from what he calls a proud
civilization. He said he finds it hypocritical that some EU countries
support newly independent states based on ethnicity in Turkey’s
region while advocating a homogenous union on the multi-ethnic
European continent.

As for relations with the United States, the BBP leader complains
about the lack of substance and concrete action and blames Washington
for not acting in good faith vis-a-vis Turkey. "US President Barack
Obama’s visit carried a lot of symbolic messages," he said, "But we
still do not see any evidence pointing out that our partner is really
helping us out in many issues." Topcu expressed his discomfort with
Obama’s speech in the Turkish Parliament, where he made his views
known on issues such as the Armenian killings and Heybeliada Seminary.

‘Obama’s new policy lacks substance’ Stressing that he has nothing
against the American people, Topcu underlined he does not equate the
government with the people. Recalling that Turkish and US soldiers
fought side by side in the Korean War, he said: "We established a
comrade relationship between the Mehmetcik [Turkish soldiers] and the
G.I. Joes then. Now what they are doing is going against the spirit
of the ‘buddy connection’ between the two." Topcu especially singled
out Operation Provide Comfort, a military operation also known as
Operation Poised Hammer, which was run by the US in the early 1990s
in order to defend Kurds in northern Iraq. Many in Turkey believe the
operation helped the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) flourish
and wage terrorist activities across the border against Turkey.

Topcu strongly believes that Turkey needs to create a de facto presence
in northern Iraq to stem the flow of terrorists crossing the border
to kill Turkish soldiers and civilians. "The Ankara agreement allows
us to go after terrorist hideouts inside Iraqi territory for up to
75 kilometers," he said. Topcu said his party submitted a list of
proposals to deal with security in southeastern Turkey. Among them
is the establishment of highly mobile strike forces to hunt and kill
terrorists. The BBP also urges the government to create employment
opportunities in the region to prevent the recruitment of unemployed
youth by the terrorist organization.

‘We feel for Armenian people’ Talking about the possible normalization
of Turkish-Armenian relations, the pro-nationalist party leader Topcu
said he feels for the suffering of the Armenian people, who have
been hit by high unemployment and a lack of basic food supplies in
the landlocked country. "We enjoyed our weddings together, laughed
together and became sad when something unfortunate happened in the
past," he said, adding that his party is not against the Armenian
people. He warned, however, of the government of Armenia along with
the diaspora acting against the interests of Turkey.

"We will never break away from the ties of brotherhood we have
established with Azerbaijan," Topcu noted. He stated that any steps
taken by Turkey in the normalization process should be preceded by a
resolution of the conflict in the Armenian-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh
region. "Our relations with Armenia should be based on mutual interest
while respecting international law," he said.

When it comes to relations with the Russian Federation, the BBP
leader urges a complete overhaul in the thinking of Turkish foreign
policy makers. "We need to abandon the Cold War era mentality when
approaching Russia," Topcu said, noting that both countries share the
same geography. He also asked the government to formulate its relations
with Russia based on its own interests rather than from the vantage
point of US-Turkish relations. "We do not have to shape our policies
with our neighbors from the screen door of transatlantic relations,"
he noted. He also emphasized that Turkey is not competing with Russia
in the neighborhood but rather that they complement each other.