KURDISH ISSUE A BURDEN TURKEY CAN NO LONGER BEAR, SAYS PM
Today’s Zaman
Nov 2 2009
Turkey
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and CHP leader Deniz Baykal had
a brief conversation during Republic Day ceremonies.
Turkey can no longer carry the weight of the Kurdish question,
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an address to the nation
televised on Saturday night.
Speaking about the government’s Kurdish initiative, which seeks to
extend more democratic rights to Kurds in order to end separatist
violence, the prime minister admonished the terrorist Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) and its sympathizers. "We can never have anything
to do with those who see terror as a legitimate means, who target
the lives of our innocent people to this end. We condemn terrorism
as strongly as we have from our first day [in office]," Erdogan said.
His comments come less than two weeks after massive crowds of
pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) supporters welcomed a group
of PKK members returning to Turkey in an atmosphere of festivity. The
celebrations held by PKK supporters angered many segments of Turkish
society.
The prime minister also touched on Ergenekon, a clandestine
gang charged with plotting to overthrow the government that is
believed to be responsible for many illegal operations carried out
behind-the-scenes by state departments led by some of the group’s
members. He said his government’s primary target was to eliminate what
he called "shady power centers." "We want everyone in this country
to trust and have confidence in the state. … We want for there to
no longer be any shady powers that draw curtains in front of the will
of the nation, that seize the will of the nation," he said.
Erdogan noted that there have always been groups seeking to create
conflict within the nation by exploiting political, religious or
ethnic differences between various communities. "However, the people
of this country have not given up on each other even in the darkest,
most painful and difficult of times. … We want anger to subside,
all resentment to be forgotten," he continued.
The prime minister also called on civil society to contribute to the
solution of the Kurdish question. "As the government, we have taken
a step, and we will continue to travel down this path no matter what
the cost. However, for the success of this process, everyone should do
their part. The politicians of this country and its opinion leaders and
civil society leaders will all fulfill their reasonability," he noted.
He also warned against attempts to provoke sensitivities and use the
process for political ends. "Unfortunately, there are those who are
undermining this process with their actions, their attitude and their
words. … There are those who are turning this into a show. I call
on everyone to act with common sense."
The prime minister said future generations will help Turkey forget
about its losses. "We have established 63 new universities, 41 of them
state universities and 22 private schools. Our country has a total of
139 universities, including 94 state and 45 private universities. We
believe that these new generations will turn Turkey’s years ahead
into years of gain," Erdogan said.
He also briefly discussed Turkey’s foreign policy and the recent
rapprochement with Armenia. "Official protocols were signed on Oct. 10
aimed at the normalization of relations with Armenia. We want the
Karabakh question between Armenia and Azerbaijan to be overcome through
dialogue. Unfortunately, both in our country and inside Azerbaijan,
there are those who exploit this issue in an unjust fashion. We have
no disagreement with Azerbaijan; this can never be.
It is impossible for us to allow anything that might damage
Azerbaijan’s interests to happen," he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress