Hurriyet, turkey
Feb 5 2010
Time is running out for initiatives
Friday, February 5, 2010
CENGÄ°Z AKTAR
We have 10 more weeks until the end of April but we see clogging
rather than progress in the initiatives launched with neighbors and
domestically. But all are in interaction. Success in one will
facilitate success in others. Failure in one will choke others. Let’s
start with what we have or haven’t, inside the country.
The democratic initiative is not doing well. As coup plots and
numerous evils are being revealed in the western part of the country,
over a thousand Kurds, out of which many elected local officials, are
being detained. Yes, the establishment of the `Human Rights
Institution of Turkey’ is an important step, but in practice the
security aspect dominates the democratization process. We should know
that newly founded institutions will not be sufficient for the
democratic initiative as we need initiatives that would build up trust
next to security. Even if the most needed constitutional amendment on
the definition of citizenship occurs.
The good things that President Abdullah Gül announced some time ago
regarding the solution of the Kurdish question have not happened yet
despite the internal and external momentum. Even the governors of the
region claim more concrete action. Indeed a new architecture is needed
for the democratic initiative. We need commissions on amnesty,
disarmament, truth and reconciliation, regional development, amnesty
and repatriation as well as education for relevant policies to be
developed. If the government and bureaucracy cannot do it, civil
society should.
Armenia
Protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia on Oct. 10 aimed at
normalizing bilateral relations. Implicit texts about the issues that
parties feel sensitive about were using the advantages of the
diplomatic language and thus were looking ahead. The first blow was
hit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an, an expert at
dropping a brick in the international arena. `Without a solution in
Karabakh, we cannot approve the protocols,’ he said. Following
ErdoÄ?an, the Armenian high court interpreted the implicit and caused a
stir. Instead of overlooking this obvious clumsiness, the Turkish
Foreign Ministry blew it out of proportion and started to ask for
written guarantees. As though, problematic issues that are named by
the decision of the Armenian Constitutional Court were new. After the
second blow on the protocols, a new arrangement is now apparently in
the making to allow the Armenian President Serge Sarkisian to have a
signature withdrawal right from the protocols. Add to these the hawks
of the diaspora, public pressure in both countries and Azerbaijan, the
Armenian initiative is today at standstill. For Turkey, Parliament’s
ratification and the opening of border gate depend on the Minsk
Group’s pressure and influence over Azerbaijan and Armenia; or in
other words, withdrawal of the Armenian army from seven Azeri counties
under occupation. On the other hand, the Genocide Bill pending in the
U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. President Barack Obama’s Apr.
24 speech this year continue to be elements of pressure.
Greece and Cyprus
The solid outcome of Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou’s answer
to ErdoÄ?an’s letter is an invitation to ErdoÄ?an to visit Athens to
talk about all pending issues between the two countries. Joint
commissions are expected. Possible developments, on the other hand,
regarding Greece and Cyprus are indexed to the presidential elections
in northern Cyprus, which will be held Apr. 18. If Turkish Cypriot
President Mehmet Ali Talat loses the race, prospects for the Cyprus
reunification talks and therefore of the European Union accession
negotiations do not look good. It is unknown for how long Turkey can
manage with the prospective status quo. After all, a part of the
military is officiated in northern Cyprus. As we grasp the function of
the flights over the Aegean Sea in the coup simulation, let’s not
forget that these are very efficient trump cards for the plotters to
corner the government.
Let’s not forget in the tableau the constitutional amendments,
preparatory works for a new constitution and the economic bottleneck
in the job market. Economic performance of the government will
certainly be decisive in the overall public appreciation.
In the face of these huge problems, eagerness of the opposition
Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and the Nationalist Movement Party,
or MHP, to block every single move of the government does not make
things easier. The period where the military is trying to withdraw
from politics is also sucking off the country’s energy. Time is
running out and time management is getting more difficult.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
