Since the launch of this initiative in the summer, hopes have been high that families would no longer hear that their beloved sons were slain while performing their military duty as this initiative would bring an end to the decades-long conflict between Turkish security forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Considering the fact that similar efforts in the past to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem were blocked through provocative incidents like the one in Tokat, analysts warn that Turkey should not bow to provocations and that the peace process should continue at full speed.Zaman’s Mustafa Ünal finds the place and the timing of the Reşadiye attack very interesting considering the fact that it took place before the Constitutional Court was set to start hearing a closure case filed against the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) and as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan headed to the White House for a meeting with US President Barack Obama. “It is said that ‘terror has no logic,’ but when the timing and the place of the latest attack are taken into consideration, one cannot help but think that it has a logic and message,” says Ünal. He notes that he does not have a satisfactory answer regarding the message of this attack, whether it was a message for the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, for the Kurdish initiative process, the Constitutional Court or whether the incident has an international dimension. “There are many questions, but there is no pleasing answer. It is certain that we are faced with an intricate case,” suggests Ünal.
“Remember the 1990s, remember the mistakes of both sides in those years and the opportunities missed. Then remember the blood that has been spilt and the tears which have been shed for years, feel them once again. Should we return to those days?” asks Milliyet’s Hasan Cemal, who says Turkey should not let the attack in Reşadiye cause it to miss another peace opportunity. “The Kurdish initiative process should not be blocked. There could be mistakes, but this is a process -- a peace process that necessitates time, patience and determination. The important thing here is the silence of weapons when distance is covered during this process. Mistakes may be made in this process, and they are made. But giving up on the democratic process, which aims to bring peace, would be the biggest of the all the mistakes. It would be an unforgivable mistake for peace,” says Cemal.
Indicating that the aim of the bloody attack in Tokat is to block the Kurdish initiative process, Star’s Ergun Babahan recalls a similar attack that took place in Bingöl in 1993 and claimed the lives of 33 soldiers. Both of the attacks took place in the wake of peace efforts, says Babahan, warning that the peace process should not be a victim of the heinous attack in Tokat.
