There was no doubt that the killing of our soldiers would give sufficient ammunition to circles that oppose a solution to the Kurdish problem and do not back the government's efforts; however, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed not to back down from the renewed democratization initiative. “I want to state as clearly as possible that bullets fired at our security forces and our soldiers will not halt this [democratization] process, which is intended to create unity among our 72 million countrymen,” he said, signaling that government will not hesitate to pursue the initiative further despite vicious attempts to derail the process. Analysts fear that a continuation of clashes is very likely to hinder the solution process and that the PKK has once again shown that it does not want a solution.Sabah's Nazlı Ilıcak fears that even if the government persists in its determination to solve the Kurdish problem, the continuation of clashes between the PKK and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will cause popular support for the democratization initiative to fade and that this will, more or less, damage the democratization initiative. In return, she says this will lead politicians to lose courage and hesitate to take democratic steps. “For today, the government is determined to continue with its plans to solve the Kurdish issue. But, if the clashes continue, it is very likely that its determination will be shattered due to the wave of anger that will emerge from society,” Ilıcak warns.
Star's İbrahim Kiras, looking at the PKK attacks that claimed the lives of 10 soldiers this week, says it is very usual for the PKK to block peace efforts when there is a possibility for them; however, he says he does not understand why the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), which always says it wants a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem, is not taking a stance against the Kurdish initiative. “The PKK tries to provoke the Turkish public by spilling blood, while the DTP threatens the state, saying that Kurds will leave Turkey if the state does not speak to [jailed PKK leader Abdullah] Öcalan during the solution process. The PKK's attitude is understandable because, at the end of the day, it is a terrorist organization. Ending the spilling of blood will mean its end, so we cannot expect it to contribute to normalization. But what about DTP members who act with ‘common sense' and ‘reason'?” asks Kiras, who thinks the DTP members are hostages in the hands of the PKK and cannot act on their own. In his view, there are many in the ranks of the DTP who would like to come up and say they support the government's initiative and are ready to do everything to this end; however, they don't dare say this, fearing a confrontation with Öcalan. “Since they would not dare to confront Öcalan, DTP members will not support the initiative. So, their calling for the end of bloodshed will not be taken seriously by anyone,” he says.
Bugün's Erhan Başyurt says this week's PKK attacks have proven that the PKK's earlier statements, saying it will avoid any acts that could derail the solution process, were insincere.
