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'Turkey will have its own model on Kurdish question'
His remarks Wednesday come ahead of the 25th anniversary of the start of the PKK's separatist campaign of violence, which has killed tens of thousands of people.
Atalay said the Kurdish question would be solved through further democratization and broadening of rights. In a speech welcomed by representatives of the Kurdish community and deemed by most as a historic step, the minister said the government will continue to take determined and courageous steps to solve the Kurdish problem, which has cost Turkey dearly on many fronts. He said all state agencies have reached agreement on the best method to eradicate terrorism. “What we are trying to do is to lay the necessary infrastructure for that. We, as the government, have shown many times before today that we support a solution.”
He said the new step would be a continuation of the government's earlier policies, with a new spin. “This can be seen as a new stage,” the minister said.
Minister Atalay announced the beginning of a new stage in the process of solving the Kurdish question, saying the emphasis will be on further democratization and expanding the rights of the Kurds. Turkey will find its own way of managing the problem rather than taking similar situations in other parts of the world as its model |
Atalay noted that the government believes the Kurdish question can only be solved by improving the democratic rights of all citizens. “The way to a solution is through democratization. We want to take this step together with all segments of society. For this reason, we would like to see every segment being constructive regarding this and contributing to a solution.”
He called on politicians, the media and civil society organizations to “come and join this process.” He said this was an attempt to solve the problem of the fear of the future.
Atalay said the government wanted to make sure that every measure taken would be integrated into state policy. “We as a ministry are coordinating these efforts. We have held meetings. We are moving forward with views and contributions from others. We are also taking into account books, evaluations and speeches on this issue. We are making use of these works. As we conducted this project, our target was to ensure the widest possible consensus on the issue. Contributions from all political parties will be expected. They will all be visited. We also think that the opposition's positive statements have been important for consensus. We will also talk to them. We will make an effort to hear opinions and take contributions from civil society organizations, academics, media representatives, journalists and writers. Everyone will embrace our efforts,” he said, adding that at the core of the government's package lies the belief that everyone has the right to a life of peace.
The minister emphasized that the government was making efforts to put to work a model that is unique to Turkey and the realities of Turkey's people. “We have confidence in Turkey and in ourselves,” he said, adding that the government hopes the model will be one that sets an example for the world. “We should act with determination. We are also positive that no segment of society would attempt to sabotage our steps.”
He said in addition that the government's work on the issue was not indexed to a certain date or deadline. “We want to manage the process without rushing. And our work on the process has not just started.” He said the government's target was to solve problems that became chronic a long time ago.
He said the government would soon start meeting with representatives of the press and intelligentsia. “We follow articles by everyone. Everything written on the issue as of today has been archived in our records. We are proud when we see the positive atmosphere in the press today. We have a great intellectual accumulation. We are trying to make use of this.”
Atalay said the government also expected to see support from the media for their plan.
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