‘Claims of US role in Kurdish plan stupid, manipulative’

Speaking to editors-in-chief of major newspapers on Friday at an iftar (fast-breaking dinner), Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said the process is a national project and emphasized that Turkey needs to solve its issues on its own.

The government's arch-foes, headed by the two main opposition parties, the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), alleged last week that a meeting held in the US provided inspiration for the government's initiative. They were referring to a report drafted during a meeting held in April at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.

Noting that similar think tanks have issued reports on the Kurdish issue in the past, including the Brookings Institution, the RAND Corporation and the Washington Institute, this in addition to many US experts and intellectuals having written on the subject, Arınç underlined that this “does not mean we are simply implementing what was written in those reports.” “Suggesting otherwise is stupid and manipulative,” he added.

He conceded, however, that the US supports the government's plan both logistically and psychologically against the background of US troop withdrawals from Iraq by 2011, the looming Iraqi national elections in January and the prospects of northern Iraq. “Maintaining the territorial integrity of Iraq at a time when terror wreaks havoc among Kurds, Shiite and Sunni Arabs is in the interest of both Turkey and the US,” he said, indicating that external conditions are ripe to launch a Turkish plan to solve its own problems.

Though he declined to provide specifics to what the government is actually planning to do with the leaders of outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Arınç said the issue should be solved in a way that these people -- whom he said numbered around 40-50 -- will not harm the interests of Turkey. It was speculated in the past that the leadership will be expatriated to a third country, where they will be kept under strict surveillance.

“If we are serious about dismantling this terrorist organization, we obviously should do something about its leaders,” he underlined. Arınç also mentioned that the number of people Turkey is asking for from the Iraqi government because they are directing and planning attacks on Turkish interests is close to 300.

Solution to come by year's end

Arınç also provided a timetable for the government plan to start yielding results. “Before the year ends we will see significant progress on the democratization process,” he said, adding that the issue must be dealt with urgently. He pointed out that the government has taken a huge political risk by undertaking this initiative, saying “no political party could risk voters' alienation when the national elections are due in just two years.”

Stressing that Turkey simply can no longer tolerate the Kurdish issue remaining unsolved, Arınç said mere military measures have failed to bring results to the terror problem for the last 25 years. “We need to address social, political, cultural and psychological reasons behind the problem in order to bring about a solution to the satisfaction of all,” he argued. Arınç reaffirmed that the government will not waver from its support to the process and vowed, “God willing, we will finish what we have started.”

As for providing amnesty to terrorists affiliated with PKK who abandon the terrorist organization, the deputy prime minister hinted that the current amnesty law, expounded under Article 220 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) -- known as the “active repentance law” -- should be revised to grant better treatment to former members of the organization. “Kurds are very proud people. Offering them a chance to repent after what they have done may resonate negatively among the ranks of PKK members and may ultimately defeat the very purpose of this law's intended result -- which is to bring PKK members back home from the mountains and rehabilitate them,” he underlined. For those not involved in crimes, a simple registry and immediate release after deposition would work better, he added.

DTP should be involved

Arınç reiterated his government's stance on Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK, and said the government is not taking him as an interlocutor. He cautioned, however, that the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) should not be equated to terrorism. “If you consider the DTP a terrorist organization or an illegal structure, you are putting over 2 million voters who cast their ballots in favor of this party in the same place as the terrorists,” he stressed.

Noting that the DTP won local elections in nine provinces, Arınç said he was visiting DTP mayors while parliament speaker despite objections from Ankara-appointed local governors. He said he has long been suggesting to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to meet with DTP leader Ahmet Türk.

The deputy prime minister also warned that everyone should stay away from using inflammatory language if they are seriously committed to solving the Kurdish problem. “The opposition plays into the rhetoric of radicals and betting on the failure of the government on this process,” he said. He said he is still hopeful MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli will turn around, especially after his party congress ends.

He asked Erdoğan to be humble in this process and called on him to throw the poşu (a male scarf) to the ground -- a customary sign that the fight is over in mostly Kurdish populated regions in Turkey. “If it helps, we are even willing to kiss the hand of CHP leader Deniz Baykal [a sign of respect],” he said. Arınç noted that the government should be responsible even when the opposition says “no” to approaches in good faith. “Whoever escalates this process into a crisis will be liable for a grave mistake,” he emphasized.

Given that public support hovers close to 50 percent and that the media's position is overall positive, the deputy prime minister said he was encouraged by the public support the process has received at this early stage. “We are not coming forward with a pre-determined package, but rather looking for input and a contribution from opposition parties in a bid to reach a consensus,” Arınç said.

Official language is Turkish

To put claims that the government is planning to accept Kurdish as an official language to rest, Arınç declared, “We won't debate the official language or the unitary structure of the state.” But education in Kurdish or reverting names of places to their original Kurdish names is different and should be discussed openly and freely. He noted that broadcasting in Kurdish for private channels may also be up for discussion.