Experts: Kurdish initiative is Turkish government’s own plan

The most contentious issues that have engendered considerable controversy among political circles in Turkey have been granting more freedom to use the Kurdish language and changing the definition of being a Turkish citizen in the Constitution.

Not adding a great deal to the debate, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli strongly opposed it, claiming that Turkey's future unity was in serious doubt. Despite the government's attempts to include political parties and interest groups, talks with the MHP failed completely. Labeling the latest initiative a democratic move and a state project, regardless of the criticism, the government announced it would not retreat from the initiative.

Bahçeli claims that the initiative was drafted in the US, hinting at a conference in Washington on Turkey's Kurdish problem and two reports by the Atlantic Council and the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP), both written by David Phillips, a senior analyst at the Atlantic Council. Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal among others has also lent considerable support to the claim that the democratic initiative was devised in the US. According to the opposition's assertions, the government's initiative was designed in the US and was greatly facilitated by the two reports released by the Atlantic Council.

To shed light on the claim, which still remains highly controversial among the public, Phillips told Today's Zaman: “It is correct that I am the author of the policy reports. These reports offer constructive recommendations to stakeholders about addressing the PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party] issue.” Clearly stating that he has not been influenced by any officials, Phillips said: “No US or Turkish officials influenced the findings or recommendations of the reports. Turkish officials with whom I met have politely exchanged views, but those discussions have been brief and intermittent.”

“I want to be crystal clear. Prime Minister Erdoğan's decisions are entirely his own. He does not take my counsel. Prime Minister Erdoğan's consideration is based entirely on Turkey's national interests,” Phillips said. In addition, commenting on the latest initiative, Phillips also said that citizens of Turkey, including those of Kurdish origin, have suffered for decades and that now the AK Party, with the support of Turkey's security institutions, is moving towards a historic breakthrough on the Kurdish issue. Noting the change that Turkey will go through, Phillips concluded: “It is a profound system change that will make Turkey more secure, more free and more fully integrated into Western institutions. Prime Minister Erdoğan deserves credit for his vision and leadership.”

Commenting on the Turkish opposition, Henri Barkey, a visiting scholar in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Middle East Program, said: “Although opposition is legitimate, it should not be the way the CHP and MHP are doing it. Branding everyone who is in favor [of the initiative] as an enemy of Turkey, Turks or a stooge of foreigners is not a legitimate way of opposing.”

Phillips noted that the report is based on discussions with 14 people from many walks of political life at the conference held in Washington, D.C., in mid-April. Retired US Army Gen. Charles Wald, who attended the meeting, said, “It is in the best interest of Turkey, the United States and the region for Iraq to remain whole and for the northern Iraqi Kurdish region to remain a fully integrated part of the future Iraq.” Answering the question of whether the Turkish government approached him about the Kurdish initiative, Gen. Wald said, “The Turkish government and the United States have routine discussions regarding Iraq, and the policies of both countries are the same regarding Iraq's future.”

Declining to respond to the question of whether or not the Turkish government had had any contact with them, another senior participant who did not want to be identified told Today's Zaman that “we will see how the Turkish Kurds and their leaders respond -- will they seize this historic opportunity or -- like the Palestinians -- fail to rise to the occasion due to a tragically failed leadership.” One of the participants in the conference, Joost Hiltermann, deputy program director at the International Crisis Group, told Today's Zaman that he had not been approached by the Turkish government about this issue.

A senior political scientist from the RAND Corporation, Stephen Larrabee, an attendee at the conference, said: “I have not discussed the Erdoğan government's Kurdish initiative in detail with US or Turkish officials. Therefore, the views I transmit are my own and are somewhat speculative.”

Also commenting on the latest initiative in general, Larrabee said, “If the initiative succeeds -- at this point by no means assured -- it could contribute to reducing internal tensions within Turkey and have a positive impact on Turkey's bid for EU membership since the Kurdish issue has been one of the issues singled out by the EU where improvements are needed.”