Baykal on Saturday criticized the government's democratic initiative, accusing it of serving the interests of jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan and the US, while he was speaking in Antalya's Kalecik district, where he attended a grape festival. Baykal said the government had ulterior motives and secret intentions.
He also addressed Costner, criticizing his support last week for the AK Party's initiative. “Who on earth are you? What is it that you know and speak? If they put a map in front of you, you wouldn't be able to locate Şırnak. You mind your own business,” Baykal said.
Other senior members of the CHP including Secretary-General Önder Sav and Deputy Chairmen Hakkı Süha Okay and Yılmaz Ateş as well as various CHP deputies attended the grape festival.
He criticized the government for being vague about the use of Kurdish in the democratization package. Recalling that on Saturday Turkey was celebrating the 77th anniversary of the Turkish language being declared Turkey's official language, Baykal said: “Language is the essence of the nation. Our ancestors and ethnic identity might be different, but we all unite around the same language.”
He said the steps the government will take regarding the use of Kurdish were unclear and also potentially separatist. Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli also criticized the government on Saturday, saying “discussions about a second language” only sought to divide the nation, fan ethnic groupings, weaken the Turkish language and increase suspicion and distrust among individuals that make up society.
