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Erdoğan calls for democratic maturity in letter to Baykal
The prime minister in his letter said the AK Party had launched the Kurdish initiative with the best of intentions, stating that they would like to benefit from the CHP's accumulated experience to put to work a “common mind” to contribute to the solution of the Kurdish question.
Baykal and Erdoğan have not met once during the government's process of developing the democratic initiative since it was announced in late July. The prime minister had earlier stated that he would send a letter to Baykal, who on Wednesday complained that “the postman didn't knock on our door today either.”
A day later, on Thursday, a letter from the prime minister was brought to the CHP's headquarters in Ankara by a special courier at around 5 p.m.
Baykal's written response is expected to be sent to Erdoğan on Monday, but some sources have already suggested that his reply will emphasize the CHP's general sensitivity to Turkey's territorial integrity and say a “conditional yes” to the prime minister's request for a meeting. If the government's package includes any suggestions that might violate the CHP's “red lines,” Baykal will not meet with the prime minister. However, other sources said Baykal is expected to turn down the prime minister's meeting request completely. Baykal had not yet made a statement at the time Today's Zaman went to print yesterday.
This is the first time “letter diplomacy” of this kind has taken place between ruling and opposition parties in Turkish political history. When the AK Party announced its Kurdish initiative, the CHP said it would listen to what the government had to say only if more details of the project were available. The second-largest opposition party in Parliament, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has shut the door completely, saying it will not support the initiative no matter what details might be added to it.
Highlights from PM's letter
In the letter, the prime minister said a common ground for dialogue was needed, adding that the nation expected to see democratic maturity from politicians. The prime minister described the purpose of the initiative, which he described as “guaranteeing peace, happiness and security for our people regardless of their differences.” He ended his letter by noting that he would like to meet with Baykal to listen to his valuable opinions. Among the points he emphasized in the letter was the importance he attached to the CHP's suggestions, demands and criticisms of the government's project.
Erdoğan's letter stated that the Republic of Turkey would certainly continue its determined fight against separatist terrorism, but at this point, the Kurdish question could not be narrowed down just to an armed struggle. “Before us stand comprehensive steps in the social, cultural and economic fields as an unavoidable necessity to be launched simultaneously with anti-terrorism efforts,” he wrote.
He said it was crucial to find a wide societal consensus on such an important issue, strongly linked to the future of the country.
Erdoğan's letter also included information on a series of meetings Interior Minister Beşir Atalay held with various civil society groups, intellectuals and academics as part of the Kurdish initiative and recalled two comprehensive reports on the Kurdish question prepared by the CHP in 1989 and 2004, pointing to suggestions made at the time by the CHP for a settlement in these reports.
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