Turnover of PKK members should be hailed, says UK envoy

“I think it has to be welcomed that individuals who refuse to engage in risking lives seem to have prepared now to engage in national political life.

They [PKK members who turned themselves in] have to be welcomed,” British Ambassador to Turkey David Reddaway told Today's Zaman. Drawing on lessons learned from the Northern Ireland conflict, Reddaway urged Turkish officials to work to create an environment that will construct what he described as “popular revulsion and rejection” of what terrorists do.

“What we have seen in Northern Ireland is a situation in the past where a very large element of society supported [Irish Republican Army] IRA terrorism. Now not only has the IRA decided that it will work with political channels and renounce the violence, but also public support for terrorism has reduced hugely,” he noted.

The British ambassador warned, however, that there will always be small groups of people that simply do not want to cooperate with normal political channels. “But the important thing,” he underlined, “is to deprive terrorists of oxygen.” Noting that there is still a small number of ultra hard-line terrorists operating in Northern Ireland, Reddaway said, “But popular support is very limited now.”

He reiterated that Turkey has to find a way for those ordinary people to express themselves politically through a structure and not to become so frustrated that they begin to support terrorists. “What we saw in Northern Ireland is that after a long time [of conflict] and many deaths, we were able to come to a situation where we are now working together with Northern Ireland executives,” he said.

Ambassador Reddaway emphasized that in Northern Ireland both sides had to swallow their pride and make concessions to reach a settlement. “There has to be a compromise by both sides,” he argued, adding, however: “There are limits to the extent of that compromise. I understand that there are red lines, but the important thing is to find a middle ground.” He noted that it would take a long time for people to accept that compromise and for the wounds to begin to heal. “There are still lines dividing society, and it will take years to return to normalcy,” he said.

British Ambassador to Turkey David Reddaway (2nd R) said the recent surrender of a number of PKK members to Turkish security forces may stand as a breakthrough in resolving the decades-old Kurdish problem.

The British diplomat drew attention to the economic benefits of a settlement in Northern Ireland as well. “We are beginning to attract more investment that will bring prosperity to the region,” he said, adding that this will help persuade people to believe that they are better off in this new environment.

Ergenekon case is important

Asked what the British government's position is on the ongoing Ergenokon case in Turkey, a clandestine group of people accused of plotting to overthrow the democratically elected government by inciting havoc, Ambassador Reddaway said his government is endorsing the position of the European Union, whose executive body, the European Commission, underlined its findings in a recently released progress report.

“We have seen in the correspondence set out in the European Commission report that one of the areas the EU is observing in Turkey is the consolidation of the democratic process in various forms. That case is seen in that context. It would be very welcomed in the EU to see the judiciary taking forward a case in the right context, in a democratic context,” he said.

The British diplomat dismissed suggestions that Turkey is moving toward the East and away from the West. “The global situation has changed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Turkey is very actively responding to that,” he said, adding that accession to the EU is still central in Turkish foreign policy. “I do not believe that activism with neighbors in the East means reduced interest in a relationship with the West. Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] was reaffirming this position just the other day: that Turkey's EU ambitions are strong as ever,” Reddaway remarked.

The British ambassador urged Turkey to complete technical reforms necessary to bring the country's standards in line with the EU and suggested not to pay attention to anti-Turkey rhetoric. “You do not have to decide on the conclusion of these talks right now,” he said, stressing that the process is helping Turkey in terms of getting values and procedures together. The UK has stated many times that it endorses Turkey's EU candidacy.

He called the opening with Syria and the rapprochement with Armenia “spectacular” and a “historical step.” “Turkish foreign policy is extremely active, and it is not surprising for people to focus on the most obvious [topics],” he said.

As for relations with Iran, the British ambassador said it is very natural for Turkey to have good commerce relations with its neighbor, amounting to over $10 billion in trade volume. He expressed his hope that the nuclear issue with Iran will be resolved and would not come to a point where it will start hurting Turkish businesses, should the embargo be expanded to Iran. “If the United Nations Security Council, for which the UK is a permanent member, decides to impose further embargos on Iran over the nuclear issue, that will have an impact on Turkish goods as well,” Reddaway said. “I hope it won't come to that,” he added.