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Topçu: Turkey should suspend EU process to stop PKK terror
Speaking to Today’s Zaman over brunch on Monday, Topçu, whose party is part of the group that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will talk with about possible measures to take in light of the recent escalation in terrorist attacks by the PKK, said Turkey should freeze the process if EU countries do not work proactively to end the PKK’s presence in EU nations. The BBP will present an eight-page recommendations report to the prime minister during the meeting.
Topçu said they value Erdoğan’s meeting with other political parties as part of the government’s efforts to fight terrorism. He said: “We will make concrete recommendations in the meeting. We will present a clear and organized report. We are suggesting pushing our defense line towards the south of the Gabar Mountain [in northern Iraq]. We will also suggest setting up mobile military units to fight terrorism. We also have suggestions for eliminating the PKK’s presence in Europe. A sound legal fight should be fought for the extradition of the terrorists from Europe. We will say that if this doesn’t happen, Turkey should suspend the EU process. We are a party that believes that the death penalty is necessary.”
Topçu also shared his views on the constitutional reform package, saying that the BBP did not see the matter as an issue that only concerns the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Stating that the issue is a one of concern for the whole nation, Topçu affirmed that his party will be campaigning for “yes” votes. BBP members will start touring Anatolia following a meeting between Erdoğan and Topçu scheduled for today, July 14.
He said his party was supporting the package because of its experience with undemocratic regimes. The current Constitution, adopted in 1982, was drafted by the junta government that staged the 1980 coup. “We do not want a structure like the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors [HSYK]. This is not about a political party or a certain segment, but about the entire country. It is a fight for rights and the law,” he added.
Topçu said the BBP also believed that democratic rights should be extended to Kurds while the military’s struggle against terrorism continues. Topçu expressed his opinion that speaking in one’s native language is an inalienable right, saying, “If someone wants to name their child Rose, what is the difference does it make if you call her Gül or Roj,” he said, using the Turkish and Kurdish words for rose.
The BBP will also include its views on economic and social investment in the East and the Southeast in its report to the prime minister. One such project the BBP will propose is for each province in the region to focus on one sector based on each particular province’s infrastructure, and thereby creating cities that focus on, for example, health, education, industry or agriculture.
Topçu said the BBP has not yet spoken about a possible alliance with any particular party for the elections, but he said they would do what is necessary if their party’s executive decides to form a partnership with another party.
Topçu also stated that the BBP will ask the public to support the government’s constitutional reform package by reminding them of the torture the BBP’s former leader, Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, was subjected to during the Sept. 12 military coup.
“We will use the photo of Yazıcoğlu being tried in military court. So, we will remind the public of the torture used, particularly against nationalists, in Mamak Prison,” he said, adding that banners that emphasize the value of democracy and human rights will also be used in the party’s campaign for the referendum.
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