Observers say Oslo talks were key to solving Kurdish problem

“The Oslo talks were important but they have been interrupted, since comprehensive policies to solve the Kurdish problem have not been implemented,” said Cevat Öneş, former National Intelligence Organization (MİT) deputy undersecretary, speaking at a panel on Thursday called “Is Turkey returning to the beginning? The Kurdish issue in the 1990s and today.” In the panel, organized by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV), Öneş referred to the controversial talks between representatives of the Turkish government and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Oslo, Norway.

In September 2011, an almost 50-minute long voice recording revealed secret talks between representatives of the Turkish government and members of the PKK in Oslo, Norway, possibly held some time in 2010, after Hakan Fidan was appointed the new undersecretary of MİT, replacing Emre Taner.

“The Oslo talks were risky, but a necessary move,” Öneş said.

At the time the development was interpreted as an attempt to influence Turkish public opinion against the government, which was trying to employ new methods to peacefully resolve the Kurdish question, which has existed since the first years of the Turkish Republic. The situation turned violent in 1984, a few years after the establishment of the PKK. More than 40,000 civilians and security forces have been killed in clashes so far.

Another panelist, journalist and writer, Hasan Cemal, shared Öneş's opinion on the topic. Cemal added that he had high hopes in the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) Kurdish initiative, launched in 2009, which recognizes that military measures will not be enough to solve the Kurdish question.

“The government needs to solve the question through peaceful and democratic means. It is obvious that armed fights and violence will not solve the problem, and this is true for both the government and the PKK,” he said.

According to Cemal, the Turkish state faces a chaotic situation these days, as revealed in fights within the government and state. An İstanbul prosecutor -- who is overseeing an investigation into the PKK-linked terrorist organization, the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) -- has asked the Ankara Prosecutor's Office to hear the testimony of MİT Undersecretary Fidan, while obtaining arrest warrants for four other MİT officials.

“A prosecutor does not have the authority to question the actions of MİT, which held talks in Oslo, because those talks were held as a result of a political decision by the government,” Öneş said regarding the investigation, which seems to question the Oslo talks in addition to making other allegations.

As Öneş and Cemal talked about the necessity of democratic approaches to be taken to solve the Kurdish problem, other TESEV panel participants offered their thoughts on the issue, since the government has been giving priority to a security-based approach to the Kurdish problem.

Human rights lawyer Eren Keskin indicated that the Kurdish issue can be solved if the government really wants, even though there might not be much public support behind it.

“In most cases the public follows the decisions of the political leadership. Even if there is not huge public support to solve the Kurdish problem, it can be solved with governmental initiatives,” she said.

Feridun Yazar, an influential Kurdish politician and lawyer, who spoke at the same panel, said that the hopes given by the AK Party at the beginning of 2000, regarding solving the Kurdish issue, have been fading because hundreds of thousands of arrests have intimidated Kurds and others who seek the freedom to voice their ideas.

“Some important democratic steps promised by the government have not been delivered,” he said. “If the freedom of speech and expression continue to be restricted, voicing democratic demands will not be possible and healthy solutions to the problem will not be found.”