He also said he was very hopeful that a peaceful end to the Kurdish question was near, saying: “There is a common understanding [regarding this issue] among the state's agencies. I am very hopeful.
Turkey is doing comprehensive work to be able to solve its own problems.”
“It doesn't matter whether you call it the Kurdish question, terrorism or the southeastern problem,” Gül said, adding that he wouldn't enter into polemical discussions with opposition members, who have criticized his approach to the Kurdish issue.
“We are seeing that while Turkey deals with problems on an international level, its energy and time are being wasted at home. Of course, we have to talk about these issues. I reiterated this when I was talking to leaders of Turkey's political parties. I don't get involved in government issues or daily issues. Turkey has problems that go beyond the power of governments. We will most certainly show interest in these. This is not an issue of polemics. Whoever is in charge, they will work for the resolution of the question until the end. There is no good for the country in saying ‘Oh, these are difficult issues, let's leave them alone.'”
The president emphasized the importance of improving democratic standards in the country as a key to resolving the Kurdish question. Stressing that perseverance and courage were needed to deal with the issue, he said: “I am about to complete my second year as president. Governments are not permanent; there is an end to every term. Even if it is difficult, it is us who have to face the difficulty. The resolution is much easier when the issues haven't yet gotten bigger. Turkey has a number of issues. These can be dealt with individually or as a whole. Whatever you might like to call it, the southeastern question, the Kurdish issue or the terrorism problem, we have to find a solution. We should be able to asses our failures with courage. The best way to do this is to raise the democratic standards in Turkey to those of contemporary states. Why do we have certain problems? Some of our problems that used to be much bigger 10 or 15 years ago are now on the track for resolution. As standards improve, the issues of complaint also disappear. At a certain time, Kurdish television broadcasts were a crime, and now they aren't. The same applies to other issues, as well. Why don't they have certain issues in some countries? Because of the height of their democratic standards.”
Turkey lost 25 years because of terrorism
Gül also said: “If there was no terrorism, Turkey would have progressed more quickly. The EU process would have moved faster. A Turkey without State Security Courts [DGMs] and martial law would have gone much faster. We would have overcome many problems a long time ago. It wouldn't have been this costly, nor would so many people have died.”
He stressed that if Turkey didn't have a terrorism problem, freedoms such as Kurdish television broadcasting would have come much earlier.
He argued that it was wrong to leave the solution of deep-rooted problems to the government and appealed to political parties to contribute. “Party leaders will most certainly be conducting daily politics. I never get involved in polemics with them. I don't do daily politics. I listen, I follow. They have to say something. A party leader has to talk every day, this is normal. But the solution of deep-rooted problems cannot be left to the government alone. Maybe they will be in the government. Political parties should be contributing to a solution on this issue.”
President Gül also called on intellectuals to support efforts to solve the Kurdish question. “The press is free. There will be those who defend this, and there will be those who don't. But, at some point, this is not only the responsibility of the government and political parties, but also of intellectuals. It is wrong to be interested in Afghanistan and Pakistan and show no interest in our problems.”
Benzer Haberler 
Politics
