There is no obvious rationale behind why the cease-fire was not declared open-ended. Even Democratic Society Party (DTP) sources voice discontent, saying this will delay the “rapprochement,” desired discreetly by civilian parts. One of them told me that unless Abdullah Öcalan himself openly endorses a “full stop” of PKK activity, the patterns of violence will repeat.Is the cease-fire solely limited to 45 days because the PKK believes military operations will continue, perhaps even escalate? Reports say combing operations in the rural Southeast continue. Information surfaced yesterday that skirmishes again took place in Şırnak province.
Meanwhile, despite expectations of “silence” (a measure which would tell us of preparations for the implementation of minor reforms), the end of harsh rhetoric does not seem close at hand -- at least not these days.
Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ was on the agenda again. “I shall seek, find and annihilate,” was the headline of the Hürriyet daily, conveying Başbuğ's words, made in an exclusive interview conducted in Washington, D.C.
On the question, “There are those who call for a stop of army operations, can the army ignore the PKK when it ‘contacts' it?,” Başbuğ responds: “No one should give us any advice. I will neither stop nor wait for the terrorists to come to [attack] me. On the contrary, I will seek, search, find and exterminate them… no one should expect the army to not conduct operations, remain passive or withdraw into a corner.”
On statements by Murat Karayılan, the de facto PKK leader, Başbuğ was categorical. “I do not care. I do not suppose Turkey's agenda will be defined by a terrorist and his statements. Nor are we in a position to see ourselves as ‘counterparts' of such statements. We go about our own business to finish off terrorists,” he said.
Tough language. But at times such as these, a more profound reading is required, since much of the interview, given to an influential nationalist daily, is understandably for domestic, institutional consumption. The general is right in giving the message that everything is under control.
Başbuğ was also noted for some statements in Washington about eliminating PKK bases in Iraq. But, Andrew Finkel, who met with him for a brief chat in the US capital, clarifies what is between the lines of Başbuğ's statement.
“I managed to corner Gen. Başbuğ afterwards and pressed him on the determination he expressed in his speech to eliminate PKK bases altogether. Wasn't this a tall order, or even counterproductive?” he asks, and adds: “He made it clear he was not calling for an immediate frontal assault. It was going to be a slow business and added that the bloodcurdling call for revenge in the Turkish press every time a Turkish soldier died was not helping matters. Mourning should be dignified and not designed to inflame public opinion. At the same time he refused to countenance the notion of a political solution of the sort that the British used to pacify the IRA. There could be no bargaining with the men of violence. This did not mean, however, that there should be no political reforms. He had been among the most vocal in calling for Kurdish cultural rights, he said.”
This brings us into a second reading of Başbuğ in yesterday's interview. “Get out of my way,” he seems to be telling PKK “units” in rural areas. “Disappear, hide, pull out or do whatever you must do, but do not be visible to my forces; avoid contact to avoid confrontation.”
Can this be proof of good news, promising a lull? In light of an utterly fragile period until mid-July, there will be many elements beyond the army and the PKK that will be of importance: the attitude of the media which blows every military funeral out of proportion and adds to the mythology of the worship of death; whether the actors in Ankara and in the region will actively contribute to soft language; whether or not Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and DTP leader Ahmet Türk meet without delay and whether or not Türk will “reach out” to Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli.
A voice of wisdom nowadays is İhsan Aslan, a Kurdish deputy from the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). He reminds everybody that the problem will not be solved overnight. He calls for empathy for the “youngsters on the mountains,” but tells the PKK clearly that it has reached the “maximum point” in its armed struggle and must therefore declare a permanent cease-fire -- so that here (in Ankara) people can work undisturbed.
A final point: The fact that Başbuğ speaks makes the absence of Erdoğan on the question even more visible and troublesome. Delay has marked AK Party policies on almost every major issue in the last three years. The intention of a summer free of incidents and any reforms will create higher risks than the risks created by all the other issues combined. Being proactive on the government level is a must.
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