Withdrawing beasts

It is difficult to gulp but separatist terrorists, carrying with them their arms, including heavy ones, are “withdrawing” to the neighboring northern Iraqi mountains. The Turkish military? Watching through binoculars the “safe exit” of the not-so-wild beasts taking refuge outside Turkey until they return to atrociously splash their venom once again.

Guns silencing and bloodshed stopping are of course great developments that provide “life-water” to the latest Kurdish opening of the government. For the past three months, excluding some unfortunate mine blasts or accidents, there has been no terrorism-related violence. This alone demonstrates the success of what’s happening. Can anyone with some brains come up and say he or she is against the process? Can anyone oppose peace?

It is correct to assume as well that once guns are silenced and bloodshed stopped, the gang will lose its clout over the Kurdish population of the country and perhaps a fertile ground for civilian politics will replace the present democracy-at-terrorist-gunpoint situation. But, are we sure terrorists armed to the teeth withdrawing to a nearby neighboring country will become lambs there? Will not they gather there and constantly remind the Turkish political executives what they are expected to do or what the consequences might be?

Is it not the right of the nation to hear what deals were being made from those who have been engaged in proxy or direct talks with the chieftain serving an enforced-life term for his role in the murder of over 35,000 people since 1984? Perhaps, seeing the end result, even though it might be very difficult to embrace it wholeheartedly, the nation will say, “For this result, this price can be paid.”

But, is it acceptable to make a deal, let the terrorists go out of the country carrying their arms and establish an even bigger presence there? What’s the meaning of such a development other than allowing the terrorists point a gun at our head while deceiving ourselves with a false victory that we have won the war against terrorism? What victory?

Every day, in the allegiant as well as the semi-allegiant or partly domesticated media serving nowadays as some sort of a sultan’s chronicler, there are stories about what great tourism potential was discovered in areas from which such and such amount of terrorists have withdrawn. Do the terrorists report first to the allegiant media how big their numbers are, what ammunition and arms they have and which road they will follow in making the trip to northern Iraq? If “journalists” can so precisely report from which roads, how many terrorists and when they will “travel,” how painful might it be for those still-dutiful officers and soldiers to follow developments from a distance like three monkeys?

Yesterday was the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration being read out by then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on May 9, 1950; the birth of today’s European Union on a land that suffered so much from consecutive wars and all sorts of animosities. If the French and the Germans; if the Germans and the British and the other European nations that suffered so much because of animosities, particularly from the two world wars, could succeed in establishing a peaceful cohabitation and prosper together, with some effort all peoples might create a climate of peace. Joining the EU has been a perennial target of Turkey. Perhaps eventually Turks will prefer to say “no” to joining the EU, but this process has helped Turkey achieve great strides in democratization. That’s why the EU process ought to be continued.