Issue is the different perception of sides

FEHMİ KORU

I guess there is confusion in the concepts being experienced.

There has been synchronization failure since the new process began. The latest example of this problem is being experienced in the question of who will be in the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) delegation that is to visit İmralı island. While Ahmet Türk was expected to be included in the delegation once again, we heard the trip was cancelled because he was present in the group. Why? The reason is said to be that, after the air operation on Kandil mountain, he said, “Peace is being pronounced and at the same time bombs are being dropped over the Kurds.”

The government, perhaps Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan himself, has reached an opinion that, “A person who said this should not go.”

What I noticed is that the confusion in concepts has become clear exactly at this point.

Those who are viewing the situation from a distance do not see any difference between the “Kurdish issue” and the “terror issue.” I am one of them; we regard both of them as intertwined. We believe that when we reach a stage where we can say “No problems are left,” then there would have been permanent steps taken on both issues.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (Ak Party) do not believe that there is a direct connection between the “Kurdish issue” and the “terror issue.” For them, even if one finishes the other may continue to exist. Consequently, they believe that those people they work with on the “Kurdish issue” should show sensitivity in not damaging “the fight against terror.”

Probably, the government asks those who they work together with in the fight against terror – for example, the military, from the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) to the police – not to interfere in the steps taken on the “Kurdish issue.”

It must be because of this that they are uncomfortable with Ahmet Türk, a person they are working together with on the topic of the “Kurdish issue,” interpreting the operation on Kandil as “dropping bombs on top of Kurds.” From the viewpoint of the government and the prime minister, the bombing of Kandil is part of the anti-terror struggle and it should not be weakened.

For the synchronization failure to be eliminated, the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) front should stop at one stage and make an estimate of the situation. As long as their efforts are limited to the “Kurdish issue,” these kinds of friction will be experienced, because as much as they are interested in the “Kurdish issue,” the government is more interested in the “terror issue.”

The BDP should pay equal attention to both sides of the issue.

In countries that have negotiated with terrorists and concluded the issue through talks, the first thing to do is to agree on ground rules, as the talks are generally “secret.” Here, we are experiencing difficulties because everything is being processed in front of everybody. In their public statements, each side is giving messages both to each other and to their grassroots organizations.

What a tough process.

However, it is possible to overcome any difficulty with correct diagnoses. The source of today’s problem, I think, is that the parties are approaching the topic of the “Kurdish issue” and the “terror issue” differently.

Can there be a consensus in the approach? Why not? At the end of the day, haven’t both parties rolled up their sleeves for a “terror-free, democratic Turkey”?

It would be best to work toward eliminating this confusion of mind and concept and remove the finger from the trigger and silence arms.

A very difficult goal, but this process has to succeed.

Fehmi Koru is a columnist for daily Star in which this piece was published on Jan. 25. It was translated into English by the Daily News staff.