BY ASLI AYDINTASBAS
SABAH- Columnist Asli Aydintasbas writes on talks between Ankara and Washington on the PKK/KADEK terrorist issue. A summary of her column is as follows:
I think that the recent negotiations on the PKK issue between Turkey and the US have left a bad taste in the mouth of the Turkish public, as if our countries are bargaining over the issue, thus damaging the credibility of our partnership. The American side has made it clear that eliminating the PKK/KADEK presence in northern Iraq isn’t one of its military priorities, although they eventually want to end the activities of the terrorist group to help establish peace and stability in the region. Washington is also willing to bide its time to watch developments in the wake of our recent law offering amnesty to PKK terrorists in the hope of integrating them into society. However, if necessary, Washington is planning to launch new initiatives next year to force the PKK militants to disarm. Furthermore, Washington expects Ankara to protect the legal political sphere given to the political movement which we might call ‘Kurdish nationalism,’ so as to encourage PKK terrorists to lay down their arms and join a legitimate political formation.
Although Ankara doesn’t oppose this strategy, it also wants the disarmament process to begin as soon as possible, since its concerns rose earlier this month when PKK leaders announced they were abandoning a four-year ceasefire with Turkey. In truth, the negotiations over the PKK issue seem to be on the right track. However, I don’t think that the public understands what’s really going on between our officials. First of all, people believe that the PKK business and possible Turkish troop deployments are two intertwined, inseparable issues. Turkish people think that Washington is blackmailing Ankara on this issue. If you ask the man on the street, Washington actually doesn’t care about the PKK presence in the region but is only trying to force Turkey to send its troops to Iraq. However, as a matter of fact, both sides share common views, recognizing the PKK/KADEK as a terrorist organization whose activities must be brought to an end. There’s no doubt that in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration has fought against most terrorist organizations worldwide.
However, the devil lies in the details. Despite our common views, Ankara and Washington are likely to suffer certain problems in the future because the US generals in the region have an almost autonomous status. Their priority is to find Saddam Hussein. The question here is whether or not Washington will be able to persuade its generals to take effective moves to crack down on the PKK.