BY DERYA SAZAK
MILLIYET- Turkey celebrated the 84th anniversary of the Republic at a time when Ataturk's saying, `Peace at home, peace in the world,' is still important and a cross-border operation against northern Iraq is still being debated, because the terrorist PKK, which is trying to make the Kurdish issue into a `separatist' one, started to use its weapons again. The nation's feelings of solidarity and sadness due to victims of terrorism tinged this year's enthusiasm for the republic. The determination, reflected in messages yesterday against the risk that the war and invasion started by the US in Iraq in 2003 would draw Turkey into the Mideast swamp due to terrorist PKK attacks, showed that everything was ventured.
In spite of Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani's statement that if Turkey enters Iraq, this would mean a declaration of war, Ankara showed everybody that it was ready for anything during celebrations of Republic Day. Following these developments, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's meeting with US President George W. Bush set for November 5 at the White House to talk about a comprehensive operation will be vitally important. Whatever the dimensions of any cross-border operation, Turkey shouldn't postpone its `peace at home,' as Ataturk said.
Andrew Mango, our friend from the BBC, writes in his book `Ataturk: The Biography of the Founder of Modern Turkey' that for decades the republic has been advancing on the road to civilization and created a new nation without departing from its `peaceful' line. Mango adds that the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) was an example for Ataturk - an example of adventurism which should be avoided. He also writes that CUP leaders, who demolished the Ottoman Empire by putting it into the World War, were Balkan guerilla supporters, but Ataturk was a statesman with an international outlook who was able to win the War of Independence not only thanks to his ambition and courage, but also his talent for making realistic calculations. After the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the Republic was declared but the issue of Mosul (in Iraq, but with traditional ties to Turkey) was left unsolved. Turkey has been dealing with the Kurdish issue since 1925. We should be able to protect the republic without departing from his principle of peace at home, peace in the world. We should reach our 100th anniversary in peace and prosperity.