ANKARA - Chair of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee Joost Lagendijk said he had told Democratic Society Party (DTP) Group Chairman Ahmet Turk not to allow PKK to sabotage them, to keep a distance between them and PKK and made the warning that their party would become the victim of PKK attacks if they didn't do so.
Lagendijk answered questions on Kanal 7 TV Channel and said a lot has changed in the European understanding of terror and of what was happening in Turkey. Lagendijk said the September 11th attacks, and terror attacks in Madrid and London made average European citizen understand that terror is a threat for everyone.
Lagendijk pointed out that the reforms made in 2003 and 2004 has changed the opinion about Turkey and terrorist organisation PKK in Europe and said, "Kurds were given the right to speak in their mother tongue, and broadcasting in their mother tongue was legalized. Of course it is not perfect, it should be improved but significant progress visible to everyone was achieved in these areas. Kurds in Turkey, also see these themselves. Later Democratic Society Party got in the parliament. It is a positive development for representatives of that region to enter the parliament. However at this very point, after all these reforms are made and DTP entered the parliament, terror escalates. It is impossible to understand this. Upon these, the people in Europe started to understand that PKK does not want a solution but on the contrary is trying to block the ways to any solution. Therefore we understand the situation better and express ourselves better now," said Lagendijk.
Lagendijk said Kurds have now seized the opportunity to get certain rights -provided that they remain within the framework of democracy- and said, "as I said DTP has entered the parliament. In such circumstances there are no more excuses for taking up arms and resorting to violence. This is how I see it."
Lagendijk pointed out that there were ones among DTP that did not want a political solution and strongly supported PKK and said he regarded them as supporters of violence. Lagendijk said on the other hand there was a wing in DTP that wanted a democratic and political solution to the problem.
"Why did PKK start attacking now? Because it does not want a political solution. PKK never wanted DTP to be in the parliament. If DTP is shut down, I know who is going to be happy. PKK will be happy," added Lagendijk.
Lagendijk said he had told DTP group chairman Turk to keep a distance between themselves and PKK.
Lagendijk underlined that PKK was unequivocally declared as a terrorist organisation in all reports prepared by the European Parliament in the last few years.
When asked about the financial support extended to PKK in Europe, Lagendijk said they had to find and close the channels through which PKK got financial support in Europe.
Lagendijk indicated that if Turkey launched a cross-border operation into the north of Iraq, it could face other problems and said in such a case there would be very few negative criticism from Europe.
Lagendijk said there were two things to be done in countering the terrorist organization PKK and said one of this was military methods.
"If the targets are set carefully and an operation is carried out accordingly no one will condemn it," said Lagendijk.
Lagendijk said the other thing to be done was to find the circumstances that gave birth to terror and said the situation in the region could be improved by taking further steps about cultural rights and language.