BY SOLI OZEL
SABAH- Turkey's current cross-border operation into northern Iraq should be managed in a smart, well-balanced way, because debates in Turkey over the issue and the duration and results of the operation will be talked about worldwide. If no attention is paid to the duration, scope and damage done by an operation which was found justifiable and wasn't criticized initially, Turkey might find itself abandoned. So we should be careful about our goals in northern Iraq and find a very good way to express our goals. The world - and not just Western countries - will look at Turkey through different lenses. Most of us might tend to forget that most of the people dying are also citizens of Turkey and might even believe in Turkey. Many of us might think that a problem which hasn't been solved in 24 previous operations might be solved by more deaths now. Those who shout like the town crier, without remembering that terrorists also have parents, might not realize that they're harming the country's moral fabric.
They might cut political arguments short, unaware of the war's humanitarian dimension, and then talk about Turkey's power. The government and others might believe that an anger which can only be controlled with the expectation of a political opening following the operation won't actually break out and so continue to make vain excuses on the Kurdish issue. There is no way all this won't cost Turkey. Most importantly, obviously, Turkey is carrying out this operation with US support and permission. For two months we have gotten intelligence for air attacks from the US. Evidently this time the US greenlighted the operation, because it wants to cooperate with Turkey on Iraq's future and its Middle East policy. But it's also clear that Turkey doesn't have a blank check. The US defense secretary's statements show US discomfort about the duration and scope of the operation and especially the possibility of civilians being harmed. What's equally true is that neither Iraq, nor the Arab world or Iran can take this operation if it stretches out for a long time.
A government which has dealt with the diplomatic side of the issue very well so far will still face further difficulties. All of its allies, and especially the US, its greatest supporter in this operation, will expect serious openings on the Kurdish issue. There's still no sign this will happen, though. Our president is not showing a stance in line with this, excepting the first visit he paid to the southeast after he was elected. He only speaks as the president, without making embracing or unifying statements or giving warnings about this sensitive issue. He also fails to show moral leadership about what should be done after the guns fall silent by separating the PKK issue from the Kurdish issue and sharing everybody's pain. A very difficult period awaits Turkey. A new period is starting on Cyprus which requires shaking up four years of torpor. Steps to be taken or not to taken on that issue will seriously affect relations between Turkey and the European Union. Turkey should stand strong in order to be able to take steps on that issue and similar ones. This can be done by dealing with the Kurdish issue comprehensively, from a democratic perspective.