BY MUHARREM SARIKAYA
SABAH- Will we see a process to implement a political package for the Turkey's southeast? Actually, preparations for this have been going on in certain government bodies for some time. Even if Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that he wouldn't meet with members of the Democratic Society Party (DTP) unless they declare the PKK a terrorist group, the main theme of meetings this week between DTP officials and President Abdullah Gul, Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan, and Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek was terrorists laying down their arms. DTP group leader Ahmet Turk told me the same. Turk said that he told them that economic investments alone wouldn't be enough to solve the region's problems. `Social, cultural and administrative measures should be taken as well,' he explained Turk. `When saying this, we don't seek or want a federation, as some claim. We also favor a unitary state.'
I asked Turk if the issue of the terrorist PKK laying down its arms had been discussed during his meeting with Gul. Instead of answering directly, he said, `If there is an opening, the rest would follow this and we would be involved in the issue and make some calls. But a structure embracing our own citizens should emerge. Now everybody is expecting something from us, but I don't have any magic wand to wave.' Turk also described his expectations for an opening, saying that a constitutional amendment recognizing cultural differences would be the first step.
As for the second step, he said: `The government and the people bearing weapons should reach a consensus, and the weapons should fall silent. We're ready to play an active role in this process, but first reassuring openings are necessary.' He added that first there should be a process for a cease-fire, followed by the laying down of arms, if certain steps are taken. He also said something interesting, stressing that the place and person delivering the weapons are also important.
So will the government start a social and cultural package parallel with the Southeast Anatolian Project's (GAP) economic package, immediately after the spring festival of Nevruz? Actually, it has been willing to make an arrangement on the Penitence Law in order to end terrorist PKK attacks. But nothing is being done on the issue now. Instead, the Turkish Penal Code's (TCK) section on penitence might be reinterpreted. Similarly, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek has been saying for a while that if that law is read carefully, it could be better understood.
Other preparations, which have been mentioned for years, include: authorizing local administrations to collect taxes in certain areas; transferring functions of primary and secondary schools to local administrations; using Kurdish as a service language, starting with municipalities; transferring traffic police within cities to local administrations; and giving places their old names back. Could these things be done immediately? What one influential DTP figure said should be repeated here: `Let alone on TV, it used to be forbidden to speak Kurdish even on the street. Now (state-owned broadcaster) TRT will do Kurdish broadcasts all day. This is also a great step forward.