BY Mehmet Ali Birand
TDN- Let's make a flashback... Greeks became agitated when the word "Turk" was uttered, and we were agitated when we heard the word "Greek."
Cyprus was the most important factor poisoning relations... It was because of Cyprus that the quarrel started, old books were opened and seeds of hatred were mutually sown.
The two countries harassed each other a lot.
Politicians managed to establish domination because of it but whatever happened has happened to the ordinary peoples.
Years have passed.
It was discovered that the seeds sown by the people at the top did not affect the people as much as it was assumed.
The first signal of this was lived in the aftermath of the 1999 earthquake. We were all puzzled seeing the Greeks rushing to our help. The coming together of the two peoples was a real surprise.
We were assuming that years long demonization campaigns had opened deeper scars on the two peoples. However, the two peoples astonished all of us and demonstrated that the campaigns of enmity did not have that as much of an effect on the peoples as expected by the circles fed by such feelings.
The developments of the past two years further accelerated this rapprochement between the two peoples.
Now, warmer winds are blowing at the top. The steps taken by the Justice and Development Party government, particularly the positive steps it has taken regarding Cyprus had deep impact on everything. The impression consolidated that the two countries have closed the old books, brushed aside tensions.
The scenes lived in the Istanbul streets after the Euro 2004 victory of the Greek national team and the messages of sympathy by the Turkish media, which traditionally encourage confrontations with its tough approach, are very important developments.
The Olympic flame passing through Istanbul yesterday and going to Athens, today the Sertap Erener-Sakis Rouvas concert sponsored by Mavi Jeans are signals of the friendship winds gathering force.
This atmosphere could easily be upset
The number of people unhappy with the relations between Turkey and Greece placed on such a track is not as small as it could be neglected.
Some sectors of both Greece and Turkey are very much irritated. According to these people who have been feeding old ideas, Turkey and Greece cannot live together, one or the other would definitely try to erase the other.
Not only within the two countries, the Turkish-Greek enmity is being encouraged by some countries as well. The more the two countries quarrel; the number of those who would earn in international politics would increase.
That is to say at the level of peoples, Turkish Greek relations are getting more and more consolidated but at the higher level, they are tied by a cotton thread.
Placing Turkish-Greek relations on a course of friendship will benefit both countries. That is why we must all be very attentive to these ties.
PKK warning to the former DEP MPs
The released former DEP MPs first met with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, then plunged on a tour of southeastern Anatolia. Lately they have come together with some ambassadors of European Union countries. It appears that the ambassadors did not want to meet as a block with the former DEP people and preferred to have separate meetings.
They have done right.
I have no idea what impressions the DEP people had but the atmosphere reflected in the media is that all messages concentrated on them distancing themselves from the PKK.
The people of southeastern Anatolia don't want terrorism. The atmosphere all through the country is definitely against terrorism.
It struck my attention, the EU ambassadors reflected the same approach: You can go nowhere with terrorism, distance yourself from terrorism.
The release of the DEP deputies pleased a substantive sector of society. What is expected from them now is to mutually avoid the past mistakes and help, with the experience they have acquired, to rein in the PKK.
Those who have been saying "DEP people released, terrorism increased" must be proven wrong.
I am one of those who is aware that this is no easy task, but we are obliged to wipe out terrorism through collective efforts.

--
NOTE: This article appears in daily Posta and, on the same day, in daily Hurriyet's all foreign publications, on Hurriyet's internet site (www.hurriyetim.com.tr), on Milliyet's internet site (www.milliyet.com.tr) and, after being translated by the Turkish Daily News staff, in both that newspaper and on the Turkish Daily News internet site (www.turkishdailynews.com).