MILLIYET- Columnist Fikret Bila comments on the recent moves launched by the PKK to gain at the table what it lost at the front. A summary of his column is as follows:
It is now clear that the PKK terrorist organization is trying to make up for its losses in the armed struggle at the front with gains at the negotiating table. Certainly, Turkey will not be party to any such meeting. However, it is also true that the PKK is trying to arrange an indirect meeting over Europe and the European Union. Turkey's accession process to the EU should not be necessarily hampered, postponed or abandoned for concerns over the PKK. However, Turkey has to clearly explain to the EU the conditions and the reality of this terrorist group. Attention should be particularly drawn to the implementation of double standards by the EU. The reasons for the EU not including the PKK among its list of terrorist organizations should be questioned and the real idea behind such a policy must be exposed. The assessments made by Deputy Prime Minister Devlet Bahceli must be carefully evaluated. One of these statements point to the fact that Turkey's accession process and efforts to politicize the PKK are coming at the same time. Clearly, Europe is not at all interested at the moment in separating these two processes from each other. It will be no surprise if they work to mingle these two processes together. It is also true that today the PKK is attaching more importance to benefiting from democratic means, but while doing so, it is not neglecting its threatening armed presence at the border. Despite these activities, it is also known that the PKK intends to change its name and carve out a legal status in both the domestic and international arenas. Under these circumstances, Turkey must carefully handle those proposals coming from both within the country and abroad. Ankara suffered 15 years of terrible terrorist attacks and then succeeded in thwarting these forces, but now it must act carefully with an eye on the future, despite the moves launched to damage or weaken its national unity. The fundamental principles of the Turkish Republic are under attack. This threat directed at our nation-state cannot be ignored.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION