CUMHURIYET- Columnist Mustafa Balbay comments on the efforts of the PKK terrorist organization to change its identity. A summary of his column is as follows:
The PKK has been trying for two years now to erase its label as a 'terrorist organization' and to achieve a new identity. This search, which began with the capture of Abdullah Ocalan, seems to have reached a certain stage. The summary of their plan is to change surface form and methods; there seems to be no change in essence, aims or policies. An interesting conflict in the stance of the organization can be observed. It seems that the terrorist organization will discard 'Kurdistan' in its name but try to put 'Kurdish' at the beginning of every activity within the framework of cultural rights. Everyone knows that all of these new policies were drawn up in European cities. There may be those who know the issue but prefer not to understand what is going on. It is an interesting coincidence that the EU failed to include terrorist organizations active in Turkey in its list of terrorist groups and the PKK has been trying to change its name at about the same time. During the last EU summit in Laeken, Belgium, terrorism was discussed but terrorist organizations were not taken up. Belgian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Louis Michel, acting as the term president of the EU, stated on Dec. 14, 2001 that they had defined terrorism, but that there were problems which seemed to be impossible to solve while preparing a list. Michel added that it was easy to determine and denounce a terrorist action but that it was hard to define a terrorist organization. 'It is not always to easy to distinguish between terrorism and resistance,' he said. 'We will take this up next year and maybe some issues can be handled in a way so as to sweep up certain things from the past.' These words may be explained as, if the PKK changes its name and says that it is not the same organization anymore, the EU may turn a blind eye to its past offenses. We can almost hear Belgium's reply to the announcement of PKK that it has changed its name after its upcoming eight congress that it is in the process of recognizing the new organization. It doesn't square with human rights to accuse a 'newly founded' organization with possible crimes to be perpetrated in the future. We have delved into the archives more than necessary, but Cemil Bayik, a representative of the terrorist organization in Europe, had stated in a magazine published in the Netherlands in Turkish that it was necessary to carry out this new strategy to achieve victory. 'In the Middle East to be strong, you have to have arms. Our basic guarantee of survival is our power in armed struggle... The method to achieve victory in carrying out new strategies passes through uprising.' The Paris meeting of the terrorist organization held on January 4-6 was entitled the 'Diplomacy and Institutional Political Studies Coordination Council'. These statements given and meetings set on different dates demonstrate that the terrorist organization will form its policies in the future by leaning on Europe. Under these circumstances, Turkey has no other choice but to finish off terrorism completely, not allow a new terror game on its territories, follow the changing strategies, and formulate counter strategies in addition to reacting to them.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION