CUMHURIYET- Columnist Mustafa Balbay comments on democratic terror talks. A summary of his column is as follows:
The European Union’s blindness and squinting regarding terrorism have led to a case of double vision. An accurate headline for recent events would read: Democratic terror talks! The EU institutions and on the one side Turkey, and on the other terrorist groups, are all trying to protect their own interests. We can expect this scenario to be played out repeatedly over the next eight months through 2003. This January a delegation from the Belgium Parliament visited northern Iraq. At the parliamentarians’ behest, the terrorist PKK agreed to change its name. In February the PKK held its so-called eight congress. The congress’ decisions were announced on April 4 in Brussels. The PKK representatives in Europe announced that they had changed their name to KADEK. Then at the end of April news arrived that the PKK would be added to the terrorist list! Then a statement came from Osman Ocalan in northern Iraq, ‘If the PKK is added to the list we will make you feel sorry, we will be forced to war. The PKK has completed its historic mission and changed its name and became democratized.’ Turkey has to analyze well the current situation. Let’s underline a very important point: Turkey fought terrorism for 15 years, but never permitted terrorism to become an ethnic war. Turkey is the winner. But sometimes the success gained at the battlefront could be lost at the negotiating table. What we have listed above are examples of this. Europe describes terrorism as: ‘Everything which disturbs my public safety is terrorism, whatever happens outside my borders doesn’t interest me.’ But we have seen clearly after last September’s terrorist attacks that terrorism has no geography and religion. A day could come when Europe feels the effects of terrorism, but that day could come very late for it. The statement made by Osman Ocalan shows the blindness and ungratefulness of terrorism. Leaving aside Europe’s history of technological progress, it seems that the continent is not as clever as it once seemed.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION