Kadek And Its Aftermath

AKSAM- Retired Ambassador Coskun Kirca writes on the EU’s list of terrorist organizations. A summary of his column is as follows:
Finally the European Union included the PKK and the DHKP-C on its terrorist organizations list. Although the EU was bent on not including them on the list, what happened to make it decide to do so? The EU decided on the issue when the PKK announced that it would no longer engage in any terrorist activities and that it had taken on a political identity. The DHKP-C is less important when compared to the PKK, and once the PKK was declared to be a terrorist organization it wouldn’t be worth offending Turkey by excluding it from this list. The real issue begins now. Will the EU see KADEK for what it is in fact, that is the continuation of the PKK? The only reasonable and moral answer to this question would be the EU declaring KADEK the continuation of the PKK. However, one cannot be quite certain if the EU organs will choose to act correctly. There was a widespread belief in the EU countries regarding terrorism, notwithstanding political or ideological color. The belief that armed organizations fighting for their independence will win over those with superior military might had taken root. This belief is nothing but a fixed idea. There are examples to the contrary and in fact, using communist terminology, those waging ‘national independence wars’ have not always been successful. However, both in Turkey and abroad there are those who still use this argument. These circles are trying to justify their claims through other means. This is the politicization of the terrorist organization. They believe that once the terrorist organization has decided to enter politics, all its former crimes should be forgotten and it should be accepted as a valid party by the state. This point of view is tantamount to believing that Turkish citizens are not very bright. However, we see that this viewpoint is accepted by the governments of the Western European countries. The terrorist organization intent on separating Northern Ireland from Britain was taken into the provincial government when it denounced any engagement in terrorist activities even as terrorism did not end. Similarly, although there is a party denouncing terrorism while arguing for the independence of the Basque territory in Spain, the terrorist activities of the ETA continue. As the Western European countries are falling into an impasse, announcing an end to terrorist activities seems to become a method of bargaining. Therefore, the EU may accept KADEK as a valid party, and so try to force us to negotiate with it. This issue is one of the basic points in Turkish-EU relations. If the EU does not accept KADEK as a terrorist organization, a great majority of the Turkish nation will no longer be in favor of the nation’s full EU membership.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION