Displaced and refugee families in Suleimaniya ... - Kurdish Globe

The Kurdish Globe No. 314, Saturday, July 23, 2011 6Kurdish autonomy underthe shadow of military conflictBDP takes the bruntof the blamePRESS PHOTOMehmed Sabri AkgönülThe Globe - DiyarbakirOn July 14, there were heavyclashes between the TurkishArmy and Kurdistan Workers'Party (PKK) guerrillas in Silvcvan, a province of Diyarbakir,as a result of an operation byTurkish military forces withthe death of 13 Turkish soldiersand two Kurdish guerrillas. Thisevent has continued to be themost intense issue on the agendcda of Turkish public opinion.On the day of conflict, Diyarbakckir witnessed another importantevent which is the DemocraticSociety Congress (DTK), aplatform for Kurdish associatctions and movements, declaredthe democratic autonomy.After the conflict, the Justiceand Development Party (AKP),the main opposition RepublicanPeople’s Party (CHP) and theNationalist Movement Party(MHP) administrators verballyassaulted the Peace and Demcmocracy Party (BDP) and theywanted to take this clash out onthe BDP. Turkish nationaliststried to make BDP the scapegcgoat for the attack. As a resultof these events, Turkish stateauthorities made threateningstatements to BDP and PKK.Turkish parliament issued ajoint declaration. “Political andarmed attacks against the unityof the nation, country and stateare doomed to be ineffectual,”the declaration stated, whichwas signed by the AKP parliamcmentary group Deputy Chairmcman Nurettin Canikli, the CHPparliamentary group DeputyChairman Akif Hamzacebi andthe MHP parliamentary groupDeputy Chairman Oktay Vural.Prime Minister Recep TayyipErdogan said operations willcontinue against PKK. Erdogcgan, referring to the BDP, saidnobody should expect goodwill from us. Erdogan claimedto exhibit all well-intentionedapproaches so far and they willnever negotiate such a disingenucuous proposal. He said "If they[the BDP and the PKK] want anddemand peace, they only haveone choice. The terrorist organcnization [referring to the PKK]has to lay down its weapons. Aslong as they refuse to lay downarms, neither will operationsstop nor will this process go toa different point. The next proccess will show itself with verydifferent strategies and differentapplications. They have to knowthat point well."Erdogan recalled remarkshe made during election campcpaign before the June 12 electctions, claiming that "there is noKurdish question. There is PKKquestion. There are my Kurdishcitizens who have problems."On the question of a cross-bordcder operation, Erdogan said:"These are not set in advance.If necessary, all of them will bedone." Erdogan slammed thedeclaration of the democraticautonomy and he said Turkey’spolicy of “single nation” wouldcontinue. "These four fundamcmental principles will neverchange: one nation, one flag,one country and one state. Wewill keep going on our way withthese principles. Nobody shouldexpect us to take a step back."Erdogan appealed to the Turkicish media on the democratic autctonomy: “Which autonomy dothey talk about? All Turkish citicizens already have democraticautonomy. Their purpose is onlyto deceive my Kurdish brothers.It should be known like that.The media should present it likethat."The chairman of CHP KemalKilicdaroglu said every personwho lives in Turkey wants to endthe terror, but the AKP does notexert its will. "Every politicalparty in parliament should showtheir willpower roundly to stopthe terror. The AKP is the firstactor to take a step up to prodcduce a solution for this issue,"he added. Kilicdaroglu subtlyassociated the latest conflictwith the issue of the detainedarmy officers and told Erdogan:"You have dispirited the TurkishArmy so much they couldn't goon fighting. Everybody was arrcrested. Everybody is in prison.It is impossible to fight againstterrorism in this atmosphere."Erdogan rejected Kilicdaroglclu's statement: “When you say‘dispirited,’ you will be overpcpowered from the beginningand, this way, you will encouracage the terrorist organization.”Erdogan added, “Our securityforces are much stronger thanyesterday. I believe they willmake PKK pay a heavy pricefor this."Hamzacebi said the conflictin Silvan coinciding with thedeclaration of the democraticautonomy is no coincidence.Hamzacebi also said democraticic autonomy cannot be accepteced. In addition, he emphasizedTurkey does not, and will not,Pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party supporters in a solidarity gathering in Diyarbakir, Turkey.in any way veer from the singlenation-state structure and saidall parties should stand againstterrorism.The Communities' Union ofKurdistan (KCK) made a statemcment about the clash in Silvan:"As we have seen, it is hard toprevent the conflicts and thedeaths without bilateral ceasefcfire. Here, the attack was madeby soldiers, not by guerillas." Inthe past three months, 43 PKKguerrillas have been killed.KCK Executive Council relcleased a statement on the Declclaration of Democratic Autctonomy in Democratic NationResolution. The KCK called forthe immediate implementationof the autonomy to solve theKurdish question and democrcratize Turkey. The manifestoof the KCK Executive Councilsays: “Our freedom movementbelieves that a democratic Turkckey and a free Kurdistan basedon a democratic nation, commcmon homeland and democraticrepublic is the most accurateway for a solution. The Kurdishpeople have the right to applythe principles of the democraticautonomy under the circumscstances of Kurdistan.”BDP released a statement onthe conflict and deaths in Silvcvan, calling on Erdogan for animmediate investigation. Selahchattin Demirtaş, the chairpersonof the BDP, said the party wassorry about those killed in Silvcvan. He reacted against thosewho targeted the BDP. Demirtaşsaid, "Statements released sinceJuly 14, showing reactions, takeaim at our party directly. It canbe said that it covered over thereal reasons with pain and sorrcrow caused by the conflict.Everyone, from the parliamentspeaker to representatives ofgovernment, put us as targets."Harsh responses and insultsfor the BDP are not limited toonly Turkish state authorities.The events also spread to thestreets. Seemingly organizedattacks occurred in Istanbul,Bursa, Sakarya, Adana, İzmir,Elazığ, Eskişehir and Malatya.In consequence of these events,BDP buildings were attacked.BDP's Ferit Yalçın, head ofprovince of Uskudar, said recentattacks were the result of AKP’sand some writers making BDPthe target, and said that despiteclosed-circuit cameras, the attctackers have not been found yet.Yalçın explained that althoughthe buildings have been underattack five or more times, thecriminals cannot be found andthe police remain unresponsive.BDP President Hamit Geylanidescribed the attacks against theBDP as “the footprints of fasccism.” Demirtaş expressed thatthe anger which is growing inthe society against to the BDPis diversionary target and said:“Including the leaders of theopposition, everyone has pointeced to BDP as the target, whichmakes us responsible for theclashes. They have tried to takethe anger of the society out onus. However, the governmentis required to be held accountacable.'According to the news comingfrom behind the scenes, therewere serious debates aboutBDP being unprepared forDTK's democratic autonomydeclaration. While some MPssupport the declaration, othecers object to it. It is stated thatLeyla Zana objected to the timicing of the declaration and sheleft the meeting of DTK for thisreason and critical statement ofAltan Tan, Şerafettin Elçi andErtuğrul Kürkçü are reflectedin public. They will try to perscsuade the MPs who object to theautonomy declaration to a campin Van. Elçi said he will not jointhe meeting in Van and Tan said“I am going to criticize the autctonomy declaration, but I willmake a detailed explanationafter the camp.” Criticism willlikely continue after the meeticing in Van.The negligence of militaryofficials has been discussed inTurkish newspapers for days.It is expressed that it has beenexposed with phone recordsthat the attacks were within theknowledge of some commandecers and these commanders ledthe soldiers to their deaths by nottaking the proper precautions.Some Turkish state authoritiesand some sections of the Turkicish public will likely continuethe verbal attacks and insults.However, although the eventhas been discussed in the Turkicish press and media and interpcpreted as a having a big impact,the conflict occurred in Silvanhas not come as a surprise and itis not an unexpected event. PKKhas kidnapped three people, twoof whom are soldiers before July14. The events in Silvan were aconflict between the PKK andthe Turkish Army and occurredas a result of an operation starteced with special units. AlthoughDTK has no clear plan, the autctonomy declared was enough todisturb Turkish politicians andmedia. Although the DTK usesthe words of "common homelcland," and "common nation"they are reading this declarationas a page from a Kurdish hiddenagenda whose turn has come. Itseems that when the effect ofthe conflict ends, the concernincreases.