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ISTANBUL: Time is running out for initiatives

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  • ISTANBUL: Time is running out for initiatives

    Hurriyet, turkey
    Feb 5 2010


    Time is running out for initiatives

    Friday, February 5, 2010
    CENGÄ°Z AKTAR


    We have 10 more weeks until the end of April but we see clogging
    rather than progress in the initiatives launched with neighbors and
    domestically. But all are in interaction. Success in one will
    facilitate success in others. Failure in one will choke others. Let's
    start with what we have or haven't, inside the country.

    The democratic initiative is not doing well. As coup plots and
    numerous evils are being revealed in the western part of the country,
    over a thousand Kurds, out of which many elected local officials, are
    being detained. Yes, the establishment of the `Human Rights
    Institution of Turkey' is an important step, but in practice the
    security aspect dominates the democratization process. We should know
    that newly founded institutions will not be sufficient for the
    democratic initiative as we need initiatives that would build up trust
    next to security. Even if the most needed constitutional amendment on
    the definition of citizenship occurs.

    The good things that President Abdullah Gül announced some time ago
    regarding the solution of the Kurdish question have not happened yet
    despite the internal and external momentum. Even the governors of the
    region claim more concrete action. Indeed a new architecture is needed
    for the democratic initiative. We need commissions on amnesty,
    disarmament, truth and reconciliation, regional development, amnesty
    and repatriation as well as education for relevant policies to be
    developed. If the government and bureaucracy cannot do it, civil
    society should.

    Armenia

    Protocols signed between Turkey and Armenia on Oct. 10 aimed at
    normalizing bilateral relations. Implicit texts about the issues that
    parties feel sensitive about were using the advantages of the
    diplomatic language and thus were looking ahead. The first blow was
    hit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an, an expert at
    dropping a brick in the international arena. `Without a solution in
    Karabakh, we cannot approve the protocols,' he said. Following
    ErdoÄ?an, the Armenian high court interpreted the implicit and caused a
    stir. Instead of overlooking this obvious clumsiness, the Turkish
    Foreign Ministry blew it out of proportion and started to ask for
    written guarantees. As though, problematic issues that are named by
    the decision of the Armenian Constitutional Court were new. After the
    second blow on the protocols, a new arrangement is now apparently in
    the making to allow the Armenian President Serge Sarkisian to have a
    signature withdrawal right from the protocols. Add to these the hawks
    of the diaspora, public pressure in both countries and Azerbaijan, the
    Armenian initiative is today at standstill. For Turkey, Parliament's
    ratification and the opening of border gate depend on the Minsk
    Group's pressure and influence over Azerbaijan and Armenia; or in
    other words, withdrawal of the Armenian army from seven Azeri counties
    under occupation. On the other hand, the Genocide Bill pending in the
    U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. President Barack Obama's Apr.
    24 speech this year continue to be elements of pressure.

    Greece and Cyprus

    The solid outcome of Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou's answer
    to ErdoÄ?an's letter is an invitation to ErdoÄ?an to visit Athens to
    talk about all pending issues between the two countries. Joint
    commissions are expected. Possible developments, on the other hand,
    regarding Greece and Cyprus are indexed to the presidential elections
    in northern Cyprus, which will be held Apr. 18. If Turkish Cypriot
    President Mehmet Ali Talat loses the race, prospects for the Cyprus
    reunification talks and therefore of the European Union accession
    negotiations do not look good. It is unknown for how long Turkey can
    manage with the prospective status quo. After all, a part of the
    military is officiated in northern Cyprus. As we grasp the function of
    the flights over the Aegean Sea in the coup simulation, let's not
    forget that these are very efficient trump cards for the plotters to
    corner the government.

    Let's not forget in the tableau the constitutional amendments,
    preparatory works for a new constitution and the economic bottleneck
    in the job market. Economic performance of the government will
    certainly be decisive in the overall public appreciation.

    In the face of these huge problems, eagerness of the opposition
    Republican People's Party, or CHP, and the Nationalist Movement Party,
    or MHP, to block every single move of the government does not make
    things easier. The period where the military is trying to withdraw
    from politics is also sucking off the country's energy. Time is
    running out and time management is getting more difficult.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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