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Milliyet, Turkey
Sept 18 2012
Arinc: PKK at the Point of Madness
by Fikret Bila
The "Milliyet Meetings" took place in Bursa this time... At the Bursa
meeting that convened with the slogan "Invest in Turkey, invest in the
future," we brought together our writers with Bulent Arinc, deputy
prime minister and Bursa deputy, politicians, businessmen, and
representatives of nongovernmental organizations.
Bursa is one of Turkey's exemplary cities with its production force,
its pioneering role in industry, the level of welfare it has reached,
and its environment of social peace and calm. It also seems to have a
very bright future.
Deputy Prime Minister Arinc and Bursa Governor Sahabettin Harput
summarized Bursa's riches that stem from the region's generous natural
resources and the industriousness of the people. Because the guest was
Deputy Prime Minister Arinc, the conversation with the writers was
once again dominated by politics and unfortunately terrorism. The
killing of eight police officers on that day topped the agenda of the
Bursa meeting.
'Point of Madness'
Deputy Prime Minister Arinc made the following assessment in response
to Milliyet writers' question as to whether Syria had any role in the
escalation of terrorist acts: "The PKK [Kurdistan People's Congress,
KGK] acts are at a point of madness. According to information we
received, especially after the latest events in Syria, a group that
saw an opportunity in this situation and that is not supported by the
PYD [Democratic Union Party], tried to go on a rampage. They also
tried to establish sovereignty in a few areas in Turkey. The PKK tried
to hang its own flag in public offices in particular. It wanted to
carry the issue to the international arena in that way. We understand
that the terrorists who were sent out on the operation were instructed
"you will not come back, you will die." Had they gone back they would
have been killed by the PKK. The organization is that cruel. Iran has
a different overview of the events in Syria from ours. It is openly
supporting the government in Syria. Moreover, there is Al-Maliki in
Iraq. As for Turkey, it is against what is happening in Syria because
there is a massacre against the people; otherwise, there was no reason
to destroy our relations with Syria that were going very well. There
is a massacre going on, though. Under those circumstances, they might
be saying to Turkey 'if you do this, then we will do that.' It is
wrong to try and prolong the life of the Syrian regime when a massacre
is being conducted against its people."
'They Exploited Habur'
Answering a question as to whether the government would abandon its
overture approach, where a mistake was made, and what his analysis of
the reasons for the problem was, Arinc said:
"There is no need to be pessimistic because of the latest events. The
answer to the question of where a mistake was made is in Fikret Bila's
book called 'Commanders' Front.' There you can find important
observations and analyses made by former chiefs of staff and other
commanders who have struggled against terrorism. I always say that it
is necessary to look at those statements. There you can also find the
answer to where mistakes were made.
"We have launched an overture process with good intentions in order to
understand the causes of the problem. Later on, the honourable prime
minister called this project a National Unity and Brotherhood Project,
and that really is what it is. Steps were taken within that scope.
Habur [the voluntary return of KGK officials and members from North
Iraq to Turkey in 2009] was a breaking point. Habur was exploited.
Those who came through Habur conducted propaganda for Apo [Abdullah
Ocalan], and because of that they were arrested. The opposition also
criticized the Habur issue. It said that it was a disgrace, a criminal
act. The opposition exerted merciless pressure on the government. As a
result of that, the government started to think 'what is happening?'
In that way, the process was exploited by both the PKK and the
opposition. "
Arinc stressed that the steps taken during the overture process should
not be underestimated, and he added:
"We are still thinking about what our Kurdish citizens may want. The
overture should not be viewed as a process for the Kurds only. There
are other demands as well. This process was launched to answer those
also. We have changed the regulations in RTUK [Radio and Television
High Council]. There were broadcasts in the mother tongue of 30
minutes on television and 45 minutes on the radio. We increased those
broadcasts to 24 hours for local and regional television channels.
National television channels have not made any request on the issue.
We have also stopped the mandatory use of subtitles, and we were
thanked for that. We were told: 'Before those broadcasts we used to
watch the Iranian television for broadcasts in Kurdish, and the
television channels of Armenia for broadcasts in Armenian. Now, there
is no need for that any longer. We are watching the TRT [Turkish Radio
and Television Corporation].' Moreover, in order to dress the wounds
we have also started the practice of paying reparations to victims of
terrorism. We have paid for the losses of those who fell victim to
terrorism, and made payments amounting to 4.5 quadrillion [Turkish
liras].
"Lastly, Kurdish has become an elective course. Universities in
Mardin, Elazig, and Tunceli have opened institutes under the name of
living languages.
"As against this, it was said 'Kurdish must be the language of
education.' This is not possible either legally or practically. Let us
say the laws changed, but it is still not possible to find students
and teachers. I am having a hard time finding a person who will make
programmes in Kurdish in the TRT. Only now, we have managed to arrive
at a point where in three-years-time we will be able to start
broadcasting. That means that it is possible to do things step by
step. We have done everything we were asked to do starting with the
lifting of the state of emergency, but despite that we were declared
in domestic politics as traitors."
BDP Quota for Women
Answering a question concerning the quota for women in politics, Arinc stated:
"I am telling you this because I know the prime minister's sensitivity
on the subject. There are 50 individuals in our party's province and
district administrations, and the prime minister gave special
instructions as to the number of women and young members. In Bursa
province administration we have 50 people out of which 10 are women."
When reminded that the BDP's [Peace and Democracy Party] quota for
women was higher, Arinc said: "The BDP does not need to increase its
number of woman deputies. If it is after women deputies to slap police
officers, it already has those. The woman deputies of the BDP are
shouting at the top of their voices on buses, while another is
slapping a police director down on the ground."
'The Film Is a Disgrace, So Is the Savagery...'
Deputy Prime Minister Arinc said the following concerning the
anti-Islam film, and the reactions to it that resulted in the killing
of the US Ambassador to Libya:
"The film is a disgrace. That issue is a disgrace from two
standpoints: the attack on holy values, and the atrocity that came as
a reaction. There have previously been such attacks on holy values in
Europe, as in Denmark and the Netherlands. There was a cartoon
incident. Killing the US Ambassador as a reaction to the film is
savagery. I had called the killing of Al-Qadhafi savagery as well.
Ambassadors must be respected in the whole world."
Detained Journalists
Concerning the detained journalists and deputies Arinc explained: "The
necessary arrangements were made in the Third Judicial Package. We
made the change to the law; the interpretation, however, is made by
the judges. Now, the judges have the obligation to write a preamble,
and they write preambles in their own way. An arrangement concerning
judges was made to ensure that the judge who decided for the arrest
and the one who passed judgment were not the same. The interpretation,
however, totally depends on the judiciary."
[translated from Turkish]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Sept 18 2012
Arinc: PKK at the Point of Madness
by Fikret Bila
The "Milliyet Meetings" took place in Bursa this time... At the Bursa
meeting that convened with the slogan "Invest in Turkey, invest in the
future," we brought together our writers with Bulent Arinc, deputy
prime minister and Bursa deputy, politicians, businessmen, and
representatives of nongovernmental organizations.
Bursa is one of Turkey's exemplary cities with its production force,
its pioneering role in industry, the level of welfare it has reached,
and its environment of social peace and calm. It also seems to have a
very bright future.
Deputy Prime Minister Arinc and Bursa Governor Sahabettin Harput
summarized Bursa's riches that stem from the region's generous natural
resources and the industriousness of the people. Because the guest was
Deputy Prime Minister Arinc, the conversation with the writers was
once again dominated by politics and unfortunately terrorism. The
killing of eight police officers on that day topped the agenda of the
Bursa meeting.
'Point of Madness'
Deputy Prime Minister Arinc made the following assessment in response
to Milliyet writers' question as to whether Syria had any role in the
escalation of terrorist acts: "The PKK [Kurdistan People's Congress,
KGK] acts are at a point of madness. According to information we
received, especially after the latest events in Syria, a group that
saw an opportunity in this situation and that is not supported by the
PYD [Democratic Union Party], tried to go on a rampage. They also
tried to establish sovereignty in a few areas in Turkey. The PKK tried
to hang its own flag in public offices in particular. It wanted to
carry the issue to the international arena in that way. We understand
that the terrorists who were sent out on the operation were instructed
"you will not come back, you will die." Had they gone back they would
have been killed by the PKK. The organization is that cruel. Iran has
a different overview of the events in Syria from ours. It is openly
supporting the government in Syria. Moreover, there is Al-Maliki in
Iraq. As for Turkey, it is against what is happening in Syria because
there is a massacre against the people; otherwise, there was no reason
to destroy our relations with Syria that were going very well. There
is a massacre going on, though. Under those circumstances, they might
be saying to Turkey 'if you do this, then we will do that.' It is
wrong to try and prolong the life of the Syrian regime when a massacre
is being conducted against its people."
'They Exploited Habur'
Answering a question as to whether the government would abandon its
overture approach, where a mistake was made, and what his analysis of
the reasons for the problem was, Arinc said:
"There is no need to be pessimistic because of the latest events. The
answer to the question of where a mistake was made is in Fikret Bila's
book called 'Commanders' Front.' There you can find important
observations and analyses made by former chiefs of staff and other
commanders who have struggled against terrorism. I always say that it
is necessary to look at those statements. There you can also find the
answer to where mistakes were made.
"We have launched an overture process with good intentions in order to
understand the causes of the problem. Later on, the honourable prime
minister called this project a National Unity and Brotherhood Project,
and that really is what it is. Steps were taken within that scope.
Habur [the voluntary return of KGK officials and members from North
Iraq to Turkey in 2009] was a breaking point. Habur was exploited.
Those who came through Habur conducted propaganda for Apo [Abdullah
Ocalan], and because of that they were arrested. The opposition also
criticized the Habur issue. It said that it was a disgrace, a criminal
act. The opposition exerted merciless pressure on the government. As a
result of that, the government started to think 'what is happening?'
In that way, the process was exploited by both the PKK and the
opposition. "
Arinc stressed that the steps taken during the overture process should
not be underestimated, and he added:
"We are still thinking about what our Kurdish citizens may want. The
overture should not be viewed as a process for the Kurds only. There
are other demands as well. This process was launched to answer those
also. We have changed the regulations in RTUK [Radio and Television
High Council]. There were broadcasts in the mother tongue of 30
minutes on television and 45 minutes on the radio. We increased those
broadcasts to 24 hours for local and regional television channels.
National television channels have not made any request on the issue.
We have also stopped the mandatory use of subtitles, and we were
thanked for that. We were told: 'Before those broadcasts we used to
watch the Iranian television for broadcasts in Kurdish, and the
television channels of Armenia for broadcasts in Armenian. Now, there
is no need for that any longer. We are watching the TRT [Turkish Radio
and Television Corporation].' Moreover, in order to dress the wounds
we have also started the practice of paying reparations to victims of
terrorism. We have paid for the losses of those who fell victim to
terrorism, and made payments amounting to 4.5 quadrillion [Turkish
liras].
"Lastly, Kurdish has become an elective course. Universities in
Mardin, Elazig, and Tunceli have opened institutes under the name of
living languages.
"As against this, it was said 'Kurdish must be the language of
education.' This is not possible either legally or practically. Let us
say the laws changed, but it is still not possible to find students
and teachers. I am having a hard time finding a person who will make
programmes in Kurdish in the TRT. Only now, we have managed to arrive
at a point where in three-years-time we will be able to start
broadcasting. That means that it is possible to do things step by
step. We have done everything we were asked to do starting with the
lifting of the state of emergency, but despite that we were declared
in domestic politics as traitors."
BDP Quota for Women
Answering a question concerning the quota for women in politics, Arinc stated:
"I am telling you this because I know the prime minister's sensitivity
on the subject. There are 50 individuals in our party's province and
district administrations, and the prime minister gave special
instructions as to the number of women and young members. In Bursa
province administration we have 50 people out of which 10 are women."
When reminded that the BDP's [Peace and Democracy Party] quota for
women was higher, Arinc said: "The BDP does not need to increase its
number of woman deputies. If it is after women deputies to slap police
officers, it already has those. The woman deputies of the BDP are
shouting at the top of their voices on buses, while another is
slapping a police director down on the ground."
'The Film Is a Disgrace, So Is the Savagery...'
Deputy Prime Minister Arinc said the following concerning the
anti-Islam film, and the reactions to it that resulted in the killing
of the US Ambassador to Libya:
"The film is a disgrace. That issue is a disgrace from two
standpoints: the attack on holy values, and the atrocity that came as
a reaction. There have previously been such attacks on holy values in
Europe, as in Denmark and the Netherlands. There was a cartoon
incident. Killing the US Ambassador as a reaction to the film is
savagery. I had called the killing of Al-Qadhafi savagery as well.
Ambassadors must be respected in the whole world."
Detained Journalists
Concerning the detained journalists and deputies Arinc explained: "The
necessary arrangements were made in the Third Judicial Package. We
made the change to the law; the interpretation, however, is made by
the judges. Now, the judges have the obligation to write a preamble,
and they write preambles in their own way. An arrangement concerning
judges was made to ensure that the judge who decided for the arrest
and the one who passed judgment were not the same. The interpretation,
however, totally depends on the judiciary."
[translated from Turkish]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress