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Star (in Turkish), Turkey
Oct 24 2013
Be Careful!
Column by Orhan Miroglu
[Translated from Turkish]
The PKK [Kurdistan People's Congress, KGK] and the BDP [Peace and
Democracy Party] have been saying that the process that has been
underway for the past year has been a process of dialogue, and that
the time has finally come for negotiating.
To the extent that can be seen, topics that could be negotiated under
the current conditions, such as disarmament, the future in Turkey of
the KCK [Assembly of Communities of Kurdistan] structure, the
dismantling of Makhmur [refugee camp], bringing about the return to
the country of Kurdish political activists living in Europe, some of
whom have served as parliamentary deputies, and the economic
development of the region, are not being much mentionedaĤ
The Kurdish side understands negotiations primarily in terms of a
"special status."
And it conceives of this autonomy as "building a democratic nation."
There will be a special status, and the KCK will administer this
special status, and will carry out nation-building on behalf of some
Kurds! And what the remainder of society says or thinks about this
makes no difference!
The others are no doubt seen as a portion of society that will become
adapted to a "democratic nation" to be constructed with a Jacobin
approach.
And the adaptation to the revolution or the "nation-building" of
peoples who are unable to adapt to national or class revolutions has
been possible, since the French Revolution of 1789 in the world, and
since the Dersim massacre in our own country, via "revolutionary
terror"!
And it is the Kurdish people who have been harmed the most by the
"revolutionary terror" or "revolutionary violence" that has been
implemented over the past 30 yearsaĤ
***
The fact is that the letter that [imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah]
Ocalan wrote, which was read before the people on 21 March in
Diyarbakir, amounted, in terms of its substance and the future of the
Kurdish movement, to a strategic paradigm change, and put an end to an
era.
Ocalan called for a farewell to arms, and stated that, henceforth,
Kurdish politics should take a democratic place and follow a line that
eschewed violence.
But afterwards, very little in accord with the contents of this letter
was implemented.
Three conferences have been held -indeed, now a Democratic Islam
Conference is being held at Ocalan's request -but nothing regarding
the new paradigm foreseen in the letter, or regarding "internal
issues," has come onto the agenda in those conferences. A number of
messages and demands from the other side came out of those
conferences, and that is all.
The PKK has dragged its feet in withdrawing. Today we are debating
whether or not the cease-fire, rather than the withdrawal, is going to
continue.
Unfortunately, a broad circle of people both inside and outside the
country, including Turkish intellectuals ranging from leftists to
liberals, have done all that they could and ensured that the PKK will
remain, with its weapons, in Turkey for another year.
And under just these conditions, Kurdish politics, during a period in
which Turkey has entered into the run-up to elections, is demanding
negotiations.
Even if a negotiating table should be set up, talking about the
conditions of disarmament, or of laying down arms, which is a sine qua
non issue of negotiations, and even an agreement that would be reached
on this issue, would not in actual practice be of any benefit.
Because it is impossible for the armed groups to withdraw during the
winter months. Turkey is going to experience two elections within a
single year; in the Middle East, gigantic developments that have the
potential to impact the Kurdish issue as well are expected. [Syrian
President Bashar] Al-Asad is up to his neck in the Kurdish issue. He
is sending a special aircraft to Arbil, and is making attractive
proposals to the KDP [Kurdistan Democratic Party] and the PYD
[Democratic Union Party]. The translation of the proposals is as
follows:
If you turn hostile towards Turkey, I am prepared to govern Syria
together with you!
Ocalan is trying to pursue a cautious policy in order for the process
in Turkey to be able to be controlled, and so that things do not get
off track, but the PKK and the BDP have turned their faces more
towards Syria and the Rojava [Kurdish term for 'west,' used in
reference to northern Syria]. The thesis that there can be no solution
without the Rojava is being played up, and even Turkish intellectuals
are seen to have taken up this thesis with enthusiasm.
If, since after all no solution is possible without the Rojava, then
it is truly difficult to understand what the desire to negotiate is
focused on. Because not only is the address for a solution in the
Rojava not Turkey, but years and years could pass without any solution
in the Rojava, an even more bloody war could develop, or that
geographical region could, in the short term, turn into a depopulated
regionaĤ
Why should the Kurdish citizens of a Turkey that is sitting down to
negotiate with the EU sacrifice the solution of their own problems,
and their own futures, to the uncertain future of Syria, which is a
country fractured by poverty and hunger in which clergymen issue
fatwas that "you can eat the flesh of dogs and cats," and just how
realistic is it, I wonder, to expect such a political solution from
them?
Certainly it is impossible to remain merely looking on at the
humanitarian tragedy taking place in the Rojava and in Syria; in this
regard, sensitivity can be shown in every area, and methods can be
sought to alleviate the tyranny.
But how appropriate is it to index politics to the Rojava?
I remember Hrant [referring to slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink] more frequently these days.
We were together at a panel discussion in Diyarbakir. He was offering
advice to his Kurdish brothers and said: "Be careful; the world's
playing with the Armenian people led to a process that destroyed a
million and a half Armenians, so be careful!"
God willing, I am mistaken, and my concerns are groundless. But what I
see is that the ancient hegemons of the world and of the Middle east
are preparing to play a bloody and murky game with the Kurds, and are
working to send the Kurds against Turkey in an ethnically-based waraĤ
So be careful!
[Translated from Turkish]
From: Baghdasarian
Oct 24 2013
Be Careful!
Column by Orhan Miroglu
[Translated from Turkish]
The PKK [Kurdistan People's Congress, KGK] and the BDP [Peace and
Democracy Party] have been saying that the process that has been
underway for the past year has been a process of dialogue, and that
the time has finally come for negotiating.
To the extent that can be seen, topics that could be negotiated under
the current conditions, such as disarmament, the future in Turkey of
the KCK [Assembly of Communities of Kurdistan] structure, the
dismantling of Makhmur [refugee camp], bringing about the return to
the country of Kurdish political activists living in Europe, some of
whom have served as parliamentary deputies, and the economic
development of the region, are not being much mentionedaĤ
The Kurdish side understands negotiations primarily in terms of a
"special status."
And it conceives of this autonomy as "building a democratic nation."
There will be a special status, and the KCK will administer this
special status, and will carry out nation-building on behalf of some
Kurds! And what the remainder of society says or thinks about this
makes no difference!
The others are no doubt seen as a portion of society that will become
adapted to a "democratic nation" to be constructed with a Jacobin
approach.
And the adaptation to the revolution or the "nation-building" of
peoples who are unable to adapt to national or class revolutions has
been possible, since the French Revolution of 1789 in the world, and
since the Dersim massacre in our own country, via "revolutionary
terror"!
And it is the Kurdish people who have been harmed the most by the
"revolutionary terror" or "revolutionary violence" that has been
implemented over the past 30 yearsaĤ
***
The fact is that the letter that [imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah]
Ocalan wrote, which was read before the people on 21 March in
Diyarbakir, amounted, in terms of its substance and the future of the
Kurdish movement, to a strategic paradigm change, and put an end to an
era.
Ocalan called for a farewell to arms, and stated that, henceforth,
Kurdish politics should take a democratic place and follow a line that
eschewed violence.
But afterwards, very little in accord with the contents of this letter
was implemented.
Three conferences have been held -indeed, now a Democratic Islam
Conference is being held at Ocalan's request -but nothing regarding
the new paradigm foreseen in the letter, or regarding "internal
issues," has come onto the agenda in those conferences. A number of
messages and demands from the other side came out of those
conferences, and that is all.
The PKK has dragged its feet in withdrawing. Today we are debating
whether or not the cease-fire, rather than the withdrawal, is going to
continue.
Unfortunately, a broad circle of people both inside and outside the
country, including Turkish intellectuals ranging from leftists to
liberals, have done all that they could and ensured that the PKK will
remain, with its weapons, in Turkey for another year.
And under just these conditions, Kurdish politics, during a period in
which Turkey has entered into the run-up to elections, is demanding
negotiations.
Even if a negotiating table should be set up, talking about the
conditions of disarmament, or of laying down arms, which is a sine qua
non issue of negotiations, and even an agreement that would be reached
on this issue, would not in actual practice be of any benefit.
Because it is impossible for the armed groups to withdraw during the
winter months. Turkey is going to experience two elections within a
single year; in the Middle East, gigantic developments that have the
potential to impact the Kurdish issue as well are expected. [Syrian
President Bashar] Al-Asad is up to his neck in the Kurdish issue. He
is sending a special aircraft to Arbil, and is making attractive
proposals to the KDP [Kurdistan Democratic Party] and the PYD
[Democratic Union Party]. The translation of the proposals is as
follows:
If you turn hostile towards Turkey, I am prepared to govern Syria
together with you!
Ocalan is trying to pursue a cautious policy in order for the process
in Turkey to be able to be controlled, and so that things do not get
off track, but the PKK and the BDP have turned their faces more
towards Syria and the Rojava [Kurdish term for 'west,' used in
reference to northern Syria]. The thesis that there can be no solution
without the Rojava is being played up, and even Turkish intellectuals
are seen to have taken up this thesis with enthusiasm.
If, since after all no solution is possible without the Rojava, then
it is truly difficult to understand what the desire to negotiate is
focused on. Because not only is the address for a solution in the
Rojava not Turkey, but years and years could pass without any solution
in the Rojava, an even more bloody war could develop, or that
geographical region could, in the short term, turn into a depopulated
regionaĤ
Why should the Kurdish citizens of a Turkey that is sitting down to
negotiate with the EU sacrifice the solution of their own problems,
and their own futures, to the uncertain future of Syria, which is a
country fractured by poverty and hunger in which clergymen issue
fatwas that "you can eat the flesh of dogs and cats," and just how
realistic is it, I wonder, to expect such a political solution from
them?
Certainly it is impossible to remain merely looking on at the
humanitarian tragedy taking place in the Rojava and in Syria; in this
regard, sensitivity can be shown in every area, and methods can be
sought to alleviate the tyranny.
But how appropriate is it to index politics to the Rojava?
I remember Hrant [referring to slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink] more frequently these days.
We were together at a panel discussion in Diyarbakir. He was offering
advice to his Kurdish brothers and said: "Be careful; the world's
playing with the Armenian people led to a process that destroyed a
million and a half Armenians, so be careful!"
God willing, I am mistaken, and my concerns are groundless. But what I
see is that the ancient hegemons of the world and of the Middle east
are preparing to play a bloody and murky game with the Kurds, and are
working to send the Kurds against Turkey in an ethnically-based waraĤ
So be careful!
[Translated from Turkish]
From: Baghdasarian