In Europe, politicians on both sides of the political spectrum are loosing patience over continuing violence in South-East Turkey and over the striking fact that not all parties involved seem to genuinely want the problem to be resolved. It is only by breaking the vicious circle of provocations and violence that there is a realistic prospect of development for South-East Anatolya and full cultural and political rights for the Kurds. Continued violence not only means that this goal remains unobtainable, it will also make the Kurds lose their support within the EU.
Over the past weeks, at least 15 people lost their lives in riots opposing demonstrators and Turkish security forces in the South-East and in terrorist attacks in Istanbul. The disproportionate use of force by police forces in Diyarbakir and Kiziltepe should be strongly condemned. The use of automatic pistols to disperse demonstrators is inexcusable and clearly in breach with international law. The Turkish government must investigate the incidents and the judiciary must prosecute the law enforcement officials responsible.
At the same time the provocations by the PKK, whose leaders deliberately stir up violent eruptions and riots, should be vehemently denounced. After three municipality busses in Istanbul were burnt without any casualties, a fourth attack on a bus left two young women dead. The majority of the Kurds who wish to build a decent life in the towns or to return to their villages, should not be hostage to cynical leaders within the ‘military’ wing of the PKK looking to escalate the conflict.
Time is overripe for a solution of the problems in South-East Turkey, the most pressing of which is undoubtedly the socio-economic underdevelopment of the region. The Turkish government should understand that no lasting settlement with the Kurds can be reached without a comprehensive and far reaching program of aid and development in order to radically reduce unemployment, which currently affects more than half of the Kurdish working force.
A second area in which real advancement is overdue is cultural rights. It is a fact that the present government has brought about a breakthrough, allowing broadcasts in languages other than Turkish and the teaching of these including Kurdish. But these steps are no more than a very timid beginning: television stations are only allowed to broadcast in Kurdish for 45 minutes a day and a total of four hours a week, and with Turkish subtitles. The process of granting cultural rights to the Kurds must speed up significantly.
Furthermore, it is of vital importance to adjust the electoral system. The best option would be to shrink the electoral threshold from 10 % to 5 %. If this would prove impossible in the short run, it would be an idea to reserve 100 seats in the National Assembly for proportional representation. This would give Kurds a voice and a stake in Turkish political life, and it would proof that the great majority of Kurds want to be loyal Turkish citizens if and when their Kurdish identity is recognised.
But any effort to develop the region economically and to grant cultural rights is lost if the PKK does not change its attitude. The leadership of the PKK apparently drew the wrong lessons from the unilateral ceasefire proclaimed recently by the Spanish terrorist organisation ETA: It is not by intensifying the fight that one becomes a respectable partner for talks on a solution, but by renouncing to all forms of violence.
As many Kurds today realise, the rapprochement between Turkey and the EU provides a unique chance for them, the chance to at last obtain adequate responses to their needs and claims. Therefore, the present circumstances are favourable for a satisfactory solution. Turkey has started negotiations with the European Union, and Europe has never paid more attention to the situation of human and cultural rights in Turkey.
As the Kurd Dagistan Toprak, former Deputy Mayor of Diyarbakir put it: "If we were going to have real peace here, the PKK needs to adjust itself to the new world situation. The Turkish state is becoming more democratic. The PKK needs to do the same. It should give up the idea of armed struggle, and open respectful dialogue with Kurds who think differently. It also needs to renovate its leadership. This organization was formed with a Cold War mentality. It needs to evolve."
A very encouraging initiative was the public statement last summer by 150 prominent Turkish and Kurdish intellectuals, scientists, artists and political activists who called on the PKK and the Turkish government to put an end to the armed conflict in the South East. It is precisely such initiatives that appeal to the mindset of today's Europe, and especially to those forces that are in principle the most reliable supporters of minority rights and respect of human rights. Erdogans remarks on a democratic solution of the Kurdish question came as a response to this appeal.
At the same time, it of utmost importance that the Turkish government acknowledges that in order to reach enduring peace in the South-Eastern provinces, a first imperative is the assurance of the rule of law. A recent study into sources and settlements of ethnic conflicts in the world underlined the absolute necessity of the state to be a trustworthy actor as a prerequisite to any confidence-building between the parties: there is no substitute for good governance, accountable democracy, and normal politics when it comes to ending internal conflict.
On both sides there are encouraging words to be heard. Co-chairman Ahmet Turk of the Democratic Society Party (DTP) called on the Kurds to stay away from violence: "Violence causes only more violence." At the same time, Prime Minister Erdogan and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gül both stated that the only solution for terrorism is more democracy.
All parties involved should stop the violence and the provocations. Those who send their children to march in demonstrations that are bound to end up in riots and those who shoot on them are the two fatal sides of the same medal. The hawks and extremists have monopolised this conflict far too long already. Now it is time to take over for those who want a peaceful and common solution. It is these forces that should prevail and succeed.