Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

ANKARA; Kurdish Issue A Burden Turkey Can No Longer Bear, Says PM

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ANKARA; Kurdish Issue A Burden Turkey Can No Longer Bear, Says PM

    KURDISH ISSUE A BURDEN TURKEY CAN NO LONGER BEAR, SAYS PM

    Today's Zaman
    Nov 2 2009
    Turkey

    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and CHP leader Deniz Baykal had
    a brief conversation during Republic Day ceremonies.

    Turkey can no longer carry the weight of the Kurdish question,
    Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an address to the nation
    televised on Saturday night.

    Speaking about the government's Kurdish initiative, which seeks to
    extend more democratic rights to Kurds in order to end separatist
    violence, the prime minister admonished the terrorist Kurdistan
    Workers' Party (PKK) and its sympathizers. "We can never have anything
    to do with those who see terror as a legitimate means, who target
    the lives of our innocent people to this end. We condemn terrorism
    as strongly as we have from our first day [in office]," Erdogan said.

    His comments come less than two weeks after massive crowds of
    pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) supporters welcomed a group
    of PKK members returning to Turkey in an atmosphere of festivity. The
    celebrations held by PKK supporters angered many segments of Turkish
    society.

    The prime minister also touched on Ergenekon, a clandestine
    gang charged with plotting to overthrow the government that is
    believed to be responsible for many illegal operations carried out
    behind-the-scenes by state departments led by some of the group's
    members. He said his government's primary target was to eliminate what
    he called "shady power centers." "We want everyone in this country
    to trust and have confidence in the state. ... We want for there to
    no longer be any shady powers that draw curtains in front of the will
    of the nation, that seize the will of the nation," he said.

    Erdogan noted that there have always been groups seeking to create
    conflict within the nation by exploiting political, religious or
    ethnic differences between various communities. "However, the people
    of this country have not given up on each other even in the darkest,
    most painful and difficult of times. ... We want anger to subside,
    all resentment to be forgotten," he continued.

    The prime minister also called on civil society to contribute to the
    solution of the Kurdish question. "As the government, we have taken
    a step, and we will continue to travel down this path no matter what
    the cost. However, for the success of this process, everyone should do
    their part. The politicians of this country and its opinion leaders and
    civil society leaders will all fulfill their reasonability," he noted.

    He also warned against attempts to provoke sensitivities and use the
    process for political ends. "Unfortunately, there are those who are
    undermining this process with their actions, their attitude and their
    words. ... There are those who are turning this into a show. I call
    on everyone to act with common sense."

    The prime minister said future generations will help Turkey forget
    about its losses. "We have established 63 new universities, 41 of them
    state universities and 22 private schools. Our country has a total of
    139 universities, including 94 state and 45 private universities. We
    believe that these new generations will turn Turkey's years ahead
    into years of gain," Erdogan said.

    He also briefly discussed Turkey's foreign policy and the recent
    rapprochement with Armenia. "Official protocols were signed on Oct. 10
    aimed at the normalization of relations with Armenia. We want the
    Karabakh question between Armenia and Azerbaijan to be overcome through
    dialogue. Unfortunately, both in our country and inside Azerbaijan,
    there are those who exploit this issue in an unjust fashion. We have
    no disagreement with Azerbaijan; this can never be.

    It is impossible for us to allow anything that might damage
    Azerbaijan's interests to happen," he said.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Working...
X