FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EU TURKEY AND THE KURDS

FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE EU, TURKEY AND THE KURDS
fident any more. Nobody is sure as to what the near future will bring. Every single day
will bring about elements that will affect the disintegration in the Kurdish phenomenon.
As to how the solution will emerge, in which direction, will be determined by
the qualities and the tempo of the forces intervening to the praxis. As to whether the
process will reach a solution on the basis of the clash of two nationalisms, or whether
it will reach a democratic compromise has entered into the agenda as the most burning
two questions. For the first time ever, the internal relations of Kurds and their
relationships with the neighbouring ethnicities and states has become an issue that
concerns the regional strategies. Kurdish-Arabic, Kurdish-Turkish, Kurdish- Farsi relationships
have entered into an era that keeps so many minds busy.
Under the given conditions two possible developments may be the subject of a democratic
solution. The first mode of solution is closely related to democratisation process
hand in hand with Turkey. To ensure this, as we have briefly dealt with, a state
reform is essential. There is a necessity to avoid putting visible or covert barriers in
the path of democratisation process of the Kurds and the practice of turning laws into
obstacles must be abandoned. Constitutional amendments must be made. Turkish
and Kurdish peoples meeting on a common democratic platform necessitates some
arrangements. The parties of the problems must be taken into account. Here, the
position of Mr Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdish people gains great importance.
Compromise and dialogue must be developed with Mr. Öcalan. Also; to end
the clashes and achieve lasting peace a mutual ceasefire must be maintained.
The second path to a democratic solution is for the Kurds to establish their own
democracies. If the first path is blocked, the path to enter is to establish the rules
and bodies of democracy on their own. The latest local and general elections clearly
showed that despite Kurds elected their own candidates, undemocratic laws and obstacles
prevent such elections and their results from being enforced. In the future if
the prohibiting practices continue, the self-imposed democratic applications of the
Kurds will be more expedient.
Other than these, the remaining avenues are denial and suppression on the one hand
and rebellion against such policies and war. The history is full of lessons on the subject.
Whilst the cries for democratization and democratic solutions are continually
rising, they are yet to take their deserved places on the political agenda. Not so surprisingly,
however, many European, countries, even some African, Asian and American
countries too, have intensely applied the democratic model upon the problems
regarding cultures and peoples. This is the path that the world has taken. The time has
come and almost too late for those countries concerned with the Kurdish ‘question’,
perhaps Turkey first and foremost, to tow the line.
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