We are hurt twice
Two reports coincided Sunday, demonstrating the gravity of the situation Turkey is facing: 1- Separatist terrorists staged a cross-border attack from Iraq killing scores of Turkish soldiers. 2- Iraqi Parliament condemned Turkey’s parliamentary authorization for cross-border operation on PKK.
As if to provoke Turkey at a time when the Turkish nation was shocked Sunday with news from Hakkari’s Yüksekova district – only four kilometers from the Turkish-Iraq joint border – that separatist Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) terrorists had attacked a Turkish garrison, killing a dozen or more soldiers, in an insolent move the Iraqi Parliament voted Sunday to condemn Turkish Parliament’s decision last Wednesday to authorize the Turkish government to stage a cross-border operation into Iraq in pursuit of separatist Kurdish terrorists. We are hurt twice.
The terrorist attack was the second terrorist incident undertaken by PKK members in the same region in 24 hours. On Saturday the terrorists attacked a convoy of people traveling to attend a wedding ceremony at Yüksekova, wounding 14 civilians.
As if it was the Turkish media escalating tension and provoking the use of force inside a neighboring country, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged the media Sunday to refrain from blaming in haste the developments on the Iraqi and northern Iraqi leaders who have been cooperating, sheltering and even supporting terrorism.
The prime minister, of course, was trying to handle the daunting problem at hand with a level-headed approach, however the nation is fed up with round-about statements, warnings, messages and condemnations. There is a consensus in this country that Turkey must use its deterrent power against terrorists and those collaborating with terrorists. As Cemil Çiçek, the deputy prime minister and government spokesman, declared after the previous carnage undertaken by the PKK in which 13 Turkish soldiers were murdered, Turkey has gone beyond the point when words will suffice to express our sorrow.
Nation wants action
The prime minister has been stressing that he would travel to Washington early next month for a Nov. 5 meeting at the White House with President George W. Bush. The premier has been saying that he has the capability to tell Bush that Turkey’s patience has run out and that it wants the U.S. to take action in Iraq against PKK’s presence there.
Washington, in statements over the past week reiterated many times that it wanted Turkey to collaborate with the U.S. and the Iraqi administration in Baghdad to resolve the PKK problem through a diplomatic initiative.
The Iraqi central administration has been stressing that the PKK should stop violence or leave Iraqi territory, but on the other hand condemn Turkish Parliament’s move to authorize the government to order action against separatist terrorist dens in northern Iraq in line with Turkey’s right to self defense.
Unfortunately, as of yesterday, the chance for a diplomatic resolution to the problem – which was slim anyhow – no longer exists. The Turkish nation can no longer believe that the central Iraqi administration, the northern Iraqi Kurdish leadership and the United States can do anything good against the terrorist separatist menace in the territory under their control –one that is hurting us deeply every day.
We sure have come to the point when all words have indeed been exhausted… It is time for action.
Rational action is a must
The PKK is this nation’s enemy number one. With the latest attacks, the PKK is aiming once again to divide the nation along ethnic lines. We will not fall into this trap. However, we should not be fooled once again by Baghdad or by Washington. With the latest insolent parliamentary decision, Baghdad has proved, unfortunately, that we should not expect it to collaborate with Turkey against PKK. Northern Iraqi leadership cannot be counted on our side in this struggle either. Washington has other interests in Iraq more important than maintaining allied relations with Turkey; that has become clear as well.
But, we have to be very careful to develop a rational national reaction and not to act with anger and frustration. The Turkish state, on the other hand, has no other option but to demonstrate its resolution to fight terrorism at any cost…