WUNRN
November 16, 2009
By Dr. Emel Baştürk Akca
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“We mothers, whose hearts are burning, have come together so that there will be
no more pain. We do not want our children to die.” These words belong to Nurten
Ekinci, a woman who lost her son during his military service. Another woman,
Sakine Arat, lost three children after they joined the pro-Kurdish terrorist
organization, the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). "This war does not benefit
anyone,” she says. “It has lasted for years, and it needs to end."
Nurten and Sakine are only two women among many who are aggrieved
because of the conflicts between the Turkish Armed Forces and the PKK. They
came together on September 1st at a meeting with other military and PKK mothers
in the Southeastern
Women
march for peace in Izmir, Turkey.
Photograph courtesy of The Turkish Peace Council.
Since Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced in early August the government’s intention to prepare a “democratic evolution” package for the country’s “Kurdish question,” almost everyone has been talking about the possibility of a peaceful settlement to a long standing conflict. In a show of collaboration, the government has called on all political parties, academicians and NGOs in Turkey to weigh in on how to solve an issue that has placed ethnicity at the center of Turkish politics since the 1970s. “At the end of this initiative, terror will be brought to an end,” asserts Erdoğan. “Turkey will be an example to the world for solving the terror problem through democratization and broadening the area of freedom.”
While the negotiations continue, thousands have come together in
different cities around the country to support the government’s initiative in
“Peace Meetings” which have been held by civil society organizations. One of
these meetings was organized by the Southeast Journalists' Society, where
Nurten and Sakine met. It was here that NGOs representing both Turkish and
Kurdish interests came together to prove that they would like to live together
in peace. Speaking during this meeting, Müslüm Öztürk of the Association for
Solidarity for Families of Wounded or Killed Soldiers from the State of
The Kurdish question is arguably the most serious internal problem
in the
According to the Lausanne Agreement, which was signed after World
War I, non-Muslim communities such as the Armenians and Greeks are recognized
as minority groups in
On September 11th the Turkish Peace Council held a press
conference confirming its members’ support for the new package. Expressing its
desire to live in a more democratic, prosperous and peaceful country, the
council’s speaker addressed some of the issue’s complexities. “The Kurdish
question is not only an ethnic identity problem; but is related [to] the
socio-economic problems of
Today, it is clearly evident that the Kurdish question cannot be
solved by military force. The Turkish government has declared that it is now
ready to grant some cultural rights to Kurds, which include state education and
media broadcasting in the Kurdish language, a “repentance law” that guarantees
a pardon or lesser sentence for PKK members who surrender, and a possible
constitutional amendment to redefine Turkish citizenship. In exchange for these
cultural rights, it is expected that PKK terrorist attacks will end. Most
people in Turkey – both Turks and Kurds - want an end to terrorism and
conflict, which is why, although its details have not yet been clarified, the
government’s “democratic evolution” package is supported by most civil society
organizations.
Hasan Pençe, board president of The Mesopotamia
Association of Those Who Have Lost Their Relatives echoes a sentiment that is
growing throughout the country on both sides of the conflict. "We call on
everyone to make a contribution towards peace. Let us all forget the past
together. Let us get rid of arms, hatred and hostility amongst us. Let us show
everyone that we can live in peace."
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