Kurdish Question: Action, Not Words Needed

.Newly-elected President Abdullah Gül had chosen to visit five provinces in the East and South-East of Anatolia for his first domestic tour. The last stop was Diyarbakir, a Kurdish-majority city.

Tanrikulu: Gül is aware of problem 

Sezgin Tanrikulu, president of the Diyarbakir Bar Association, who spoke with Gül during his visit to the city, told bianet that Gül was aware of the Kurdish question. Tanrikulu had told Gül that people were expecting him to put forward a project to solve the problem.

Kaplan: Action needed

Hasip Kaplan, MP for the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), met with Gül in his home constituency on Thursday (13 September). He agreed with Tanrikulu that "more action than words" was expected from Gül.

Tanrikulu said that he told Gül that since 1991, Presidents and Prime Ministers had put a name and definitions to the Kurdish question, but that steps needed to be taken towards a solution.

"Whatever school, whatever class you go to in Turkey, maths classes always start with set theory, you always return to the beginning. I gave the honourable President this example and said, 'Let us not return to the beginning, now we need a programme of solutions.'"

Gül: "Spilt blood and tears sadden us" 

According to Tanrikulu, the fact that Gül said, "Whoever it belongs to, the spilt blood and tears sadden and hurt us", was an indication that Gül was aware of the problem.

New constitution can contribute to solution 

Tanrikulu reported that in a meeting with NGO representatives, Gül spoke of the possibility of a new era, of a country which could solve its problems in the next three to four years. He also spoke of the constitution.

"We told the President that making peace between this society and the state and rebuilding democracy could be promising. We also spoke of discussions around the new constitution. We said that a constitution which valued participation, equality and freedom whould contribute to a solution."

Freedom of expression needs to be guaranteed 

However, Tanrikulu also told the President that before the constitution was passed, there was need for a legal package which guaranteed the freedom of expression:

"In order for discussions about the constitution to be more fruitful, first articles in the Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Law which prevent the freedom of expression need to be abolished."

Kaplan: Domestic tour was "meaningful" 

MP Kaplan, who met with Gül in Sirnak, found it meaningful that Gül visited the five provinces of Van, Hakkari, Siirt, Sirnak and Diyarbakir, provinces, which he said had been "neglected for years".

Kaplan told bianet, "This is the first presidential visit since Özal. Such a visit, at a time when 250,00 soldiers are at the Iraq border, when the armed conflict continues (in Turkey), when the constitution is being discussed, is very important."

Kaplan drew attention to words from Gül's first speech after his election. Gül had said, "our differences are our wealth".

He said that he and Gül had discussed development, education and culture, but that he had emphasised to Gül that the most vital issue was to stop the conflict and that the people expected this.

Kaplan: "An optimistic atmosphere" 

Kaplan added, "It would be unrealistic to expect immediate results from one visit. But an optimistic atmosphere was created." (TK/AG)