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The Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which introduced an initiative this summer to solve the long-standing Kurdish problem, is preparing to bring this initiative to the floor of Parliament next week.
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Since its introduction, the initiative has received mixed reactions, with its opponents seeing it as a project that will divide Turkey while its supporters hail it as the end of Turkey’s most pressing problem, the terrorism perpetrated by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and argue that it will strengthen the feelings of solidarity and unity within the nation in addition to improving Turkish democracy. Some circles criticize the government’s plans to bring this initiative to the floor of Parliament on Nov. 10 -- the anniversary of the death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the nation’s founder -- saying the timing may hinder peace efforts and make some think that there is a hidden message behind this move. Milliyet’s Aslı Aydıntaşbaş considers scheduling the discussion of the Kurdish initiative in Parliament on Nov. 10 a bad move. She believes that discussing this issue, which she describes as the hottest issue in Turkey, on this day will not open the way for the peace process and will, on the contrary, close it. According to Aydıntaşbaş, discussing this issue on Nov. 10 may have a negative impact similar to the festive atmosphere that occurred during the surrender of a group of PKK members to Turkey in a bid to support the peace process last month. Back then, opponents of the initiative harshly criticized the government for failing to take the necessary measures to prevent the return of the PKK members from turning into a celebration, which very much vexed nationalist circles and the families of those killed by the PKK. “If the date is not changed, the discussion in Parliament on Nov.10 will have a similar effect on the process,” she says, adding that she is a very strong supporter of finding a solution to the Kurdish problem. Hürriyet’s Yalçın Doğan is also against the discussion of the Kurdish initiative in Parliament on Nov. 10, saying it is a special day for Turkey because it is the anniversary of the death of Atatürk. “You [the government] have waited for months to bring this issue to the floor of Parliament. Did you select Nov. 10 because you want to send a message? Does discussing the Kurdish initiative in Parliament on the anniversary of Atatürk’s death have special meaning?” asks Doğan.
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| 06 November 2009, Friday |
| FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK |
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hpg , Nov 07 2009 15:44, Saturday
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