RETIREMENT

Last few days are rather silent but news are still sad.
The day before (at the day of World Human Rights) a boat carrying around 70 illegal immigrants, who were trying to make their way to Greece, sank at the Aegean coast resulting with 51 dead, 6 rescued and unknown missing. Rescued Palestinians said there were around 70- 80 immigrants on the 15-meter long boat. It is another example of endless tragedies of illegal refugees we witness every year. Generally their journeys of hope to seek shelter from poverty or violence in their homelands cut short violently. UNHCR Turkey office said; about 60-90,000 refugees who enter the country illegally are detained in Turkey and when the ones that are not apprehended are considered, the number of refugees that pass via or seek shelter in Turkey reaches half a million.

Another news was about the new spying satellite adjudication. Turkiye refused to agree the condition of not spying on Israel, refusing to purchase the advanced Ofek satellite from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Turkiye decided not to accept the IAI offer due to a restriction the Israeli Defense Ministry inserted into the deal, according to which Turkiye would not be allowed to use the satellite over Israeli airspace, the daily said. Though the Israeli proposal is expected to come up in talks Defense Minister Ehud Barak will hold when he is scheduled to visit Ankara
in January, it seems Italy, Germany or UK will get the 250 million $ satellite contract. It is good to know Israel will not take part in such a sensitive project.

An interesting announcement came from Papadopoulos. Greek Cypriot President said in a statement that even though some EU countries are against Turkey's EU membership, they would not step forward to block the process. Explaining that blocking Turkiye's membership would eliminate Greek Cyprus' upper hand against Turkiye, Papadopolous said he did not view the use of veto as an appropriate policy.

Iraqi Kurdish leader Barzani turned back from his mysterious 17 day trip and appeared before cameras. He assured that Iraqi Kurds did not seek independence by the words; "Some neighboring countries say Kurds will set up an independent state if Article 140 [of the Iraqi constitution that calls for the referendum]is implemented, but there is no such thing. I am an Iraqi. I am an Iraqi citizen of Kurdish origin."

Maps showing so-called "Kurdistan" including certain cities and areas of Turkiye removed from the Kurdish traffic police cars and other official vehicles in northern Iraq. Maps was made public when photographs appeared in newspapers last week. Regional Kurdish authority ordered the removal of the maps as a precaution against violent reactions during the "sensitive" period in the region.

At the same time regional Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, held talks in Baghdad on Kirkuk and disputes between the Kurdish region and the Iraqi central administration concerning oil contracts the regional government has signed with foreign companies. Kurdish authorities signed more than a dozen contracts with foreign companies despite the objections by Oil Ministry officials in Baghdad, who consider the deals illegal.

The dispute between the Kurdish territory and central management in Baghdad is obvious. Turkiye is insisting on relations over Baghdad, refusing taking the territorial management as equal. There were many rumors about the mysterious trip, disappearance of Barzani, including he might be in Turkiye. Though he refused them all and said he was in Austria for dental treatment, he should have some important official meetings to make such announcements and take actions immediately after his return.

Some other international and local news are; Iran's call to Turkiye to invest, Ahmedinejad's coming visit to Ankara, the new pipe agreement opportunity of Iran- Turkiye- Syria, the newly appointed head of Higher Education Board who is against headscarf ban, Chinese - Iran oil contract etc.

One columnist attract my attention more than all. Journalist Rusen Çakır had an important article in Vatan Newspaper at 09.12.2007. There is no English version so I have to summarize the article. His topic is; "Karayılan and Bayık's retirements is a must!"

He gives the fact that PKK is controlled by the same names for its nearly 30 years history; Öcalan, Bayık, Karayılan, Altun, Kalkan, Karasu... He is expressing Turkiye had many elections and a post- modern military intervention at the same time line, changed 6 presidents and many prime ministers, several ministers and army chiefs, generals. He shortly says;

"But when we look at the control of the PKK in the last 30 years, we see;
1) Fallowing 1984 when the organisation begun armed struggle, PKK’s leading staff other than Şemdin Sakık and Abdullah Öcalan (who packed and given to Turkiye by USA) didnt changed.
2) No known names from the leading group died during clashes with security forces or over-border operations. .
3) Only changes in the leader group of PKK happened according to inner conflicts or Ocalan’s personal obsessions. Many of them executed by their own friends because of various reasons.
4) There had been some high ranked leaders who could leave the organisation, saving their lives and trying to create new groups but they all failed..

A Kurdish nationalist web page in the internet says nobody remembers the PM Ciller and her aid Karayalçın today but world is still talking about Cemil Bayık, Murat Karayılan and Rıza Altun. At a first glance it may seem right. They may have some advantages of experience, continuity and aggregation. But a closer look may show; the side in continuous change (Turkish state) can have greater advantage on side resisting to change (PKK).

Let us take Bayık example: 56 years old Bayık founded PKK with Ocalan while he was 24. Always in the leadership, he spent 25 years is Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran. He spent his time in the cities of totalitarian regimes under the control and permission of their intelligence services or when at the mountains in endless alert. How realistic it can be for some one like him to realize the changes in Turkiye and the world, and produce polices according to these changes?

36 years old female confessor S.S. described the group controlling PKK for years as; "an old and oligarchic group" and went on: "This group dont have any chance to live without / out of PKK. No political opening, solution which would be created in Turkiye is not interested this group. Moreover; sabotaging any democratic progress in Turkiye is one of this group's goals. Even if the main political goals of the organisation are accepted, they wouldn't want the organisation to became legal. They can only be satisfied by Turkiye Republic to found a state named Kurdistan and they become the leaders.”

Some PKK managers really established a privileged life for themselves in 30 years and they don't ever want to give up. It is also not very possible for them to get used to another life. But solve the PKK problem of Turkiye their "retirement" is a must. So, it will not be only in "appearance" if they catch and handed over. It may not end PKK but open its way. At least it would serve, PKK to be controlled by new people who are more aware of the world realities."

It is not possible not to agree. Some old revolutionaries knows only one life style and cant open themselves to changes. We may not know what is going in PKK or about certain names but we know such examples in this country. An example is the members or leaders of ex Marxist - Leninist, socialist groups who are supporting PKK more than Kurdish people today.

After the dissolvement of Turkish left fallowing 1980 military coup and fall of Berlin wall, years longs prison or refugee lives they found themselves in an impossible emptiness. While some struggled and catch the progress in life, some stayed where they stopped. While some lucky (?) ones could manage their groups to survive even if they are small, some found their heaven in supporting PKK refusing the interpretation of ethnic nationalism it ended. They are more Kurdish than any Kurds and forgotten the internationalism.

So far, citizens of this country who supports human rights shouted/ voiced with all their hearts as; "We are all Armenians, we are Hrant!" after the assasination of valuable journalist Hrant Dink and along the trial of his murderers, or as "We are all Kurdish, we are all from DTP!" when the high court opened investigation to close the party. Personally I can shout and act even for Martians if there would be a martian- rights issue but I wonder why it is not thought to shout (just an ex) and act as; "We are all Turkish, we are all X, Y, Z..." even once, against any human rights violances or assasinations of intellectuals or injustices or imprisonments... or... or... or... of dozens, hundreds, thousands citizens of this republic...

Some should realy retire and give space to breath to the younger ones for our common future - whether they are dinasorius politicians, academicians, analiysts or terrorists...