Has Syria’s horror spawned peace for Kurds in Turkey?
As Britain and France consider throwing direct Western weaponry into the cauldron that is the civil war in Syria, there could be one small glimmer of hope flickering along one of that country’s borders.
One of the most affected historic, and yet under-reported, conflicts in the regions remains the struggle for Kurdish rights. It is a struggle that affects Kurds in Syria itself, Turkey, Iran and Iraq.
The bloodiest evidence of it has been seen in Turkey. For years the Turkish military and the Kurdish Workers Party, the PKK, the militant wing of Kurdish nationalism, have been in open war. Until now, decades of blood letting on both sides have seen little will to find peace.
Last Wednesday the PKK freed eight Turkish soldiers and civil servants. It was part of a quiet and continuing peace process with the Turkish government.
Last December the Turkish authorities revealed that they are talking to the imprisoned leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan. The talks take place on the island of Imrali where Ocalan is serving a life sentence.
The war they are trying to resolve is located perilously close to the Syrian border, and as with all the borders of countries in that region with large Kurdish populations, Kurds move backwards and forwards over them.
40,000 people have died in Turkey’s Kurdish conflict down the years. When Ocalan was arrested in 1999, the PKK’s ambition was an independent state.
Today their hope is for full autonomy and rights. Such conditions have been all but achieved in Iraq as an unintended consequence of the American lead overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
I’m told by sources in the region that Ocalan has to declare a ceasefire this Thursday 21st March for the process to start to come to fruition. In return Turkey is supposed to move toward setting up a truth and reconciliation process. Constitutional and communal rights would be in play in return for a withdrawal from Turkish territory by PKK fighters by August of this year.
There is much potential for failure, but if it happens, Turkey will be vastly strengthened and the Kurds themselves greatly empowered.
Syria’s horror may well have spawned the urgent environment in which a once unthinkable peace for the Kurds within the Turkish takes hold.
Read more: Syria conflict takes its toll on two million children
Jonathan Miller blogs: Will increased UK aid prolong Syria’s agony?
Analysis: Syria and Turkey – more than a neighbourhood row?
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There are 7 comments on this post
Jon,
So, finally…….”Britain and France consider throwing direct Western weaponry into the cauldron that is the civil war in Syria.”
That’s the formal, public position. Makes it rather obvious that all the Brit and French BS that Assad “Will fall in weeks rather than months” was just the usual Western lies and propaganda.
But in reality Brit and French (and of course US) “special” forces have been as murderously active as they were in Libya. So have the “intelligence” services. All of which emphasises the two faced lies of Hague and the other Western scumbags who helped foment this tragedy. Assad is bad enough without the West promoting even more mass murder and destruction on the Syrian people.
Have we not had enough of Western destruction of Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan? And why is Western mainstream media ignoring (at the very least) the culpability of European and US imperialism? Do we have to go through this yet again?
Thank “Dawkins” you have stopped posting about the Pope.
A map would be helpful here http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Kurdish-inhabited_area_by_CIA_%281992%29.jpg
A ceasefire and the release of Ocalan might be helpful but I can’t see the Turks offering much in return. A little bit more devolution perhaps but the Kurds regard themselves as a “nation” and each time they gain a bit more self determination the greater will be their ambition to take chunks out of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and even Iran in order to form Kurdistan, a typical post colonial mess.
You overlooked a very important event which took place today..the inaugral Mass of Pope Francis. I am dumbfounded that you did not even mention it on Channel 4 News this evening.
You may think that this shows how liberal and freethinking you are. I think it manifests your downright bigotry. Shame on you
I think the call for peace from the Kurdish leader would be more convincing if it was done in front of an audience of journalists from the rest of the world where he had the opportunity to answer questions, rather than from solitary confinement.
“Today their [the Kurds'] hope is for full autonomy and rights. Such conditions have been all but achieved in Iraq as an unintended consequence of the American lead overthrow of Saddam Hussein” –
How many UK citizens know of the background lobbying of UK members of parliament by Kurds urging them to vote for the invasion of Iraq – and how many MPs succumbed? It was disturbing to hear shadow defence minister, Labour’s Jim Murphy – an unrepentant supporter of the invasion – tell the audience at a recent Frontline Club meeting that it was precisely such lobbying on the eve of the parliamentary vote that UK persuaded some individual MPs to vote for the invasion the next day. Question: was it the Kurdish lobby that swayed some UK MPs to ignore the estimated 1 million on the streets opposing the invasion? Parliamentary/representative democracy does indeed move in mysterious ways.
All the MI5 MI6 CIA and Mossad should leave Sirya alone and stop supporting the terrorist gangs of FSA. This is imperialism as its worse
The present debacle in Syria brings very little criticism of the British Government in the media. This is strange when we remember the previous defects of our ‘Free Press’, and Media in general, in regard to the Iraq war.
However there are some prominent journalists who now admit they were completely fooled by Blair, and were wrong to echo his message to the British people.
So wouldn’t you think they would be a little more discerning about the Syria story being peddled by William Hague et al.?
While being no fan of Mr Assad and his government, I do not think it right that a rebellion should be helped by outside interference! Surely this is against the U.N. Charter?
In now recognizing that following Mrs Clinton and the US anti Iran policy, brought no ‘quick fix’ in Syria! And has in fact led to massive bloodshed in Syria, Mr Hague forgets his part in helping to create the suffering, and opts for a ‘we must help the suffering people’ stance!
But do we see any criticism in the media? No Chance!
Now we read details of another Mr Hague meeting in Istanbul with the Syrian rebel opposition side! And yet another ‘Friends of Syria’ declaration!
However we hear little of any contact with actual Syrian Government? Has the UK Government actually had meetings with the de facto Government of Syria?
More to the point why don’t the British media ever ask this
A British Government GOV.UK article claims that H.M.’s Government is trying to exercise the responsibilities of the Security Council, but in fact the actions taken by the British Government in Syria have no mandate from the Security Council for independent action!
Still no comment from the Media!
The conduct of the British Government in resupplying the Rebel side is counterproductive to the aims of the UN Charter Article 23- ‘The maintenance of international peace and security!’ Have the Governments actions in Syria been debated and approved by Parliament?
Still no comments or questions from the media!