Let’s for once behave differently

It has buried thousands of martyrs in its heart. I wonder if we could convince this society to accept a different approach, a different speech. It is very difficult but not impossible. If we get it across well, if we communicate it well our chances will increase. That’s where the person called "leader" steps in.

Everybody, and foremost the military, says we have obtained the possibility to start a new process for the Kurdish issue. But there is also fear on one side. The basis for this fear lays in the reaction of society. How will society react? If we cannot communicate it very well, hell will be raised.

People we identified as terrorists and treated them as such and the state that also viewed everyone close to them will change their approach. Change their words. And this can only be done by the prime minister. If he can put forth his leadership and weight, and communicate well, then he could make the society take the step that would delete the PKK terror and pave the way for the country.

But he cannot make this happen by himself. He needs to move simultaneously with the Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK, and pull the media on his side. If this triangle can be established, then everything that seems impossible could be achieved. If only Erdoğan puts his mind to it. Turkey has obtained such an important opportunity that it cannot ignore, or sacrifice to simple games. For, if necessary steps are not taken and weapons not silenced thousands of our people will continue dying. We cannot hide this fact from each other any more.

We cannot take Kandil under complete control
If might be difficult to accept some facts but there is some good in knowing them. I’d like to discuss one of the most frequently asked questions in public. Can the Kandil Mountains be completely taken under control? The question is based on whether the TSK will control the mountains completely and disable the PKK.

How come we cannot reach Kandil with such a strong army? The public still thinks that the PKK only exists in the Kandil Mountains and once the mountains are reached the problem will be solved. The state has created such an impression. And now it can’t tell the truth. One fact is that the TSK won’t be able to take the Kandil Mountains under control.

I heard this fact out of the mouth of two different chiefs of General Staff. Even if the Iraqi government allows it, the northern Iraqi Kurdistan administration tolerates it and the Americans support it, it is impossible to realize this plan because of the positioning of the mountains.

The geography and political facts in the region make it impossible. Even if we sacrifice thousands of soldiers the possibility of success will be very minimal.

One other fact is that the PKK lives not only in Kandil but also in the Southeast and in Istanbul and other big cities. It is impossible to separate the PKK from the DTP and the organization is supported by the majority of the people in the region, thus we need to realize and accept that we cannot eliminate it with weapons.

If we do not realize these facts we can neither take advantage of opportunities in front of us nor get any closer to peace. And the PKK started to see some facts. It realized that it won’t get anywhere with weapons. Let’s make a new start and save the country’s territorial integrity. For some time let’s not pull the trigger. We are entering a difficult period.

Soldiers becoming martyrs by stepping on mines from other forces than the PKK will hurt us and make us angry. But we need to hang in there. We need to be patient while following the road that leads to peace it will be full of difficulties and traps. Foreign forces that don’t want a cease fire will provoke us and internal forces that benefit from violence will do their best to continue. We need to stand up to this. We should not be deceived. For once we should go beyond the ordinary.