Turkey is the only country that strives to ensure its domestic peace and security in the region, which is being devoured by an unabatedly escalating fire. It is also the only country that opens its doors to Turkmen, Kurdish and Arab refugees to the full extent of its power, without discrimination, and does not revoke this humanitarian approach even at the expense of jeopardizing its internal security at times. Turkey is hosting more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees including 172,000 Syrian Kurds. It has also allowed around 500 injured Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters to be treated in Turkish hospitals and is preventing those who wanted to cross into Kobani (Ayn al-Arab) to fight for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). It is also the only country that takes a firm stance on Syria, suggesting that ISIS cannot be eliminated without toppling Bashar Assad.
Even though Turkey continuously says that it will not take part in the military action against ISIS unless the deposition of Assad and the establishment of a safe zone - which will ensure Turkey's national security - are guaranteed, the PKK is pressuring Turkey to enter the war impetuously by threatening to ignite a civil war that will turn the country into a battleground like Syria unless the Turkish government complies with their demands. On Oct. 7, PKK militants burned down many schools, ambulances, libraries, Turkish Red Crescent vehicles - which were delivering humanitarian aid to the refugees - private, public property and looted a number of stores both in the east and west of Turkey.
By committing the first murder, the PKK instigated the incidents that claimed the lives of 18 people. It assaulted Köy-Der -an Islamic nongovernmental organization (NGO)- in Diyarbakır, killing two people there. Köy-Der branches out from Turkish Hezbollah, which fought a civil battle against the PKK in the 1990s. However, it laid down arms 14 years ago and has not killed anyone since then. Three years ago, it transitioned into a political assembly under the Free Cause Party (Hüda-Par).
This, at the same time, is not a situation that will make Turkey send military assistance to Kobani. However, it may aim to turn Turkey into a theater of civil war. In other words, it may drive Turkey to instability where various ethnic and religious groups destroy each other as they are doing in Syria and elsewhere in the region. Following the attacks on the NGO, Hüda-Par declared that they lost their confidence in the reconciliation process and they will defend themselves. If the necessary measures are not taken, a civil war among the Kurds may frustrate not only the reconciliation process, but also Turkey's economic and political gains. This also means undermining and marginalizing Turkey's role in the solution of the Syria crisis even though it verbalizes the formula of "solution without Assad" in the most insistent way.
It seems that the PKK is maintaining its alliance with Iran, which became concrete with the cease-fire in 2011, and was continued with the Assad regime in Rojava even though Iran continues to execute PKK militants. Turkey will not step back from its position on Syria and the reconciliation process will not be abolished despite these provocations. After Iran announced that it will assist Kobani, France's sudden decision to support the idea of a buffer-zone and the U.S.'s increasing attacks on Kobani provide evidence that confirms this.
As PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan is aware that the organization is moving under the guidance of Iran and the violence will affect him first, he is adopting a moderate discourse that may ease the reconciliation.The PKK is willing to do anything but to make peace with Turkey. Yet, the PKK's public grassroots, Turkey's political will and Turkish society will not that easily drop the subject of peace.
About the author
Hilal Kaplan is a journalist and columnist. Kaplan is also board member of TRT, the national public broadcaster of Turkey.
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