Having lived in Turkey from 1950 to 1980,educated there and served in the Turkish military, I can say that I know a few things about Turkey and Kurds.
1. Use of Kurdish language and Kurdish TV is a very new and it is only being implemented [with a great level of government control] since one month ago. We still don?t know how it will work out but in the light of M.A Baydar?s I suspect there is trouble in sight.
2. Hundreds of Kurdish villages were destroyed and inhabitants dispersed to big cities in destitute during the 1990ies.
3. To this day the east of Turkey - compared to west - is still highly underdeveloped and the people live below poverty, not different that Gaza.
I am not writing these as an attack to Turkey or an excuse for Israel. I am pointing out to a fact which is common between the two countries and requires both countries to cooperate in finding real and lasting solutions to their common problems which find its roots in PKK and Hamas terrorism. |
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