The second division of Kurdistan?

The European Commission made its 2007 progress report public through a press release on 6th November. The first Kurdish comments are very critical. It is not a surprise that the European Commission neglects the problems of the Kurds. Its attitude has been all the time during Turkey's EU membership negotiations to close the eyes from the Kurdish question.

This attitude is just a continuation of the Lausanne Treaty where many European countries participated. In this Treaty Kurdistan was divided by four countries. Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria (or the colonies which are nowadays independent countries) took each a piece of Kurdistan. England and France accepted this. Now they want to sharpen the division of Kurdistan by putting the boarder of EU in the middle of Kurdistan.

Kurds have been controlled by the principle of "divide and rule" for centuries. If the northern part of Kurdistan would be inside EU and other parts outside it, this would be one more method of foreign rule in Kurdistan. One new strategy to hinder the cooperation between the Kurds.

But this strategy does not work any more. At the end of last century Kurds in Turkey had great hopes for EU but in vain. After understanding the disappointment they looked for cooperation to the south instead of the west. Also cooperation with Kurds and South Kurdistan instead of EU. This has already benefited Kurds in both parts of Kurdistan.

If EU would pay attention to the Kurdish question and the Kurdish upraising EU would benefit also itself. European Union needs Turkey as its member. The population in EU countries is getting older and there is need for new labour. Turkey is an answer for Europe's needs, a reservoir of labour. EU will miss this possibility if Turkey's membership negotiations fail. And this will happen if Turkey becomes more unstable country.

The Kurdish question is the biggest problem in Turkey but EU refuses to see it. If there will be no peaceful solution to the Kurdish question, it is not only a question whether Turkey will be member in EU or not. But EU will have in its neighbourhood an unstable and dangerous country.

European mass media has started to write more and better articles about the Kurds. Still there is no understanding how complicated the situation is and how dangerous it would be even for EU countries if there will be a war between Turkey and South Kurdistan or a full scale civil war in Turkey.

European people seem to believe still that if Turkey's membership negotiations do not lead to a good direction the situation will remain as it is now. Let's hope they understand the situation before it is too late. The refusal of EU to see the Kurdish question is based on a false imagine that there would be time for ever to wait that Turkey voluntarily starts solving its problems.