Ten year of wasted opportunities to solve peacefully the Kurdish question and prevent a genocide on the edge of Europe.
Who is responsible? Who accepted the Treaty of Lausanne which denies even the existence of the Kurds? (Tip for the answer: look at the picture.)
6 comments:
Thanks Kristiina:
Again your post in kurdish:
http://www.avestakurd.net/news_detail.php?id=4080
Thanks! I hope You can distribute in future also the need for information about Kurdish cooking (the post below this) despite the request by a Sahmaran reader is anonymous?
Your summary is very apt. The unwillingness to resolve and come to terms with prior mistakes have lead to the disaster that we know as the Kurdish question.
Dear Polla Kamal,
Your question is very good. I answer shortly (I am tired, I arrived just to Hewlêr from Halabja).
At the end of 90's I made a MA dissertation in sosiology. I wanted to make it about Muslim immigrant women in Finland. As the topic was too wide I had to choose an ethnic group. It was a pure coincidence that I choose the Kurds.
One thing led to another without me purposefully planning that I would spend many years with the Kurdish question. It turned out to be very, very interesting. I feel that I am priviledged as I can follow from near by the historical turning point of one nation. My life is interesting and creative.
Good luck for Your blog, it's good Kurds use the possibilities what internet is giving. I hope that you tell also about Kifr, the fascinating historical town. And, pictures from the old Kifr, please.
Why would Ocalan be responsible?
Ocalan is the Kurdish leader calling for peace and dialogue and you are holding him responsible? Why? I think you have a poor understanding why he points to the Lausanne treatment?
The reason why he points to the Lausanne treatment is simple. The Sevres treatment would come in to effect from the power of the imperial forces. The Lausanne treatment could come in to effect after the Kurds and Turks fought the "Independence War" together. Kurds took part during the opening av parliament of Turkey.
The reason why Ocalan points to the Lausanne treatment is because he believes in a solution who comes from Kurds and Turks, not from outside powers. But Ocalan also criticize the development of the Republic which came to deny the Kurds shortly after its foundation. But as I try to explain, he is favours a solution that is not based nation-states.
You see, if you would have an approach where you understood and criticized Ocalans stance, we could have a discussion. I would maybe agree with you in some regards too. But you choose the simple way where you simple pointed you finger at him and stick out your tounge. Very similar to the Kurdish "hardcore nationalist" who live in Europe or in the comfort of the KRG-leaders in KRG-controlled parts of southern Kurdistan.
Ironically these "hardcore" Kurdish "nationalists", who never misses a chance to defame mr Ocalan, are often the same people who travel to KRG-controlled part of south Kurdistan where they welcomed with a red carpet. So we never hear their complaints about how KRG prevents the Kurdish cause in north,east or west.
What do you think about the KRG:s decision to close Kurdish parties in southern Kurdistan? Their support to AKP? To not let Kurdish parties from southern Kurdistan work free? To cripple the civil society in southern Kurdistan? And so on? Do they help to resolve the Kurdish question anywhere? Can you relate KRG politics and the situation in other parts of Kurdistan?
Dear Aramito,
I notice that the symbolism of this post and picture is not clear, You have misunderstood it. How Mr Ocalan could be responsible for the mistakes of the Lausanne Treaty, he was not even born at that time!
I put this picture to my blog on the anniversary of Mr Ocalan's kidnapping. It is taken earlier in front of the British Parliament (Big Ben). Great Britain and France backed the Lausanne Treaty so they are responsible for the suffering of Kurdish nation. European Union, where both these countries are important members, should now correct the mistakes done during the Lausanne days.
I put this picture to Sahmaran to show how strong the Kurdish movement is - they carry the picture of their leader in front of the British parliament which betrayed them 1923.
I am interested to get more information and Your interpretation about the Kurdish perspective to the Lausanne Treaty. I believe that the origin of Kurdish massacres and genocides (Dersim genocide and the cultural genocide still going on) in Turkey is the Treaty of Lausanne. And the origin of the Kurdish genocide process in South Kurdistan (where the peak was Anfal, and which still continues in Kirkuk, Khanaqeen and the Yezidi areas around Shekhaan) was the creation of the totally artificial country called Iraq, a former colony of Great Britain.
I have written something about the Treaty of Lausanne in my doctoral dissertation "The Invisible War in North Kurdistan". It is in internet, there is a link to it in Sahmaran, look at "My books".
I don't have time to answer all Your questions. To put is short: I became very popular here in the Iraqi part of Kurdistan when I got a ban to enter Turkey in December 2006. I have spent twelve months in Turkey (mainly in North Kurdistan, but partly in Istanbul in Kurdish districts) and eight months in the Iraqi part of Kurdistan. It's amazing how little people in both parts of Kurdistan know about the situation in the other part of it and how similar the problems are or have been.
The main problem here in the Iraqi part of Kurdistan is that people are very passive. They have an identity crisis. Here is autonomy but the country is a post-dictatorship society which has been cut off from the rest of the world since 1975 (Algiers accord). Ba'ath regime was kicked off six years ago but the international embargo still continues partly in practice. For example here are no banks (construction of the system in going on), no post system, phone calls to Turkey are expensive, internet system is weak and working only in parts of the country (from example from Halabja people travel to Sulaymania to read their e-mails), school books from Europe (to replace the ones from Ba'athist time) are transported here via Jordan and Iran (not even to speak about ordering books from Amazon - check from any internet shop to which countries they send their items - you find every other country in the lists except Iraq....) I could continue this list but I think You get my point.
KRG is very careful in its policy towards Turkey. People here have a different opinion, they have sympathy for the Kurds of Turkey. For example everyone says that when Turkey bombs Qandil, it is not anti-PKK bombings, but anti-KRG.
Despite not doing enough EU in Turkey it is showing some direction towards where the development of the country should go. Here the only alternative to the present administration is Islamic movements, backed strongly by the neighbour countries, especially Iran. If KRG fails here, South Kurdistan will have an Islamic government which means the continuation of the Arabization process.
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