Baykal: "The govt has been unable to understand terrorism"

Turkey's fight against terrorism has been marked by weaknesses, said main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal yesterday, adding, " Northern Iraq should no longer be a safe haven for the terrorist PKK." Speaking at his party's group meeting, Baykal said that before the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in fall 2002, terrorist attacks had almost come to a halt. "The government has either been unable to understand the terrorism issue or it has chosen not to understand it," he claimed. "It has not grasped the significance of the fight against terrorism." He said that last week's PKK attack on a military outpost in Hakkari exposed negligence and shortcomings in the fight against terrorism.