The solution was that the new Turkish state would not be an ethnic state - it would be blind to the ethnicity of its people. That's one reason why Turkey's Kurds, who now make up a fifth of the population, are denied the basic right of education in their own language. Most of the Turks we spoke to saw nothing paradoxical or contradictory about supporting autonomy for the Kosovars but denying those same rights to the Kurds within Turkey's own borders. And most Kosovars were equally untroubled - for them, Turkey has simply been a haven and an ally. In the camp, the morning after we heard of the peace deal in Kosovo, the refugees erupted with joy.
Turkey persistently refuses to acknowledge that it has a Kurdish problem.
As his trial drew to a close, we asked men at opposite ends of the political spectrum what effect hanging Ocalan would have in Turkey's troubled southeast. Altimor Killic, a columnist, retired diplomat and supporter of the ultranationalist MHP party, argues that Ocalan deserves to die for causing more than 30,000 deaths over the past two decades. Also in this programme, we spoke to Tarkan - Turkey's favourite pop star. Europe Links to more Crossing continents stories are at the foot of the page.