AMED - IHD Honorary President Akın Birdal pointed out that Abdullah Öcalan is the first interlocutor in the solution of the Kurdish issue and called on the government for “sincerity and a road map”. 

 

Nine years after the government ended the “Solution Process” against the demands of the Kurdish political movement to disarm and resolve the Kurdish issue through dialogue, MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli's statements have reopened the debate on “dialogue”. 

 

Following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's statements pointing to Israel's attacks on Palestine and Lebanon and saying that “Turkey's turn will come next”, Bahçeli sparked new debates on October 2 when he went to the desks of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and shook hands with them. AKP Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and AKP members made statements in support of Bahçeli's steps. 

 

Yesterday, Bahçeli stated that he would “speak in a way that would not allow discussions and interpretations” at his party's parliamentary group meeting and invited PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan to speak “conditionally” at the DEM Party group meeting. Bahçeli said in his speech, “If the isolation of the terrorist leader is lifted, let him come and speak at the DEM Group Meeting in the Parliament. Let him shout that terrorism is completely over and the organization is disbanded. If he shows this resilience, the way for the legal regulation on the exercise of the right to hope should be opened wide open. Let the address extend from İmralı to DEM.” 

 

'IMPORTANT THING TO GO TO PEACE FROM HERE'

 

Akın Birdal, Honorary President of the Human Rights Association (İHD), who has been leading the struggle for peace for many years, evaluated Bahçeli's remarks and the ongoing debates and said that the Kurdish issue has been on the agenda of rights defenders for many years and that it is important that everyone is talking about it now. Pointing out that the problem has internal and external dynamics, “Of course there are internal and external factors, but whatever the reason, it is important that it is being discussed and talked about. Another important thing is to go from here to peace” he said.  

 

DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

 

Underlining that the AKP and MHP's statements are not independent from the developments in the Middle East, Birdal said: “Israel's position in the re-settlement process, NATO and the US gaining sovereignty and power there, Israel's expansion policy, its calculations on Iran, directly affect Kurdistan and Turkey. Turkey wants to narrow the area of conflict, they may have seen it pragmatically beneficial for themselves to start such a dialog process with the Kurds.” 

 

'THE INTERLOCUTOR IS ABDULLAH ÖCALAN'

 

Drawing attention to the issue of “interlocutor”, which is discussed every time the solution to the Kurdish issue comes up, Birdal said: “The primary interlocutor is PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan. It is necessary to open the door of isolation for democracy and peace. He has not been allowed to meet with his family and lawyers for so long. Let the isolation be broken first, then we can cooperate.” 

 

Pointing out that the role of the Parliament and the DEM Party in this context cannot be ignored.

“The constitutional right to citizenship, the right to language, identity and status, the right to equality and freedom, which are the causes of the unsolved Kurdish issue, will come out of the Parliament.” 

 

Emphasizing the importance of creating the necessary environment to talk about the issue, Birdal pointed to the sincerity of the solution and said, “It would be a pioneer if the legal obstacles to freedom of thought and expression, especially the Anti-Terror Law (TMK), are removed and an environment is created in which we can question and talk about the unresolution that has lasted for nearly 40 years until today.” 

 

'NEW ROAD MAP IS NEEDED'

 

Birdal emphasized the importance of the answer to the question “What kind of a road map?” and said that first of all, there should be an official statement in Ankara that the Kurdish issue will be solved and the door to İmralı must be opened. Birdal said that political prisoners, especially the ill prisoners, must be released and added: “We should be able to speak and write. This process should be made subject to a law, not arbitrarily, everyone saying ‘Let's do this, I'll do that’, but the road map for the democratic solution of the Kurdish issue should be made subject to a law. It is necessary to act accordingly. There also needs to be an agenda of when and what to do. The road map I am talking about is the socialization of the struggle for peace. Every single person needs to be a peace advocate. Artists should sing for peace, curtains should open for peace. Politicians should turn the rostrum in Parliament into a rostrum for peace. Budget negotiations will start, we can turn this into a peace budget. Instead of a budget for war and conflict, security and defense, the budget can be allocated to work, technique and peace. The 2024 budget should be built on this.”