Abdullah Ocalan, jailed leader of the terrorist group PKK, responded positively to a call by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and expressed readiness to contribute to a process that may lead the group to lay down arms. In statements conveyed through two lawmakers from DEM Party, the representative of most ethnic Kurds, on Sunday, Ocalan said it was a “time of solidarity and peace for Turkey and the region.”
Pervin Buldan and Sırrı Süreyya Önder, two lawmakers from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), visited Ocalan in Imralı, a Marmara Sea island where he is incarcerated, on Saturday. It was the second DEM meeting with Ocalan after the PKK leader’s nephew and DEM lawmaker Ömer Ocalan met him in October. The second meeting was recently approved by the Justice Ministry, a few months after Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli made an unprecedented call for Ocalan to be temporarily released and address a DEM Party caucus meeting at the Grand Assembly to urge the PKK to lay down arms. The MHP is part of the People’s Alliance led by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which endorses the process.
The DEM Party said in a written statement posted on its website that lawmakers and Ocalan discussed developments in Turkey and the Middle East, with Ocalan proposing positive solutions to “dark scenarios plotted by external actors.”
Ocalan has been serving a life sentence in a prison in Imralı, south of Istanbul, since his capture 25 years ago. Though the PKK picked new senior cadres after his capture, he is still a revered figure for the group, which refers to him as “leadership.” However, PKK’s active leadership made it clear that they no longer take orders from Ocalan. On the other hand, Turkish intelligence sources believe he has more of sway over the Syrian Kurdish political-military entity PYD-YPG, which Turkey also wants to disband.
“Reinforcing Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood is a historic responsibility and is a matter of importance and emergency for all peoples,” Ocalan said in his statements quoted by DEM.
In his message, Ocalan said it was essential for all political actors in Turkey to take the initiative without being confined to “narrow calculations,” “act constructive” and “provide a positive contribution” for this new process to succeed, a veiled call to reticent opposition parties such as CHP and IYIP to join the talks.
Ocalan said the Parliament he was urged to come would be “undoubtedly one of the most important grounds for ‘his contribution.'” “Incidents in Gaza and Syria demonstrated that the solution to the Kurdish problem that is being aggravated by external intervention and a solution cannot be delayed any longer. The opposition’s contributions and suggestions are valuable to achieve success in this solution,” Ocalan said.
“I have the capability and resolve to contribute positively to this new paradigm empowered by Mr. Bahçeli and Mr. Erdoğan. My approach will be shared with the state and political circles. I am ready to take the positive step and make the call. Our efforts will advance the country to the level it deserves and will be a guideline for a democratic transformation. It is a time of peace, democracy and brotherhood for Türkiye and the region,” Ocalan said.
President Erdoğan has said recently that the YPG/PKK should either lay down arms or be prepared for elimination. The new Syrian administration and Ankara also support the idea of non-Syrian members of the YPG/PKK to leave the country.
The ball is now in the court of President Erdogan, who needs to lay out a road map to integrate Ocalan into a new Peace Process with ethnic Kurds and describe how talks will take palce between him, DEM Party, the administration; and perhaps even all the parties in the Grand Assembly.
PA Turkey will share his response with haste.
Turkish press sources
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