DEM Party:  Ocalan visit promising, second visit planned soon

Turkey is inching slowly and reluctantly towards a second “peace process” with Kurdish entities, which aims to disband terror organization PKK and its Syrian ally PYD-YPG.  After years of isolation, the pro-Kurdish rights party DEM reps were allowed to visit incarcerated PKK leader Ocalan; who reportedly conveyed his conditions for urging PKK to disband, the intermediate objective of reigning AKP-MHP alliance. Presumably, once   PKK disbands, and Syrian Kurdish entity PYD-YPG is merged into the central government, ending its demands for autonomy, AKP-MHP and Dem will sit down to discuss a new constitution which among other things will grant Kurds equal citizenship.   A delegation from the (Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) described their rare visit to imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and subsequent talks as “sincere and promising,” signaling a potential revival of peace efforts.   The talks held with the PKK leader serving life on the İmralı prison island off Istanbul on Dec. 28, 2024, were the first since the pro-Kurdish DEM Party’s predecessor, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), met with him in April 2015.   Delegation members, lawmakers Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Pervin Buldan, along with former mayor Ahmet Türk, have since engaged in talks with political parties in parliament.   The trio later visited former HDP officials Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ, Selçuk Mızraklı and Leyla Güven in prisons on Jan. 11 and 12.   "Almost all the talks have been sincere and promisingly positive. The honorable leaders and their delegations have expressed their support for the peace process in principle," read a statement released by the DEM Party on Jan. 17.   "However, there have also been concerns and suggestions on various issues. These are mainly focused on the transparency of the process and its implementation within the parliament."   The party underscored a shared desire among political parties to "resolve tensions and tense process stemming from the Kurdish issue."   “It is a common opinion that overcoming this and developing the unity and brotherhood of all ethnic, religious and sectarian elements in our country is in everyone’s best interest,” the statement said.   "With all our positive impressions, we will pay a visit to Mr. Ocalan as soon as possible and spare no effort to ensure that the process reaches peace through healthy methods."   The visit to Ocalan’s prison became possible after the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli invited Ocalan to come to the parliament to renounce terror and disband PKK.   President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his ally, backed the appeal as a "historic window of opportunity."   After the delegation returned from İmralı, a DEM Party statement said Ocalan was "ready to make a call" to back a new initiative by the Turkish government to end decades of conflict.   Detained 25 years ago by Turkish security forces in Kenya after years on the run, the PKK leader was sentenced to death. However, Türkiye abolished capital punishment in 2004, and he is spending his remaining years in an isolation cell on the İmralı island.     The Peoples' Democratic and Equality Party (DEM Parti) delegation, which visited Imrali after meeting with political parties, issued a statement saying: "We will visit Mr. Ocalan as soon as possible with all our positive observations, and we will work hard to ensure the success of the process."     The second peace process is a very fragile and convoluted effort, because it is not certain PKK  and PYD-YPG will heed Ocalan’s call for  peace. Furthermore, DEM Party has several conditions to cooperate in the endeavor to draft a new constitution, such as the state recognizing Kurds as a founding member of the Turkish Republic, strict amendments against institutional discrimination, an end to the custom of ousting its mayors, devolution of more powers to municipal government and as importantly the release of hundreds of Kurdish activist imprisoned on dubious verdicts of aiding and abetting terrorism.     IMPORTANT DİSCLOSURE:  PA Turkey intends to inform Turkey watchers with diverse views and opinions.  Articles in our website may not necessarily represent the view of our editorial board or count as endorsement.    Follow our  English language YouTube videos  @ REAL TURKEY:   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKpFJB4GFiNkhmpVZQ_d9Rg And content at Twitter: @AtillaEng Facebook:  Real Turkey Channel:   https://www.facebook.com/realturkeychannel/