Kurdish party optimistic Ocalan will make a call for peace, albeit with some delay

President Erdogan and his nationalist ally Devlet Bahceli reached out to pro-Kurdish Rights party DEM, and indirectly to former PKK leader and still the spiritual guide of the  Kurdish insurgency,  Abdullah Ocalan to help disarm and disband PKK and its ally in Syria, PYD-YPG, more frequently referred to as Syrian Democratic Forces.  Once the perceived terror threat to Turkey is eliminated, the governing duo plan to launch a process to change the constitution with DEM Party, which will –not so—incidentally grant lame-duck Erdogan another go for the presidency.  But, will  Ocalan make a peace call to PKK and PYD-YPG?   Tülay Hatimoğulları of Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party has announced that a much-anticipated message from imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan may be delayed due to the party's consultations with the Kurdistan Regional Government and other political groups. The party is continuing to push for direct engagement with Ocalan to advance the peace process.       [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv0mKx2HT5E&t=21s[/embed] There are hints at a potential delay in a message from imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, widely expected to be issued on Saturday. “There have been reports suggesting that the call could be made on 15 February. However, this may not be possible,” said Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları on Tuesday.   [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CPMaykYYJs&t=712s[/embed] A reconciliation process addressing the century-old Kurdish question in Turkey and spearheaded by the government’s coalition partner far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli and the state itself, has been underway since last October. As part of this process, three visits have been conducted to Abdullah Ocalan in İmralı Island Prison. There has been significant anticipation that Ocalan would issue a historic call to peace around 15 February, a date that also marks the anniversary of his arrest in 1999 through an international operation.   Speaking after the DEM Party’s weekly group meeting at the Turkish parliament, Hatimoğulları attributed the delay to ongoing consultations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and other political actors. “Our delegation will conduct several visits to [Iraq’s] Kurdistan Regional Government, and both our delegation and party executive are involved in extensive consultations.” The delegation will meet with Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) officials, including KRI President Masoud Barzani, during these visits. Despite the potential delay, Hatimoğulları remains optimistic about the possibility of a historic call from Ocalan this month.   Hatimoğulları stressed that the DEM Party remains committed to a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish question. “We expect that any call from Mr Ocalan will focus on transferring this process to a legal and political framework,” she noted, criticising the Turkish government for maintaining Ocalan’s isolation in İmralı Prison. She argued that the lack of legal and political mechanisms hinders progress towards a resolution.   “There is broad societal and political readiness for peace,” she said, adding, “The political will, both of İmralı [Abdullah Ocalan] and of the opposition parties in Turkey, has reached a significant consensus on peace.” However, she accused the government of obstructing efforts to achieve this. “It is clear that the government is not ready. We reiterate our call for them to present a roadmap for a solution, for dialogue, and for the peace process,” Hatimoğulları said.   She also repeated that genuine peace requires mutual engagement and transparency from all political actors. Referring to recent political developments, she criticised certain actions by the Turkish authorities, that she argued undermine efforts for dialogue. “Today’s [police] operations against municipalities in İstanbul and the sentencing of the mayor of Van [Wan] municipality are disruptive to the dialogue process,” she said, calling on the government to respect democratic principles and open pathways for peace.    

PKK spokespeople  have higher demands from Ankara

    A senior commander in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Thursday said that their jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan wants to shift the Kurdish issue “out of the realm of war and into the realm of democratization,” but accused Turkey’s ruling parties of trying to “sabotage” a nascent peace process.   Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Executive Council (PKK’s umbrella organization) Co-Chair Cemil Bayik said during an interview with the PKK-affiliated Sterk TV after announcing that a “letter has emerged” following renewed contact with the jailed PKK leader. He did not detail the contents of the letter.   Bayik, however, said that ending the armed fight is not the end of the struggle for Kurdish rights in Turkey. He accused AKP of trying to scupper the peace process. “One could say that the AKP is doing a lot of sabotage to prevent this process from progressing,” he said. “Now Bahceli and even Erdogan are calling for leader Apo… How will leader Apo work under absolute isolation? How will they make demands and expectations of leader Apo? How will leader Apo fulfill them?”   “Absolute isolation must be lifted and leader Apo must be free” to “fulfill his hopes,” he added.     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