 leader Abdullah Öcalan has told visiting lawmakers that “democratic society, peace and integration” are the three key concepts for advancing #Turkey’s peace with the #PKK.){kind=link}
Jailed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan has told visiting lawmakers that “democratic society, peace and integration” are the three key concepts for advancing Turkey’s peace with the PKK, according to a statement Friday from Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party.
The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party’s (DEM Party) İmralı delegation, made up of Deputy Parliament Speaker Pervin Buldan, Urfa lawmaker Mithat Sancar and attorney Faik Özgür Erol, said it met with Öcalan for three hours on Thursday on the high-security prison island in the Sea of Marmara where he has been held since 1999.
“Öcalan was in good health and good spirits,” the delegation said in a written statement. It added that he gave an extensive assessment of what he called the “Peace and Democratic Society Process” and the point it has reached.
Öcalan described the conflict as akin to a case of gangrene requiring “special surgical intervention” because of its deep roots. “Our aim was to do everything possible to bring an end to a painful process,” he was quoted as saying.
He stressed that democratic society, peace and integration are the three pillars on which a solution can be built and argued that urgent steps are needed in all dimensions of the process. “My choice has always been a democratic republic combined with integration based on a democratic society,” he told the delegation, adding that this strategic move, if embraced, would benefit “all of Turkey.”
Öcalan also warned that attempts in politics or media circles to simplify or ignore these ideas risk damaging the peace effort. He reiterated his belief in “eternal friendship and peace among peoples.”
The PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, announced in May that it would disband and lay down its arms following a call from Öcalan. In July PKK members held a symbolic ceremony in northern Iraq to mark the decision.
While DEM Party politicians argue that Öcalan must be directly engaged to consolidate the PKK’s laying down of arms and reintegration, government figures have insisted that no negotiation is taking place with the PKK and that all steps must stay within constitutional boundaries.