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ANKARA - EMEP MP Sevda Karaca, commenting on the discussions on the Kurdish question, said: ‘Mr. Abdullah Ocalan, who is one of the most important leaders of the Kurdish nation and who is directly addressed by the Kurdish people, is the undisputed interlocutor for the solution of this problem. For this reason, it is essential to meet with İmralı and start a dialogue process under safe conditions.’

 

The statements made by the AKP-MHP government on the Kurdish question and the simultaneous attacks on Northern and Eastern Syria and Southern Kurdistan reveal the contradictions of the government on this issue. Labour Party (EMEP) MP Sevda Karaca evaluated the sincerity and possible consequences of these steps taken by the government.

 

It's a pile of big words, a pile of valor...

 

Stating that the problem of equal citizenship of the Kurds has existed as a centuries-old problem due to the policies of annihilation and denial of the governments, Sevda said that the AKP, together with its partners, has further deepened this problem in the last 22 years. Sevda said, "While the ignoring attitude of “there is no Kurdish problem, we ended it, the Kurds gained their rights under our rule” has been going on for a long time whenever the problem is brought up, there is no answer from the ruling party to the question what happened today that they suddenly remembered a problem and started a process, even if they do not call it a solution. However, every day there is a new move on this issue and a pile of valor full of ‘big words’. It is noteworthy that Devlet Bahceli, who called the DEM Party, which has been actively campaigning for the lifting of the isolation for a long time, ‘terrorists’ for this very reason, has himself demanded the lifting of the isolation. Following this, Ozgur Ozel's group speech, in which he ‘promised’ equal citizenship for the Kurdish people in response to the DEM Party's call, showed signs of the position the CHP will take in a possible process."

 

‘We have not heard the word 'peace' yet’

 

Sevda said that it is not possible to characterise the whole process as positive unless concrete steps are taken, and emphasised that the government should reveal what it will do other than policies of oppression and denial. Sevda said, "Even without all this, there was a need and demand for a solution to the Kurdish problem, which has been on the agenda of the country with all its burning intensity. However, the expectations and demands of the ruling and opposition fronts regarding the form this solution will take will of course not be the same. For this reason, considering that we have not even heard the word ‘peace’ yet, it would be premature to characterise these developments as positive unless we see concrete steps and transparency. The solution to such a problem cannot be possible through insinuations such as a handshake or a vague promise to ‘lift isolation’. The government must first concretely reveal which new policy it wants to implement other than oppression and denial."

 

‘AKP seeks solutions for itself’

 

Stating that the Kurdish issue concerns the entire Middle East and that the government is in political calculations for this reason, Sevda continued as follows: "Today, both the regional dynamics and the political and economic constraints experienced by the AKP-MHP at home are forcing the AKP-MHP to take a new position on the Kurdish issue. The AKP government, which is getting further and further away from the dominance it hopes to establish in the Middle East and the market it seeks to share, is essentially looking for a solution for itself. This is because the Kurdish question is a problem that concerns not only Turkey but also Syria, Iraq and Iran, and thus the Middle East. When we look at the developments and the political calculations behind them, we come across the following reality: The government bloc and the capitalist forces behind it want to strengthen their position and look for new opportunities by strengthening the domestic front at a time when the regional threat is increasing. With some symbolic steps, it is calculating to strengthen the basis of its policies by putting the opposition and society in expectation."

 

Would be naïve to say ‘solution process’ when there is a search for Industrial Fund

 

Sevda stated the following: ‘There is a one-man administration and the AKP-MHP that is blocked both in the economy, domestic politics and foreign policy, especially in regional policy. Of course the Kurdish problem must be solved as soon as possible, but how? It would be a great contradiction to talk about peace while trying to provide additional revenues to the Defence Industry Support Fund and increasing defence and security budgets to record levels. Even with the economic programme that the government presents as a budget, it is clear that it is determined to maintain pressure at home and operations abroad. It is also strange to run a process and at the same time try to enact an influence agency law to shut everyone's mouths. It would be naive to call this a ‘solution process’ when there is nothing transparent and openly discussed yet. The Kurdish people, as a people who have painfully experienced all this, as a people who have been struggling for centuries in parallel with the age-old problem, will of course not embrace this process unconditionally."

 

Operations must end immediately for a ‘solution’

 

"For our Party, the principle of unconditional and unconditional defence of the ‘Right of Nations to Self-Determination’ is a fundamental principle in terms of full equality of rights,"Sevda said, adding, "First of all, it is essential to make it possible for peoples to live a life based on full equality of rights. Therefore, unless steps are taken to realise these conditions today, all talk will remain as mere words. As we have clearly stated in our previous statements, in order to show that this is a real solution process, first of all, the trustees must be withdrawn immediately, the operations must end, isolation must be lifted, political prisoners must be released, basic constitutional rights, especially education in mother tongue, must be immediately regulated to include equality and political freedoms."

 

‘Abdullah Öcalan is the undisputed interlocutor’

 

Pointing to Imrali for a solution, Sevda emphasised the importance of conducting the process openly and transparently and said, "For decades, the Kurdish people have been struggling with a great policy of oppression and intimidation due to the deepening of the Kurdish problem by the state. These policies against the people have caused this nation to pay a great price, especially in terms of loss of life. Therefore, the primary interlocutors are of course the Kurdish people, workers and labourers. However, Mr Abdullah Ocalan, who is one of the most important leaders of the Kurdish nation and is directly addressed by the Kurdish people, is also the undisputed interlocutor for the solution of this problem. For this reason, it is also essential to meet with Imrali and start a dialogue process under healthy conditions. The fact that the Kurdish question is a problem that directly concerns not only the Kurdish people, but all nations, beliefs and peoples of this country, it is essential that the problem is discussed and evaluated in an open and transparent manner by all segments of society. In addition, the parliament, which includes the political representatives of the people and holds the authority to legislate, is of course one of the important mechanisms of the solution."