PKK sources: we received brief information, our views will be sought
RastinewsKCK Executive Council member Mustafa Karasu commented on the draft law that would enable PKK members to come down from the mountains. He said they had received limited briefing beyond what appeared in press reports.
Karasu said a comprehensive briefing on the five-hour meeting held on İmralı would follow soon. "Beyond what was reported through the press, we received brief information. We were told that we will soon be briefed on the five-hour meeting, and that our views will be sought," he said.
Öcalan: "This is a starting point for opening a door"
Karasu said a draft had been presented to Abdullah Öcalan, and that Öcalan had taken a "cautious but constructive" approach to it. He made the following claims about the process:
"A draft was brought to Leader Apo. He said of it, 'It may have shortcomings and inadequacies, but it is a starting point for opening a door,' and said it should be approached that way."
"The people have concerns, we must stand firm"
Karasu noted that "legitimate concerns have arisen among the public and among friendly circles," stressing that the success of the process depends on the Kurdish side's stance.
"Naturally, the government's approach has caused concern among the public and among our friends. Rather than concern, we are taking a position on how the process should move forward. For the process to advance, the Kurdish people need to stand firm with their organized strength," Karasu said.
Speaking to Medya Haber, Mustafa Karasu said they viewed the draft law as a starting step, adding:
"For two months there had been no meeting with Leader Apo. That actually runs counter to the character of this process. This is such an important matter. They themselves considered it very significant. They said a century-old problem would be resolved, that new horizons would open for Turkey. But going two months without letting the Kurdish people's chief negotiator, Leader Apo, meet with anyone inevitably raised the question, in our minds and in others', of what was going on. We criticized this. We set out our position. We stressed how the state should approach this. After we made these assessments, a meeting was held with the leadership two months later. Of course, the fact that this meeting took place showed something in one sense: yes, there are certain problems, but there are also discussions underway to overcome them. Our assessment was that this meeting was meant to address them. And indeed the meeting took place. A DEM Party delegation attended. They made statements afterward. There was an emphasis on the leadership's approach, particularly that a narrow, simplistic approach should not be taken toward the state. There was emphasis on restoring Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood, and on the fact that the Kurdish people are ready for this brotherhood — though of course this brotherhood must rest on a foundation of rights, on the basic rights of the Kurdish people. That much is clear, and we ourselves say so. Our interlocutors know this too. In this respect, beyond what was conveyed through the press, brief information reached us. We were told that we would soon be briefed on this five-hour meeting, and that our views would be sought. Leader Apo took the following approach: a draft was brought to him, and it was discussed.
"A consensus appears to have been reached"
Leader Apo said of the draft that it may have shortcomings and inadequacies, but that it is a step, a starting point for opening a door. He said it should be approached in that spirit. In other words, he made an assessment along these lines: fine, such a law may exist, it may be a start, but there must be a sequel to it. We too, of course, are waiting for the draft to arrive. At one point a draft was circulated through the press. It reached us as well. That draft, frankly, had nothing worth accepting in it. It appears that, through discussion of that draft, some kind of consensus has now been reached. In particular, the use of a term like 'terrorist organization' runs counter to a process like this — after all, we dissolved the party, we ended the armed struggle against Turkey. We had already stated that, on the basis of a strategy of democratic political struggle, once conditions allow full freedom of thought and organization — provided we face no obstacles in organizing, expressing views, or making assessments and organizing around the resolution of the Kurdish question and democratization — we would be ready to enter into democratic political struggle. That is in fact our position. We already find the process the right one, and we support it. Naturally, the government's approach causes concern among the public and among our friends. Rather than concern, we are taking a position, expressing our views, on how the process should proceed. At the same time, we always keep this in mind: the issue is not only about what steps the state will or will not take, or about waiting expectantly. It is also necessary — and this is essential for shaping the process — for the forces of democracy, for the Kurdish people, to stand firm with their organized strength and to set out their position. We have always said this. That is how it should be. If it comes before us, we will of course evaluate it. If, as Leader Apo says, this is a starting point, if a door is opening, if it will at least serve as a preliminary step toward new developments and new steps ahead, then we too will take an approach that encourages the process."
Source: Rûdaw