Karayılan: 'No Kurd, No Democracy, No Öcalan'
RastinewsMurat Karayılan, a member of the Movement Leadership Council formed after the PKK's dissolution decision, called the framework law passed by Turkey's parliament "a new and valuable step in the Republic's history." But he argued the law reduces the Kurdish issue to disarmament alone.
'No Kurd, no democracy, no Öcalan'
Karayılan criticized the law for leaving out Abdullah Öcalan. "It does not cover the architect of this process, Önder Apo," he said. "The word Kurd doesn't even appear in it. Democracy isn't mentioned at all."
The Kurdish issue cannot be addressed through disarmament alone, Karayılan said. "It reduces the matter to the guerrilla laying down arms. But this is a century-old problem on a vast scale. This narrow approach cannot resolve it."
A condition for disarmament: 'If Öcalan is in prison, I can't tell anyone to leave'
Karayılan tied progress in the process directly to Öcalan's conditions.
"If Önder Apo is in prison, I cannot tell anyone to lay down arms and leave. If Önder Apo gets involved, meets with our comrades, holds meetings and persuades them, then it can happen."
'We are ready to move from war to politics and law'
Karayılan said the group intends to end its armed phase. "We are ready to move this struggle off the ground of war and weapons and onto the ground of politics and law. We want to end this war," he said.
A call on Ankara for a 'truth commission'
Karayılan called for a "Justice and Truth Commission" to investigate past events. "If we open the old files, it will become clear who is guilty and who is innocent," he said.
Karayılan challenges the 'terrorism' label: 'You can't load one side of the scale and leave the other empty'
Saying the PKK wants to "end the hostility and open a new page" with Turkey, Karayılan also took aim at the state's approach.
"They still treat us as terrorists and criminals. They call it terrorism, but you have been carrying out terrorism against our people for a hundred years. Can you load one side of the scale while leaving the other empty?"
Karayılan's remarks were among the clearest "yes, but not enough" signals from the PKK's side on the framework law. He called it a historic step while arguing that disarmament cannot produce a lasting solution unless the Kurdish issue is named and Öcalan is brought directly into the process.