DEM Party insiders: Bahçeli, Uçum remarks give first clear description of Öcalan's role in peace process
Two figures from the highest levels of the Turkish state have for the first time outlined Abdullah Öcalan's position on İmralı within the peace process. The DEM Party views the move as the first sign that the state has formally acknowledged the process — calling it "the start of a new era."
RastinewsAccording to a report by T24 citing DEM Party insiders, the party leadership regards recent statements by Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli and Mehmet Uçum, Chief Advisor to Turkey's president and deputy head of the Presidency's Council of Legal Policies, as the first time the role of Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the now-dissolved PKK, has been described within the process.
The assessment emerged from an roughly eight-hour meeting of the DEM Party's Central Executive Board (MYK), chaired by Co-Chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan. The meeting covered the peace process, preparations for the parliamentary session opening October 1, and developments in the Middle East.
"Start of a new era"
An unnamed DEM Party official told T24 that the Bahçeli and Uçum statements carried real significance. "I think this can be seen as the start of a new era," the official said.
The official said that, for the first time, authorized state bodies had used clear language regarding Öcalan's role. The party sees this as the first official step indicating the state has accepted the process, the official added.
No names given for commission members
The official recalled that at an earlier meeting chaired by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, four subcommittees had been mentioned, but no details were given on who would sit on them.
The official said this marked the first time two government-linked figures had described Öcalan's role, and noted that Bahçeli's remark — "We remain firm in our coordinator proposal" — was significant in this context as well.
Stock market manipulation claims also discussed
The MYK meeting also addressed allegations of manipulation in capital markets. The DEM Party official said the party would demand full public transparency on every aspect of the allegations and was planning a series of actions and events on the matter.
The official said hundreds of thousands of people had been affected by the alleged manipulation, and that the issue also concerned lower-income groups.
Parliament reconvenes October 1
According to T24, the DEM Party group will open the new legislative term with a routine working meeting when parliament reconvenes on October 1.
DEM Party Co-Chairs Hatimoğulları and Bakırhan had previously called for an extraordinary session of parliament to address the manipulation allegations.
The PKK announced its dissolution following a call from Abdullah Öcalan. Bahçeli had earlier publicly floated a "coordinator" role for Öcalan within the process.