DEM Party's Bakırhan makes statement on 'solution process': Lists Öcalan's demands...

DEM Party Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan, in his assessment of the new process during a public meeting he attended in Diyarbakır, said, “The process is currently at the level of discussion. We are not very sure whether it will evolve into a process or not. We are facing a government and its partners. We do not know how consistent they are, how sincere they are, and whether they will put this issue on the table and try to solve it through dialogue and negotiation.”

MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli's call for terrorist leader Abdullah Öcalan continues to maintain its place on the agenda.

Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan attended a public meeting organized by his party in Diyarbakır.

Bakırhan made assessments regarding the developments on the agenda there.

Arguing that there is a historic opportunity for the resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey, Bakırhan said, “Our party's stance on this in Turkey has actually been clear for a long time; we have repeatedly stated that one of the most fundamental issues of this country is the Kurdish question. There is a historical opportunity before Turkey for the resolution of this issue. In my opinion, Turkish-Kurdish relations should be re-examined from the day the Turks entered Anatolia to the present day. The relations established on the right basis between Turks and Kurds have always led to new openings and the beginnings of new processes in history. If we look at history well, from the Battle of Manzikert to the War of Independence, the respectful and honorable relations established on the right basis with the Kurds have always created results in favor of the peoples and faiths living in Turkey. But some have not seen this, have not wanted to see it. They have instrumentalized historical Kurdish-Turkish relations for their own power until today. But now, in the coming days, they will either reject these relations or they will make the historical Kurdish-Turkish relations a cause for a new opening and a foundation on a correct, democratic basis. We are here. Our thoughts on this matter have never changed. We advocate and support placing Turkish-Kurdish relations on a democratic foundation.”

"ÖCALAN WANTS THIS ISSUE TO BE SOLVED THROUGH DIALOGUE AND NEGOTIATION"

Stating that the new solution process is at the level of discussion, Bakırhan spoke as follows:

“Look, a very important opportunity actually emerged for this recently. Abdullah Öcalan, who has not been allowed to meet with his family and lawyers unlawfully for 44 months, created great hope not only for us but also for the laborers living in Edirne, the workers working in factories in Tekirdağ, and even the tradesmen engaged in agriculture and livestock who cannot make a living, after his meeting with our deputy Ömer Öcalan. Öcalan wants this issue to be solved through dialogue and negotiation.

The party he founded also made statements at the highest level, pointing to Öcalan on this issue. The Kurds are pointing to it, the laborers in Turkey are pointing to it, our constituents are pointing to it, our alliances are pointing to it. Now we will all see together whether this ground will be evaluated correctly or not. There is no process yet. When you turn on certain channels, thank God they are already talking about everything, solving everything. There is such a tradition in Turkey; problems are discussed in debates where the interlocutor is not included. The process is currently at the level of discussion. We are not very sure whether it will evolve into a process or not. We are facing a government and its partners.

We do not know how consistent they are, how sincere they are, and whether they will put this issue on the table and try to solve it through dialogue and negotiation. There is no diplomacy behind closed doors, no meeting, as written at the beginning. We are also trying to evaluate this process through the press and the words of the government and the actors connected to it. We sincerely want these discussions to evolve into a process. Because we are already here for negotiation. It is necessary to socialize peace. The ones who will actually make peace are the peoples of Turkey, the ones who will bring peace are those sitting in this hall.”

‘PEACE DOES NOT ONLY CREATE A RESULT IN FAVOR OF THE KURDS’

“If we do not create pressure, if we do not clearly state our own demands, if we cannot provide strong support to our own party and the actors who will play a role in this negotiation, we will have to be content with what comes out of the mouths of the two administrators of the government,” said Bakırhan, warning against complacency in this process, and added:

“The day may come when we might have to face something else. Therefore, it is valuable and precious for it to evolve into a process, but there is no process. What will create this process is our own power and organization. You are as strong as your power, your word, and your organization. If your organization is not strong, your word has no value, no matter how true it is, no matter how correctly it is spoken; unfortunately, politics is like this today and in the world. Your power is as much as your organization, your word is taken into account as much as your organization. Therefore, we will grow and strengthen our organization. We will develop our alliances, we need to come together with all circles, whether they are our party members or not, who want peace locally, and discuss and share these discussions with them.

Peace is not a situation against the peoples of Turkey. Peace does not only create a result in favor of the Kurds. It concerns every segment. Our most fundamental issue is to convey the message that peace benefits everyone and to make it the common demand of everyone. This is one of the most important legs of our reason for gathering today. You will be involved in this, you will carry it. If you can say all over Turkey that this cannot go on like this; that 3 trillion dollars should not be spent so that Kurds do not exercise their democratic rights, but should be spent on the laborer, the farmer, and the poor, these discussions can evolve into a process. Conversely, if we act as if there is a process where we fall into complacency, as if there is traffic going on behind closed doors,

we may face the state's baton and courts again, just like the solution process in 2013-2015. Systems have never come to a solution because they wanted to themselves. Communities and peoples have had to adopt a solution because they wanted it. Our entire organizational structure is in this hall, we will push for it. Whether they are well-intentioned or not, we will push for it. Öcalan said it very clearly, there is nothing more valuable than this. He said, 'Go ahead, create the legal and political ground, I am in.' Then we ask, if the ground is created for Öcalan; he says 'I am in,' then go ahead and create that ground, let us create it. Rest assured, we do not know where the state mind and the government stand here and how sincere they are, but we will all learn together in the coming days.”

'YES TO A SOLUTION, BUT ONLY IF IT WILL BE AN HONORABLE PEACE'

Stating that the process is sensitive, Bakırhan expressed that they are ready for a solution and said, “This process is a sensitive process. In this process, what our authorized bodies say and what statements we make are very important. Because they need to follow closely because they have to carry out similar discussions to those made here in their own localities and reach all segments there. In short, I want to say this: we are ready for a solution, our hand is always open for solution and negotiation, but let no one say that this process should be instrumentalized for their power or their seat. Yes to a solution, but no to liquidation. Yes to a solution, but only if it will be an honorable peace. Yes to a solution, but only if there will be a truly democratic Turkey, a democratic republic. Yes to a solution, but we do not want a Turkey where the oppressor-oppressed relationship works recklessly to the detriment of the oppressed and where there is no economic justice,” he said.

News Source: 12punto