Tuncer Bakırhan: 'The organization has responded, now it is the government's turn; political and legal arrangements must be made'

The authorized bodies of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) have decided to convene following the call by PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. Co-Chair Tuncer Bakırhan spoke before the meeting held at his party's headquarters in Balgat, with the participation of the Party Assembly (PM) and provincial co-chairs.

Bakırhan stated the following:

"Political and legal arrangements must be implemented as soon as possible. We are now in a period of writing a new story. Those who call themselves patriots should support this call more than anyone else. It is now a necessity for Mr. Öcalan to conduct his democratic struggle in a free environment. This is not a process to be wasted. No one has won or lost. It should be considered as a process where the country will win, gain, and prosper in peace and tranquility. This is not a process where anyone is doing a favor or anyone is losing. So, what will the government do in this process? The public and we have expectations regarding that as well. The call has been made, the organization has responded. The question of what you will do now remains. Erdoğan stated that he 'will not allow those who try to sabotage this call.' I have a call to the members of the government first and foremost, and to everyone. If this is a new process, and if it is not a deceptive process, the language of addressing counterparts with classic rhetoric must be abandoned."

Here are the highlights from Bakırhan's statements evaluating Öcalan's call and the government's stance:

"Political and legal arrangements must be implemented as soon as possible. We are now in a period of writing a new story. Those who call themselves patriots should support this call more than anyone else. It is now a necessity for Mr. Öcalan to conduct his democratic struggle in a free environment. This is not a process to be wasted. No one has won or lost. It should be considered as a process where the country will win, gain, and prosper in peace and tranquility. This is not a process where anyone is doing a favor or anyone is losing. So, what will the government do in this process? The public and we have expectations regarding that as well. The call has been made, the organization has responded. The question of what you will do now remains. Erdoğan stated that he 'will not allow those who try to sabotage this call.' I have a call to the members of the government first and foremost, and to everyone. If this is a new process, and if it is not a deceptive process, the language of addressing counterparts with classic rhetoric must be abandoned.

Obstructing this process is the greatest harm that can be done to the peoples of Turkey. A call based on the common future of the peoples is applauded and creates excitement. This process is not a process to be wasted; it should not be left on paper. The call is not a call of winning or losing. No one has won or lost. We need to move beyond this and think in a way that the country will win. We should not view the solution as a favor to the Kurds or an oppression to the Turks. Mr. Öcalan has made his call. So, what will the government and the state do, what are their solution projects? This question remains. The public and we have expectations regarding that as well. Now the answer lies with the government and the state itself. If it is not a deceptive process, the language that addresses counterparts in a cliché manner must be changed. We find the words Bahçeli announced yesterday, 'We will not allow the call to be sabotaged,' to be valuable."

News Source: 12punto