Bülent Arınç's response to Devlet Bahçeli: 'If you say Öcalan should make a call...'

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli's call to the leader of the terrorist organization PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, to "declare that his organization will be unilaterally liquidated" following his handshake with DEM Party deputies continues to hold its place on the agenda.

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's statement that "Bahçeli's handshake with the DEM Party Co-Chairs is an important step" and DEM Party Istanbul Deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder's expression of gratitude to Erdoğan and Bahçeli have fueled debates over a 'new solution process'.

Former Parliament Speaker Bülent Arınç, who played an active role during the previous solution process, evaluated the MHP leader's statements.

Speaking to İrfan Aktar from Artı Gerçek, Arınç said, "If you say Öcalan should make a call, you must fill in the substance of it."

Arınç, who argued that there has been a Kurdish issue in Turkey since the past, stated that this issue must be resolved.

Responding to a question regarding Bahçeli's handshake and his subsequent statements, Arınç noted, "Mr. Bahçeli is a statesman we respect. But I know that a person who has been saying every day for at least two years that 'the HDP should be closed', 'if the Constitutional Court does not close the HDP, it should be closed', 'the DEM Party should be closed', and 'DEM deputies should not be paid', has finally come out and said we have entered a new process. One should be happy about this, but there is also a bitterness inside us asking 'why was so much time wasted'."

Asking, "Since we were going to do this, make peace with this person, and talk to that person, why are we doing it after Basra has been devastated?", Arınç noted that the recent discussions point to a new era. Arınç said, "Yes, call it 'asparagus' if you want, we need a new process. But it should have substance."

"WE MAY ALSO HAVE OUR FAULTS"

Arınç stated, "Those who have followed this issue from the past, historians, sociologists, and politicians should come together, and I think the Parliament should conduct this process. Because during the 'solution process', there was a demand from us that 'the Parliament should manage this process'. But we carried it out partly through the work done by the MIT and partly through the guidance of the government."

Responding to a question about why they did not accept the demand for a "third eye" from the terrorist organization PKK and its leader Abdullah Öcalan during the 2013-2015 process, Arınç said, "We did not want to directly engage them as interlocutors either. Because this was something we did through the MIT. On one side the organization, on the other side the state; we absolutely could not do that. We tried to walk a very fine line. Ultimately, we may have had our faults in the failure of that process, but as I said, we also faced betrayal."

Stating that a possible process should be carried out with its direct political interlocutors, Arınç replied to the question of "what should the government do" by saying, "Those who know the dynamics of the matter; Hakan Fidan is currently the Minister of Foreign Affairs, İbrahim Kalın is someone we have worked with since the past. Perhaps Ali Yerlikaya... Or a delegation consisting of names outside of all these could carry this work out on behalf of the government, and the result would be positive. The nation is ready for this."

"YOU HAVE TO FILL IN THE SUBSTANCE"

Drawing attention to the call Devlet Bahçeli made to Abdullah Öcalan, Arınç noted, "If you say 'Öcalan should make a call', you have to fill in the substance of it. Öcalan made this call 11 years ago; we know what we experienced afterwards. If we have reached the point where we need to say new things, today we need different kinds of dynamics."

To the question "What kind of dynamics?", Arınç replied, "I know them, but I cannot say them here."

"A PERSON WHO WANTS TO SOLVE THE KURDISH ISSUE MUST BE PREPARED TO FACE EVERY KIND OF DANGER"

Noting that he is hopeful that the Kurdish issue will be resolved, Arınç said, "The darkest moment of the night is the time closest to the dawn. A person who wants to solve the Kurdish issue must be prepared to face every kind of danger."

Pointing out that political will is needed for a solution, Arınç stated, "This has a legal and justice side, and a social peace side. Likewise, there is a need to cooperate with journalists and writers. Also, while there are so many people in prisons, they must also regain their freedom. It is enough to express a general will and say, 'we are of this opinion, we want to realize this'. There is no need for a manifesto either. The government side should say, 'these people are tasked with this work', and the other side should say, 'okay, these friends of ours will assist you in this work'. If necessary, this work can be continued by establishing a commission in the Parliament, or if necessary, through an outside platform. Provided, of course, that they are given full authority. Hopefully, it will happen, we believe in this with all our hearts. As long as there is the will."