CHP responds to DEM's reaction over İmralı with 'legal regulation' stance

The Republican People's Party (CHP) has announced that it will not be part of the delegation to be sent to İmralı Island to meet with Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the terrorist organization PKK, within the scope of the second peace process initiated by MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, which the government calls a "Terror-Free Turkey." CHP sources stated that they have received a positive response from their base regarding the İmralı decision and reported receiving thank-you calls from the families of martyrs.

Reactions to the CHP's İmralı decision rose from the AKP and DEM Party fronts. According to a report by Cumhuriyet, CHP officials responded to the reactions from the AKP and DEM Party regarding the İmralı decision. Emphasizing that they are maintaining a principled stance, CHP officials stated, "When the proposals we have presented since the beginning of the commission were not taken into account, when operations against our mayors continued, when a process that could lead to a closure case against our party was initiated, and when the trials against the 'City Consensus' (Kent Uzlaşısı), which enabled Kurds to take part in politics, continued, we made a principled decision solely on the İmralı issue and said we would not go. Other than that, we did not say we were leaving the commission. We did not deny the existence of the Kurdish issue like other parties. We also voiced our proposals such as SEGBİS. We did not disrupt the process either. We made a consistent decision for a process that we have said from the beginning should function in Parliament."

Reacting to the process being reduced solely to an İmralı visit, CHP figures expressed the view, "Such a perspective is not correct. Society has expectations for confidence-building steps in this process. For example, there are expectations regarding the appointment of trustees (kayyum) or compliance with Constitutional Court and European Court of Human Rights decisions regarding political prisoners. While all these exist, it is not right to lock the entire commission's work and the process solely to the issue of a visit to İmralı. While these expectations exist, just going there will not bring a solution."

WILL DEM PARTY'S STATEMENTS CREATE TENSION IN THE FUTURE?

Regarding the possibility that statements from the DEM Party front might create tension in the future, CHP officials made the following assessment:

"It would not be right for them to treat us coldly in the future. We do not think there will be a problem. Because the party that sincerely wants a solution to the Kurdish issue is the CHP. In fact, the commission will discuss legal regulations in the future, and we will present our proposals on this matter. All parties will need to speak there as well."