Leaked from AKP corridors: Date set for 'legal regulations' in the peace process

MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli is the architect of the second peace process, which the government calls Terror-Free Turkey, and which has been ongoing for 1.5 years with the DEM Party and the leader of the terrorist organization PKK, Abdullah Öcalan.

Despite 2.5 months having passed since the report of the commission established in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) as part of the peace process, no concrete steps have been taken regarding the 'legal regulations' brought to the agenda by the DEM Party and the MHP.

The statement by AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that “We have reached a junction that must be managed sensitively; the process is proceeding as it should” has stirred the Ankara corridors.

In AKP corridors, it is being discussed that the process has slowed down from time to time due to the situation of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and regional developments related to Iran, and that legal steps are being held back for this reason.

AKP OFFICIALS: WE ARE BLOWING ON THE YOGURT THIS TIME

According to a report by BBC Turkish, AKP officials express the view that there is no serious blockage in the process. Some party officials state that the steps taken by the terrorist organization PKK toward partial withdrawal and laying down arms in the field are increasing.

AKP sources say that concrete steps could come to the agenda within the month of May.

Officials state that the cautious approach within the party stems from the impact created by the resolution process that ended in 2015, noting, "We are blowing on the yogurt this time," a Turkish idiom meaning they are being extra cautious due to past experiences.

According to the AKP, although the terrorist organization PKK has emptied some caves and begun to abandon its heavy weapons in many locations, the process is not progressing at the expected speed. Despite this, assessments are being made within the party that there will be no turning back from the process, as doing so could lead to severe consequences for all segments of society.

DEM PARTY: 'PROGRESS IS DIFFICULT WITHOUT A LEGAL FRAMEWORK'

On the DEM Party front, one of the most important issues hindering the process is cited as the lack of a legal infrastructure. Party sources state that under the current situation, it is legally impossible for PKK terrorists who lay down their arms to return to Turkey. Party officials use the expression, "Even if the 30 people at a symbolic weapon-burning ceremony wanted to return to Turkey, they would go to jail because there is no legal regulation. This does not advance the process; on the contrary, it blocks it."

While the DEM Party argues that the "verification-identification" requirement should not constitute an obstacle to legal regulation, it emphasizes that this requirement could be implemented simultaneously with the effective date of the legislation.

"WE WILL PASS THE LAW BUT ATTACH CONDITIONS"

Following the completion of the Parliamentary Commission report, the prevailing view within the AKP was that legal regulations should only be made after the terrorist organization PKK completes the process of laying down arms.

However, data from the field, Devlet Bahçeli's calls for accelerating the process, and the latest statements by AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have brought the option of "coordinated progress" to the agenda.

Pointing out that the delay in legal steps could negatively affect the process, some AKP figures assess, "We will pass the law but attach conditions. We will say, 'Organization members who lay down their arms will benefit from these rights.'"

The MHP is displaying a similar approach, sending messages that steps could be taken according to developments in the field rather than a strict condition such as "the last terrorist laying down their arms."

'PATH TO RELEASE COULD OPEN FOR DEMİRTAŞ, OVER 100 THOUSAND FILES WOULD BE AFFECTED'

The prepared regulation is expected to affect not only PKK terrorists but also judicial processes in Turkey. According to DEM Party sources, a possible regulation would cover numerous files opened on charges of organization membership and propaganda.

Pointing out that there are currently 70 thousand investigation files and over 40 thousand prosecution files due to charges of PKK terrorist organization propaganda and membership, a DEM Party official said, "If the regulation regarding organization crimes is implemented, the charges against Selahattin Demirtaş and other political prisoners will be dropped, and the path to their release will be opened."

The DEM Party, which has decided to hold a congress in the autumn, states that if the new law is passed before the congress, PKK terrorists returning to Turkey under the law or politicians released from prison could take part in party cadres.

DEM DOES NOT WANT A DISTINCTION BETWEEN "THOSE INVOLVED IN CRIMES AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT"

Disagreements between the parties continue regarding the scope of the legal regulation.

The DEM Party advocates for the return of all organization members to Turkey without distinguishing between the so-called leaders of the terrorist organization PKK and PKK terrorists, the expansion of the political sphere, and the dismissal of files through an execution regulation without making a distinction between "those involved in crimes and those who are not."

Improving the working conditions of the leader of the terrorist organization PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, through arrangements similar to "house arrest" and granting him the right to hope are also among the demands of the DEM Party. The AKP, however, evaluates these demands as "maximalist." In the draft the government is working on, the distinction between "those involved in crimes and those who are not" stands out.

Accordingly, it may come to the agenda to stop investigations and reduce sentences for PKK terrorists who have laid down their arms and have not been involved in any crimes. However, those determined to have participated in armed actions will continue to be tried for the crimes they committed.

In the 600-member Parliament, the AKP currently has 275 deputies and the MHP has 46. This distribution is considered numerically sufficient to pass the legal regulations in question through Parliament.

However, it is stated that the ruling bloc is seeking a consensus by obtaining broad support from the opposition, especially the DEM Party, in order for the process to gain social legitimacy.