CHP's take on İmralı: 'If the goal is to re-elect Erdoğan...'

The Republican People's Party (CHP) Central Executive Board met yesterday under the chairmanship of leader Özgür Özel to discuss the DEM Party's visits to İmralı and the subsequent political party contacts it has been conducting.

During the meeting, criticisms were highlighted that the process toward resolving the Kurdish issue is not transparent and that no satisfactory explanation has been provided to the public.

CHP officials explained the party's stance on the resolution of the Kurdish issue with the following words:

"The CHP has been talking about the resolution of this issue for 50 years. Our stance that the solution must take place under the roof of parliament is clear."

It is positive that the discussions are taking place under the roof of the TBMM, but this does not mean the process is being conducted transparently. If the intention is human rights and the rule of law, and if they are not going to call citizens 'terrorists' as they please, we will be part of the process.

However, if the aim is to re-elect Erdoğan and draft a new Constitution, we will never be involved in that."

''THE CHP'S PRESENCE IS LIKE A GUARANTOR''

Stating that Kurdish voters do not trust the Justice and Development Party (AKP), CHP officials assessed, "The presence of the CHP is seen as a guarantor for the Kurdish voter. We saw that this was felt strongly during our visits to Diyarbakır."

The CHP claimed that the seeds of the meetings held with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı were sown much earlier, commenting, "We view the moving of these discussions to the roof of the TBMM as a way to provide a cover for the process."

It was also decided at the meeting that CHP leader Özgür Özel would meet with the DEM Party's İmralı delegation.

In this context, the CHP delegation led by Özel will meet with the DEM Party delegation at the TBMM today at 10:30.