Parliamentary calendar accelerated for framework law: Claims in the lobbies that there is 'no Öcalan regulation'

It is stated that the calendar for the framework law proposal, which has come to the agenda within the scope of the "solution process" in the TBMM, has been moved forward. According to information reflected in the parliamentary lobbies, the AKP's initial plan was to submit the proposal to the Speaker of the Parliament before the Parliament went on recess and to leave the deliberations for October, when the new legislative year begins.

However, it is stated that preparations have been accelerated following the stance of the MHP and the DEM Party that the regulation should not be delayed. The goal is to submit the proposal to the Speaker of the Parliament this week and pass it through the General Assembly before the Parliament goes on recess.

CALENDAR MOVED FORWARD

In AKP lobbies, it is mentioned that intensive work is being carried out to enact the proposal within the current work schedule. Claims that a special session could be held in August if the deliberations are prolonged or if the General Assembly process cannot be completed have also come to the agenda. Party sources, however, state that the primary goal is to conclude the regulation before the Parliament goes on recess, and that the special session option can only be considered as a low-probability "Plan B".

The prominent headline in the lobbies regarding the content of the draft is that there is no regulation directed at the terrorist organization leader Abdullah Öcalan. Accordingly, the text will not contain any article that would change Öcalan's legal status or relate to his physical freedom.

It is also stated that most of the demands that the DEM Party has been voicing for a long time have not found a response in the draft. Before the preparations accelerated, the DEM Party delegation had held contacts with AKP Deputy Chairman Efkan Ala and MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, and subsequently held a meeting of approximately five hours with Öcalan on İmralı Island.

DEM Party Co-Deputy Chairman Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit said in a television broadcast that they still do not have information regarding the draft text. Koçyiğit assessed, "We are not the addressees of this issue; those who lay down their arms and Abdullah Öcalan are. There can be no framework law without the will of those who lay down their arms."

HEADLINES IN THE DRAFT

According to AKP sources, the framework law is being prepared as the first legal step of the process rather than a comprehensive solution package. In the draft, it is planned to reorganize the effective remorse mechanism for organization members who have not been directly involved in crimes. Although these provisions exist in the current legislation, it is stated that the mechanism has not been effectively operated because remorse declarations have not been forthcoming to date.

Another topic discussed in the lobbies concerns the organization members located in Qandil. Accordingly, it is envisaged that some individuals will be allowed to live in third countries, but their entry into Turkey will remain prohibited. AKP officials argue that the text is kept away from provisions that would create a perception of a "general amnesty" or "Öcalan bargain".

Speaker of the Parliament Numan Kurtulmuş has also started a traffic of meetings with political parties within the scope of the framework law preparations. Kurtulmuş met with representatives of the MHP, DEM Party, New Way Party, and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who returned to the chairmanship seat of the CHP by a court decision. It was reported that the meetings were held behind closed doors and no comprehensive statement was made afterwards.

In its statement regarding the meeting with Kurtulmuş, the DEM Party stated that the law should be in the nature of a "root law". The statement pointed to the importance of ensuring Öcalan's status and his working and communication conditions; it was expressed that the regulation should move the Kurdish issue from the ground of conflict to a legal and political ground.

Kurtulmuş is expected to complete his tour of contacts by meeting with the AKP and IYI Party delegations today. In the parliamentary lobbies, it is assessed that the IYI Party will openly oppose the framework law, while other parties look favorably on the progress of the process for different reasons.