Devlet Bahçeli had requested it: Will there be a status for Öcalan in the reconciliation process law?

July is emerging as the target for the preparation of a framework law regarding the legal basis for the second reconciliation process, which the government calls a "Terror-Free Turkey" and the DEM Party calls "Peace and Democratic Society." According to a BBC report, it is being evaluated in AKP and MHP corridors that the proposal could be submitted to the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) after the NATO Summit on July 7-8 and could be enacted before Parliament goes into recess.

According to AKP sources, the regulation will consist of 10-11 articles, will be time-bound, and its entry into force will be tied to the condition of "confirmation and verification that the PKK has laid down its arms." It is stated that the name of the proposal could also be determined within a framework similar to "a bill regarding the dissolution, laying down of arms, and termination of the legal existence of the PKK-KCK terrorist organization."

Although it is not yet clear whether the name of the organization will be included in the title, according to sources, it is expected that the definition will be made clearly in the "purpose" and "scope" articles. The timeline of the regulation will be directly linked to developments on the ground and the course of the disarmament process.

HIGHLIGHTS IN THE DRAFT LAW

The draft study is expected to include headings regarding the mechanism by which the organization's dissolution and disarmament will be verified, the legal status of PKK terrorists who lay down their arms, investigation and prosecution processes, and the situation of convicts in prisons.

According to the model discussed in AKP corridors, PKK terrorists who return to Turkey within a specified period will be able to benefit from the law. It is stated that this period is envisioned as one year. In the first phase, it is planned to keep the scope limited to organization members who have not been involved in crimes.

The DEM Party wants to allow PKK terrorists who come to Turkey to engage in politics. However, it is stated that the AKP and MHP do not look favorably upon this demand. According to sources, judicial control provisions will be applied to returning terrorists for a certain period; a five-year political ban will also be on the agenda for organization members who have not been involved in crimes.

A regulation regarding the return of the so-called leaders of the terrorist organization PKK to Turkey is not expected to be included in the proposal in the first phase. It is stated that the situations of some convicts could be handled separately through penal legislation and execution regulations in the future, but that the current framework will primarily focus on organization members who have not committed crimes.

TIMELINE DEPENDS ON DEVELOPMENTS ON THE GROUND

Among the developments accelerating the process are the statement made by AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the group meeting on May 20 that "one should be quick in auspicious matters" and the definition of the process as a "state vision" at the National Security Council meeting on June 9.

During this period, both direct negotiations and back-channel diplomacy were conducted between the ruling bloc and the DEM Party. Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar from the DEM Party Imralı delegation met with TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş on June 16. Following the visit of CHP Diyarbakır Deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu to MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, Kurtulmuş also met with President Erdoğan.

AKP sources report that information about some activity on the ground has been received from security units; they state that some areas on the Zap-Metina line have been evacuated, and partial withdrawals have occurred in the rural areas of Gara, Hakurk, and Qandil. However, it is emphasized that the current picture is not yet considered sufficient.

An AKP executive made the following assessment regarding the subject: "There have been some symbolic images of laying down arms and withdrawals in certain areas. But a more concrete picture is needed to be able to say that the laying down of arms has become permanent."

In AKP corridors, the calculation is that if the proposal is submitted to Parliament around July 10-11, it could pass through the commission and the General Assembly by the end of July. However, it is stated that the regulation will be tied to a condition not as a "bottleneck" issue, but because the state wants to see the results of the steps taken on the ground.

WILL THERE BE A STATUS FOR ÖCALAN?

It is stated that the AKP is cautious about MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli's proposal to grant the leader of the terrorist organization PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, the status of "Peace Process and Politicization Coordinator." Party sources state that no regulation in the nature of an amnesty is envisioned in the framework law; they express that improvements could be made to Öcalan's meeting conditions within the current execution regime.

News Source: 12punto