DTK co-chair Irmak: Joint statement is beginning of negotiations
DİYARBAKIR (DİHA) - Selma Irmak, co-chair of the Democractic Society Congress (DTK), said the joint announcement made today regarding the peace and resolution process was the beginning of negotiations.
The main development announced was PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan's call for an extraordinary congress of the PKK in spring to discuss laying down arms. MP Irmak said that for those who were waiting for PKK disarmament, "as long as their reasons for taking to the mountains are still there, such a demand is unrealistic." Today saw a joint announcement by representatives of both the AKP ruling government and the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) delegation to İmralı Island, where Öcalan is imprisoned. Selma called this a critical moment.
'Joint announcement is very historic'
"Mr. Öcalan had already said of this joint understanding 'only after a joint announcement can we say we have entered negotiations,'" said Irmak. "Will the negotiations process really develop as public opinion is expecting and turn into negotiations? Or will there be another blockage? We'll see together. But at this stage, this joint announcement is very historic and we don't think it's wrong to see it as a sign of the beginning of negotiations."
'Road to a democratic solution is consistently blocked'
Selma Irmak also said that for there to be a real negotiations process, it was necessary for the recent "Internal Security Law" that attacks citizens' basic rights to be withdrawn. In its place, "a law that broadens democracy, rights and freedoms" should be brought to the Parliament, a move more appropriate to the negotiations. "Mr. Öcalan has said one thing from the beginning," said Irmak. "'We see weapons as a vehicle forced on us.' At every opportunity he says, 'At the point where a democratic solution was blocked, when all roads before us were blocked we were forced to resort to armed struggle. But we've actually never been in love with this.'" Irmak said the Kurdish problem faces the same issue today: the road to a democratic solution is consistently blocked. Laying down weapons is "easy," she said.
"But to make weapons unnecessary, to take them off the table it's necessary that certain measures be taken" to make democratic politics possible. "It's like this in all negotiations processes." She called for steps toward democratization to take place as quickly as possible so that before the spring PKK congress, it will be possible for guerrillas to consider laying down arms.
(cm/nt)
