ANP - Ararat News & Publishing

Kurds decided for none violence line

-But asking active support from USA and EU for a permanent peace

Ararat News –Publishing (ANP) –Roni ALASOR – 21 / 4 / 2008 – In a recent interview with Ararat News, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Peoples` Congress (Kongra-Gel), Zubeyir Aydar, said that the Kurds from Turkey are willing to stick to their decision of non-violence until June, despite the heavy Turkish operations against the Kurdish legal political party DTP, Democratic Society Party. Now Kurds are asking for active involvement from the USA and the European Union, to use their good relations with Turkey for a permanent peace and solution of the Kurdish question in Turkey before violence begins again.

Since last week, more then 300 members of DTP have been arrested, at the same time the Turkish army began intense operations against Kurdish militants in the Hakkari, Sirnak, Diyarbakir and Dersim regions in Kurdistan. The recent Turkish attacks started right after that the Kurdish Democratic Communities of Kurdistan (KCK) declared a new policy of non-violence line until June.It poses a big question: what does the Turkish army really want ?

-Actually, we had a calm and non-violent time during March when the Turkish army did not violate the decision of the Kurdish movement to not use armed force during the Kurdish New Year celebrations Newroz and the local elections on 29 March 2009. The result was that, for the first time in Turkish history Newroz celebrations were carried out without blood and victims, said the former lawyer and human rights fighter. Aydar was himself a elected as a Kurdish deputy in the Turkish parliament in 1993 but was driven into exile after many of his Kurdish colleagues were arrested, among them Leyla Zana, who is well known in Europe and the USA.

-But despite the calm, non-violent period of March, we have been shocked by the recent attacks by the Turkish army and police. Right after the elections, DTP supporters have been badly treated and beaten by the police in the Kurdish city of Agri. Later on many thousand peaceful Kurdish demonstrators in Urfa faced armed Turkish security forces. Two Kurds were killed and many tens of them were injured. Since last week, more then 300 DTP supporters have been arrested. Now the Turkish army is undertaking a large operation in the regions of Hakkari, Sirnak, Diyarbakir and Dersim. All these violent Turkish attacks and arrests happened right after Democratic Communities of Kurdistan (KCK) declared prolongation of the non-violent period until June, said Mr. Aydar.

What were the main reasons behind of Kurdish decision for a non-violent policy?

- Our decision for prolongation of the none-violent line has been taken under the influence of Turkish intellectuals, peace and democratic movements and friends of Kurds from around Europe. But also we ourselves hoped and expected that the Turks would respond positively to our decision, and that it would give us all a chance for better dialogue and a peaceful solution of the Kurdish question. We still hope that we can turn the non-violent situation to a permanent peace, but we are afraid that the recent Turkish attacks and violent policy of the Turkish army could provoke negative reactions from Kurdish youths.

Just before the Turkish attacks on DTP, President Obama visited Turkey. He also met the Chairman of DTP, Mr. Ahmet Turk. It has been rumours that Mr. Turk gave a file to President Obama on the road to a Turkish-Kurdish peace. What was the Kongra-Gel`s reaction on that ?

-We welcomed the visit of President Obama to Turkey, especially his meeting with the Chairman of the Kurdish DTP Ahmet Turk. We know that President Obama received from Mr. Ahmet Turk a file concerning a solution to the Kurdish question. We support this policy of DTP..

But did the Kurds get any reaction from the West ? Or any Western suggestion for peace and dialogue to resolve the Kurdish-Turkish conflict which has already cost the lives of nearly 40.000 people ?

-Now we expect the active involvement of President Obama and the EU to use their good relations with Ankara for dialogue and permanent peace to solve the Kurdish question in Turkey. We believe that the democratization of Turkey is in the common interest of all of us and in the interest of stability in the Middle East.

To support DTP, or PKK ?

-The policy of the Kurdish Freedom Movement / Kongra-Gel is to move from the gun to political struggle and from violence to permanent peace. No one can win the war. We have to fight together with USA and EU to not let DTP to be pushed off the political scene and to be forced to become a militant organisation like the PKK. Our aim should to be to transform the situation – to bring the militants of PKK and the armed forces down from the mountains, to give them the democratic possibility to participate in the political struggle. But not to push DTP up into the mountains.

Waiting for a peace purpose from the EU and the USA

If the aim is to keep DTP in the political scene, not push them to go join with the PKK military armed forces HPG, then why USA and EU did not react against arrest of DTP members ?

-Unfortunately, the EU`s reactions to the arrests of DTP members are very weak. Kurdish people are expecting strong message from the EU and the USA. We know that the EU is not supporting the use of violence in the conflict, but they have to strongly insist on their policy to both sides. Speaking generally, to take part in conflict will not solve any questions.

Up to now, did the EU ask the Kurdish and Turkish sides for a concrete peace process?

-Of course, we read and follow carefully all the decisions of the EU about the developments in Turkey, but sadly until now we have not received any concrete peace proposal from the EU. If the EU and the USA have an active policy towards Turkey, it will strengthen our hands to move forward and to prepare and mobilise the Kurdish Movement and millions of supporters for peace. The EU can play an especially important role since they already have experience from the Irish and Basque peace processes. The EU should encourage both Kurds and Turks in this direction and we are ready to welcome any such proposal.