“First, weapons must be silenced… Neither side should attack the other… The next step would be the laying down of arms. First, let’s start to talk. … Let’s begin with dialogue. … The place for dialogue is İmrali Island. … If that is not acceptable, the place for dialogue is where we are. … If that is unacceptable, dialogue should be with the elected authority. … If that, too, is unacceptable, a joint commission can be formed, and wise men can get together. … Such a mechanism can be an interlocutor with the state. …
“The PKK is no longer seeking separation. We want the Kurds to live in the Republic of Turkey as equal and free citizens. This is not a tactics. The movement away from separatism, away from the aim of establishing an independent state, had already begun in 1993. … We only want a democratic and autonomous Kurdistan. With autonomy we do not mean federalism. … We mean a solution that does not affect the unitary structure of the state. The law on local administrations can be amended to strengthen municipalities. … All we want is the Kurds to be able to enjoy their culture freely. …”
The above statements were made by none other than Murat Karayılan, the leader of the PKK since the capture of Abdullah Öcalan 10 years ago. And they were recorded by none other than Hasan Cemal, one of Turkey’s most prominent journalists, meeting with Karayılan at a PKK stronghold on the Kandil Mountains of northern Iraq. (See Milliyet, May 5 and 6.) The meaning of what Karayılan is saying is simply this: The PKK has fully understood that there cannot be a military solution to Turkey’s Kurdish problem and that there can be no winner of a war between two fraternal peoples who have for centuries lived together and forged inseparable ties.
The PKK is calling on the Turkish state to end hostilities by engaging in a dialogue. It is declaring loud and clear that it is no longer aiming at independence, not even at a federal restructuring of Turkey, but at the Kurds of Turkey having full freedom to enjoy their language and culture, and at stronger local governments not only in the Kurdish-majority region but the entire country. The PKK is aware that Ankara cannot negotiate directly with Öcalan or Karayılan and is therefore suggesting that it talk to the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), and if even that is not acceptable, a group of people trusted by both sides to negotiate the terms of peace. The obvious interlocutor is, surely, the DTP, whose leadership ever since the founding of the party has insistently advocated a peaceful resolution of the conflict within the territorial integrity of the country.
There surely is no military solution to Turkey’s Kurdish problem, and surely no way of finishing off the PKK solely with military means. The chief of general staff of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) stated last month that despite the nearly 40,000 young men who have died for the cause of the PKK during the last 25 years, still many join the organization. According to the Ministry of the Interior over 7,000 members of the security forces have lost their lives in the conflict. We do not know the exact number of the many thousands of civilians killed. The government spokesman declared last November that nearly a trillion US dollars have been spent in the fight against the PKK. There is no way of calculating the moral and material losses this civil war has inflicted upon Turkey.
This has to be brought to an end. There is no doubt that the vast majority of the people on both sides demand this. It is only those who are either blinded by nationalist-racist ideology or have a vested interest in the continuation of the hostilities who oppose peace. If there is a government in Ankara, it has to assume leadership and respond to the demands of the people. If the Justice and Development Party (AKP) leadership wants to earn a true place in history, it must show the way. If the commanders of the TSK are truly committed to the territorial integrity of the country, they have to give their support to all measures necessary to end hostilities. President Abdullah Gül declared two days ago that “the Kurdish problem is Turkey’s number one problem, and it has to be resolved. … This opportunity must not be lost.”
He is absolutely right. This opportunity for peace at home must not be lost. Turkey must amend its laws to enable full freedom of expression for non–violent views. Kurdish citizens and all other citizens should be able to express their grievances and demands without restrictions. An unconditional amnesty for PKK militants who lay down their arms must be declared. Turkey is the motherland of not only those who regard themselves as Turks but of all citizens irrespective of ethnic and religious identity. Those who govern this country must understand that Turkey can preserve its integrity and advance towards greater prosperity only by fully respecting the ethnic and religious identities of its citizens.
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