ALIZE IN KURDISTAN – TELLING TALES OF COMMON SENSE ( U.S. COUNSELLOR JOHN LISTER’S WIFE)

Turkey plan for peace talks is not known (Aliza Marcus)

Kurdpress – 18.8.2013 – Turkey ruling government plan and its decision for its peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is not known, the American renowned author Aliza Marcus told Hurriyet daily news.

Speaking to the daily in Diyarbakir, Marcus, who is writing on Turkey Kurds since 1980s, said Turkey has taken PKK jailed Leader Abdullah Ocalan as the only side in the talks and neglected the pivotal role of Pro- Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in the negotiations.

Ocalan is undoubtedly the most important person in the talks but it should not be ignored that he is imprisoned and cannot make free decisions, she said in the interview. The writer of two books on Turkey’s Kurdish issue, Marcus stressed Ocalan himself is willing to see others play roles in the negotiations and talk to the government.

Marcus further said Ankara should accept that it has no other way but to go to Qandil and talk to the PKK forces in the Qandil Mountains in Kurdistan Region. The PKK officials in Qandil are seeking an autonomous structure in Kurdish regions of Turkey but the main problem is they don’t know what’s the government going after and that’s the biggest unanswered question, she said, revealing that PKK is afraid of being defrauded by Ankara the same as Oslo talks which ruling Justice and Development government (AKP) benefited to win 2001 elections.

The US analyst said the current cease- fire between the two sides will last till the next municipality elections and clashes between the two sides is impossible to occur before spring 2014. She added Turkey should take serious steps and “only a powerful leader like Erdogan (Turkey PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan) can make historical decisions in the wake of big public support he enjoys.”