TODAY’S MESOP COMMENTARY AD PKK : BY EMRE USLU

The KCK declaration

The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) has issued a new declaration about the peace process. In the long text, the KCK points out several issues and stresses its expectations. It also outlines how the process evolved starting from the peace process a year ago.          

“The KCK decided to pull out [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] PKK militants from Turkish borders a year ago. The KCK’s decision gave political actors a great opportunity to solve the Kurdish question. Eighty percent of Turkish and Kurdish society supported the initiative. However, despite the fact that the KCK showed its real intentions for peace by pulling out PKK militants from Turkey, the [Justice and development Party] AKP government did not take necessary measures to solve the problem. The government was satisfied with the cease-fire and expected to reach the elections without any clashes. Our movement issued statements and warned the AKP government but it did not take the warning seriously. The AKP government wasted the opportunity to bring peace. The government used this process not for peace but to establish its own hegemony.”

After issuing such criticism toward the peace process, the KCK outlined their expectations moving forward. In the declaration, it said: “Since the AKP government did not positively respond to our call, it is now no longer an interlocutor of the process. During the political crisis which erupted after the Dec. 17 police operations, [PKK leader] Abdullah Öcalan did not adopt an opportunistic policy. Yet the AKP government even missed this opportunity and demonstrated that they would not respond positively to the steps Öcalan was taking toward the peace initiative.”

Therefore, the declaration stressed: “The AKP government is no longer the government that will solve the Kurdish question. The AKP government is thus no longer a partner and addressee for us to negotiate the peace process.”

The declaration continued by stating: “The AKP government has lost its political ground and function to solve the Kurdish question. But there are no other political alternatives to solve this problem either. Therefore, it is necessary for people to solve their own problems. Indeed the political environment that Turkey is facing currently is the perfect environment for democratic forces and for people to push for a democratic straggle to democratize Turkey. Thus, the people should not allow the forces of hegemonic powers or foreign powers to establish a government to rule over them.”

After such outlines and criticism, the KCK issued a number of points and to-do lists. The combination of what the KCK wants in the declaration indicates that it is preparing to declare an autonomous regime (demokratik özerklik) in the region. We don’t know the nature or substance of the regime but the declaration indicates the intention of the KCK.

Kurdistan People’s Congress (Kongra-Gel) co-chairman Remzi Kartal interprets the statement as a “declaration” to end the KCK’s relations with the AKP government and show the KCK’s position to let people know how to bring a “democratic solution” in the coming days.

As far as I understand, there are two reasons why the KCK issued such declaration: first, to push the AKP government into a corner prior to the upcoming elections; and second, if the AKP loses the election and there is political insatiability in upcoming months, the PKK will prepare to declare an autonomous regime in the Kurdish region.

Will this be successful? I don’t know, there are many unknowns to make any predictions…

http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/emre-uslu_342259_kck-declaration.html