HDP says Turkish gov’t ‘partially shared’ draft roadmap on peace process

ANKARA

'At the moment, there is no such situation as an ending of the resolution process,' HDP's İdris Baluken says. DHA Photo

In a move indicating the will of both the ruling party and the Kurdish political movement for containing damage to Turkey’s stalled peace process following deadly recent street protests, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has revealed that the government has “partially shared” a long-awaited draft roadmap aimed at accelerating the process.

“At the moment, there is no such situation as an ending of the resolution process. We are currently keeping our path of dialogue open. Our meetings with the government are continuing,” HDP Deputy Parliamentary Group Chair İdris Baluken said at a press conference on Oct. 13.

Baluken was addressing speculation about whether the turmoil over the government’s reluctance to take action against the jihadist attack on the Syrian border town of Kobane might lead to the collapse of peace process aimed at ending the three-decade-long conflict between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Turkey’s security forces. The plight of the Kurdish-populated Kobane unleashed the worst street violence in Turkey in years, with over 30 people killed in three days of riots across the mainly Kurdish southeast last week. The causalities included two police officers shot dead in an apparent attempt to assassinate a police chief, who escaped with injuries.

“It wouldn’t be right to say the roadmap has been shared with us in detail. However, we have seen one draft page that was shared with us,” Baluken said, adding that the government has still yet to share its plans on democratization and resolving the Kurdish issue through legislative steps.

On Oct. 9, HDP co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş made public that the PKK’s jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, had called for an acceleration of the peace process following deadly clashes. Öcalan also warned of “provocations and massacres.”

Earlier, on Oct. 6, following a visit to his brother in İmralı Island prison in the Sea of Marmara, Mehmet Öcalan quoted his brother as saying that they “will wait for the resolution until Oct. 15. Afterwards, there will be nothing that we can do.”

Playing a central role in the process, the jailed PKK leader has been in dialogue with both state officials and members of Parliament since at least late 2012.