BDP co-chair invites main opposition to act together

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

‘There must be contact between İmralı and Kandil,’ says BDP co-chair Demirtaş, calling for a contact between the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and senior leaders in northern Iraq. ‘It could be possible if the conditions would get normalized. If a safe atmosphere is achieved, the government could do that,’ he says. AA photo

The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) has called on the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) to collaborate in opposition with the BDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, saying that the BDP had much to offer in methods.

“In the second phase [of the resolution process], which we call the ‘democratization phase,’ we could together conduct a democracy struggle against the Justice and Democracy Party [AKP]. If the CHP gets rid of its status-quo supporting character, leaves aside its nationalist sensitivities, and focuses on its social democrat tendencies, we could make opposition together,” Demirtaş told a group of journalists at Parliament on April 30.

The BDP is currently taking active part in the ongoing efforts to achieve a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue. “Permanent peace can be achieved through [the peace process]. If the CHP misses that point, it will remain both outside of the process and will be unable to play its historic role as the main opposition in the democracy struggle,” Demirtaş said.

 “The CHP does not know that the struggle could go on together by negotiating. It has never adopted such a method. But we are experienced in it. We both maintain our struggle and negotiate at the same time,” he added.

Demirtaş also said they were not completely against the new presidential system. “Even if the Conciliation Commission disperses, we will continue the works and discussions regarding the Constitution with the AKP. We are not closed to that. There could be a president above the regional public autonomies we have proposed. This is not necessarily against our model. However, the model the AKP has proposed is not the kind that we would support. Our voters would not say ‘yes’ to such a presidential system in a referendum,” he said.

Besides, Demirtaş said a delegation formed by some members of the “wise persons” commission might pay a visit to İmralı, although the commission has not made such a demand yet.

Demirtaş said the phase of writing letters regarding the recess process had come to an end. However, more letters could be required for other phases as well.

Demirtaş again stated that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) authorities in the Kandil Mountains had demanded direct communication with İmralı. “We always said that there must be contact between İmralı and Kandil. It could be possible if the conditions would get normalized. If a safe atmosphere is achieved, the government could do that,” he said.

‘Disarmament is hard if chaos continues’

Demirtaş also indicated that implementing the third phase, which is the permanent disarmament of the PKK, would be very hard without the chaos in the region being resolved. “It cannot be achieved in just a few years. It seems hard to complete the third phase before the chaos in Syria and Iran comes to an end. And no one knows how long that will last. But I believe a war will not break out in Turkey. Turkey won’t turn back to those days. But it is very hard to schedule the date when the arms will be permanently laid down,” he said.