HDP urges protection of peace process as 'state policy'

ANKARA

REUTERS photo

The Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (HDP) “İmralı Delegation” has said the stalled resolution process should be protected by rendering it “state policy,” regardless of what form the new Turkish government takes.

The delegation, in a written statement released on July 3, also pointed at ending the isolation of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), as the most urgent matter to keep hope alive for Turkey’s resolution process to yield a permanent peace.

Calling Öcalan, who is serving a life sentence in prison on İmralı Island, an “architect” of efforts to form the resolution process aimed at ending the three-decade long conflict between Turkey’s security forces and PKK militants, the delegation said Öcalan’s isolation has been ongoing. The delegation’s most recent visit to Öcalan took place on April 5, while appeals to the Justice Ministry for further visits have been met with no response since then. 

“Focus on debates prioritizing war both inside and abroad and a presentation of preconditions for ending the resolution process as a simple bargaining fact by the AKP [the Justice and Development Party] in regards to the ongoing coalition process are a sign that alarm bells have been ringing for our democratic future and social peace,” the delegation said.

The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has set the “complete suspension” of the process as a precondition for getting engaged in coalition talks with the AKP.

“In the same way, setting up the negotiation mechanism rapidly and abandoning the mistake of using the resolution process as bargaining element during the government formation process is needed,” they said. 
The delegation also said the resolution process should be protected by being rendered as “state policy,” regardless of the makeup of the new government. 

Earlier this week, the HDP’s Pervin Buldan, who is part of the delegation, said they didn’t want to see incumbent Deputy Prime Minister Yalçın Akdoğan in the next government. Akdoğan aggressively criticized and blamed the HDP for being provocative during the run-up to the June 7 parliamentary election. 

Akdoğan’s response to the July 3 statement was swift and conveyed through his Twitter account only a few hours after the statement was released.

“We said before; the AKP votes would be determinant in the way of the resolution process, not the votes of the HDP, and the real decisive actor was the AKP,” Akdoğan said. 

“The HDP just… wants support and votes from people, while asking for action and implementation from the AKP; they are unable to go beyond asking for their role in the process,” he said.

The delegation, meanwhile, announced they are getting ready to begin a political move which would include holding mass peace rallies against the “ominous approaches of the government and the state agencies.” 

Threats of a regional war in Syria and operational processes aimed at destroying the silence of arms inside the country are very serious warning signals for the fate of the peace process, they said. 

“Both in domestic and foreign policy, it should be concentrated on peaceful diplomatic efforts with which people can live together on the basis of equal citizenship and a free life,” they said.