Cengiz Çandar, Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) MP for Amed (tr: Diyarbakır), stated that the process and the decisions to be taken would be accelerated with the opening of Parliament on October 1.
Speaking to ANF, Çandar pointed out that there is nothing more natural than the commission hearing Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is the decisive and leading actor in the process.
Çandar, who visited imprisoned politicians Selahattin Demirtaş and Selçuk Mızraklı in Edirne F Type Closed Prison last week, said, “If the right to hope is not put on the agenda and the demands of the people are not met, then there is a deadlock,” referring to the steps that need to be taken in this process.
Commenting on the resolution process, Çandar stated that there had been strong support for the process from the very beginning, but that the lack of trust continued. He emphasized that Selahattin Demirtaş and Abdullah Öcalan were the most ardent supporters of the process, saying, “Selahattin Demirtaş immediately took sides with Mr. Öcalan’s February 27 call. In that sense, there is no problem in terms of their support for the process and its progress.”
‘The process is very sensitive’
Çandar emphasized the difference between support and trust, stating, “This is something I noticed when talking to Selahattin Demirtaş. I saw it reflected in him too.” Drawing attention to field research, Çandar said, “In Turkey’s Kurdish environment, support has risen from 70 percent to over 80 percent among the Kurdish population, in Kurdish regions, and could rise further as we move forward. When it comes to trust, however, there is a problem in the 40% range. This stems from the state not yet taking the steps desired by the Kurds. The process is very sensitive at this point. If it gets mixed up with the political agenda, as it did in the 2013–2015 period, if it gets mixed up with the daily political agenda, if it is not handled with great care, there will be bottlenecks and hesitations.”
‘A sense of trust needs to be instilled in the public’
Çandar outlined the steps that need to be taken to establish trust, saying: “The easiest and most straightforward step would be to release Demirtaş and Selçuk Mızraklı. There is a European Court of Human Rights ruling in this regard. This is not a difficult task. Article 90 of the Constitution requires compliance with European Court of Human Rights rulings. This was introduced by an amendment made by the AKP government. Therefore, if the AKP government implements its own constitutional amendment, there will be no problem. Because there is already an ECtHR ruling.”
Çandar stated that this situation was detrimental to the process, saying, “If such a process exists and if the aim is to build trust in society, particularly among the Kurdish people, then there is no point in keeping Selçuk Mızraklı in prison or continuing to hold Demirtaş behind bars despite the ECtHR ruling. Therefore, the immediate release of both is crucial for the integrity of the process and for instilling a sense of trust in the public.”
‘The process proceeded according to the framework outlined by Öcalan’
Referring to the role of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, Çandar said, “Mr. Öcalan is the main actor in this process. Everything proceeded according to the framework he outlined and the timetable he predicted. With his call on February 27, the organization (the PKK) dissolved itself. Then, with the congress held between May 5 and 7, that call was heeded. On July 11, the organization symbolically ended the armed struggle by burning weapons in the Cesena caves.”
‘Nothing could be more natural than Öcalan to be heard by the commission’
Recalling the beginning of the process, Çandar said, “On October 22, Devlet Bahçeli (leader of the government partner MHP) appeale to Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan: ‘Come, demand the dissolution of the organization, end the armed struggle, and then we will see about the issue of the right to hope.’ Öcalan complied with this on February 27, and the organization responded to him. Abdullah Öcalan consistently advocated for this issue to be brought under the umbrella of Parliament and legalized, and for a commission to be established for this purpose. This also happened. In late July, the commission was established and began its work in August. Therefore, nothing could be more natural than for the person who determined the timing of this entire process to be heard by the commission.”
‘Now it’s time for the right to hope’
Referring to the concept of the “right to hope,” Çandar said, “Bahçeli also mentioned this. Now it’s time for the right to hope. There needs to be progress on this issue. If there isn’t, it means there are certain bottlenecks.”
‘Disarmament will lose its meaning unless enshrined in law’
Çandar stated that he expects the process to accelerate with the opening of Parliament on October 1, adding, “The disarmament on July 11 will lose its meaning unless it is enshrined in law because a law on reintegration must be passed after disarmament. What will happen to thousands of PKK guerrillas? Thousands of people in prisons and thousands in the diaspora must be integrated into society and political life. For all this to happen, progress must be made quickly. When Parliament opens, the commission will bring draft laws on this issue. When the commission’s drafts are brought up in Parliament, they will be passed with a large majority, implementation will begin, and a climate of peace will be established in Turkey.”
‘I last met with Öcalan in 1993 in the Bekaa Valley’
Çandar also spoke about the solution to the Kurdish issue, stating, “After that, the essential elements of the Kurdish issue, equal citizenship, local administrations, and the removal of trusteeship will come to the fore.”
Referring to his possibility of meeting with Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, Çandar said, “According to my sources, there is a possibility that I will go to Imrali. If I receive such an invitation, I will go, hopefully. The last time we met face to face was on March 16, 1993, in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, on the day the first ceasefire was declared. Thirty-two years have passed since then. We miss meeting him; it would be good.”