The closed parliamentary session confirmed that the process concerning the commission established to address the Kurdish question had reached a critical stage regarding its potential visit to Imrali.
Iskender Bayhan, Istanbul MP of the Labour Party (EMEP), said that during Friday’s meeting, the only factor that could prevent the commission from taking such a decision was the political will itself. Bayhan stressed that the current process did not carry the aim of peace or democratisation and noted that it remained limited to a framework focused solely on a return arrangement.
This decision must be made on Friday
Bayhan stated that the closed session had examined both the political and technical dimensions of the process and said: “I believe that, ahead of Friday’s meeting, there is no remaining obstacle, other than Erdoğan, for the commission to decide on a visit to Imrali. It was within Numan Kurtulmuş’s authority to bring this matter onto the agenda. Until now, he had not done so; he kept postponing it. Arguments such as ‘the process needs to mature’ or ‘the timing is not yet appropriate’ were put forward.
It was later announced that, both in terms of the legal procedure and a possible visit to Imrali, Ibrahim Kalın, representatives of the security bureaucracy and officials from the Ministry of National Defence needed to be heard during the final closed briefing, and that a decision would be made according to conditions on the ground. All of these points had already appeared in statements made by Numan Kurtulmuş, both as head of the commission and as Speaker of Parliament. Those steps have now been carried out, and the briefings have been completed.”
Bayhan explained that these steps had now taken place and the necessary briefings had been completed. He also said, “In yesterday’s closed session, it became clear that there was no barrier to initiating preparations for both the visit to Imrali and the legal process. This was the strongest impression I received. Therefore, after Numan Kurtulmuş stated that ‘we will handle this on Friday, we will put it on our agenda,’ no obstacle remained. The only barrier, as I said, could be Erdoğan saying ‘no.’ I think this will go through on Friday. If it does not, then it means there is no obstacle other than the palace itself. This is how it should be understood.”
They no longer have the option of claiming there is an obstacle on the ground
Iskender Bayhan, the commission’s assessment of conditions on the ground showed that no barrier remained to the legal phase of the process, and he expressed this view as follows: “In terms of legal arrangements, from what I heard in yesterday’s closed session, one of the points Numan Kurtulmuş raised was that they would ‘see whether there is any obstacle on the ground.’ I believe we have seen that there is no such obstacle; everyone saw it. After yesterday’s session, Numan Kurtulmuş no longer has the possibility, as the head of the commission, to come out and say, ‘There is an obstacle on the ground.’ Therefore, after the commission’s meeting on Friday, and considering that its mandate expires in December if not extended, there is nothing preventing steps from being taken to move into the legislative debate and begin the legal process. I believe that phase will now begin.”
Bayhan also said, “The real issue is the scope it will take and the kind of arrangement it will introduce. From what I can see, the palace bloc, the representatives of the palace regime, did not assign this commission a mission of peace or democratisation. From the outset, they indicated that the bill they would bring forward would remain within the ‘Terror-Free Turkey’ discourse and would not go beyond that. It appears it will be a return arrangement and will not exceed a special law. The statements Mehmet Uçum made from the palace also point in this direction, and that was the overall picture reflected in yesterday’s closed session.”
Bayhan added: “So no one should expect major steps toward democratisation, peace or a resolution of the Kurdish question from this commission. Everyone expressed their views, and they are now on the record. However, for making the silencing of weapons permanent and establishing peace, it is important for the commission to prepare a legal framework for the return of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants; in this sense, creating a concrete basis matters. No one should underestimate this. These steps must be taken in the coming days. And for anything more, we will have to continue the struggle.”
A simple majority is sufficient for the decision
Iskender Bayhan also explained the technical details of how the commission could decide on a visit to Imrali. Bayhan said: “The commission does not need to hold a vote in order to take a decision regarding Imrali. Until now, none of the hearings or briefing processes have been decided through a formal vote by the commission; no voting has taken place. Numan Kurtulmuş’s authority on this matter is sufficient. This is a technical issue.
The commission’s work is organised through the group chair and the group deputy chairs; this has always been the case. Therefore, the responsibility lies with them, first and foremost with the head of the commission. In our view, there is not even a need for a vote.”
Bayhan continued: “Secondly, if a vote were to be held, as has been suggested, a qualified majority is not required. This is already laid out in the commission’s internal regulations. If the commission must decide by vote, the procedure is regulated in Article 6 of the commission’s rules. And there, it states that for any decision other than laws and legislative proposals, if a vote is held, the decision is taken by a simple majority of the members present. This is a rule of procedure.
So, I want to underline this as well: such a requirement does not exist. As for how the delegation to visit Imrali would be formed and who it would consist of, it is beneficial for this to be discussed as openly and thoroughly as possible. In this sense, I consider Friday to be a critical day.”