Political scientist Mehmet Zahir Sarıtaş spoke to ANF about the “Peace and Democratic Society” process, which has now completed its first year. Analyzing the report prepared by the parliamentary commission and recent developments in the region, Sarıtaş said the state must move away from its traditional security-oriented policies for the success of the solution process.
Sarıtaş stressed that sharing a concrete and transparent democratic roadmap with the public is of vital importance for achieving lasting peace.
The report falls short of meeting expectations
Political scientist Mehmet Zahir Sarıtaş said the recommendation report announced by the parliamentary commission was prepared with a focus on a “terror-free Turkey” and based on a security-oriented reference rather than addressing the resolution of the Kurdish issue. Noting that the report published after the first year of the process has been debated at different levels in the public sphere, Sarıtaş said the state’s unilateral sensitivities were taken into account while the sensitivities and expectations of Kurds regarding a solution were ignored.
Sarıtaş continued: “This approach weakens trust in the process from the Kurdish perspective. The fact that the state aims to eliminate armed struggle and the environment of conflict but has not presented a clear framework for resolving the Kurdish issue is perceived by Kurds as falling short of meeting their expectations. However, despite this negative approach, there is also an aspect that should be considered important: the continuation of the process and the possibility that democratic negotiations may begin. In this sense, it can also be seen as the state’s determination to continue the process.
Within the framework of the prepared report, there is no clear indication of what will be done in parliament regarding the laws and regulations to be enacted; rather, there is a general uncertainty. In this respect, the initial steps that could be taken include adopting a special law to allow members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to return and participate in social life, ensuring the freedom of Abdullah Öcalan, ending the practice of appointing trustees and reinstating elected officials to their positions, implementing the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Constitutional Court regarding political prisoners, and introducing amendments to the Anti-Terror Law and the law on the execution of sentences.
When these steps are taken, it can be said that the Kurdish issue will move beyond the ground of pressure and violence for both the state and the Kurds and enter a phase of normalization. In this regard, Öcalan and the PKK have taken the necessary steps (such as the PKK’s decision to dissolve and the destruction of weapons), and the steps to be taken by the state are now awaited. This would mean the completion of the first phase of the process.”
The framework for a solution must be clear and understandable
Mehmet Zahir Sarıtaş recalled that the PKK has taken critical steps such as the destruction of weapons and its dissolution, adding that attention has now turned to the steps the state will take. Sarıtaş also referred to the emphasis on “democratic integration” in Abdullah Öcalan’s February 27 statement and said: “When Mr. Öcalan’s latest statement of February 27 is considered in its overall framework, it points to the approach, the method and the steps to be taken for resolving the Kurdish issue. When we look both at the call for Peace and Democratic Society and at the latest February 27 statement, we see that Öcalan approaches the process strategically and has presented a strategic plan and program in line with this approach. However, the state neither approaches the issue strategically nor has a strategic plan and program whose framework it has defined. This situation undermines trust in the process. In order to overcome this, the state must also put forward a plan and program.
In his latest February 27 statement, Öcalan set out the strategic perspective for a solution in the clearest terms: building a democratic society and a democratic republic through democratic politics, democratic negotiation and democratic integration, on the basis of legal and constitutional guarantees that prioritize freedoms. In terms of the process, it should also be emphasized that presenting the framework for a solution in a clear and understandable manner is of particular importance.”
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