Abdullah Ocalan is one of the charismatic leaders of Kurds. He is the founder of the Kurdish Workers Party. The Kurdish Workers Party is labeled as a terrorist organization in Turkey. Currently, he is in jail. In a recent development, Ocalan said that he is ready to find a solution of Kurdish turmoil. He further claimed that he can end the fight between the Turkish state and rebels in one week. He issued this statement via his lawyers.
The statement was issued on Thursday. The statement further claims that Kurds do not want a separate state. But Kurds want to live in a place that ensures happy Turk-Kurd relations. He further claimed that he wants to create a space for Kurds to resolve their issues with the Turkish government. He also invited Turkey to resolve the Kurdish turmoil.
He further argued that Kurds are ready for all negotiations but the Turkish state should also fulfill its responsibility. Ocalan’s statement on Kurdish turmoil came a day after when USA and Turkey decided to cooperate in making a safe zone in northern Syria. Northern Syria is currently controlled by the US-backed Kurd fighters and YPG. The YPG has links with Ocalan.
Ocalan is now in an island prison. He was captured by Turkish special forces in Kenya in 1999. Pro Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) believes that Ocalan is a key personality for any negotiations with Turkey on Kurdish turmoil.
Turkish government placed a ban on visiting Ocalan in 2011. However, the ban was lifted in May 2019. After lifting off the visit ban, Ocalan’s lawyers meet him. His lawyers met him again on Wednesday. The PKK is blacklisted by Turkey, USA, UK and other western allies of Turkey. The 35 years old conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
Current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan adopted a hawkish approach towards the Kurdish turmoil. His harsh behavior towards Kurd rebels is making the issue more complicated. It is amount to burying the political solution of this dispute.
Mr. Mehmet is Ocalan’s brother. He was allowed to meet Ocalan in January. It was his first visit to his brother in three years. Ocalan was sentenced to death by Turkish courts on charges of treason. However, the death sentence was converted to life imprisonment when Turkey abolished the death penalty law in 2002. It was the same time when Turkey was about to secure the membership of the European Union.
A cease-fire agreement between Turkey and Kurd rebels broke down in 2015 when two sides failed to conclude negotiations. Ocalan played an important role in these negotiations.
In the start of 2019, Ocalan demanded his Kurdish inmates to roll back the hunger strike. All these steps by Ocalan indicate that He is interested in making a peace deal with the Turkish authorities. Now It is the responsibility of the Turkish authorities to give peace a chance.
Turkey is opposing the separatist agenda by some Kurd leaders. Now Ocalan has also said that Kurds do not want a separate state. It seems that both Ocalan and Turkish authorities share common thoughts on Kurdish turmoil.
Conclusively we can say that the only solution of the Kurdish turmoil lies in negotiations between the Turkish state and the Kurd leaders including Ocalan. Turkey can go for peace deals without releasing Ocalan. However, it will have to soften its stance against the Kurdish rebels. Only a political settlement can put an end to this 35 years-long conflict.
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