The co-chair of the Peoples’ Party for Equality and Democracy (DEM Party), Tülay Hatimoğulları, welcomed the establishment of the parliamentary commission to resolve the Kurdish question at an event in Adana, but at the same time warned against delays. “The commission must meet with Abdullah Öcalan without delay,” she said.
At the event in the Yaşar Kemal Cultural Center, which was part of the series “Meetings for Peace and Democratic Society,” Hatimoğulları honored the decades of commitment to peace by relatives of victims of the war in Kurdistan. She said that the Kurdish Peace Mothers in particular had kept the idea of reconciliation alive through their work despite heavy losses.
Without democratization, there can be no lasting peace
Hatimoğulları repeatedly referred to the call for peace and a democratic society issued in February by Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan from the prison on the Turkish island of Imrali. “We ourselves have seen how he emphasized the historical significance of this statement. The goal is not the end of resistance, but the transition to a legal, political, and social debate,” she stated.
“Without democratization in Turkey, there can be no lasting peace—not for Kurds, not for other minorities, and not for the working population,” Hatimoğulları emphasized. Peace must be conceived in comprehensive terms: social justice, political equality, and protection from discrimination, she said.
Women in particular suffer from war and violence, the politician Hatimoğulları. “During our discussions, Öcalan repeatedly emphasized the importance of women’s liberation. Women will also be the pioneers of lasting peace.”
Operations against elected representatives sabotage the peace process
Hatimoğulları also criticized political interference against opposition mayors and members of parliament. “Operations against elected representatives—whether in Kurdish cities or, as is currently the case, in CHP-run municipalities- sabotage the peace process,” she said. “If the allegations of corruption are genuine, investigations must be transparent and apply equally to all municipalities – not just cities governed by the opposition. Otherwise, it will simply amount to criminalizing the CHP and excluding it from the dialogue for peace.”
Hatimoğulları also referred to unimplemented rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and called for the release of well-known political prisoners such as Selahattin Demirtaş, Figen Yüksekdağ and Osman Kavala.
Call for clear steps
With regard to the work of the parliamentary commission, Hatimoğulları warned: “The expectations of the population are high. Questions such as ‘Will there be peace?’ or ‘Will there be genuine equality?’ are the most frequently asked. That is why quick, concrete answers are needed.”
Öcalan is the central interlocutor and chief negotiator, stressed Hatimoğulları. “If he is not included, the process is in danger of failing. We need a transparent, solution-oriented dialogue.”
Peace is the only option
“There is no alternative to peace,” Hatimoğulları said to applause from the audience. “We must be courageous and work together to build a democratic republic. Diversity is not a weakness, but our strength,” she concluded.
After Hatimoğulları’s speech, the event continued closed to the press.
Source: ANF News
