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Cemil Bayik: It's impossible to solve the
Kurdish question in Turkey without PKK and Ocalan
21.5.2006
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Recent statements by EU
officials regarding the Kurdish movement suggest
that the EU does not want the Kurdish Question to be
resolved. This is the evaluation of Kurdistan
Democratic Confederation (KKK) Executive Council
member Cemil Bayik. Mr Bayik also warned of the
increasing repression of the pro-Kurdish Democratic
Society Party (DTP), also said the KKK will resist
all attempts to destroy it.
The EU seems to have taken initiative against your
movement, often making statements calling on all
concerned to “give up on PKK and Abdullah Ocalan”.
Most recently the EU official Joost Lagendijk made
similar statements. What is your reaction to these
statements?
The EU do not want the Kurdish Question to be
resolved and there is no significant EU policy to
assist in finding a solution. If the EU had
genuinely wanted to resolve the Kurdish issue it
would have put forward a programme or taken the
opportunity to discuss the issue when our leader,
Abdullah Ocalan, was in Europe where he proposed a
concrete seven-step resolution. If the EU had been
serious about finding a solution it would have
offered a refuge to our leader. The EU not only
rejected the opportunity of being a catalyst to a
solution but it also laid the ground for the
international conspiracy against our leader. |
Cemil Bayik - Kurdistan Democratic Confederation (KKK)
Executive Council member
Photo:Dozame.org |
The EU is now calling on the Kurds to renounce their
support for the PKK and Ocalan by talking about a
solution “without the PKK and Ocalan”. The EU knows
very well that the Kurdish Question in Turkey can
not be resolved without the involvement of the PKK
and Ocalan. Thus through these statements the EU is
strengthening Turkey’s policy of denial and
annihilation. The EU’s attitude is feeding Turkey’s
violence and the continuation of war. If the EU
wanted to resolve the Question it would not have
supported Turkey, then Turkey would have been forced
to take steps to resolve the Question.
Mr Lagendijk, chairman of the EU-Turkey Joint
Parliamentary Committee, is in fact smearing the
Kurds based on biased information he receives from
Turkish circles. He does not consider the Kurds and
the PKK to be worthy of consultation or
consideration. Based on misinformation Mr Lagendijk
is actually making a judgment against the PKK.
Europeans must resist this policy as the deadlock on
Kurdish Question affects everyone, the Kurds, Turks
and Europe.
We believe Europe strives for stability. If this is
true, then Europe must aim for stability in Turkey
which is after all a candidate member state. Unless
Kurdish Question is resolved stability,
democratization and European rule of law, as well as
way of life, cannot be achieved in Turkey.
We expect Lagendijk and the EU to respect the choice
and the will of the Kurdish people. On 15 February
(the anniversary of the abduction of Ocalan), 8
March
(International Women’s Day) and during Newroz people
demonstrated their support for the PKK and Ocalan by
chanting “PKK is the people”. The Kurds carried
posters of Ocalan everywhere and stated that Ocalan
is the representative of their political will. Mr
Lagendijk who talks about democracy does not
recognize that and insists to the people that
“Ocalan does not represent you”. I do not think that
this attitude reflects a commitment to democracy.
The EU accuses the Kurdish movement of not being
democratic. Is it the Kurdish movement or the EU
which is anti-democratic?
The Kurdish people are resisting tyranny, torture
and oppression under a threat of death. Despite all
the risks the Kurds have said that Ocalan is their
legitimate representative. However The EU is trying
to define the will of Kurdish people. This is not
democracy. In democracy people choose for
themselves. The Kurds can not accept this rejection
of their democratic choice by Europe or Mr Lagendijk.
The Kurds have been fighting for 30 years and have
suffered enormously. 4,000 Kurdish villages have
been burnt down by Turkish Army. Three million Kurds
have been forced from their homes as refugees.
Millions became refugees in their country and were
subjected to unemployment and hunger. Some of these
people were forced into crime and the sex trade.
Even this is blamed on the PKK. However we know for
a fact that JITEM (Gendarmerie Intelligence) is
organising homeless youngsters in Diyarbakir as
gangs pushing them into illegal activities. Some of
these children are taken to cities such as Istanbul
and Izmir where they are pushed into illegal
activities. Later when they are arrested the
officials claim that the PKK benefits from these
crimes. These facts must be acknowledged by Mr
Lagendijk and the EU.
I believe Semdinli incident has highlighted the
reality of Turkey once more. It has clearly
identified the forces behind the dirty war in
Kurdistan which can be seen in the indictment
prepared by the Van Prosecutor. This indictment was
prepared by a State official and confirms that
Turkish army officials, police and gangs set up by
these war lords are responsible for extra-judicial
killings, bombings and extortion. All these illegal
forces and their activities were coordinated by
Yasar Buyukanit, Chief of Command for Turkish Land
Forces. Accusing the PKK of violence and labelling
us as terrorist, disregarding the will of our
people, at a time when we are faced with such
realities, is not in line with democracy. This
attitude represents total disregard and ignorance
towards the struggle of our people for freedom.
Some circles in Turkey claim that the PKK is an
obstacle to reaching a solution to Kurdish Question.
These circles claim that the PKK is imposing its
policies on everyone involved in the Kurdish issue
and as a result the Kurdish movement is not
democratic. They say that Kurds cannot achieve
democracy unless the PKK’s monopoly of the Kurdish
issue is defeated. It is suggested that if the PKK
dissolved itself the Kurdish question could be
resolved. The aim here is clearly to break the
organization, the will and awakening of the Kurdish
people which was achieved by the PKK.
The PKK and our leader Abdullah Ocalan led the most
significant struggle for democratization in
Kurdistan. Due to our struggle we developed modern
and civilized social values through a social
transformation. The status of Kurdish women is the
best evidence for this statement. Today Kurdish
women are taking a leading role in civil movements
and our guerrilla forces. This is the most
significant democratisation act.
Both the Turkish State and foreign circles are
targeting the legal Kurdish political organisations.
What is your reaction to the attacks on the legal
Kurdish political organiations?
Legal Kurdish political activity does have
shortcomings and weaknesses. All the efforts by
Turkish State, directed at those weaknesses, are
aimed at making the Kurds pay politically. They are
trying to pacify legal Kurdish political activity.
Through arrests, threats and even murder they are
trying to suppress the Kurdish legal movement.
However despite shortcomings the Kurdish legal
movement stands firm. They are obviously trying to
create splits within the legal movement. Through
repression they are aiming to pacify or buy off some
among the legal movement.
State officials are constantly putting pressure on
the legal movement calling on them to “cut all ties
with the PKK and Ocalan” - as if there is any link.
The aim
is to divide Kurdish forces against each other. In
other words they are trying to hit the Kurds with
Kurds. The same game is played against various
Kurdish legal movements and again the aim is to
destroy Kurdish organizational accomplishments in
the legal area. The same strategy is implemented
against our guerrilla forces.
The method may be different but in essence the aim
is the same; to break the willpower of the Kurdish
people. Kurdish movement in all areas, from the
legal movement to guerrilla forces, is showing
tremendous resistance. The Kurds are persistent in
their struggle for freedom. Our resistance makes the
solution of Kurdish Question unavoidable. Turkish
officials may try to win more time, there might be
more repression and torture, we may have to make
sacrifices but the solution is unavoidable. Sooner
or later Turkey will have to address the Kurdish
Question.
What will you do against regional and international
interference? What is the likelihood of an
escalation in violence?
2006 will be a difficult year. Even though we do not
want war and call for a democratic political
solution of the Kurdish question Turkish officials,
led by Yasar Buyukanit, insist on terror, violence
and war. Turkey hopes to continue with its old
policies. Turkey aims to defeat the Kurds through
military aggression, isolation and repression
against our movement. We have no other option but to
resist such attacks. Resistance is our legitimate
right. Resistance is a right enshrined under
international law. As long as the Kurdish Question
remains unresolved we will resort to our legitimate
right to resistance. We will not accept surrender or
death.
We insist on our right to freedom and dignity. We
believe a solution cannot be achieved through war,
repression and tyranny. The Turkish State must soon
realize this reality and abandon its current
policies. Turkey must recognize the Kurdish issue
and accept the need for moving towards a solution.
Turkey can not afford to make wrong calculations.
Our guerrilla forces and the Kurdish people will
stand firm. We will break the diplomatic isolation
surrounding our movement in the international arena.
The year 2006 may not immediately produce the
results that we desire. It will be a difficult year
of struggle. We can not afford to make mistakes. I
believe all our members and people realize this. We
will defeat the policy of denial and annihilation to
win.
Women and youth will play an important role in our
struggle. Both women and youth have a leading social
role.
Source: Yeni Özgür Politika, 5 May 2006, translated
from Turkish original.
16 May 2006 / by Aziz Ozgur
Source: Dozame.org
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