ÇEWLÎG- Speaking at a public meeting in Çewlîg (Bingol), Tuncer Bakirhan said of the Republican People's Party (CHP)'s decision not to visit Imralı, "They are trying to turn opposition to the government into opposition to a solution. The CHP must read the Kurdish issue correctly. This is what we expect from the CHP," he stated.  

 

A public meeting was held in a wedding hall in Çewlîg as part of the "Peace and Democratic Society Meetings," with the participation of Tuncer Bakırhan, Co-Chair of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), and Pervin Buldan, a member of the Imrali Delegation. In addition to representatives of political parties and civil society organisations, hundreds of citizens attended the meeting.

 

"We will carry out the process together," said Bakırhan, noting that there are still people who oppose the process. Bakırhan said, "Those who shamelessly call themselves politicians, those who run parties, are standing against this process. We need to recognise them well; it is our duty to expand the ground for peace in the face of them."

 

Stating that the work of the commission established in Parliament is important, Bakırhan emphasised that it is now necessary to meet with Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Ocalan. Bakirhan added: "This process will bring relief not only to the Kurds but to all 86 million people. We have held over 2 thousand meetings. Everywhere, everyone is calling for peace, pleading for an end to the deaths, the Peaace Mothers are crying out. But politics is engaged in a debate over legitimacy. It is debating what is legitimate and what is not in a false and misleading manner. Peace is the most legitimate thing. We are on the side of the people's conscience. The people's conscience says, 'Peace is legitimate, and if we are to achieve peace, it is legitimate to go to Mr Öcalan'. Now we must go and meet with Mr Öcalan and speed up the process."

 

Following Bakırhan Pervin Buldan spoek. She said they would meet with Abdullah Öcalan in the first week of December and that Öcalan was determined, hopeful and in good health at every meeting. 

 

Pervin Buldan stated that Abdullah Öcalan was the most important actor in initiating the process and expressed that patience was needed regarding the slow progress of the process. Parvin Buldan said that Öcalan is the main actor in the process and said: "For him to play this role, his conditions need to change. His voice needs to reach society. In order for him to conduct these negotiations, he needs to be able to meet with the circles he wants. Legal regulations must be prepared on how the issue of integration into Turkey or elsewhere will be resolved. With the commission's visit to Imrali in the near future, we will enter a new phase where discussions will begin on how this law will be enacted. This will be our new field of struggle. The commission will embark on a new working process and undertake legal regulatory work." 

 

Pervin Buldan also spoke about what steps should be taken within the framework of legal regulations, emphasising that instead of expecting something from the state or the government, the struggle must continue. "Mr Öcalan has great expectations of everyone. He wants you to embrace the process, take ownership of it and contribute to it," she said.  

 

CHP'S DECISION ON IMRALI 

 

The public then shared their assessments of the process and asked questions of the participants. Tuncer Bakırhan responded to a question about how they assessed the CHP's decision not to visit İmralı, saying, "We are in a process where we are discussing Turkey's democracy. Unfortunately, however, some political parties are trying to turn opposition to the government into opposition to a solution. The Kurdish issue is a long-standing problem. It should not be turned into opposition to the government. The CHP must read the Kurdish issue correctly. This is what we expect from the CHP."