A lawmaker from Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party and a nephew of Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has said his uncle has clearly mentioned his willingness to take the initiative for the settlement of a decades-long armed conflict between the Turkish government and the PKK, Turkish Minute reported.
Ömer Öcalan, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) lawmaker, talked about his notes from a meeting he had with Öcalan in a high-security prison on İmralı Island in the Sea of Marmara during a parliamentary session on Thursday.
Ömer Öcalan was allowed to visit his uncle on October 23 after a hiatus of almost four years following an unexpected call from far-right politician Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Bahçeli surprised many when he suggested in October that if prison restrictions imposed on Öcalan were lifted, he could appear at the party group meeting of the DEM Party and declare the dissolution of the PKK, signaling an end to decades of violence.
The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, has been waging a bloody war in Turkey’s southeast since 1984. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict.
Bahçeli also suggested that if Öcalan takes this step, there could be legislative action to pave the way for his possible release.
Erdoğan backed Bahçeli’s call, saying that a “historic opportunity” to resolve the Kurdish issue should not be missed.
The “Kurdish issue,” a term prevalent in Turkey’s public discourse, refers to the demand for equal rights by the country’s Kurdish population and their struggle for recognition.
Ömer Öcalan said his uncle told him the Kurdish issue could be resolved through dialogue in a manner that would benefit both Turks and Kurds and that he is prepared to take the necessary action to achieve this.
The younger Öcalan said his uncle recalled comments he made while onboard a plane from Kenya to Turkey after his abduction by Turkish intelligence agents in Nairobi in 1999. He suggested that he would help find a solution to the Turkish-Kurdish conflict, but he expressed disappointment that his remarks were interpreted as an attempt to save himself from imprisonment.
“If the truth be told, I love Turkey and the Turkish nation and I want to serve it. If I have the chance, I would be pleased to serve. Let there be no torture or anything. I would be happy to serve,” Öcalan told Turkish special forces onboard the plane at the time.
Öcalan was initially sentenced to death at the end of his trial. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in October 2002 after Turkey abolished the death penalty as part of its European Union membership process.
Erdoğan’s role
Ömer Öcalan said his uncle discussed President Erdoğan’s potential role in resolving the Kurdish issue. He mentioned that Erdoğan could assume a different position if he successfully addresses the problem, without elaborating.
“The president and his party have been in power for 22 years. He has done many positive and negative things and has held various positions. However, if he resolves the Kurdish issue, he could take on a different role. If Mr. Erdoğan takes the initiative and plays his part in solving this problem, Turkey will move in a completely different direction. It will be able to export peace to the Middle East and become a center of peace for the region,” Ömer Öcalan quoted his uncle as saying.
Abdullah Öcalan also talked about the importance of the involvement of the Turkish nationalists in finding a solution to the Kurdish issue, expressing the belief that if they are convinced of a solution for the future and the democratic development of Turkey, the country will take a path for the better.
Ömer Öcalan said the PKK stands behind any decisions Öcalan will make about the solution to the conflict.
“Mr. Öcalan has conducted a thorough analysis of Kurdish-Turkish relations spanning a thousand years and has proposed a solution. We are in favor of achieving peace, and we will collaborate with anyone who can contribute to this effort,” Ömer Öcalan added.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said on Tuesday an application from the DEM Party to meet with Öcalan is under consideration, without giving details.
“The process continues. We will work to determine an appropriate day,” Tunç said.
President Erdogan’s nationalist ally proposed last month that the DEM Party hold direct talks with Abdullah Ocalan.
DEM applied to the justice ministry on November 26 for its co-chairs to meet with Öcalan in order to start a dialogue between the government and the PKK.
Turkey’s previous attempt at a peace process with the PKK collapsed in 2015.
