The “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” of Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been held under isolation conditions in İmralı Type F High Security Prison for 27 years, remains on the agenda. The call received support from many countries around the world. Ahmet Yaman, who stayed with Abdullah Öcalan in Rome for 3 months and is now the Foreign Affairs Spokesperson of the Swiss Kurdish Assembly, evaluated the developments to Mezopotamya Agency (MA). 

 

 

Stating that he stayed with Abdullah Öcalan for 3 months during the conspiracy process, Yaman said that Abdullah Öcalan had been working intensively for the solution of the Kurdish issue since the 90s. Reminding that Abdullah Öcalan went to Europe to seek a political solution, Yaman said that he witnessed this during his stay with him. Yaman said, "Leader Öcalan believed that there must be a solution. The attempts so far have failed both because the conditions were not suitable and because the Turkish society and state were not ready for a solution."

 

Noting that Abdullah Öcalan's lates call is an indication of how much he has focused on the issue, Yaman said, "A text has been prepared by taking into account previous experiences, the geopolitical situation at the time, balances, sociological problems, historical processes, the evaluation of our region and all the details. As much as I know him, he has processed everything one by one and created such a text by processing how much he has concentrated and the experiences he has drawn from the past or the results he has drawn from the past paradigms. The importance of this will become clearer in the coming days."

 

'A PARADIGM FOR BUILDING A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY'

 

Stating that the call is the paradigm of democratic society and peace, Yaman emphasized that the main issue is the democratization of societies. Yaman said, "We see a leader that examines this through historical experiences. He has revealed how systems collapse, the causes of the crises of that period and how to overcome them. We see that the point we have reached is the paradigm for building a democratic society and peace. There were anxious moments in similar processes. During the first ceasefire, reactions like today's emerged. Many people accused Mr Öcalan of 'betrayal'. But when we look at it, the development of the PKK and Kurdish society started in those years. In other words the attitude displayed then and today was correct."

 

Stating that what will make the current process different form the previous ones is the achievement of a social peace, Yaman said, "The main feature of this process means that societies that have been seperated for years can free themselves from their anxieties. Because there are deep wounds in Kurdish and Turkish society. In the past solution process, parties such as the MHP and CHP were violently opposed to the process. But now the MHP is the biggest supporter. Therefore, this social tension experienced in the past processes had to be eliminated. For social peace to develop, there must first be an embrace."

 

Yaman stated that the main reason for the development of the PKK was that it is not "dogmatic". Stressing that change is very important, Yaman said, "Every power needs to change itself with the changing conditions in the world. The PKK is a movement of innovation. Leader Öcalan constantly renews himself. When he came to Europe, he often said to me, 'We need to renew and develop ourselves'. The society and organization influenced by that Leader is also entering a process of development. The change in the 90's, the change in the solution processes after that and the contribution of the previous paradigm of democratic confederalism led to today's text. These changes have brought us to this point. The only thing the Kurdish community does not have to worry about is itself. Because what has happened in the past, Leader Öcalan's foresight and his concentration on the solution have brought the Kurdish society to a place where it is ready for peace and solution.”    

 

'SOMEONE WHO SACRIFICED HIMSELF FOR HUMANITY'

 

Stating that Abdullah Öcalan's conditions should be improved and both sides should "reassure" each other, Yaman said, "Philosophically, taking reassuring steps for peace and the formation of a democratic society is valid for both sides. The fact that there are still attacks and trustees is a negative situation. But there is such a history that it will not be very easy to create an environment of trust. However, it is necessary not to give up on this. It is necessary to use a more careful language and be more careful against the events. It is important that the delegation's talks with political parties and the Leader's text were received positively by most segments of society. The beginning is always difficult. It is necessary to make intense efforts in this regard. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the language of democratic society and peace."

 

Emphasising that Abdullah Öcalan is a person who "sacrifices" himself for the humanity of the world, Yaman stressed: "Leader Öcalan makes great efforts to solve the problems of the peoples without any personal concerns. I am a close witness of this. Peace and democratic society is his basic philosophy in every issue. There are crises in the world and the Middle East, a period in which we feel the third world war in our neck, and a period of economic crises. In this process, I hope that Turkey and the countries of the Middle East will win. With this new paradigm, I hope an order will be established in a democratic society where peoples will live in brotherhood."

 

MA / Ömer İbrahimoğlu