KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) Executive Council Co-Presidency has released a statement regarding the stage the Kurdish question has reached, attacks on Kurdish Freedom Struggle, calls for return to negotiations and steps needed to be taken for a resolution in the coming process.

KCK stressed that the Kurdish movement has needed to re-express its approach in the face of the demands and calls highlighted by some states, international institutions, some organisations in Bashurê (Southern) Kurdistan, some circles, democracy forces and HDP in Turkey for a return to negotiations for the resolution of the Kurdish question. KCK underlined that it is the Turkish state that must take a step for the resolution of this issue.

KCK listed the following steps that needed to be taken urgently for resolution:

As Kurdish Freedom Movement, we are ready to fulfill our responsibilities in every regard in the event that the AKP government reveals the necessary will for the resolution of the Kurdish question and assures the peoples of Turkey that it will take a step; a parliamentary delegation involving HDP has talks with our Leader and decides to start negotiations very soon; opportunities are created for Leader Apo's meeting with all political parties inside and outside the parliament- including his own organisation- communities that have proposals for democratisation and resolution of problems -mainly Alevis- non-governmental organisations and intellectuals.

Remarking that the failure of the July 15 coup attempt is a great chance for Turkey, KCK said AKP government took advantage of this failure and mobilised a coup mechanism.

AKP RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COUP ATTEMPT

KCK pointed out that the AKP government imposed an aggravated isolation on Öcalan since April 5 after it rejected the Dolmabahçe Agreement on February 28, 2015. KCK said the government tended towards a war policy on Kurdish question after ignoring the results of June 5, 2015, and mobilised a coup mechanism.

KCK continued ; "Leader Apo launched a non-conflict process in late 2012 and declared a manifesto for Turkey's democratisation in the Newroz of 2013 before the public opinion of Turkey. With a three-phased plan, he projected Turkey's democratisation, manifested a will to take guerrilla forces outside Turkey's borders, and had the captive soldiers, policemen and a district governor released. By having our movement take these steps, Leader Apo aimed to have the Turkish state take steps for democratisation. However, the AKP government abstained from taking steps for the resolution of the Kurdish question, and sustained the ceasefire only to continue its own ruling."

COLLAPSE PLAN PUT INTO ACTION

sustaining the ceasefire despite all the negative approaches of the other side, our movement gave the AKP government an opportunity to take a step for democratisation and resolution of the Kurdish question. Each time, Leader Apo spoke of a 'parallel state within state' and emphasised insistently that these structures with outer connections did not want the resolution of the Kurdish question. He warned repeatedly that the deadlock of the Kurdish question created a coup mechanism, and that this mechanism would go into action unless a step is taken for the resolution of the Kurdish question.

However, Tayyip Erdoğan and his close circle did not take Leader Apo's efforts and the non-conflict environment he enabled seriously, nor did they take a step in line with these efforts and warnings.

As a result, the AKP government in the person of Tayyip Erdoğan became a government prompting the coup mechanism by deciding to crush the Kurdish Freedom Movement during the National Security Council (MGK) meeting on October 30, 2014 after they prepared the 'Collapse Plan' in the wake of the demonstrations in solidarity with Kobanê Resistance.

MGK GAVE THE ROLE OF CRUSHING THE KURDISH STRUGGLE TO THE ARMY

KCK emphasised that the role of crushing the Kurdish people's freedom struggle was handed over to the army during the mentioned MGK meeting.

Recalling the then Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's remarks "I ordered the army and police to be prepared in 2014", KCK said this was a clear confession of the AKP government's role in forming the ground to activate the coup mechanism.

ISOLATION AGAINST ÖCALAN

KCK continued, listing the major developments that led the way to the activation of the coup mechanism; rejection of the Dolmabahçe Agreement, imposition of an aggravated isolation on Öcalan since April 5, ignoring of the June 7 election results and initiation of an all-out war on July 24.

"It is understood much better now that the support that external powers gave to the AKP's war policy after the June 7 election is related with the activation of this coup mechanism. This is the reason why external powers turned a blind eye to the AKP government's burning down of Kurdish cities and massacre of hundreds of civilians. It was planned that the coup mechanism would accomplish a result sooner in this conflict environment based on the attrition of both AKP and PKK."

JULY 15 COUP BEGAN ON DECEMBER 14, 2015

KCK remarked that the July 15 coup began on December 14, 2015 when the coup mechanism went into action as the AKP government drove the military, tanks, artillery and heavy weapons on Kurdish cities to crush the Kurdish people that declared self-rule.

"The coup mechanism that went into action with Tayyip Erdoğan and Ahmet Davutoğlu's remarks "Our brave army defeated the terrorists" made its last move and decided to seize the power. They attempted to seize the power defending that 'We are the ones that deal with PKK, Turkey's basic problem, that shoulder this heavy burden, and we are therefore the ones that need to rule and determine the politics'. Tanks, artilleries, helicopters and jets that hit Kurdistan mountains every day have this time set out their stall in Ankara, Istanbul and İzmir. The failed coup attempt emerged as a consequence of the policies that produced no results to the Kurdish question and faced a deadlock in every regard on this basis. The AKP government claims this coup was staged by pro-Fethullah circles. The revealed truths, however, manifest that the AKP members themselves had an active part in the coup, both ideologically and politically."

KCK remarked that it has always been Kurds and democracy circles in Turkey that stood agains coups, as was witnessed during the 1980's military fascist coup and the dirty war launched by the military during 90's. KCK said it was these two parties -Kurds and democratic circles- that suffered most in coups.

Noting that the failure of the July 15 coup attempt was a great chance for Turkey's peoples, KCK said the AKP government did not make use of the chance it had for the resolution of the Kurdish question and democratisation, through which the coup mechanism could have been eliminated.

KCK CHANGED ITS MIND ON DEVELOPING A NEW ATTITUDE

The statement remarked that the Kurdish movement considered making a new situation assessment after July 15 coup attempt, but decided not to do so in the face of the approach manifested by the AKP government, which was to eradicate the ground for coups. The Kurdish movement agreed that AKP needed to take a step for promoting democracy, resolution of the Kurdish question and objecting to coups.

However -the statement said- the Kurdish movement released a statement highlighting the PKK's approach against coups, ways to eradicate the coups and calling on democracy forces to undertake mission as the state prompted its chauvinist discourse, declared State of Emergency, announced suspension of talks with İmralı, displayed an unfavorable approach against HDP and Erdoğan instrumentalized everything as a means serving his own ruling.

ANSWER TO THE GROUPS CALLING FOR NEGOTIATIONS

But recently the calls and statements by some states, international instutions working on peaceful solution to conflicts, friendly organisations in Başurê Kurdistan, power groups in Turkey, forces of democracy and the HDP have created the need to declare our stance to the public once more.

Leader Apo and our Freedom Movement has, since March 20, 1993, spent great effort on the democratic political solution tot he Kurdish issue, and has declared more than ten ceasefires to this end. Moreso, the movement has shown the will to move the forces outside of Turkey in 2013, almost 40% of the guerilla forces were pulled outside the borders, and that many more were mobilized to leave the borders. But because the denialist and extended genocidal policies weren't discarded, the situation that created the intense conflict today had come to the fore.

AKP UTILIZES THE CEASEFIRES

We should emphasize that the recent clashes after the end of the ceasefire are more violent than previous ones because the AKP government utilizes the ceasefires. Deaths have increased and the destruction has reached unprecedented levels.

Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP government has utilized the ceasefire for strengthening and continuing its powers for years, and used the fake hope of solution that it created in order to maintain its power. Erdoğan had an irresponsible approach to the Kurdish issue, the main problem of Turkey, to further the interests of his party. He stalled Kurdish people, the forces of democracy, and all peoples in Turkey. Although all the conditions and opportunities for the solution of the Kurdish issue were offered to him, he approached these conditions and opportunities in order to strengthen his power. Other political powers were suspicious and did not offer the necessary support because he utilized the topics relating to the ceasefire and the Kurdish issue for his own interests.

The experiences of the ceasefire show that the declaration of a ceasefire without an end to such utilization of ceasefires will only continue the policy of utilization and imply an insistence on not solving the Kurdish issue. Topics relating to the ceasefire should no longer be allowed to be utilized or approached as the interests of a particular party, but viewed as the problem of entire Turkey and the steps of solution must be taken. No words, steps or actions that are not solution-driven and serve to stall and deceit have any significance. The repetition of this situation will do nothing but worsen the issue.

It is not the PKK or the Kurdish Freedom Movement that created the Kurdish issue. The PKK took its role in history because of the lack of a solution to the Kurdish issue, and has drawn attention to the issue as well as strengthening the grounds for a solution as it struggled against the policies of denial and extermination.

IT IS THE TURKISH STATE THAT MUST TAKE A STEP

It is the Turkish state that must take a step for the solution of the Kurdish problem and ensure a final solution. With its organized strength, Kurdish people will create its own solution and continue to struggle for a free and democratic life unless governments fail to solve the issue. Nobody should expect a different approach from Kurdish people and the Freedom Movement in an environment of a lack of solution to the Kurdish issue. However, the Turkish state is neither taking a step for the solution nor tolerating the Kurdish people’s creation of their own solution. The Turkish state cannot get out of this vicious cycle if it does not abandon the policies of crushing the people’s dreams of freedom through anti-Kurdish alliances and continue to refuse an alliance with the Kurds.

ÖCALAN’S HEALTH AND SAFETY

As the Kurdish Freedom Movement, it is known that we have resorted to war out of necessity due to the lack of a solution to the Kurdish issue. History has proved that peace in Turkey will come with the solution of the Kurdish issue, and that is possible through the liberation of the Kurdish People’s Leader who will play an important role in achieving this solution. Leader Apo is the most fundamental bridge between the peoples of Turkey and the Kurdish people. Leader Apo has displayed the most reasonable approach to the solution of the Kurdish issue, but his approach wasn’t reciprocated, on the contrary, Leader Apo was placed under a strict isolation.

While it was known that the coup plotters were very angry with Leader Apo because of his analyses in the Imrali prison, our people’s concerns regarding Leader Apo’s health and safety weren’t answered, and his family’s and lawyers’ most basic right to demand to meet with him wasn’t met. Not answering this urgent demand is a stance against our people, whose existence has been denied, and it proves that there is still no mindset and no policies for the democratic political solution to the Kurdish issue. As those on the side of a democratic political solution should go to Leader Apo first, this strict isolation imposed upon Leader Apo is at its core an isolation on the democratic political solution.

THE ISSUE WILL BE SOLVED IN A MONTH IF THE TURKISH STATE TAKES STEPS

If the Turkish state and the AKP government develop a policy for a solution, the Kurdish issue would be solved in such short a time as a month, and peace will come to Turkey. As the Freedom Movement, our preference is the democratic political solution. It is apparent that we will make all necessary sacrifices to this end. But that requires a stance from the state and the government that states that they won’t instrumentalize the ceasefires and conflict free periods. After this point, nobody should expect a ceasefire or conflict free period from the Kurdish Freedom Movement, unless the Kurdish issue, ceasefires, conflict free periods and talks are not instrumentalized anymore.

In the current situation, if the AKP government shows that they have the necessary will to solve the Kurdish issue, makes a commitment to the peoples of Turkey to take the necessary steps, decides to start the negotiations for a solution immediately with meetings between a Parliamentary Commission including HDP and our Leader, and they ensure Leader Apo will have the opportunity to meet with his organisation and all parties inside and outside of the parliament, all groups who have views on democratisation and solutions to their own problems, primarily the Alevis, and NGOs and intellectuals; we as the Freedom Movement are prepared to fulfill every duty in the framework of steps taken and reciprocal commitments.

This is not an imposition, nor is it putting forth conditions. These are the necessary steps to make sure never to be in the same situation again, in the face of our people’s great losses and pain caused by the policies of instrumentalisation regarding the matters related to the solution of the Kurdish issue.

IF GENOCIDAL POLITICS ARE DISCARDED, WE WILL MAKE THE SOLUTION EASIER

If the denialist and extended genocidal politics are discarded, and an approach that will stop the Kurdish issue from being a topic of instrumentalization is displayed clearly, it is clear that we as the Freedom Movement will be the foremost defenders and practitioners of a solution that will enable the peoples of Turkey to live in fraternity, along with taking steps to make the solution easier. Through this, the longing for a solution in fraternity together with the peoples of Turkey which has been the goal of our decades long struggle will be realised.