Hatip Dicle, DTK co-chair
Hatip Dicle, the co-chair of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), stated during a public meeting in Dersim (Tunceli) that Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan had anticipated the current political atmosphere during the resolution process. Dicle reported that ”Mr Ocalan was aware of this threat”, adding that Ocalan said, ”we have initiated and intensified the negotiation talks, however we cannot expect peace to arrive within a day. We must prepare ourselves as if we will face great dangers and situations, organising accordingly”.
‘AKP advances arm in arm with The Committee of Union and Progress’
Dicle stated that the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) had come to power initially with liberal and democratic values, noting, ”There were many expectations. However, it has become apparent today that this was only an imitation of the Committee of Union and Progress’s (CUP) previous political manoeuvre. The AKP was founded upon liberal beliefs, however as its political power increased, it adopted a racist, Turkic, rhetoric- just as the CUP had once done. Since last year, the AKP continues to advance arm in arm with the most nationalist, racist sections of the Kemalists, the Committee of Union and Progress, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and with Dogu Perincek (Nation Party). This can only mean that the Kurds, Alevis, the oppressed working class, and anyone who demands democracy is under severe threat”.
‘Öcalan had anticipated developments’
Dicle, who frequently attended meetings with Öcalan on Imrali Island during the resolution process, highlighted that the PKK leader was aware of the current situation, noting, ”Mr Öcalan had anticipated the threat posed by the AKP. He would regularly warn us, ‘we have initiated and intensified the negotiation talks, however we cannot expect peace to arrive within a day. We must prepare ourselves as if we will face great dangers and situations, organising accordingly’. Unfortunately, following recent developments, it has become that we failed to anticipate the danger, subsequently we were not able to organise against these. Mr. Öcalan had defined the AKP as an Islamofacist party in 2010 and during the two years of negotiations, as he analysed the developments in the Middle East and the political steps taken by the AKP”.
‘Erdogan ended the Dolmabahçe Agreement’
The Dolmabahce Agreement, considered to be of great importance to the democratic resolution of the Kurdish question, was also on Dicle’s agenda. According to Dicle, the Dolmabahce Agreement was ”an important framework, composed of ten articles, that would establish a democratic republic, as opposed to a country governed by an oligarchy with a single ethnicity, religion, and order. We will not make any agreements with the government behind closed doors. Essentially, the meetings in Imrali Island will be the guarantor of creating a legal and constitutional framework for a peaceful resolution to the demands of the Kurdish and Turkish peoples for democracy, where society’s participation will be secured through interactions with the media. In response to this, Erdogan abandoned resolution talks following his speech on the 5 April 2015 and stated, “I do not recognise the Dolmabahce Agreement and refuse to sit at the same table as terrorists”. Essentially, Erdogan dragged the country into chaos. The new diplomacy pursued by the AKP in the Middle East shows their regret over previous decisions. It’s as if they don’t remember the rhetoric they used 7 months ago (when the Russian jet was downed) or before, they are developing relations with Russia and Israel as the officials of a pro-war Ergenekon alliance”.
