Ahmet Faruk Unsal, a politician and human rights defender who took part in the Wise People's Delegation during the dialogue process called the “resolution process”, evaluated Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's “Call for Peace and Democratic Society” and stated that similar processes experienced in previous periods have provided an important experience. Stating that this experience has created an archive in the state, Ünsal said, “I believe that the negotiations between the state and the PKK in previous periods have gained important experience even if they did not lead to a result. If we consider the most recent 2013-2025 process, the Wise People's Delegation traveled all over Turkey and created a serious archive in the state about what both Kurds and Turks expect from this process.” 

 

Stating that the Wise People's Delegation's meetings included Kurdish demands for education in the mother tongue, a definition of citizenship in the constitution that is free of ethnic identity, the return of Kurdish names of settlements and the acceptance of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, Unsal said, “All these have basically accumulated in the state's memory and archive. These details were not included in Öcalan's last letter. The parties are already aware of what they expect from each other to the extent that it is no longer necessary to elaborate on them. Therefore, such details were not included in this last letter.” 

 

Stressing that Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who was a member of the delegation, said that Abdullah Öcalan's note: “While putting forward this perspective, there is no doubt that in practice the laying down of arms and the self-termination of the PKK requires the recognition of democratic politics and its legal dimension” was one of the key words of the call, Unsal said, “I think this sentence is the one that would open the key to that letter. The PKK's self-dissolution and laying down arms can only be realized if legal and political conditions are met. Yes, it was not opened in the text, but this means this: The dissolution of the organization or the laying down of arms can take place if steps are taken to resolve the demands that have accumulated in the state's archives and memory regarding the solution of the Kurdish problem. When we evaluate the text as a whole, it is quite possible to infer this meaning.” 

 

'THE BALL IS IN THE STATE'S COURT, IT MUST TAKE STEPS'

 

Stating that the PKK's decision to restructure can only be possible with a congress and that legal and security conditions need to be created for this, Unsal said that after this stage, steps should be taken regarding the demands of the Kurds. Emphasizing that there are parts of the agreed upon issues that need to be resolved by law and the constitution, Unsal said, “Therefore, the Parliament needs to work on these issues. In order for the parliament to work, if there is to be a constitutional amendment, not only the ruling bloc but also the opposition must support it. Therefore, the ball is now in the state's court. The Turkish state needs to take the necessary legal, constitutional and administrative steps. There are also judicial steps. Of course, the court processes, which we call the judiciary, very clearly position themselves according to the position taken by politics.” 

 

Stating that the trustee appointments must be ended, Unsal said that if the success of the process is desired, the legal, political and administrative steps that are the conditions for this must be taken. Stating that Abdullah Öcalan's working conditions should be improved, Unsal added, "Apart from isolation, in line with the right to hope, Abdullah Öcalan can be taken out of the island, necessary working conditions can be created or a necessary space arrangement can be made. If this process is to be continued in a healthy manner, a technical infrastructure must be established to ensure Mr Öcalan's direct participation in this process. The text of this call did not deny identities, but it was a call based on democratisation that did not only rely on culturalist policies, but also got rid of the negative effects of crude nationalism. This call for democratisation, without focusing only on cultural demands and bypassing democratisation, and without nationalist drift, is a call to correct the countries you are in. In other words, this call is a regional call to the Kurds of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey to democratise their own countries. In this respect, it is a very valuable call."

 

Emphasising the importance of the PKK's decision to dissolve itself on its own initiative and not based on force, Unsal said, "The dissolution of the PKK cannot mean that Kurds will not establish other democratic institutions. But it does present the perspective of a new organisation that is suitable for the new conditions, that does not use violence, that is based on democratisation, but that does not give up its identity demands. From here, it is possible to say that everyone will transform themselves again according to the new conditions."

 

'IT WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE'

 

Pointing to the effects of the prolonged war on all areas, Unsal continued: "If Turkey had solved the Kurdish issue through democratic means, all these resources would have been spent on our development. We are living with many wounds in favour of democracy. Considering that three and a half trillion dollars of resources are being spent on these conflicts, all these resources will be spent on our basic needs. This project is a project that will give wings to Turkey through neighbourly relations. Peace will benefit not only the Kurds but the whole region. The most important task of the press and civil society organisations is to seriously focus on the socialisation of the peace issue."

 

'THE PRESS MUST AVOID USING A HOSTILE LANGUAGE

 

Pointing out how the language of politics and the press should be in the progress of the process, "One of the most important issues here is that both politics and the media must pay attention to the language they use. Not using a hostile language, not using the language of insult is extremely important both for the salvation of the process and for the respect you have for your interlocutors. Therefore, it is an obligation for all of us to use a respectful language. Unfortunately, there are some members of the press, writers and politicians in Turkey, both in the world of politics and in the press, who do not act in accordance with this respect. I hope that these will change in time," Unsal said. 

 

MA / Esra Solin Dal