A GRAVESTONE PUT ON THE TURKISH KURDS’ LIBERATION STRUGGLE AND IT WAS DONE BY THEIR LEADER ABDULLAH OCALAN
Tuesday, 30 April 2013 10:09
The Syrian crisis again gave rise to the Kurdish issue.
But, against the background of regional conflicts, the Kurdish struggle
didn’t have its logical development – the time for excluding the
issue from the agenda came. The Erdogan-Ocalan negotiations started,
which was, surely, the result of the agreement achieved by a group
of states having geopolitical influence in the region.
The negotiations of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan with Kurdish
leader Abdullah Ocalan sentenced to life imprisonment in the Turkish
Imrali Island prison changed the situation. It resulted in Ocalan’s
address to the Kurdish Working Party, in which he called on the Kurdish
fighters to lay down arms and leave Turkey. The Kurdish playing card
was spoiled.
The recent political development wasn’t a surprise – let’s recall the
last October-November events, when Turkey was periodically sending
signals to Syria. Ankara accused Syrian President Bashar Asad of
supporting the “Kurdish terrorists”. The Turkish Prime Minister
was terrified just by the idea that as a result of the civil war
in Syria, the Kurdish regions could gain autonomy, as it had taken
place in Iraqi Kurdistan. Erdogan considered it necessary to inform
the latter’s President Mahsud Barzani that creation of a Kurdish
autonomous region in Syria was strongly unacceptable for Turkey.
One of the obstacles for overthrowing the ruling regime in Syria was
the struggle of Kurdish fighters supported by Asad. And this obstacle
was attempted to remove, first of all, by the Turkish authorities. And
only with the support of the West this attempt was realized.
Thus, after the negotiations with the Turkish Prime Minister, Abdullah
Ocalan sent a message to his co-fighters, which, in particular, reads,
“Those who trust me should understand that the delicacy of the time.
This doesn’t mean retreat from the struggle and this is the start of
a new struggle”. He emphasized that today’s Turkey isn’t the previous
and today’s Middle East isn’t either the previous.
The Kurdish leader, who has been convinced during his entire conscious
life that victory is gained only by a struggle, that a goal can be
achieved only with arms, is now calling upon the fighters to lay down
arms. “From now on, let the arms calm down, let the blood of the
Turkish and Kurdish people be shed”. Ocalan stressed that the time
had come for passing from the armed struggle to the diplomatic one,
the time “for forgiveness and not for battle”.
We think it is necessary to pay attention to another statement,
which was made by Ocalan in 2011 from the Imrali Island prison, in
which he touched upon also the Armenian Genocide. He stressed that
the Turks committed genocide against the Kurds on February 15, 1925;
prior to this, the Armenian Genocide took place, but the genocide
against the Kurds was and is committed in a heavier way. Two years
ago, Ocalan warned his co-fighters that political repressions were
ongoing and if the Kurdish Parties did not join and assess properly
the current situation, the further steps would not be a success.
Two years ago, he called upon the Kurds to unite against the Turkish
state, which was aimed at depriving the Kurds of their national
entity. Currently, he finds that they should understand the “delicacy
of the time” and come to an agreement with the Turkish authorities.
One cannot exclude from the full context of these events also
the fact that almost parallel to the Erdogan-Ocalan negotiations,
another important event took place – Great Britain and France came
forth with the initiative to lift the veto on the provision of arms
to the Syrian opposition. All these processes are, surely, connected
with each other and are planned by the western power center – Bashar
Asad should get the fate of the Iraqi and Libyan leaders.
The agreement had to be achieved between all the parties – in the
Kurdish issue, the official position of Autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan
was extremely important. To this end, the visit of Chairman of the
Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party represented at the Turkish Parliament
Salahetin Demirtash and his delegation to Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital
city of Erbil took place. On April 7, Demirtash discussed with this
country’s Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani the recent developments
aimed at the peaceful solution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey. Prior
to this, on April 3, Demirtash visited the Imrali Island, together
with the Party delegation, and met with Abdullah Ocalan. According to
the mass media, the Kurdish leader sent warm greetings to President
of Iraqi Kurdistan Mahsud Barzani. This fact is another evidence of a
comprehensive agreement achieved. The time will show what developments
will follow all this. So far, the respond of the Syrian President –
the side, which suffered from the big political deal – is known.
Expressing his view on the Turkish-Kurdish issue, Syrian President
Bashar Asad noted in the April 7 interview to Ulusal TV Company that
the Kurds were not guests in the region, they had lived there for
thousands years and had always declared for the solution of the Kurdish
issue in Turkey, as well as for stopping the bloodshed. Asad’s next
idea, which was addressed to the Turkish authorities, actually, showed
his attitude to the events, “The improvement of the Turkish-Kurdish
relations should take place within Turkey”. He meant by this that
the Turkish-Kurdish agreement relates to Syria’s interest so far.
It is so in fact – the Kurdish bands do not come forth more against the
Turkish intervention into the Syrian affairs. Political analysts draw
attention to the fact that Asad made a political mistake by stopping
the control over the Kurdish regions. As we see, the end of the “wise”
policy hasn’t ensured the desirable result for Asad.
In the Middle East region, transformation processes are, surely,
taking place. According to some Russian analytical circles, this
all is expected to lead to the appearance of new alliances. Their
vector will be directed against Iran, or this alliance will join the
strategic interests of the USA regional allies. The steps taken by
the NATO states are clear – the next victim of the “Arabian spring”
should become the Syrian President.
As for the neutralization of the Kurdish factor, the views on this
are almost the same. Let’s leave aside the comments and refer to
historical facts. As known, the Sevres Treaty touches upon also the
Kurdish issue. It is also known that the Armenian and Kurdish issues
were merely ignored at the Lausanne Conference (1922-1923). It is
noteworthy that on the proposal of one of the conference initiators,
Great Britain, a session of the Great National Assembly was convened
in Istanbul to discuss the Kurdish moods. Mustafa Kemal proposed
the Kurdish deputies to deliver speeches and express their views on
the Turkish-Kurdish relations. The first speech was delivered by a
Kurd from Erzurum, Hussein Avni bey, who said, “This country belongs
to Turks and Kurds, and only two nations have the right to deliver
speeches from this tribune – Turks and Kurds”. The following speeches
also noted the necessity of the Turkish-Kurdish relationship. The
Great National Assembly sent a telegram with the following text to
Lausanne: “The Kurds will never separate from Turkey”. Lord Kerzon,
who represented Britain at the Lausanne Conference, stated, “The issue
of creating a Kurdish state or Kurdish autonomous province in Turkey,
which was supposed by the Sevres Treaty, doesn’t exist any more”
As we see, the Kurdish history is identically repeated. Lessons
should be taken from this, first of all, by the Kurdish people –
the permanent victim of the Turkish dictatorship.
A logical question can occur from the above mentioned processes –
what is the price of the agreement achieved on the Kurdish issue or
the pledge against the removal of the Kurdish fighters from Turkey? We
don’t know the answer to this question. To date, the Kurds in Middle
East have their autonomy within Iraq. Is the creation of independent
Iraqi Kurdistan really possible? Currently, severe clashes are ongoing
in Syria, causing new victims and destructions…
Ruzan ISHKHANIAN