ACTIVISTS CALL FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS AMIDST SETTLEMENT PROCESS

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 6 2013

One hundred eleven activists, politicians, journalists and artists
have called for a democratic constitutional compromise amidst the
ongoing settlement process between the Turkish government and the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), stressing that democracy is
the only way to secure a lasting peace in Turkey.

In a statement released in the Radikal daily yesterday, the civil
society representatives said the peace process represented a vital
opportunity for the country but stressed that it must be handled
as a political, rather than a military, issue and that a democratic
compromise on Turkey’s new constitution would play an important role
in these efforts.

The statement’s signatories represented a broad array of Turkish
left-liberal politics. Among them were Hosrof Dink, brother of
murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, journalists such as
Ece Temelkuran, Pınar Ogunc and Ahmet Å~^ık, a number of deputies
from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and academics
such as Koray CalıÅ~_kan and BuÅ~_ra Ersanlı.

The PKK has already called a cease-fire and is set to begin withdrawing
from Turkey on Wednesday as part of the process of ending Turkey’s
decades-long conflict with the militant group and finding a peaceful
resolution to the grievances of the country’s Kurdish population. At
the same time, ongoing efforts to create a civilian constitution
to replace the present one, drafted under military rule in 1982,
have grinded nearly to a halt as a result of the inability of the
parliamentary commission tasked with drafting the new constitution
to reach a compromise on a number of issues.

The statement said everyone who is on the side of peace and democracy
ought to work towards a constitutional compromise based on democratic
principles. It also noted with concern the state’s handling of the
recent attempt by many trade unions and political parties to celebrate
May 1 in Ä°stanbul’s Taksim Square despite a ban due to an ongoing
controversial construction project in the area. Police used tear gas
and water cannons to disperse demonstrators in what the statement
described as “disproportionate and illegal state violence.” The
statement argued, “If Turkish politics are to be dominated by peaceful
discussion rather than violence, the government and security forces
should comport themselves accordingly.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress