Osman Özçelik, a Democratic Society Party (DTP) parliamentarian, said that an agreement has been reached with the Kurdish leaders in Iraq to hold a common conference among the Kurds in Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Syria and Europe and ask Turkey to recognize the cultural rights of the Kurds and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to declare ceasefire.

Özçelik, who took place in the committee that met with Iraq president Celal Talabani and president of the Kurdistan Regional Administration Mesud Barzani, said the details of the conference has not been determined yet.

Talabani had said that the PKK would declare ceasefire, if the demands of the Kurds in Turkey regarding improving their living conditions and recognizing their language were met.

“Our call will not bring any results”

Özçelik explained that the idea of a conference came up when Barzani and Talabani told them the Kurdish problem would be easily solved, if they made a call for ceasefire and the PKK declared ceasefire. When they replied that this was done on numerous occasions and the PKK would no more agree with it, they came up with the idea that a common call from all the Kurds could help. They thought this would not be against any country, on the contrary would help solve the problems in the region.

Özçelik argues that if Turkey satisfies the minimum democratic demands that are made and if the PKK continues with its fight then the Kurds can blame the PKK for the war. If the state does not take a step then the state will be blamed for continuing this war.

Özçelik says “If the state shows its good intention not as a result of a bargaining, but because of its desire  to further democratization, then the PKK may not insist on continuing with the war.”

“There does not have to be the word “Kurd in the Constitution”

For Özçelik the word “Kurd” does not have to be in the Constitution as long as their demands for their language and culture are secured through the Constitution.

Calling their language as an unknown language in the Parliamentary discussions does not help the situation since the language comes first in the Kurdish demands, says Özçelik.

Özçelik agrees with Hakan Tahmaz, a member of the Peace Assembly, on that a normalized relationship with the DTP may be taken as a positive sign by the PKK.

Maliki is in Turkey, a warning from KYB to Turkey and Iran

Today, Iraq Prime Minister El Maliki met with President Gül and Prime Minister Erdoğan in Ankara. The Britain office of the Kurdistan Patriots Union (KYB), Talabani’s organization, delivered a note to the Turkish and Iran embassies, asking the both countries to stop bombing the northern Iraq. (TK/TB)