"Abdullah Öcalan is still the most influential actor in Kurdish movement. As long as the state continues to echo the nationalist discourse, which labels him as 'the murderer of 30 thousand people', discussing a peace deal is unachievable. Democratic self-administration proposal is also not being discussed."

Hakan Tahmaz, member of the Peace Assembly, which brings together intellectuals demanding a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue, says Öcalan can't be ignored. Protests were held in several cities across Turkey on February 15th, which marks the 10th year of PKK's leader's arrest. From his prison conditions to his comments dispersed through lawyers, Öcalan's words still move masses in the Kurdish community.  

Editor of a recently published book bringing together analysis on the issue, Tahmaz thinks the government's policies aiming at isolating Öcalan are affecting not only Kurds in Turkey but also those living in Northern Iraq.

"As this approach reigns, a normalization regarding the Kurdish issue is impossible. Turkey must face the reality of Öcalan and the PKK in order to begin a debate on the issue. While a minority labels him as 'murderer', a mass population sees him as the carrier of the struggle. Thousands of people are tried for calling him Mr. This is unacceptable."  

"Democratic Society Party's proposal of increased self-administration in regions doesn't involve any demands in relation to Öcalan. It's a proposal to reform the administrative structure in Turkey," says Tahmaz, adding, "Unfortunately, neither the left nor the state recognized this proposal."

"The reason behind the current situation is an ambiguity on Turkey's side. The ruling AKP's trying to ignore the PKK and the Kurdish movement by annotating the problem as a struggle against poverty, based on a unity on religious identity."(EZÖ/AGÜ)