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Peace Parliament Calls for Discourse of Peace

The Turkish Peace Parliament assembled for the second time on 17 November, and yesterday (20 November) published the results of the meeting.

Government policies criticised 

Around 370 participants criticised the fact that the government reduced the Kurdish question to a security issue and insisted on cross-border operations: "This political mentality which does not recognise democratic and political platforms for the solution of the Kurdish question only encourages more violence and war."

The report makes the following observations:

• According to the results report, more than 100 people have died in battle since the middle of October.
• The lynching campaign started against the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) group in parliament has resulted in party buildings being set on fire and even Kurdish work places and homes being marked.
• In the face of the policies which are pulling Turkey into a regional and ethnic civil war, it is the duty of the Turkish Peace Parliament, together with all the other democracy and labour forces in the country, to change the nationalist, chauvinist, and discriminatory atmosphere which is currently dominant in society, and to demilitarise the public.

Support for peaceful conflict resolution, pacifism and social justice

Some of the decisions which the assembled Peace Parliament made are:

• To meet directly with the different sides of the conflict as soon as possible in order to bring the conflict to an end and build peace, and to contribute to a peaceful and democratic solution.
• To visit the DTP group in parliament as an act of solidarity
• To express solidarity with the eight soldiers who are being tried at military courts after being released from PKK capture. The parliament believes that this will be an expression of pacifism in the face of the killing culture which is dominating the country.
• Believing that peace comes only with social justice, the Peace Parliament supports the strike of the Telecom workers and the "Peace Days" of the students at the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ). (TK/AG)