Imrali notes in the Parliament
Political parties shared their proposals in the process commission. While a four-page summary of the notes of the Imrali meeting was read out in the commission, it was noted that the delegation warned Öcalan to ‘make a new call regarding Syria.’
The National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission, established following the PKK's disarmament and dissolution process, met for the first time today under the chairmanship of Grand National Assembly President Numan Kurtulmuş, following a meeting between three commission members and Abdullah Öcalan.
In his opening speech, TBMM President Numan Kurtulmuş stated that the ‘Terror-Free Turkey process’ had entered its most sensitive phase. Describing the current stage of the process as the ‘final stretch,’ Kurtulmuş said, ‘This process is not limited to the work of the commission. Similarly, this process, which is being pursued as a state policy, has been brought to this point through contacts made in the field and with the organisation through all relevant state commissions.’
THE CHP'S PROPOSALS
Following Kurtulmuş, CHP Group Deputy Chairman Murat Emir took the floor first. Emphasising that the commission was established with great hopes, Emir continued, ‘It should be a broad perspective text, a historic report. For this reason, we believe the report should be drafted with careful, detailed and democratic processes applied to the end, and if possible, by consensus.’
Emir also shared a summary of the text that the CHP would submit to the commission. The text outlined the following points:
• Political obstacles to the implementation of Constitutional Court and European Court of Human Rights rulings should be removed.
• The Anti-Terrorism Law should be based on the principle of legal certainty to prevent arbitrary applications.
• The crime of inciting the public to hatred and hostility should be re-regulated.
• Legal regulations targeting social freedoms should be withdrawn.
• A solution should be found to the problem of access being blocked, which is an obstacle to the public's right to information.
• A democratic political environment should be created for the resolution of the Kurdish issue.
• The practice of appointing trustees in local administrations should be ended.
• Release of all political prisoners detained following the 19 March coup attempt.
• Prevention of the secret witness mechanism from becoming a tool for slander.
PROPOSALS FROM AKP
A member of the AKP delegation spoke for the first time in the parliamentary process committee. Mustafa Şen, Deputy Chairman of the AKP, made noteworthy statements during his speech to the committee.
MHP'S CONDITION
MHP Deputy Chairman Feti Yıldız stated that the MHP had prepared a 116-page report, emphasising that it consisted mainly of political assessments. Yıldız listed the elements he considered necessary for legal regulations to be implemented as follows:
‘The surrender and destruction of weapons, the dismantling of the organisation's structure and affiliated organisations, regardless of their name, and the identification of these matters by the state's security forces are required.’
THE RIGHT TO HOPE MUST BE BROUGHT
Speaking on behalf of the DEM Party in the commission, DEM Party MP Cemgiz Çiçek stated, "The Kurdish issue is not a security problem, but a problem of inequality and existence. The Kurdish people's access to justice and the perspective of a democratic republic are our prerequisites. Non-conflict is our common goal,‘ he stated. Çiçek conveyed the following to the commission members regarding the legal regulation proposals included in the DEM Party's report:
“We believe that the backbone of the great peace passes through the peace law. There should be a special legal regulation for members of organisations who disband and lay down their arms, and for those in prison. The fundamental aim of this law is to establish lasting peace and strengthen social reconciliation.
SUMMARY OF THE NOTES
The audio recording of the three-hour meeting in Imrali was transcribed into 16 pages of notes.
The 16-page notes were summarised into four pages. The summary of the minutes was read out in the commission. The summary minutes included the following statements: Öcalan stated that he stood by the promises he had made since the beginning of the process and mentioned that he could put them into practice if conditions allowed.
He referred to Ziya Gökalp. Öcalan stated that he had adopted the political method, that the announcement of the dissolution of all structures and all components of the PKK had been well received by society, that the public was following this development, and that he was also influential in Syria and Iraq.
In response to questions from Hüseyin Yayman about Syria, he said that great caution must be exercised against Israel's moves in the region, particularly in Syria, and that he favoured a unitary structure for Syria.
