Jailed PKK leader working on Turkish-Kurdish peace plan, says lawmaker

ERBIL – Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is working on a “democratic” settlement to the four-decade conflict between Turkey and Kurdish militants, a pro-Kurdish party delegation member said on Monday after wrapping up talks in Arbil.

A delegation from the main pro-Kurdish DEM party visited Ocalan twice over the past weeks, and then held talks with Turkey’s main parliamentary factions before travelling to Iraq last weekend.

The delegation in Iraq, which included two DEM lawmakers as well as Keskin Bayindir from the Democratic Regions Party with two seats in the Turkish parliament, met with Kurdistan Regional President Nechirvan Barzani in Erbil.

“Mr. Ocalan is working hard to find a process that could lead to a solution despite all the difficult conditions,” Bayindir told reporters after the meeting.

“He is working to remove this issue from the field of war and conflict and to establish a democratic and legal process” to resolve the conflict, he added.

“This roadmap will also stop the crises in the Middle East,” Bayindir said.

Although no timing has been set for presenting Ocalan’s plan, Kurdish politicians are confident it will be soon, and no later than Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, in March.

According to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency, during the meeting Barzani “reiterated his full support for the success of the peace process in Turkey,” describing it as a “historic opportunity.” He stressed the need for all parties to move the process forward, saying peace is “essential for everyone in Turkey and the broader region.”

“We have always worked from the beginning to ensure that the peace process comes forward and that issues are resolved peacefully, as experience has shown that war and weapons do not solve problems,” Nechirvan Barzani was quoted as saying. He also expressed hope that the PKK would “strategically” engage with the process and “not miss this opportunity.”

The delegation previously met with Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, on Sunday in Erbil, where they conveyed a “message” from Abdullah Öcalan. According to a statement from his office, Barzani said he is “fully prepared to assist and support the peace process in Turkey.”

The delegation will hold talks in Sulaymaniyah on Tuesday.

Fighters from Ocalan’s PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state, operate in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, where Turkey also maintains military bases.

With peace efforts frozen for nearly a decade, Turkey’s hardline nationalist MHP party unexpectedly offered an olive branch to Ocalan in October.

It urged him to renounce violence in exchange for a possible early release from Imrali island, where he has been serving a life sentence in solitary confinement since 1999.

Backed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the call has renewed hopes of an end to a conflict that has killed tens of thousands.

Reporting by AFP and 964media