April 12, 2013
QANDIL Mountains, Turkey-Iraqi Kurdistan border,— The acting top commander of the Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK and Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) Executive Council President Murat Karayilan and member Ronahî Serhad met representatives of worldwide press institutions in Behdinan, in Iraqi Kurdistan region, on Thursday.
Answering questions on the PKK ceasefire process, Karayılan said the Kurdish movement has announced ceasefire nine times since 1993. He pointed out that the PKK has yet not decided on withdrawal from Turkish borders and criticized the slow progress of their communication with the Kurdish leader, Abdullah Öcalan, in Imralı prison.
Karayılan underlined that PKK needed to be in touch with Öcalan to ensure a solution in the currently ongoing process of talks he is leading with the Turkish state.
Why not would a group of PKK (KCK) members visit Imralı if needs be?, said Karayılan, adding, “Our movement wants to overcome the problem and we side with advancing the process, not leading it to a deadlock. However, it takes 15-20 days to get in touch with the leader,www.ekurd.net [referring to Öcalan], as all steps for the meetings and contacts with him require the permission of first the Ministry of Justice then of the Prime Ministry. This system makes the process advance very slowly. There is a need for a method like that used in the South African solution process. The isolation of the leader doesn't allow a healthy communication and progress. A decision could be made more easily if the way followed in Mandela's process is followed in Turkey as well”.
Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, firatnews.com
I wonder if Karayilan does not trust the letter brought by the BDP or if he tries to gain time.
