Roj Bash Kurdistan

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) would not support an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq, according to Murat Karayılan, a senior leader of the outlawed group which announced yesterday that it would withdraw from Turkish soil starting from May 8.

The PKK “would not say anything” about the foundation of such a state, but it would also not lend its support as it was against the “nation-state,” Karayılan told a group of journalists on the evening of April 25, after making the withdrawal plans public at a press meeting in the Kandil Mountains, the PKK’s base.

Karayılan said yesterday that the withdrawing militants would be deployed to northern Iraq, adding that the PKK expected understanding from the Iraqi authorities, and particularly from the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The KRG is at odds with the central government in Baghdad, particularly on oil exports issues, with the latter opposing the autonomous Arbil government’s direct trade, largely via Turkey.

“We support [the idea of] all Middle Eastern peoples living together equally in a democratic environment and in fraternity. This is possible with democratic confederalism and federation. Dictators emerge in nation-states,” Karayılan said.

Karayılan asked for support from “all democratic powers in Turkey” for the ongoing resolution process. “Things will get harder if we give everything to the AKP [the ruling Justice and Development Party],” he said, adding that all segments should lend their support to the process.

Karayılan said he did not find Europe’s support for the process sincere.

“The massacre in Paris is obvious,” he said, in reference to the murder of three Kurdish women in the French capital on Jan. 9 at a time when the efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue had escalated.

Sakine Cansız, one of the founding members of the PKK; Fidan Doğan, the Paris representative of the Brussels-based Kurdistan National Congress (KNK); and activist Leyla Söylemez were murdered by a gun attack as the sole suspect was captured.

“There are three entrances to that building. We do not believe that they are carrying out an effective probe. [Europe] may not want the resolution process,” he said.

“By democratizing, Turkey should take the Kurdish card from the European Union to stop them from using Turkey and Kurds.”

Commenting on the recent fights between the supporters of the PKK and Hizbullah, an Islamist organization accused of many killings in southeastern and eastern Turkey as a part of counter-guerilla activities, at Dicle University in the Kurdish-dominated Diyarbakır province, Karayılan said they did not want to take anyone on in this new period.

“We are not against them as a political organization,” he said. Hizbullah founded a political party, Huda Par, at the end of last year.

“We think that the clashes at the university are planned,” Karayılan said. The statements after the clashes, their language reminded us of what happened in the past.”

There was no consensus between the PKK and Hizbullah at the high-level, he added.

Equally, there were no tensions building between the PKK and Hizbullah despite the events at the university earlier this month, daily Vatan quoted PKK’s Duran Kalkan as saying last week.
April/26/2013

Piling wrote:

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) would not support an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq, according to Murat Karayılan, a senior leader of the outlawed group which announced yesterday that it would withdraw from Turkish soil starting from May 8.

The PKK “would not say anything” about the foundation of such a state, but it would also not lend its support as it was against the “nation-state,” Karayılan told a group of journalists on the evening of April 25, after making the withdrawal plans public at a press meeting in the Kandil Mountains, the PKK’s base.

Karayılan said yesterday that the withdrawing militants would be deployed to northern Iraq, adding that the PKK expected understanding from the Iraqi authorities, and particularly from the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The KRG is at odds with the central government in Baghdad, particularly on oil exports issues, with the latter opposing the autonomous Arbil government’s direct trade, largely via Turkey.

“We support [the idea of] all Middle Eastern peoples living together equally in a democratic environment and in fraternity. This is possible with democratic confederalism and federation. Dictators emerge in nation-states,” Karayılan said.

Karayılan asked for support from “all democratic powers in Turkey” for the ongoing resolution process. “Things will get harder if we give everything to the AKP [the ruling Justice and Development Party],” he said, adding that all segments should lend their support to the process.

Karayılan said he did not find Europe’s support for the process sincere.

“The massacre in Paris is obvious,” he said, in reference to the murder of three Kurdish women in the French capital on Jan. 9 at a time when the efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue had escalated.

Sakine Cansız, one of the founding members of the PKK; Fidan Doğan, the Paris representative of the Brussels-based Kurdistan National Congress (KNK); and activist Leyla Söylemez were murdered by a gun attack as the sole suspect was captured.

“There are three entrances to that building. We do not believe that they are carrying out an effective probe. [Europe] may not want the resolution process,” he said.

“By democratizing, Turkey should take the Kurdish card from the European Union to stop them from using Turkey and Kurds.”

Commenting on the recent fights between the supporters of the PKK and Hizbullah, an Islamist organization accused of many killings in southeastern and eastern Turkey as a part of counter-guerilla activities, at Dicle University in the Kurdish-dominated Diyarbakır province, Karayılan said they did not want to take anyone on in this new period.

“We are not against them as a political organization,” he said. Hizbullah founded a political party, Huda Par, at the end of last year.

“We think that the clashes at the university are planned,” Karayılan said. The statements after the clashes, their language reminded us of what happened in the past.”

There was no consensus between the PKK and Hizbullah at the high-level, he added.

Equally, there were no tensions building between the PKK and Hizbullah despite the events at the university earlier this month, daily Vatan quoted PKK’s Duran Kalkan as saying last week.
April/26/2013

This party is a shame… They are against Nation-States, except that they will agree to stay as a part of a Turkish State.

talsor wrote:This is not something new . PKK and specifically Karalyan have always maintained in the past that they would neither support or oppose the creation of a Kurdish state in the South . This line of policy are meant to calm turkish public and prevent AKP , MHP from making any accusation that PKK's goal is the establishment of a Kurdish state .

Imagine if Karalyan had said that he support the establishment of Kurdish state in the south and that PKK will fight along side KRG to achieve that ! what do you think the head lines in turkey and across the world would have been ?

The south does not need PKK's support in any shape or form and they are more than capable of handling their own affairs , but I will say this :

If and when there is a war for independence in the south , I have ZERO doubts that PKK will lend a hand and do anything needed to ensure that it is successful . At this stage and perhaps in the next one it is essential to maintain this line of policy/ Façade to gain international support and advance kurdish rights within turkey . Painting PKK as Anti Kurd or Anti kurdistan is wrong and no Kurd should ever buy that .

Kurdish independence of greater Kurdistan is inevitable no matter what obstacles are put in place . The kurdish cause have taken some gigantic steps in the last 20-30 years and everything is pointing to that direction ,so if turks or arab want to live this wet dream a little while longer we will have to put up with it until we are strong enough .

As I said, KRG is not a nation state and includes all of the different ethnicities in its political formation, so no Kurd should take Karayilan's words negatively.

Piling wrote:

As I said, KRG is not a nation state and includes all of the different ethnicities in its political formation, so no Kurd should take Karayilan's words negatively.

Except that 98% of Kurds within KRG are FOR a Nation State…

By the way if he told that, he repeated just what Öcalan said since ages. Not a surprising event. But considering that he is uses KRG as a shelter since many years and now for all his troops it is not very elegant to say that.

There is another danger : if PKK obey blindly to Öcalan (and until now it was the case) it means that it will apply the Turkish policy toward KRG, hostile or benevolent, so it is like welcoming wolves among the cattle.

If 98% of Kurds were for a nation state in KRG then there would be no education in Turkmen, Arab and Assyrian languages. There would be no freedom for Yezidis and there would be no non-Kurdish opposition allowed in parliament. Try and think for a second. Do you even know what nation state is? KRG in its current form is leaning towards a democratic federal state.