International Initiative
Freedom for Ocalan Peace in Kurdistan
P.O. Box 100511, D-50445 Koeln
Telephone: +49 221 130 15 59
Fax: +49 221 139 30 71
E-Mail: info@freedom-for-ocalan.com
Url: www.freedom-for-ocalan.com
Cologne, 10 July 2001
INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE BRIEFINGS:
"Ocalan says...":
The following is a translation of exerpts from statements PKK leader
Abdullah Ocalan made to his lawyers during their last legal visit
on 10 July 2001. Mr Ocalan commented both on the submissions he
has prepared for the proceedings before the European Court of Human
Rights in Strasbourg and on the political dimension of the international
conspiracy that led to his abduction from Kenya in February 1999.
The statements being as highly condensed as they are and bearing
references to a number of incidents, doubtlessly need more annotation
than we can give here.
We hope, however, that the translation of these exerpts will help
to understand some of the issues that are at stake on a legal and
political plane.
On The Submissions To The European Court Of Human Rights
In my submissions, I tried to explore the concept of state from
my own point of view, in an attempt to pave the way for ingenious
thought and a mental revolution. A spiritual analysis that shall
have repercussions on both politics and law is its objective. A
new ethics of freedom and a new phenomenon in law may emerge from
that. Ethics, in its essence, converges with law. My submissions
may serve the development of a new ethics of freedom and a new conception
of law. In the second part of my submissions I shall elaborate a
bit on European law and on how we can place law at the foundation
of politics, and I'm quite ambitious in this respect.
Third Sphere Theory
In my submissions, I refrained from an analysis of society in the
classical meaning just as much as an analysis of the state. Theory
and Practise of the Third Sphere, i.e. civil society and its organisations
, that's what I call the Third Sphere Theory. A civil society, in
other words a Solution in the Third Sphere, is inevitable. It is
for this reason that I urge you to spent magnificent efforts both
on a theoretical and practical level. I hope my book will be instrumental.
The second book shall be more explanatory.
Sparking Off Discussions
My submissions seem to go beyond Marxism - that's what I think,
some may criticise that, that is not very important. An interesting
discussion may come up. I rest the human being, law and politics
on a scientific foundation, make them comprehensible. You will have
to understand religion, mythology and literature. Adorn yourselves
with a profound consciousness of history. You need a correct consciousness
of history even to appreciate the taste of bread. You have to know
a lot about history and sociology. Unless you do, bread, family,
friendship, social relations, anything, life itself, will be of
stale taste. I have been through that and have practically resolved
it. I hope they will understand.
New Groupings
There are some new groupings for political parties. Those leaving
the Virtue Party [Fazilet] and them will do a big service to Turkey
if they manage to become a truly democratic party. If HADEP was
a democratic party, no matter how dominated by Kurds, it can play
its part by making the Kurdish people familiar with law and the
republic. Inonu and similar groupings, in turn, can clear grounds
for a democratic state based on the rule of law by making the Turkish
people receptive for democracy.
On The Conspiracy
As a reply to the USA and to Naxakis I shall say: It is important
how the conspiracy was organised. A clique from Turkey was involved
in it. But Kenan Evran made a statement saying "they will use
this man to bring woe upon us" . Annihilation was a part of
it all. The essence of the decision taken as to my person is of
crucial importance. This is what we have to elucidate. Not so much
the killing of me as a person, but rather the fact that all the
blood shed, the labour spent, the efforts made, were to be neutralised,
Kurdish intellectuals and the people as a whole were meant to be
paralysed. The source of it is Britain, and a layer of collaborationist
Kurds has been involved in it. Turkey itself was unprepared. They
had been exerting pressure to have me handed over from the time
I was in Syria but they weren't involved in the planning. The planning
can be traced way back to 1996 when it was said that Clinton and
Simitis had arrived at an agreement to have me liquidated. Rather
than liquidating the PKK as a whole, they had the intention to liquidate
me.
The Part Played By The USA And Greece
It seems as if the USA and Greece had given me as a present, saying
now you solve the Cyprus and Aegaeian question. There wasn't even
an agreement, no deal, more like a wrapped up present. That's a
devious thing. I feel the gift package theory is correct. The USA
are cruel. They say kill him or let him live, whichever way you
please. And that's not about my person. Kill the Kurds if you like
or let them remain where you want them to be. They may live if they
can. What does the Bush administration say about this? We reserve
our right to self-defence against the USA. We expect an explanation
from the USA. And we expect one from Greece.
The attitude of the USA was: kill them or use them as you please,
but we would be happy if you could solve the Kurdish question. Greece,
however, was directly speculating on my death. Some circles in Turkey
are involved in this. But Turkey couldn't face it. During the first
interrogation someone said to me: "We will spoil this game,
we have to solve it fraternally". I didn't think that was very
substantial in the first place, but it became more meaningful at
a later stage and then I tried. Athens was disappointed when it
turned out that I didn't die. They had made their calculations that
Apo would behave like a vulgar resistance fighter. Talabani had
laid an ambush, preparing to take over control over the PKK. That's
a devious thing, too. All these need to be elucidated and understood
in their profoundness.
A Trick Played On A People
It was a hideous trick. All these need to be written. I appreciate
that they don't value me a lot, all right then, let them think whatever
they want about me; but there's a people of 30 million that has
stood up to fight, the blood of 30,000 martyrers, there's torture,
pain and grievances, there are prisoners; there are the hopes and
aspirations of a people. The grievances of millions don't mean anything
to those who aimed at the values and hopes of the Kurdish people
and its aspirations to make clean politics. Most importantly of
all, it was intended to utterly destroy the freedoms of a people.
That's the way it is. Independently of how much they might target
me, think of the aspirations of a people risen up. There's absolutely
nothing that Talabani wouldn't sell for two pence. The elite of
the Greek state is of a very simple fabric. They were capable of
selling out the values of a people for the sake of a petty interest
in the Aegaeian, as a small gest. That is a profoundly corrupt attitude.
It will be understood once the conspiracy has been exposed down
to its very roots. Would the Turkish people have gained anything
if things had gone that way? Not at all. And Ciller knew about it.
the MHP had smelled the scent of the rent involved. Ciller said
she had been the one to initiate the whole thing back in 93. Society
would be uprooted and they would stay on top. And they would have
killed those who survived, not hundreds but hundreds of thousands
would have died. They would have made some concessions to Greece
in terms of Cyprus. At the end of it, who would have gained? The
collaborationists would have caused Turkey to moan and groan for
some 50 more years. The gangs of organised crime and the off-shore
bankers would have remained at the head of Turkey.
It Was Important For Me To Stay Alive
At that time it was pivotal for me to stay alive in order to expose
the conspiracy. The conspiracy has been neutralised. From now on,
it's no longer important if I die. What I'm saying to those who
wish to follow me, my comrades, the Kurds, has nothing to do with
pacifism, they'll arrive at an understanding of it if they're smart:
Instead of vulgar resistance, a state based on the rule of law,
secularism, a democratic republic and unity of territory on this
basis are fine things. But everyone will have to keep their word.
If the state is to deceive us the conspirators abroad will win.
The honest people of Turkey, Turkey itself will loose. That can't
be what honest people in Turkey want. This game has been going on
for 200 years now. For 25 years it has been played on our backs.
They tell the Kurds to stage an insurgency and tell Mustafa Kemal
to execute them. That's how they got Mosul and Kirkuk. It's the
policy of freeing the hen and setting a fox loose on it. Now they
want Iraq, they try to get it by instrumentalising us. I took a
stand against that, decisive steps have been taken, it will be rather
difficult for them to get Iraq now. The PKK just started to understand
that. Kurdish and Turkish intellectuals just started to realise
what's going on. I'm not opposed to Turkish-Greek friendship or
Turko-European relations. But it's not right to establish them on
the basis of a conspiracy. Turkey needs to save itself from the
impact of conspirational relations.
Understand Me Correctly
A Democratic Republic will be a voluntary safeguard against secession.
Cultural diversity is richness. Let there be neither black nor white,
but seven different colours.
It is a devious thing to hand over the leader of a people like this.
The Kurds ought to soundly analyse the consipracy, not for my sake
but for their own sake, and they ought to ask for satisfaction.
Well, they shouldn't support me or they shouldn't shout my name,
if they decide to support me they have to do it in a really conscious
way. All of you have to support me with acute awareness, full consciousness
and high responsibility. You have to arrive at an understanding
of the fact that you're being made part of a game. That's not only
important for the PKK but for all Kurds. Europe and Israel need
to be exposed for what they do. The Kurds shouldn't pity me but
themselves. It's a pity for them, let them realise that. It's not
a simple thing to accept me as a leader and cry out my name. You
need a truly sound consciousness and you have to be organised. Urge
for your freedom as much as you can, enforce self-defence, peace
and fraternity as much as you can. All of you would have been killed
if I hadn't resisted. But I won't be living forever, and you have
to educate your minds in order to prevent this from happening. Liberation
requires a high degree of awareness, persistance and soul. All of
you have to organise your minds. They might call you traitors. But
it's them who are the real traitors of their motherland. They're
the knaves of foreign powers. Human rights and peace to the very
end, get organised in these terms.
The Greek People Should Hold Their Government Responsible
Decisions concerning myself or the Kurds are not being taken on
governmental level but on NATO level. I do not declare Europe our
enemy. What I want is a democratic solution. And there's no hositility
against Greeks involved, either, but I want the Greek people to
hold their devious administrators responsible for what happened.
By way of reply to Naxakis, I shall say that we will not forgive
them, not in a thousand years time. They will be held responsible.
Even if they are to unite with the Turks we will resist. Law, European
law has been trampled upon. The European Court of Human Rights will
have to rule that. When I was up in the skies all airports of Europe
were closed to me by virtue of a high level decision. The inner
face of Europe, its reactionary face, was revealed then. Why don't
the British journalists write about this? They write huge articles
about small things, but they don't write about this.
I'm Determined To Find A Solution
I'm intensely preoccupied with exploring ways for a solution. The
labour and the part played by the Kurds in the national war of liberation
was decisive. And now, their labour will be decisive for the process
of democratisation of the republic. You have to engage in obstinacy,
be as stubborn in your resistance as you are meaningful, make it
a real resistance, not a vulgar one. I don't find dying and killing
very meaningful. It's a good thing to cherish life, live and let
live. To what extent have you lived, to what extent have you made
others live, to what extent have you become free, to what extent
have you made others free? How free and how beautiful was my life,
did I render your lives more free and more beautiful? Theory, politics,
ethics and philosophy should serve this end. If you happen to be
unlikable, it's not because you're physically ugly but because you're
slaves. You are not likeable if there's no meaning to what you do,
if you're understanding is shallow. That's what I call wretchedness.
I'm saying this because I don't want the blood of 30,000 martyrers
to be shed in vain. The rememberance of the martyrs is one of the
forces enrichening the meaning of life. And that is not a small
thing.
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