ON THE DISSOLUTION OF THE KADEK
Kongra Azadî û Demokrasiya Kurdistan
Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress
Congrès pour la Démocratie et la Liberté du
Kurdistan
ON THE DISSOLUTION OF THE KADEK
When the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) declared it had fulfilled
its historical mission and was dissolved on the occasion of its
8th Congress in April 2002, the Congress for Freedom and Democracy
in Kurdistan (KADEK) announced its establishment and vowed to continue
the heritage of struggle for the liberation of the Kurds. The KADEK
marked an important stage in the transformation process of the democratic
Kurdish movement. Centred on a resolution of the existing conflicts
through democratisation, the KADEK took significant steps towards
rapprochement. However, these steps proved an insufficient means
to overcome the deadlock caused by the dominant central states'
inveterate policies of denying the Kurds any rights.
The KADEK's various calls for dialogue remained unanswered despite
the fact that its guerrilla forces observed a unilateral ceasefire
over four years, starting from 1999. In August 2003, it presented
a detailed road map as a concrete, viable framework for addressing
the grievances of the Kurds in the regional states, aiming at separate
bilateral processes between representatives of the Kurds and the
governments of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria respectively. The KADEK
simultaneously called for co-ordination among the existing Kurdish
parties. There can be no doubt that the approach adopted by the
KADEK had an encouraging impact on the political process that led
to constitutional changes in Turkey, entailing the abolition of
death penalty and the abrogation of the constitutional ban on the
use of the Kurdish vernacular. The organisational form of a congress
allowed for the creation of specific organisations catering for
the needs of Kurds in the different countries, and supported decentralisation
by allowing for autonomous political work in given areas. However,
the program and organisational structure of the KADEK fell short
of meeting the requirements of the political struggle for pluralist,
democratic civil life. Residues of the Leninist party model, as
well as patterns of traditional, dogmatic Middle Eastern thought,
rendered it a narrow and hierarchical formation that failed to incorporate
new social groups and democratic elements.
These shortcomings had an adverse effect on the KADEK's principal
objective to establish a dialogue among the key players in the Kurdish
issue in the Middle East. While deploring that the dominant regional
states and some international forces pursued their long-standing
efforts to eradicate the Kurdish freedom struggle against the backdrop
of a clear misuse of the term 'terrorism', the KADEK is aware of
its own responsibilities in resolving this situation. The substantial
democratic openings expressed in the organisation's program were
only inadequately reflected in its inner structure; the personal
continuity in the upper echelons fuelled spitefully dismissive notions
that the KADEK is a mere continuation of the PKK. This, in turn,
tainted international overtures and negatively affected the democratisation
process envisaged.
Noting that the policies of the regional states hinge on the refusal
to acknowledge the Kurdish reality, and that these policies and
the international support they can still rally constitute the foremost
reason for the failure to achieve a settlement, the Kurdish movement
nevertheless has to take steps on its own part to facilitate a resolution.
The recent developments in the Middle East and the wider political
conjuncture provide us with significant opportunities for democratisation
and a resolution of the Kurdish conflict. They can be used for the
benefit of the Kurdish people to the extent that its organised political
forces present an articulated will to arrive at a realistic solution.
It is on these grounds that the Congress for Democracy and Freedom
in Kurdistan (KADEK) is being dissolved in order to make way for
a new, more democratic organisational structure that allows for
broader participation. This new structure shall be representative
of the Kurdish people's interests, legitimate under international
criteria, and conducive to the pursuit of democratic and lawful
political articulation with a view on negotiating a peaceful settlement
with the dominant nation states.
First draft translation from the Turkish original.
Via Q. Sella 41,- 00187 ROMA,- Tel: 0039 0642013576,- Fax: 0039
0642013799,- E-mail: kadek.europe@libero.it
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