International Initiative
Freedom for Ocalan – Peace in Kurdistan
P.O. Box 100511, D-50445 Koeln
E-Mail: info@freedom-for-ocalan.com
Url: www.freedom-for-ocalan.com

Cologne, 17 November 2003

INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE BRIEFINGS:
Final Declaration of the Foundation Conference of the People's Congress of Kurdistan (KONGRA GEL)

On November 15, 2003 the newly-founded Kurdistan People's Congress (KONGRA-GEL) announced its foundation on a press-conference near Suleymania in South-Kurdistan which was broadcast live by Arab tv-station Aljazeera.

We document the declaration that was given by Kongra-Gel during this broadcast:

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Final Declaration of the Foundation Conference
of the People's Congress of Kurdistan (KONGRA GEL)

With the 21st Century, the world has entered a new era, that of democratic civilisation. Based on scientific-technical development, deep rooted changes in the economic, social, political and cultural spheres are taking place. The dazzling developments and possibilities that have arisen in information and communications technology have made easy access to all sorts of information a concrete possibility, which has opened the way for material changes in individual's thinking by allowing for individual knowledge and collective enlightenment beyond the boundaries and matrixes established by the given authorities.

For the first time in history there is a consensus among the dominant orders and their oppositions on the issues of human rights, democracy, women's freedom and ecology. Although this has limited practical value, it does increasingly unite all social forces on principal points.

The intervention of the USA and Britain in the Middle East that has arisen from the Iraq crisis is a pivotal event in this process. The theocratic, oligarchic and autocratic regimes, which have deep historical roots in the Middle East, and the narrow nationalist and fanatic religious mindsets underpinning them, constitute a major impediment not only to a free democratic development, but also to the flow of international capital and global domination. From both points of view, they pose obstacles that need to be overcome. The Middle Eastern regimes, failing to display the capacity for change by way of inner dynamics, have been brought to this very point through foreign intervention. While the results of this intervention initiated a new period that is bound to have world-wide repercussions, it has also paved the way for democratic forces and developments.

This new situation has kindled an intense and complex struggle between the forces favouring change in the region and those who want to preserve the status quo. The Kurdish question, which is one of the oldest and principal issues that await resolution, and the Kurdish national-democratic struggle that has appeared as a result of it, are both determining and influential regional factors during this process of change, and themselves deeply affected by it. While the chances for a democratic solution of the Kurdish question have increased, the strategic role of the Kurds in the restructuring of the region has likewise increased.

The democratic restructuring of the Middle East is impossible without the resolution of the Kurdish question on the basis of a democratic, free union. On the other hand, a resolution of the Kurdish question can hardly be achieved without the creation of a fully democratic Middle East. Democratisation among the Kurds amounts to democratisation among the Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Assyrian-Syriac, Armenian, Turkmen, Azeri, and Jewish peoples.

The trajectory of contemporary democracy, the developments in our region and the accumulated experience of thirty years of struggle have urged on us the duty to adopt a new program and far-reaching organisational reforms in the Kurdish democratic movement. The Kurdish freedom movement, which is the leading force in the creation of modern democracy in the new era in the Middle East, has thus made another significant step on the path to democracy by fulfilling these responsibilities. From 27 October to 6 November 2003, 360 delegates from all the four corners of the earth, and from different areas of activity, have congregated in the Qandil area of Southern Kurdistan. The People's Congress of Kurdistan (KONGRA-GEL) was founded to mark a new epoch for our people. The Manifesto of Democratic Civilisation drafted by the Kurdish people's Leader, Abdullah Öcalan, and his recent work, the Defence of Free Human Being, pointed the direction by outlining the essentials for the establishment of a democratic and ecological society.

The KONGRA-GEL aims at superseding all models of political organisation formed to the end of establishing or destroying state power. Its objective is to achieve a democratisation of state and society by resolving national, social and gender contradictions, and establishing a way of life in harmony with nature. The foundation of KONGRA-GEL is therefore of significance not only to our people, but to the peoples of the world.

Challenging policies based on denial and annihilation, the Kurdish democracy movement continuously gains momentum. In all regions of Kurdistan and beyond, mass actions are continuing, and important advances in the institutional field are made. Kurds have been empowered to express their desire for a democratic solution and the acknowledgement of Kurdish identity in terms of organised struggle and rising democratic awareness. The foundation of the People' Congress means the expression of these demands in terms of a legal framework. In this respect, the People's Congress aspires to become the democratic expression and political representation of the people's will. It has adopted the view that the Kurdish question can only be solved on the basis of a democratic, free union within the borders of Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq.

In consequence, KONGRA-GEL does not aim at dismantling the states in which Kurds live. Its stance towards these states will depend on their receptiveness to the Kurdish issue. The People's Congress does not aim at division or separation; to the contrary it aims at a contemporary democratic union respecting the unity of country and state. It believes that this approach responds to the vital needs both of the Kurds and of the neighbouring nation states. It aims at preventing the enfeebling use of reciprocal violence fuelled by nationalist sentiments, and providing a non-violent and unifying solution that will make it possible to transform the Kurds' existence in the Middle East from a cause of crisis into a source of energy for all Middle Eastern communities. The Middle East is in urgent need for democracy. The Kurds' democracy project initiated by the KONGRA-GEL further encompasses the settlement of all issues that breed instability and violence in the Middle East. The Arab-Israel conflict has become a vicious circle that can only be grappled with by observing the democratic rights and freedoms of both parties to it. KONGRA-GEL espouses a solution along these lines.

The democratic advance envisioned by the People's Congress is not limited to its political projects, but entails a radical revision of the organisational structure and the functioning of leadership in the Kurdish movement. It has renewed its program and charter, abandoned the rigid and narrow cadre organisation informed by outdated principles, and decided to transform into a democratic people's organisation that may encompass the whole of society. It shall move forward on lawful and legitimate grounds and step up the democratic struggle! The Congress has adopted revolutionary ideas as to its organisational institutionalisation, envisaging a fully democratic structure in which neither tribal or family bonds nor class and national affiliation, but solely the free preference of the individual shall link it to the struggle. The movement for freedom and democracy in Kurdistan has said farewell to the Middle Eastern organisational traditions inspired by state socialism, and thus challenged dogmatism, and the despotism it breeds, within its own ranks.

With nearly 30 years of struggle based on the heroic sacrifice of countless fighters, our movement has become a formidable force for political and social change throughout the Middle East. The progressive dissolution of the traditional family ties and feudal social structures in Kurdistan illustrates this. Our position on this issue will be continued by the KONGRA-GEL. The importance attached to the freedom of women, and the perspective of restructuring society account for the fundamental social policies and projects of KONGRA-GEL. At the heart of these efforts is the project for a rearrangement of social life. The project, beginning with a reform of inner-organisational structures, aims at the re-organisation of the relationships between individual and society, human beings and nature, women and men, according to a democratic-ecological understanding.

The struggle of the Kurdish people in all regions of Kurdistan and internationally was always based on the demand to live according to universal human rights and democratic criteria. Our people are deeply aware that the path leading there goes through a thorough democratisation of its own structures. As a part and parcel of this, KONGRA-GEL regards the establishment and development of Kurdish democracy as its fundamental responsibility. The democratisation of society goes through the reorganisation of the relations between state and individual, society and individual, society and state and, again, human beings and nature, all set in a globalising world. In this respect, KONGRA-GEL, seeking to guarantee individual rights and freedoms, adopted a Declaration of Democratic Rights, which defines the relations of the Kurds with neighbouring peoples and as citizens of given states according to universal law. This Declaration outlines inner-Kurdish democracy, and may serve as a constitutional framework for their self-organisation. The Kurdish democracy is going to be the ferment for a Middle Eastern Democratic Union.

KONGRA-GEL believes that the political, social, cultural and economic rights of the Kurds can only be attained through democratic political struggle. It regards the right to self-defence as defined in various international agreements and UN resolutions as a universal right. The continuation of the policies of denial and annihilation against the Kurdish people and the captivity of our leader under solitary confinement render legitimate self-defence a crucial moment of the national-democratic struggle of the Kurds. Therefore, as long as these conditions continue, the use of all means of self-defence available under international law is vital. The "Road Map" announced by KADEK in August 2003 has been adopted by KONGRA-GEL as a reasonable framework for a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, but the time schedule of it has been revised.

[…] The establishment of KONGRA-GEL shall be welcomed by the Kurdish people with reinvigorated mass actions of civil disobedience (serhildan). […] The establishment of KONGRA-GEL is a call for action. […] With its democratic, open organisational structures, the People's Congress carries characteristics that should enable every freedom-loving Kurd to participate and contribute. It offers opportunities according to everyone's position and skills. […]

The foundation of KONGRA-GEL has created a new opportunity for democratisation and the solution to the Kurdish issue in Turkey. The political representatives of the Kurdish people have always spent considerable efforts on finding a solution that would benefit both peoples. They did not receive a response from the Turkish authorities, intransigently refusing to tackle the issue. However, it is clear that there is no other way but dialogue for the resolution of the issue and the democratisation of Turkey. The Kurdish and the Turkish people have always favoured democracy. KONGRA-GEL pays its respect to this desire and invites the government of Turkey to show the same respect. The developments in the region and the EU membership run-up facilitate a solution of this type. For this reason, we call on the Turkish authorities to abandon their bankrupt policies and enter a dialogue with KONGRA-GEL!
The freedom of President Öcalan, who is regarded as the undisputed leader of the Kurdish people, is of vital importance. If a rapprochement is desired, urgent steps need to be taken: The Republic of Turkey should no longer play at the gradual decomposition of its perceived opponent, but indicate their good will by improving the conditions of detention of President Öcalan. This is how peace may be given a chance and war can be averted.

The Kurdish people have never shown hostility to the states of Iran and Syria in spite of the antagonisms and problems they faced. However, the present conjuncture does not allow the Kurdish issue in these countries to remain unresolved any longer. At a time when external pressure and the shadow of intervention are looming, the only way to decrease the danger of intervention is to embark upon democratisation and tackle the Kurdish question. Anything else will cause the Kurdish people to intensify their struggle in these countries. KONGRA-GEL calls on Iran and Syria to undertake steps towards a resolution and establish constitutional safeguards for the Kurdish people's existence in accordance with international law and political norms.

After the intervention, Iraq is moving towards a democratic federal system. KONGRA-GEL recognises the perspective of a democratic federal Iraq, which would amount to the free and voluntary union of different communities, nations and creeds, as an important milestone. We call on the temporary council, and on all parties, organisations and associations to unite for the sake of true democracy!
The Middle Eastern people share common historical, social and cultural values with the Kurdish people and are its principal democratic allies. The People's Congress of Kurdistan calls on the peoples of the Middle East, and indeed on all the peoples of the world to rally in unity for the creation of a democratic, ecological world system.

By intervening against the Saddam regime, at the hands of which the Kurds and all people of Iraq suffered oppression, the USA has played an important part in initiating a new era. KONGRA-GEL welcomes this move on the part of the USA, but wishes to point out that constructive results can only arise once a permanent solution to the Kurdish question is found and implemented. The foundation of the People's Congress shall augment the process of establishing a new order. Therefore, KONGRA-GEL believes that there is a need for initiating a new political process between the USA and the political representatives of the Kurds, who are one of the chief democratic forces in the region. KONGRA-GEL calls on the USA to recognise all Kurdish political formations as representatives of the Kurdish people and partners in dialogue. It moreover invites the USA to consider the national and democratic rights of the Kurdish people in its dealings with the other states in the region.

Starting with its program and charter, all documents of the KONGRA-GEL are in accordance with European norms. The KONGRA-GEL is the strongest espouser of democratic values in the Middle East. The promotion of democracy entails supporting the approach of the People's Congress. We call on the EU member states to abandon their traditional Middle Eastern policies and support the democracy project initiated by our people.

KONGRA-GEL believes that a free Kurdish identity is tantamount to a renewed Middle East. While the Middle East is in a phase of transformation, KONGRA-GEL shall endeavour to become the principal dynamic of democratic civilisation in Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilisation.

Slavery and despotism in the Middle East shall be defeated, freedom and democracy shall be triumphant!

Executive Council of the People's Congress of Kurdistan,
11 November 2003