THE PEACE PROJECT of PKK

One of the most beautiful words in all languages is the word peace.

The humanity has seen the importance of providing peace at all times, as it is the provision for the development of economic and social prosperity. Especially in the 20th Century, in the social and political arenas peace has taken its place within the values of humanity as the most fundamental moral value.

The sufferings throughout the history of humanity and the consciousness and sense of responsibility created by the terrible massacres and destruction of the two world wars in recent history has increased the value of living in peace. The 21st Century, which will have its mark in history as the era of democracy and freedoms, will reach these aims especially through the procurement of peace in all areas.

Finding solutions for political and social problems through peace has the capability of producing more meaningful results than any kind of solutions found through warfare. At present the resolutions realised or trying to be realised in the cases of Ireland, Palestine, East Timor and Basque reveals this reality explicitly. The efforts to resolve problems through peaceful political means have increased the tendency to solve similar problems with such approaches.

The dominance of peace has become the most fundamental humane and political responsibility in order to give meaning to the bloodshed and pain endured in warfare and clashes and also to induce results for the benefit of humanity from these. Kurdish question, too, has been on the agenda of humanity for a long time as one of the fundamental problems in the world that has not yet been solved.

In the light of these facts the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), with the experience and knowledge accumulated through over a quarter of a century of its struggle, has put forth its decisiveness to resolve the problems via peaceful means. The Kurdish people who live with the Turks, Arabs and Persians in the Middle East, naturally will continue to live with these peoples. The most suitable approach to this question and its resolution is the one based on this reality. In order to discuss the Kurdish question, more than anything else, the relationship between the Kurds and the Turks as well as how these relationships have been shaped throughout history needs to be understood.

The first important confrontation in history of the Kurds and the Turks was at the battle of Malazgirt where the army of the Seljuk's defeated the army of the Byzantine providing its expansion to Anatolia. The Kurds in this battle had sided with the Turks and have made a meaningful and significant contribution to the acquisition of Anatolia as their homeland. Similar support given during and after the battle of Çaldiran in 1514 has enabled the borders of the Ottoman Empire to reach the present borders of Iran and its expansion encompassing the whole of the Arab world.

The Kurdish-Turkish relations at the time had guaranteed the eastern borders of the Ottoman Empire, with which the expansion of land stretching to Vienna was attained. During the War of Independence, in the aftermath of the I. World War, which was the most crucial period for the Turkish people throughout their history, the Kurdish people, once again, with the conscious of common motherland had given the greatest support resulting in the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. These historical facts show that at times when the Turkish people and the Kurdish people are on good terms the Turkish people gained as much as, if not more than the Kurdish people.

The period in which the relations were at its worst is the recent history beginning from 1924. The Kurdish people, who joined in the War of Independence in the 1920s and participated as the principal founding member in establishing the common motherland, were later denied after the 1924s and have been deprived of all their natural rights. The Kurdish rebellions' inability to resolve the question and its mistakes has made this bitter history even more tragic. The Kurds had entered an era of national extinction as a result of being subjected to denial and oppression; on the other hand, Turkey structuring herself with the aim of keeping the Kurds under pressure could not recover from a problematic and diseased structure. While the inability to resolve the Kurdish question has left the Kurdish people desperate it deepened Turkey in its policy of denying the Kurdish reality.

As a result of this, socially and mentally, a total break down between Turkey and the Kurdish people has eventuated leading the Turkish-Kurdish relations to its historical worst. The armed struggle of the PKK, which takes its place in history for being the longest, the broadest and when looked at its results the most effective Kurdish struggle, began under these conditions where no other way out was left. For this reason the warfare of the PKK, above all, had the aim of accomplishing its existence and identity as a nation and attained its legitimacy from its struggle against such a denial. Its development in such a short time and reaching the point of representing the whole of Kurdish people can only be explained with this reality. The results of this warfare that continued for fifteen years without a break have been grave for both Turkey and the Kurdish people. Amongst the Kurdish and Turkish peoples, the majority being guerrillas and soldiers, some being civilians more than thirty thousand people have lost their lives in this war; majority being guerrillas thousands of Kurds and Turks were left disabled in this war.
During the years of war tens of thousands of Kurdish people have been tortured in custody and tens of thousands have been imprisoned. Approximately four thousand Kurdish villages have been burnt down/demolished, more than five million Kurds have been forced to migrate to the cities of Turkey or other countries. Due to the collapse of economy in the villages and the cities, the people were compelled to live in a high degree of poverty and desperation. The society in Turkey as well, especially in the social and economic areas, but generally in all areas of life, has had grave depressions. The expenditure on war has exceeded one hundred billion dollars absorbing the economic resources of Turkey.

In order to be able to sustain the war waged against the PKK and to gain external support the resources of Turkey have been cheaply marketed to outside. This situation has increased the economic depression resulting in the elevation of social problems. Hence, although Turkey has a high level of development and progress opportunities she was not able to recover herself from the vicious circle of economic crisis. Under these conditions the social and cultural decomposition have deepened leading to an unreliable social structure. The structure of the state has also entered a state of decomposition due to the economics and politics being indexed to warfare, springing up gangs and rentiering social classes that nourish themselves through war.

The reality exposed with the event of Susurluk is only a symbolic expression of the relationships and the structure created by the warfare. The decomposition and the network of precarious relationships are much more broader and deeper than that. The appearance of rentiering political parties and groups due to loss of natural political balance in Turkey is also connected to the reality of this warfare. As a result of this while the regard for politics and politicians are at its lowest, the tension in the political arena has been continuous. Turkey's foreign policy has also had more than its share from this reality, the diplomacy that was indexed to this warfare has experienced a deadlock of desperation and inability to resolve the problems. The inability to resolve the Kurdish problem has left Turkey's foreign policy without alternatives, leading her to develop relationships inappropriate to her geopolitical state putting a strain upon Turkey.

Consequently she has had problems with all her neighbours and the states in the region; has faced being excluded from the international arena due to the same kinds of problems experienced with many of the states outside the region. This negativity in foreign affairs has resulted in the narrowing of Turkey's economical and political horizon and her experiencing a reality opposite to her position. Although Turkey has put herself into this much of difficulty and depression the desired end result was not achieved; i.e. neither the elimination of the PKK nor the eradication of the Kurdish problem has been achieved. PKK, too, with its warfare has not been able to bring the Kurdish question to an absolute solution. For this reason, the PKK, in 1993 had declared a cease-fire seeing that the problem has been exposed sufficiently and that continuing with the warfare is neither necessary nor meaningful. However the situation not being suitable in Turkey for a resolution, the insufficient preparation by the PKK and sabotaging behaviour on both sides have caused this initiative to be incomplete.

The second cease-fire declared in 1995 in order to overcome the deadlock of both sides was also without end results. The warfare carried on by the PKK, though with its shortcomings, inadequacies and inability to create an absolute resolution, has played its historical role in exposing the problem and maturing its resolution. In fact during the period of the formation of the PKK and as well as later on, absolute separation from Turkey is not considered. The PKK, in its essence has always been for a free and democratic union although expressing it at different times and in various forms. Before the handing over of our President to Turkey though the resolution of the Kurdish question was an urgency for both sides, the developments in the world and the region obstinate a peaceful and a reasonable resolution to be the only logical and favourable way however the appropriate circumstances could not be found in order to realise such a resolution. Hence the question was not released from its deadlock.

The handing over of our President, who had desired to develop a peaceful and democratic resolution by declaring the Cease-fire of September 1, 1999 and the Declaration of Rome, to Turkey by an international conspiracy although tragic has brought about such an opportunity. The President APO, in order to invalidate the conspiracy envisioning a Kurdish-Turkish warfare spreading onto tens of years and by preparing the Imrali Defence to activate the position of captivity as a means for a resolution, has put forth the key solution to the deadlocked problem. This approach aims to find a resolution to the Kurdish question within a democratic republic without the altering of borders. This solution which is the most suitable to the historical Kurdish-Turkish relations and the reality of Turkey at the same time has the characteristic of Kurds developing life of freedom with their own identity, language and culture.
On the basis of democratisation, the solution of free unity fits in well with the general tendency in the world and the characteristic of the problems in the Middle East. The Middle East, being a ball of national, ethnic and religious contradictions, is the region in the world that needs democratisation the most. This historical fact full of conflicts and tension has many times shown democratisation to be the only way to solve these problems and to bring the region to the standards appropriate to its recent history. The Kurdish question, too, compel its resolution as a problem which has damaged the relationships between the states of the Middle East and its peoples. The conflicts and wars up until today has more than sufficiently exposed the Kurdish reality and the problems it creates. It has been seen both by the dominant states and the Kurdish people that this problem can no longer be solved through warfare.

The experiences from the history of conflicts have revealed the feasible resolution of the Kurdish question in the region to be through a democratisation without the altering of borders. While Turkey can be an effective force to play a positive role in the region, because of its inability to establish a democratic system she has continuously been received with suspicion hence stopping her from being an effective force. The most important of all, the unresolved Kurdish question has become a factor hindering the development and stability of Turkey. This objective and concrete circumstances has made the achievement of a peaceful environment in the Middle East and Turkey an urgency and a duty that cannot be abandoned. Peace developed on the basis of democratic solution to the Kurdish question in Turkey will bring stability to Turkey and the Middle East leading to important gains in all areas. Arrival of Turkey at a democratic peace on these bases will enable the resolution of all problems one after another in the Middle East including the Kurdish question.

A similar solution in the other countries will pave the way for economic, social and cultural developments allowing the Middle East to enter the era of democracy and freedoms. When Turkey reaches political stability, its economy in many folds will quickly develop. The two hundred year old Kurdish question instead of being an obstacle will add strength to the strength of Turkey transforming it into one of the most effective forces in the region and the world. The political and social structure of Turkey will reach its natural balances hence ending the decomposition in these areas. Because all the ethnic, religious and social groups as well as the Kurdish people will get more than sufficient benefits from this environment they will have major contributions to Turkey's future.

The promotion of freedom in political, social, and cultural environment being the fruits of peace Turkey in a very short time will benefit in many great ways. With such a characteristic Turkey will become a precedent and an attractive country in the world and the region. The formation of a system appropriate to its geography, social and cultural structure will enable Turkey to establish peace and its continuity, which is the yearning of two hundred years. The people of Turkey with economic, social, cultural accumulation gained especially in the last forty years, but in general during the two hundred years of democratisation struggle, have more than deserved such a peace and future. The democratic republic, which will provide the conditions for peace and development, as a result will take the history of democratic struggle full of sufferings to a meaningful outcome.

Our President, comrade Abdullah Öcalan, in accordance with the responsibility and devotion for the Anatolian and Mesopotamian peoples, has presented the peace project to Turkey in order to take the long years of democratic struggle of the Kurdish and Turkish peoples to such a meaningful outcome. This project, as acknowledged by the Turkish state authorities, is a historical chance that can only come once in a couple of centuries. Our Party, giving full support to our President's declaration of stopping the warfare and the development of peace project declared on August 2, 1999, begun the withdrawal of its armed forces outside the borders of Turkey as of September 1, the International Peace Day.

As a result of this, apart from the unavoidable clashes due to the operations by the Turkish armed forces at the time of withdrawal, the armed conflict has been ended. The abandonment of war has created positive results in a very short time amongst the society of Turkey and the Kurdish people and the majority of the Turkish-Kurdish peoples have given their support to it. The Turkish and the Kurdish peoples, seeing how much more the benefits of the continuation of peace are, no longer desire the continuation of warfare. This step for peace and the atmosphere created, in a very short time softened the political environment in Turkey, creating relief in economic and social arenas. Despite the negative effects of the Marmara earthquake the economy of Turkey has quickly shown a tendency for development.

The Turkish industrialists and state authorities also admit that if the peace process develops the economical problems will be solved and Turkey will enter a period of economic progress. As can be seen with her candidacy to the European Union Turkey's foreign affairs has also had an expansion and that the widening of this expansion are also seen. The PKK, to show its determination of its peace initiative has sent two peace and democratic solution groups, one constituted from the guerrilla forces and the other from Europe, to Turkey. Hence clearly stating the discontinuation of the violence, which is shown to be the obstacle for democratisation, and encouraging the development of democratic motion. The soft messages of all state authorities through various means on the solution of the Kurdish question and though limited, the development of freedom to discuss the issue of obstacles being removed regarding the Kurdish language and culture are seen to be positive by our Party.

Our Party, feeling that this positive atmosphere will further develop in the form of democratisation and on this basis a determination to solve the Kurdish question will eventuate, has completed its extraordinary congress to formalise its democratic republic and democratic struggle project that had already been put in practice and to put this analytic Peace Project into practice. Our Congress has received the postponement of the death sentence as a starting point positively, in regards to our President in compliance with the European Human Rights Court's precautionary decision although items that will hinder a faster development of the peace process are present.

Our Extraordinary 7th Congress, in order to deepen the peace process initiated by the President APO with his Imrali Defences has made changes in its program at a strategic level and taken the decision of realising a broad peace process for the solution of the Kurdish question on the basis of democratisation of Turkey. Our Congress, with this project, has aimed to eliminate the elements that had caused the warfare and the break off between the Kurdish people and Turkey. The PKK, up until now achieved considerable results by unilaterally taking steps for a peaceful and democratic solution, will carry out its responsibilities with great decisiveness and courage in order to continue to develop and deepen the peace process. From the language, style to its working manners it will display suitable manner of conduct in line with the nature of the period. It will only work for the succession of the period it has initiated without being internally or externally provoked.

Our Congress has analysed the developments in Turkey, though limited, to be encouraging, has been hopeful and good willed in terms of realisation of peace and has arrived at important decisions during its discussing of these problems along these lines. It is clear that the essential place for the solution of the Kurdish question is Turkey. The most important role lies with Turkey in the elimination of the reasons creating this problem, which could not be solved for the last two hundred years. The policy of denial and crushing leading to problems and clashes have shown to give no end results as explicitly experienced through the painful history. For this reason, it is time for Turkey to see the factors leading to the tension and clashes in order to take the required steps. The present circumstances present a historical opportunity.

The Republic's responsibility to its principal founding member and its Kurdish citizens, who have close attachments with the Turkish people, has made it an urgent duty for Turkey to approach it in this manner. Such an approach will, at the same time, be the most suitable to the accumulation of Turkish history of forming great states. For the positive steps taken mutually to be more analytic, above all there are some duties to be carried out. As these duties, which have an urgency to be carried out, are realised new steps can be developed and such a situation will enable the peace process to be crowned with the success of a democratic republic.

Our Extraordinary 7th Congress has taken the following decisions regarding this matter:
A) In Regards to our President, Abdullah Öcalan Our Congress sees the period of trial experienced in Imrali for our President, Abdullah Öcalan, to be the Kurdish question originating from the history of Anatolia and Mesopotamia's political and cultural development. In accordance, it takes the circumstances that our President is under to be the circumstances that the Kurdish people are under, his right to life as being the right to life of the Kurdish people, his freedom as being the freedom of the Kurdish people.

On this basis, the life and freedom of our President, Abdullah Öcalan, who is struggling despite all the negative circumstances to procure peace in Turkey, is regarded as the guarantee of application and permanency of the peace project presented.

B) In regards to the Constitutional and Legal Frame Work

1. Our Party, just as was the case in the new Turkey's most fundamental document, the Amasya Tamimi, sees the acceptance of the Kurdish people as the principle founder of the Republic on the basis of re-recognition of the Kurdish people's national identity, their constitutional citizenship rights be guaranteed and the continuation of peoples' free and voluntary union to be the fundamental step for a peaceful transformation and social reconciliation.

2. Our Party, gives the meaning of an agreement to the democratic and social legal reforms that guarantee the freedom of thought, belief, expression and organisation in Turkey and a constitution which purifies the state structure from undemocratic institutions providing social peace and reconciliation.

3. Our Party believes that a democratic constitution should take as its foundation the presentation of organised and individual participation opportunities to individuals, political groups, cultural identities and to those from differing beliefs. In line with this, regards plurality and the acceptance of cultural differences not as a weakening factor but as richness and strength.

4. Our Party regards, universal norms of jurisprudence and the superiority of law together with the fundamental human rights and freedoms, cultural identity, language and all other fundamental rights within the framework of the Paris Provision, Copenhagen Criterions and the United Nations Agreements be guaranteed under the constitutional and legislative arrangements, to be the minimum requirement of continuous peace and stability.

5. Our Party sees the abolishment of all institutions in contradiction with the universal rules of law and administrative and political structures of civilised democratic countries, in its place the construction of democratic institutions; on these basis, sees the need to:

I. Lift the state of emergency

II.Abolish emergency courts

III.Make the transition from a central authority to a local administration system based on a distribution of authority.

C. In Regards to the Political Aspect

1. The PKK sees it appropriate and essential for the benefit of both peoples to defend the political borders with its present shape on which the Turkish and Kurdish people have lived sharing the same fate on a united geography for hundreds of years.

2. The PKK sees it compulsory to lift death penalties without a delay, realise a general amnesty encompassing all political prisoners including those of conscious, individuals carrying out political activity abroad and especially the armed forces in the mountains, in order to resolve the problem fundamentally and procure internal peace.

3. The PKK sees the participation of all social layers of society in reciprocal discussions and joint work necessary in order to create the ground for peace and democratisation. In carrying out the peace project it undertakes relationships and dialogue with the political parties, civilian social institutions and all layers of society especially labourers and women and within this framework prepares activities through the formation of shared organisations as its principle.

D. In Regards to the Social and Economic Aspect

1. Our Party sees the preparation and carrying out of the return to village project for the construction of thousands of villages demolished as a result of the fifteen years of warfare and the return of those people of the region, who were forced to migrate as a necessity. Requests the state to put in its economic sources, to compensate the damage of the people, for their return provide economic, political and administration encouragement and in line with this undertaking of national and international enterprises. Our Party states that it will also put in its organised force, on these basis will play a supportive and an encouraging role in all aspects.

2. Our Party with the aim of developing the level of economic and social prosperity in the region sees the necessity of economic projects of investment and progress that preserve historical works of art and the nature and on this basis supports any steps taken. On this point it sees the stoppage and cancellation of the construction work for the Ilisu and Mercan dams which give grave damage to our historical richness and nature to be necessary.

E. In Regards to the Abolishment of Violence

Our Party, which believes in solving the social and political problems through the use of armed forces has lost its meaning in its essence in this era, in order to develop an appropriate and civilised environment of reconciliation and peace suitable with the honour of humanity, sees the purification of our country from violence disabandonable. To this end:

1. It declares the abandonment of the armed struggle. However, until the development of permanent peace, legislative and political arrangements are made and the necessary guarantees are formed, it will keep its armed forces in a defence position.

2. Although it has taken the decision of withdrawing its armed forces outside the borders of Turkey and has carried this out, once again stresses the need for the Turkish army to stop its continuation of operations in order to withdraw the small amount of its forces left within the borders of Turkey.
3. It makes all the necessary arrangements so that the forces withdrawn outside the borders will not constitute a threat to Turkey.

4. In order to develop the peace process it sees it necessary that the village guard system is lifted and an end is put to the activities of the illegal armed forces, the illumination of the thousands of the so called unknown murders and the punishment of those guilty of it.

5. In the case of legal and political guarantees, in parallel to the positive development of the process on the basis of a suitable plan envisions the addition of all its forces to the Democratic Republic.
6. With all the above in mind, the stoppage of all military operations towards the people and our armed forces and the arrangement of the Turkish army units which are arranged for a war position to be arranged according to an ordinary position are seen to be the urgent steps that need to be taken in order to develop the ground for peace.

7. In order to protect human lives, invites Turkey and all professional international institutions to put in effective effort to clear the land of hundreds of thousands of various mines planted during the long years of warfare on the land where the Kurds live.

F. In Regards to the Permanent Solution of the Kurdish Question in the Region

1. The PKK also takes as its fundamental the democratic solution of the Kurdish people living in Iraq, Iran and Syria within their present borders. At the same time believes that in the event of the development of an equal, free and democratic solution, the Kurdish people will take on the role of leadership and bridge in developing the peace and stability of the region.

2. The PKK, from the fact that the division amongst the Kurds being the fundamental obstacle for a resolution to the Kurdish question, aims to procure the national unity and peace on the basis of values created by the long and difficult years of struggle. On this basis renews its call for a ceasefire with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). It aims to be in political dialogue, permanent peace and relations with all Kurdish political organisations including the KDP. In order to procure national unity and peace calls on all national forces to take a stance and be sensitive against any position of the KDP not arriving at national unity and peace.

3. Our Party takes as its fundamental the positioning of its armed forces in all areas including the South, in a defence position in such a way as not to constitute a threat and carry out assaults on any forces unless have been subjected to attacks.

4. Our Party's new strategy not only with Turkey, but also encompasses the resolution of problems through peaceful means with Iran, Syria and Iraq too, as well as the resolution of problems between these countries by means not relying on threats and oppression. It does not accept the usage of one country as a threat to another. In line with this the solution developed with Turkey will not only constitute a threat to the other forces it also aims to create permanent peace and cooperation amongst the forces of the region.

G. In Regards to the Peace Project Being Carried Out

1. Our Party, in order to realise the peace project expressed above, will make detailed plans to carry it out in parallel to the developments. It sees it necessary to struggle against the assaultive, offensive and annulling approaches originating from a narrow fundamental nationalism and chauvinism that will affect the process negatively from either side.

2. Envisions to move itself away from any approaches that may provoke the environment of peace and reconciliation by either of the sides.

3. Our Party states its desire for the state to act suitable to its history and importance and that it will show the necessary constructiveness in order to realise the peace project expressed above. On this basis, calls on all the relevant state organs, political parties, non-governmental organisations, those individuals that have influence on the society and the media in terms of positive constructive contribution to actively participate in the process.

4. A call is also made to the states of the region and the public opinion for their contribution and support in the development of peace. As procurement of peace in Turkey will have a positive and an important effect on the peace in the region and in the world.

January 20, 2000

The Extraordinary VII. Congress of the PKK