AKP, Ocalan take the Peace Process up a notch

TURKEY - In Brief 05 Jun 2014 by Atilla Yesilada

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First allow me to express my apologies for delaying this update, promised in our latest Monthly Report. Events in Turkey progressed so rapidly that I felt like a rabbit facing the headlights of an approaching car all week. The resignation of the president of Turkey’s sole big-business lobby, TUSIAD, Mr. Muharrem Yilmaz, on-going clashes and demonstrations related to Gezi and Soma mining disaster and the results of the Agri and Yalova repeat elections are some of the salient developments I decided to defer to the upcoming Weekly Tracker. The hottest item on the agenda suddenly became the announcement by state minister Besir Atalay, who also coordinates the “Peace Process” to achieve ethnic reconciliation with Kurds, that the government had finally resolved to carry the process “to the next stage”. Members of the pro-Kurdish party HDP’s delegation who visited PKK leader Ocalan in his island prison confirm the news, but details remain sketchy. It seems that from on negotiations with the Kurdish Axis (HDP or its umbrella civic organization KCK, PKK and Ocalan) carried out peace-meal and through chief spy Mr. Hakan Fidan’s offices, will be conducted between delegations of Cabinet ministers and HDP. This step will largely address the primary demand of the Kurdish Axis to provide legal status to the Peace Process. A new and narrower Wisemen’ Committee will be formed to take the pulse of the nation and to report on the demands to the government, as well as advise it on policy, which may “check” another demand by Kurds. There are unconfirmed news of press and politicians being allowed to interview Ocalan. To portray the way the government is playing up the deal, I should add th...