AMED - DEM Party came together with the press in Amed (Diyarbakır) within the scope of "Peace journalism" and informed them about the stage reached in the process. It was stated that Abdullah Öcalan emphasised that Kurds are not without options in the talks. The meeting emphasised the importance of the language of peace in the media for the socialisation of the process.  

 

Peoples' Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party organised the second of its press meetings in Amed. In the meeting, which was organised with the participation of about 30 journalists who have been working as journalists in Kurdistan for many years, information was shared about the stage reached in the Peace and Democratic Society Process, the work of the commission established in the Parliament, and the perspective of the politics, especially the government, on the process. The meeting lasted for more than 4 hours and included more than a one-sided exchange of views, comments and questions from each journalist on the process.                              

 

In the meeting attended by DEM Party Deputy Co-Chair Tayip Temel, HDK Co-Spokesperson and DEM Party MP Meral Danış Beştaş and Amed (Diyarbakır) MP Cengiz Çandar, the importance of developing the language of peace in the press was emphasised.

 

THE ROLE OF THE COMMITTEE 

 

Informing about the current stage of the process, politicians pointed out that the process started with the encouragement of Devlet Bahçeli and that the talks are being conducted between the state and Abdullah Öcalan.  

 

It was stated that the practice of the commission with the widest participation in the history of Turkey in the Parliament was revealed in this process, and that the list was formed in line with the suggestions of all parties at the point of the listening list, and that the lists were sent to the parties the day before the meeting. It was pointed out that the commission created a strong listening ground, that all the participating segments made different and surprising statements, that all segments supported the process and the state of leaving the ground of conflict, except for the association that came with the proposal of the Free Cause Party, and that the picture that emerged was surprising for all parties. 

 

In the meeting, it was pointed out that the commission would serve as a kind of "road cleaning" while moving towards the solution of the Kurdish issue, that a deep-rooted problem such as the Kurdish issue could not be solved only through the work of a commission, that a draft law would be created for the laws to be enacted in this context, and that the DEM Party had first-hand demands in this sense, such as mother tongue, local government, withdrawal of trustees, legalisation of the "right to hope", and revision of the scope of the Anti-Terror Law. It was also noted that all parties, especially the DEM Party, are preparing for legal amendments in this sense.

 

BAHÇELI'S STATEMENT ON 1 OCTOBER 

 

Cengiz Çandar stated that very surprising developments have taken place since the beginning of the process and that at this time last year no one had expected such an outburst from Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chair Devlet Bahçeli and that it was argued that the fact that he went to the DEM Party benches and shook hands was merely a humanitarian behaviour, but when Bahçeli first spoke of regional peace and peace within the country, this outburst began to make sense. Çandar also shared an anecdote from the meeting between the DEM Party's İmralı delegation and Bahçeli and stated that during this meeting Bahçeli, referring to Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan, said: "There is nothing that the leader of the Kurds and Erdoğan cannot solve by coming together." 

 

ÖCALAN EMPHASISES MU'AWIYA GAMES 

 

In the press meeting, anecdotes from the talks between Abdullah Öcalan and the DEM Party İmralı delegation were also shared and it was stated that Öcalan said " Mu'awiya games are in effect" in one of the last talks. In the meeting, Öcalan was quoted as saying that the government was trying to create a perception, trying to make it look as if it had won the war it did not win and as if it had defeated the PKK in the war, and that "We do not accept fraudulent speeches". 

 

KURDS SHOULD HAVE STATUS IN THIS CENTURY 

 

It was also emphasised that Öcalan said "Kurds are not without options" in the last meeting. Öcalan was recorded as saying that the Kurds could no longer be without status in a new century and that they were trying to solve this situation on equal terms with the 4 states they lived in, but that if this did not happen, they were not without alternatives.

 

PULSE OF THE STREET, LANGUAGE OF THE MEDIA 

 

Journalists also asked questions about the details they were curious about the process, as well as Abdullah Öcalan's call on 27 February and his subsequent statements on the concepts of "democratic society, peace and democratic integration". Stating that they took the pulse of the people on the streets, the journalists emphasised that public approval of the process was increasing day by day. The journalists pointed out that despite the public approval, a state of distrust towards the state also persists. Journalists pointed out that there was no language in the mainstream media, especially the media close to the government, in line with the spirit of the process, and that this situation was watched with concern by the society.

 

MA / Dicle Muftuoglu