Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party, the Democratic People's Party
(DEHAP), said on Wednesday it was dissolving in order to join a new
pro-Kurdish political movement to advance the rights of Turkey's Kurds.
DEHAP said in a statement that it had decided to join the Democratic
Society Movement (DTH), led by former (now defunct) Democracy Party (DEP)
deputy Leyla Zana and three other former lawmakers.
Zana and her friends, who were released from prison last year, launched
their movement in October and are expected to turn it into a political party.
"We have decided to join the DTH to strengthen the democratic Kurdish
movement and unity among Kurds," the party said.
DEHAP announced its decision to disband as prosecutors tried to close down
the party, accusing it of being a focal point for separatist activities and
having ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The constitutional court
previously closed down four pro-Kurdish parties, including DEHAP's predecessor.
The party also said on Wednesday that recent remarks by Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a visit to the southeastern city of
Diyarbakır had raised hopes for a new conciliatory atmosphere.
In its statement DEHAP said the party assembly and the branch presidents of
the party had met late on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments. “At this
point in time international developments are forcing us to change,” the
statement announced.
The statement noted the peace processes currently under way in Spain
(regarding ETA) and Britain (regarding the IRA), adding that the prime
minister's statements before and during his Diyarbakır visit last Friday had
shown that he intended to pursue an alternative path.
The party said the statements the premier made were very important for
them, but such words needed to be endorsed by actions if they were to produce
any tangible results.
The move was seen by some as an attempt to consolidate pro-Kurdish
political movements in order to show a united stance before the government
starts to implement policies that aim to resolve the issue through democratic
means.
Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir welcomed Erdoğan's promise of a democratic
settlement of the Kurdish question. "I hope his pledges will lead to the opening
of a new page in Ankara's ties with the Kurds,” Baydemir told NTV.
"A new leaf needs to be turned to ensure that the guns and bombs are
silenced. My hopes in this direction were boosted today," he said.
