KurdistanObserver.com

Veteran Politician Points To Nonviolence For Kurdish Aspirations

KEMAL SAYDAMER ANKARA - TDN Parliament Bureau Dec 11, 2005 One of the founders of the now defunct Democratic Mass Party (DKP), a former public works minister and now one of the leaders of a new pro-Kurdish movement, Şerafettin Elçi told Turkish Daily News that he was for a nonviolent policy, adding that the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been a disaster for the Kurdish people and Turkey.

He said he and some other individuals who are deeply respected by Kurds in Turkey are trying to form a new political party. Elçi said they would be communicating their basic ideals to the people and would be building on them by taking into account the people's reactions.

Elçi said their main principle is to follow a nonviolent democratic political process. “The party we are thinking of establishing is a liberal social democrat party. However, the main mission of the party is to ensure that a political solution to the Kurdish problem is found and to do that within the confines of the democratic political process.”

  “A nation needs to have the right to self-determination. This means giving people the right to choose the course they want to take; however, we don't see this as being an independent country,” he said.

  Elçi said their political solution is to respect the current borders of Turkey and to form a federative structure. “This federative structure based on the Turkish and Kurdish nations will respect the rights of minorities. This is the basis of our idea.”

  “The issue here is to allow the state to reassess itself and establish a just and happy state structure in which everyone enjoys equal rights. Once that is established, it's impossible for the people to separate,” said Elçi.