Kurdistan Observer

Interview with Cemil Bayik, Kurdistan Democratic Confederation (KKK)

Recent statements by EU officials regarding the Kurdish movement suggest that the EU does not want the Kurdish Question to be resolved. This is the evaluation of Kurdistan Democratic Confederation, KKK, Executive Council member Cemil Bayik. Mr Bayik also warned of the increasing repression of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), also said the KKK will resist all attempts to destroy it.

The EU seems to have taken initiative against your movement, often making statements calling on all concerned to "give up on PKK and Abdullah Ocalan". Most recently the EU official Joost Lagendijk made similar statements. What is your reaction to these statements?

The EU do not want the Kurdish Question to be resolved and there is no significant EU policy to assist in finding a solution. If the EU had genuinely wanted to resolve the Kurdish issue it would have put forward a programme or taken the opportunity to discuss the issue when our leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was in Europe where he proposed a concrete seven-step resolution. If the EU had been serious about finding a solution it would have offered a refuge to our leader. The EU not only rejected the opportunity of being a catalyst to a solution but it also laid the ground for the international conspiracy against our leader.

The EU is now calling on the Kurds to renounce their support for the PKK and Ocalan by talking about a solution "without the PKK and Ocalan". The EU knows very well that the Kurdish Question in Turkey can not be resolved without the involvement of the PKK and Ocalan. Thus through these statements the EU is strengthening Turkey's policy of denial and annihilation. The EU's attitude is feeding Turkey's violence and the continuation of war. If the EU wanted to resolve the Question it would not have supported Turkey, then Turkey would have been forced to take steps to resolve the Question.

Mr Lagendijk, chairman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, is in fact smearing the Kurds based on biased information he receives from Turkish circles. He does not consider the Kurds and the PKK to be worthy of consultation or consideration. Based on misinformation Mr Lagendijk is actually making a judgment against the PKK. Europeans must resist this policy as the deadlock on Kurdish Question affects everyone, the Kurds, Turks and Europe.

We believe Europe strives for stability. If this is true, then Europe must aim for stability in Turkey which is after all a candidate member state. Unless Kurdish Question is resolved stability, democratization and European rule of law, as well as way of life, cannot be achieved in Turkey.

We expect Lagendijk and the EU to respect the choice and the will of the Kurdish people. On 15 February (the anniversary of the abduction of Ocalan), 8 March
(International Women's Day) and during Newroz people demonstrated their support for the PKK and Ocalan by chanting "PKK is the people". The Kurds carried posters of Ocalan everywhere and stated that Ocalan is the representative of their political will. Mr Lagendijk who talks about democracy does not recognize that and insists to the people that "Ocalan does not represent you". I do not think that this attitude reflects a commitment to democracy.

The EU accuses the Kurdish movement of not being democratic. Is it the Kurdish movement or the EU which is anti-democratic?

The Kurdish people are resisting tyranny, torture and oppression under a threat of death. Despite all the risks the Kurds have said that Ocalan is their legitimate representative. However The EU is trying to define the will of Kurdish people. This is not democracy. In democracy people choose for themselves. The Kurds can not accept this rejection of their democratic choice by Europe or Mr Lagendijk.

The Kurds have been fighting for 30 years and have suffered enormously. 4,000 Kurdish villages have been burnt down by Turkish Army. Three million Kurds have been forced from their homes as refugees.

Millions became refugees in their country and were subjected to unemployment and hunger. Some of these people were forced into crime and the sex trade. Even this is blamed on the PKK. However we know for a fact that JITEM (Gendarmerie Intelligence) is organising homeless youngsters in Diyarbakir as gangs pushing them into illegal activities. Some of these children are taken to cities such as Istanbul and Izmir where they are pushed into illegal activities. Later when they are arrested the officials claim that the PKK benefits from these crimes. These facts must be acknowledged by Mr Lagendijk and the EU.

I believe Semdinli incident has highlighted the reality of Turkey once more. It has clearly identified the forces behind the dirty war in Kurdistan which can be seen in the indictment prepared by the Van Prosecutor. This indictment was prepared by a State official and confirms that Turkish army officials, police and gangs set up by these war lords are responsible for extra-judicial killings, bombings and extortion. All these illegal forces and their activities were coordinated by Yasar Buyukanit, Chief of Command for Turkish Land Forces. Accusing the PKK of violence and labelling us as terrorist, disregarding the will of our people, at a time when we are faced with such realities, is not in line with democracy. This attitude represents total disregard and ignorance towards the struggle of our people for freedom.

Some circles in Turkey claim that the PKK is an obstacle to reaching a solution to Kurdish Question. These circles claim that the PKK is imposing its policies on everyone involved in the Kurdish issue and as a result the Kurdish movement is not democratic. They say that Kurds cannot achieve democracy unless the PKK's monopoly of the Kurdish issue is defeated. It is suggested that if the PKK dissolved itself the Kurdish question could be resolved. The aim here is clearly to break the organization, the will and awakening of the Kurdish people which was achieved by the PKK.

The PKK and our leader Abdullah Ocalan led the most significant struggle for democratization in Kurdistan. Due to our struggle we developed modern and civilized social values through a social transformation. The status of Kurdish women is the best evidence for this statement. Today Kurdish women are taking a leading role in civil movements and our guerrilla forces. This is the most significant democratisation act.

Both the Turkish State and foreign circles are targeting the legal Kurdish political organisations. What is your reaction to the attacks on the legal Kurdish political organiations?

Legal Kurdish political activity does have shortcomings and weaknesses. All the efforts by Turkish State, directed at those weaknesses, are aimed at making the Kurds pay politically. They are trying to pacify legal Kurdish political activity. Through arrests, threats and even murder they are trying to suppress the Kurdish legal movement. However despite shortcomings the Kurdish legal movement stands firm. They are obviously trying to create splits within the legal movement. Through repression they are aiming to pacify or buy off some among the legal movement.

State officials are constantly putting pressure on the legal movement calling on them to "cut all ties with the PKK and Ocalan" - as if there is any link. The aim
is to divide Kurdish forces against each other. In other words they are trying to hit the Kurds with Kurds. The same game is played against various Kurdish legal movements and again the aim is to destroy Kurdish organizational accomplishments in the legal area. The same strategy is implemented against our guerrilla forces.

The method may be different but in essence the aim is the same; to break the willpower of the Kurdish people. Kurdish movement in all areas, from the legal movement to guerrilla forces, is showing tremendous resistance. The Kurds are persistent in their struggle for freedom. Our resistance makes the solution of Kurdish Question unavoidable. Turkish officials may try to win more time, there might be more repression and torture, we may have to make sacrifices but the solution is unavoidable. Sooner or later Turkey will have to address the Kurdish Question.

What will you do against regional and international interference? What is the likelihood of an escalation in violence?

2006 will be a difficult year. Even though we do not want war and call for a democratic political solution of the Kurdish question Turkish officials, led by Yasar Buyukanit, insist on terror, violence and war. Turkey hopes to continue with its old policies. Turkey aims to defeat the Kurds through military aggression, isolation and repression against our movement. We have no other option but to resist such attacks. Resistance is our legitimate right. Resistance is a right enshrined under international law. As long as the Kurdish Question remains unresolved we will resort to our legitimate right to resistance. We will not accept surrender or death.

We insist on our right to freedom and dignity. We believe a solution cannot be achieved through war, repression and tyranny. The Turkish State must soon realize this reality and abandon its current policies. Turkey must recognize the Kurdish issue and accept the need for moving towards a solution.

Turkey can not afford to make wrong calculations. Our guerrilla forces and the Kurdish people will stand firm. We will break the diplomatic isolation surrounding our movement in the international arena.

The year 2006 may not immediately produce the results that we desire. It will be a difficult year of struggle. We can not afford to make mistakes. I believe all our members and people realize this. We will defeat the policy of denial and annihilation to win.

Women and youth will play an important role in our struggle. Both women and youth have a leading social role.