KurdistanObserver.com

Former Kurdish MPs set up DTP

November 10, 2005

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News

  The Democratic Society Movement (DTH), led by former Kurdish lawmakers including Leyla Zana, has become the Democratic Society Party (DTP), reported the Anatolia news agency yesterday.

  The co-chairmen of the party, Ahmet Türk and Aysel Tuğluk, submitted a petition to change its name yesterday to the Interior Ministry.

  Speaking to reporters as they were leaving the Interior Ministry building, Türk said the DTP was a political formation aiming for Turkey's democratization and added that they intended to contribute to politics in Turkey after learning lessons from past experiences. 

  “The DTP is the party of a 70-million-strong Turkey, and we'll be exerting efforts to enhance dialogue and brotherhood among our people. We aim to live together,” Türk was quoted as saying. 

  Co-chairwoman Tuğluk said they set out to create an alternative based upon the will of people and emphasized that they would work to help all institutions and organizations enjoy equality, freedom and justice. 

  “We'll derive our power from the people,” she said. 

  Tuğluk claimed that the Kurdish problem was not being addressed in a courageous and determined fashion and added: “One of the prior issues in terms of democratization in Turkey is the Kurdish problem. We believe that a process should start to address the Kurdish issue clearly and courageously based on social consensus. We believe the problem can be resolved through democratic rules and institutions.”

  Tuğluk said the new party regarded women's role in politics as strategic and stressed that they have taken a historic step since 40 percent of party officials consisted of women and also that the party was being ruled with a system of co-chairmanship.