Öcalan Calls for Democratic Peace to Extend Ceasefire

Mehmet Öcalan, brother of imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, apparently forwarded a letter of his brother to the government and the PKK, the militant Kurdistan Workers Party.

As reported by the Fırat News Agency, Mehmet Öcalan quoted his brother Abdullah after a visit as follows: "I will make my contribution if there will be a democratic peace. All Kurds will contribute in that case. They will not join in a false peace".

"He evaluated the ceasefire in our meeting. He said that there can be no substantial peace if all Kurds are eliminated at that stage. [...] Everybody would contribute as long as there is a bilaterally democratic and healthy situation that grants Kurds democratic rights".

"24 members of the BDP [Peace and Democracy Party] were taken into custody in Urfa on the second day of the ceasefire. Eight of them were arrested. There cannot be a healthy peace by completely eliminating Kurds. My brother said we would wait until 31 October and in case the elimination policies would be continued like this, he would take a different decision".

Ceasefire extended till end of the month

On 30 September, KCK executive Murat Karayılan had declared in a press conference that the ceasefire would be extended for another month until 31 October. Karayılan is the head of the Democratic Confederation of Kurdistan (KCK), the umbrella organisation that includes the PKK, with the intent to organize Kurdish people. Karayılan had declared that the ceasefire could be turned into a permanent situation if the efforts that created mutual trust would develop accordingly.

Karayılan was quoted by the Fırat News Agency as saying, "We are willing to implement the ceasefire as a permanent process. However, we are seriously concerned because of the AKP government's actions to eliminate our movement". (EÜ/VK)