Turkey: Öcalan calls on PKK to make peace
PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who has been in prison since 1999, has called for the Kurdish underground organisation he co-founded to lay down its arms and disband. The PKK is considered a terrorist organisation in many countries. Members of the pro-Kurdish DEM party, who have visited Öcalan several times in prison, played a key role in persuading him to make the appeal. What are the chances of settling this decades-long conflict?
Political collaboration instead of fighting
The left-leaning Birgün newspaper is baffled as to why the pro-Kurdish DEM party is cooperating with Erdoğan:
“With this initiative, which is clearly the result of lengthy negotiations with the PKK, Erdoğan's regime is trying to ensure its own survival. ... Why the DEM Party supports such a pragmatic, opportunistic and historically misguided initiative, and how it can collaborate with [Erdoğan's] AKP and put up with its fascist mentality when it should be fighting against it is anyone's guess.”
Further resistance would be futile
The PKK should do as Öcalan says, journalist Melih Altınok stresses in Sabah:
“The PKK fighters are hiding out in the mountains in south-east Turkey. ... But they can only resist up to a certain point. ... They should finally realise that insisting on the current path will lead to marginalisation and a loss of support from the people now that their leader, whom they worship like an 'Atatürk', has said: 'This struggle is now pointless and unsustainable'. ... I hope they do not forget that this is their last opportunity. ... And that this disruptive factor, which abuses our politics and democracy, disturbs social peace and wastes our resources, will become history.”
Unanimity on laying down arms?
Večernji list fears that not all wings of the Kurdish movement will be willing to end the armed struggle:
“For the Kurds, laying down their arms means a fundamental change in their political strategy. The weapons, for years a symbol of the fight against oppression, could now be replaced by political instruments such as negotiations, parliamentary elections and diplomacy. Many Kurds may see this transition as a step towards political recognition, but the question is whether this will lead to fractures within those Kurdish groups that have always believed that arms are the key to achieving autonomy.”
Uncertain future for Syrian Kurds
Columnist Pierre Haski analyses the consequences for Syria on France Inter:
“The situation is extremely complex. Turkey, which has gained influence in Damascus, is threatening military intervention against the armed Kurds of Syria as part of its fight against the PKK. But the Kurds have been under American protection since they joined the fight against IS. What impact will a potential detente in Turkey have on Syria? That will depend on the dynamics between Abdullah Öcalan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. There is a fragile hope of peace in this battered region.”