Cengiz Çandar: DEM Party supporters want a solution, but hopes are low

DEM Party MP Cengiz Çandar addresses parliament. Source

İSTANBUL — At the opening ceremony of Turkish parliament’s new legislative year, a handshake between MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli and DEM Party MPs suddenly became one of the most significant topics in Turkish politics.

Bahçeli's gesture was soon after supported by Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, raising the question in many minds of whether a new peace process was on the horizon.

As statements followed one after the other, within days the conversation shifted to whether jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan had spoken with militants in Qandil, and whether a call was made to Öcalan to declare the dissolution of the organization.

Today, Bahçeli raised the issue once more, seemingly inviting Öcalan to speak at a DEM Party group meeting in parliament and to declare the dissolution of the PKK. He added that if “the end of terrorism is declared”, Öcalan could benefit from the “right to hope”, which allows for the conditional release of those sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment.

Responding shortly afterwards, DEM Party co-chair Tülay Hatimoğulları today reiterated previous party statements to end the isolation of Öcalan and include him in potential peace negotiations.

In a wide-spanning Oct. 17 interview with Turkey recap, veteran journalist and DEM Party Diyarbakır MP Cengiz Çandar, who has focused on the Kurdish issue for many years, underlined the process is still very new, stressing the importance of acting cautiously and maintaining prudence.