The Democratic Unity Initiative, which announced its establishment with a statement made in Amed (Diyarbakır) on 11 May, continues its activities uninterruptedly. The main goal of the initiative, which includes Kurdish political parties, non-governmental organisations, opinion leaders, representatives of religious and democratic institutions and elected officials, is to contribute to the democratisation of Turkey through a just, egalitarian and democratic solution to the Kurdish issue. Accelerating inter-Kurdish unity efforts is also among the main activities of the initiative.

 

'UNITY IS A NEED'

 

Mehmet Ali Aydın, who takes part in the secretariat of the initiative, emphasised that a "national conference" is a must for democracy and unity among Kurds. Pointing out that the developments in the Middle East have made this situation obligatory, Aydın said: "Narrow, regional, family political interests and expectations and relations with sovereign states have always prevented this (unity). The spirit of national unity did not come to life with a national conference. But the developments in the Middle East have shown that this is a need that cannot be postponed."

 

'WE WILL REQUEST A MEETING WITH IMRALI'

 

Stating that they will demand a meeting with Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan within the scope of national unity, Aydın said, "We attach great value to the Kurdistan National Conference. Mr Öcalan's emphasis is also on this basis. We see that he attaches importance and prioritises it. There is even a proposal that Mr Masoud Barzani should chair the national conference. We maintain our hope that the Kurdistan National Conference will come to life, develop and definitely be held in the near future, regardless of the failed attempts in the past. We believe that the KDP, YNK and other Kurdish political parties will contribute to this conference, which cannot be postponed any longer. We think that all Kurdish groups should definitely respond positively to this call of Mr Öcalan."

 

Stating that they are in dialogue with all parties in Kurdistan, Aydın said that 5 parties are stakeholders of the initiative, while the other 3 political parties are following the initiative. Aydın stated that they will continue their dialogue with 3 parties. Aydın emphasised that all parties and segments should take part in the initiative and noted that they were continuing their work at this point.

 

'THERE IS NO CHANCE OF DELAY'

 

Pointing out that the biggest obstacle to national unity is the familial and individual concerns of some parties and organisations, Aydın stressed: "The relations with the structures of the countries in the region are also an obstacle to the national congress. We do not reject the relations with the states of the region completely, but we think that seeing this as an obstacle in front of the Kurdistan National Congress would not be a correct Kurdistani politics. The developments in the Middle East, the Israeli-Iranian conflict, the US policies in the region, and the Chinese-Russian policies in the Middle East have reached a point. At this point, the Kurds no longer have a chance to refrain from, delay or postpone national unity."

 

Underlining that all structures and organisations should make a "sacrifice" at this point, Aydın said: "Political leaders and political parties should take steps towards unity for the future of the peoples and the realisation of the national conference, leaving aside their past conflicts. The Middle East and the Kurdistan region are very suitable for this."

 

Noting that the "Democratic Society and Peace Process" also provides the ground for a national conference, Aydın stated that this is the expectation of all Kurdish people. Aydın said, "We are hopeful, we believe that this will be realised soon, not in the very long term. In this context, we all have duties," he said.

 

MA / Müjdat Can