Senior politician and former parliamentarian from Southern Kurdistan, Mehmud Osman, stated that the KDP and PUK should come together with the PKK to solve the problems. He emphasized that the source of the problems is not the PKK but the Turkish state.

Speaking to ANF Sorani service Mehmud Osman pointed out that those who believe that Turkey is conducting war only on PKK are wrong.

Reminding of the recent wave of arrests against HDP politicians, Osman added: "Turkey is also opposed to socialist and democratic parties. The problem is not the PKK, but rather Turkey.”

"In reality, Iran, Turkey and Syria deny the existence of the Kurds and the Kurdish issue. Look at their laws, the Kurds are not even mentioned. When you look at the Iraqi laws, the Kurds are granted certain rights, yet the other countries do not mention the Kurds in any way,” he told.

PROBLEMS SHOULD BE SOLVED THROUGH TALKS WITH THE PKK

Remarking that the Kurdish parties in South Kurdistan should solve their problems through talks with the PKK, Osman continued; "In my opinion, the best solution is for the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) and PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) to meet and agree with the PKK. Should they avoid sitting at the table and discussing, should they accuse each other, then no problem can ever be solved.”

Remarking that military bases and war can't solve anything, Osman said: “Brothers from Southern Kurdistan have repeatedly told that Turkey wants them to guarantee the security at the border. But security can only be guaranteed by peace. If you reach an agreement, the region will be stable, and the war will end. I am convinced that Iran and Turkey should come together with the Kurdish side and settle the problems peacefully. There is no other way anyway.”

IF ÖCALAN IS FREE, PEACE WILL COME TO THE REGION

Refering to Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan's peace efforts, Osman remarked that: "Öcalan has a project and says he can solve the problem in six months. Turkey does not only leave him unanswered but also isolates him. I believe that if negotiations are carried out with Öcalan problems can be solved. If Öcalan is free and an agreement is reached through dialogue, peace will be achieved in the region. The Rojava issue can only be resolved, since they claim the Rojava territory to be PKK-affiliated and terrorist. We do not know which Kurds are good in the eyes of Turkey.”

'I AND MASROUR BARZANI WERE IN TURKEY’S TERROR LIST'

Osman recalled that in 2003, while he was in Baghdad, Turkey wrote a formal note to Iraqi Foreign Ministry and the Americans and asked for his extradition, labeling him “terrorist”. He noted that Turkey also asked for the extradition of Masrour Barzani, the current Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

"The reason why they declared me a terrorist is that I wanted a peaceful solution to the problem in North Kurdistan, that's all," Osman added.