Democratic Society Congress (DTK) Permanent Council held a regular meeting in Amed on Sunday, addressing the main topics on the agenda of Kurdistan and Turkey.

The final declaration of the meeting included the democratic solution process led by Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan, the steps to be taken to guarantee his physical and medical condition, the Kurdish Conference to take place in Amed and the Gezi Park resistance across the country.

Reminding of the ongoing historical process, the withdrawal of Kurdish guerrillas across Turkish borders, the declaration pointed out that the AKP government has yet made no democratic legal arrangements despite the fact that the first phase of the solution process has been completed, noting that this attitude left question marks in minds and raised doubts. "It is neither a realistic nor a solution-oriented attitude to expect the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) to take unilateral steps and not to put the words into practice", it said and pointed out that officials of the government must firstly change the statist-language they are using and speak instead words peace, make amendments in the Turkish penal law before the formation of the new constitution, remove the election threshold and the obstacles to Turkish civil code and freedoms of expression and thought, eliminate the villageguard system, clean mined lands, release sick and Kurdish prisoners unlawfully held under arrest and give an end to the construction of dams and military posts and the projects leading to nature destruction.

The declaration remarked that the government must also provide necessary conditions to enable the practice of open and transparent talks between Öcalan and PKK executives, democracy powers, NGOs, intellectuals and individuals so that the Kurdish leader can take a more effective part in the process of peaceful solution.

DTK said these steps will not only establish an environment of confidence but also pave the way for a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish question.

DTK said the decisions to be made at the “Northern Kurdistan Conference for Solution and Unity” to take place in Amed on 15-16 June would provide an opportunity for the Kurdish people to strengthen their democratic unity. The declaration said the conference would make remarkable contributions to the unity, equality and liberation of the Kurdish people and the democratization of the peoples in the Middle East.

DTK saluted the Gezi Park resistance which -it said- has once again revealed the fact that the country cannot be ruled on the basis of a strict centralist structure. DTK underlined that “This resistance, which the nationalist and Ergenekon circles intend to benefit from, must be defeated by pluralist, equalitarian and liberal circles' demand for a democratic constitution and all democrat and opponent circles should unite under this demand”.

DTK said the present constitution- which it defined as a consequence of the 12 September military coup in 1980- was the primary source of all the problems the country is facing today. It underlined that these problems will not be resolved unless the constitution and the monist and repressive laws undergo a change.

The declaration underlined that the AKP government must satisfy protestors' demand for more democracy and freedom, change its arrogant attitude, apologize to the people and cease the Gezi Park project.

“Gezi Park resistance has revealed the fact that nothing will be the way it used to be from now on. A system which fails to fulfill the necessities of the time, to practice a democratic change, to pay attention to the people and to include them in decision-making mechanisms will never be able to achieve something nor impose its own wishes on the people”, it added.

The declaration continued with the announcement of following decisions made at the meeting;

*DTK attaches a historic importance to the Northern Kurdistan Conference for Solution and Unity and declares that it will be a significant constituent of the will of the conference.

*DTK and other Kurdish formations shall organize commemoration ceremonies in June to remember Sheikh Said.

*DTK Law Committee shall organize a Lawyers' Conference in autumn.