The Commander of the People’s Defence Forces Headquarters, Murat Karayılan, has warned the Turkish government because of its tough policies, interpreting them as a tactic, and said that the PKK has many options in the current environment. Karayılan said the AKP is trying to gain time until the elections, adding that the road map that the AKP proposes is nothing but asking the PKK to commit hara-kiri.

Answering the questions of the Kurdish daily newspaper Azadiya Welat, Karayılan said the so-called resolution process has continued for about two years, but that it does not deserve to be called a resolution process anymore.

The HPG Commander recalled the declaration of Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan at the Newroz of 2013, following the year of 2012 which had been a year of intense clashes.

Karayılan said they had been consulted many times before the declaration and added: “The delegation visited us twice, and also visited the Leader. On 8 March 2013, we, as the executive committee, held a meeting and became fully involved in the process. The state accepted it on this basis. In fact, the Leader said, ‘both you and the state must accept’. The declaration came out of this process. We can say that the declaration of 2013 was announced after both parties agreed on it”.

Recalling that he himself held a press conference after the declaration had been made public and announced that they would declare a ceasefire, Karayılan added that it was on 25 April the same year that they had also proposed a three-staged process for the resolution.

“The AKP authorities made statements about this meeting and did not reject it. They seemed to accept it”, he said.

Karayılan recalled that the process advanced with the declaration of a ceasefire and the withdrawal of the guerrilla forces from Turkey. Karayılan said the second stage would have been the period of ensuring legal measures and added: “the state should have taken steps here. The third stage was the stage of normalisation”.

The HPG Commander said that as the government had not fulfilled the requirements of the second stage by June the withdrawal process was halted in September 2013, adding that the government has not taken any steps so far in the resolution process.

“They have done only one thing. They passed a bill. AKP approaches the process solely by making election calculations. There was the presidential election. It was not clear if they would win it. They wanted the continuation of the non-conflict environment. The Kurdish party on the other hand demanded steps be taken. Then they passed a bill. No legal measures were ensured other than the framework law. No practical steps were taken. Moreover, they did not comply with the necessary conditions of the ceasefire”, said Karayılan.

Karayılan said the AKP government’s mentality does not in fact accept a solution so they are therefore not taking any steps. “In their mentality, they have plans to delay and procrastinate, and thereby weaken the Kurds”, he added and stressed that the government’s real aim is liquidation by gaining time and said there are some conditions that the government must comply with during the ceasefire period:

“First of all, no new military posts to be built. Secondly, the dams that will leave the lands of Kurdistan under water, but essentially aiming to narrow the manoeuvre capability of guerrillas, must be stopped. The government also must stop construction of military roads”.

Karayılan said when they put these conditions on the table, the state authorities did not say no to them. “But later they persistently built military posts and military dams. In other words, they violated the ceasefire and prepared themselves for war”, added Karayılan.

“Most importantly, while declaring a ceasefire in North Kurdistan, the AKP government declared war on Rojava in July 2013. At the beginning, it did this through certain groups in the Syrian opposition, but they always had ISIS standing by. They declared war on the three cantons of Rojava by means of them”, said the HPG Commander.

Karayılan said the war still continued, adding: “Because they don’t want the cantons to set an example”.

He further stressed that as there are many world experiences of resolution, such as in Britain, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Latin America, India or in Russia, Turkey must also find a solution, adding: “the solution is autonomy”.

Karayılan who also commented on the road map proposed by the government said: “It is true that we haven’t seen the road map. Some sentences like ‘how the guerrillas surrender’ cannot be called a road map. A road map shows what kind of a road should be taken and pursued. The road map of the AKP does not involve any solution. What the AKP wants is that the PKK should commit harakiri. This is what they want from us, but this is impossible”.

Strongly criticising the aggressive manner of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Karayılan drew attention to the fact that he always attacks those in favour of a solution, the HDP, the CHP, all the civil society organisations, in his speeches. “He makes plans over the Kurds. He wants the Kurds to join him, and not have a will. No solution can be developed in this way”, added Karayılan.

Asked about the reconnaissance flights over the guerrilla controlled areas, Karayılan said: “I do not believe that they want to turn the process into a conflict. Their strategy is to enter the election period in a non-conflict environment. They will show their real intentions after the elections in June. In fact, we suspect that they will attack us after the elections. It is getting tough. This is being done to force us to step back. It is tactical. They want to gain 6 months more. These are all manoeuvres to gain time. They make noises when there is nothing happening”.

Commenting on the demonstrations of 6-8 October, Karayılan said: “The Kurdish people witnessed the AKP violence and reclaimed Kobanê. The rising up of the Kurdish people on 6-8 October was a reflex to reclaim their existence as well as the national one. It was of great worth”.

Karayılan further commented on the statements of deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, who said “We are not obliged to continue the process”, and said: “They talk as if we are obliged to it. It is not true. The cards of Kurdish politics are stronger at the moment than ever before. Bülent Arınç and the state authorities had better know that the PKK has many options. In this period, in which the Kurdish question is on the agenda with all its weight, and gaining public support, all the old barriers have been demolished. The PKK is not obliged to anyone in this process. But, without any doubt, it is clear that the Kurdish people and the people of Turkey need peace, fraternity, friendship and co-existence. But no one needs the AKP”.

Karayılan also criticized the government’s increasing the role and the power of the police under the pretext of “public security”, saying that “They want everyone to surrender under public security. The Kurds no longer surrender”.