Besseh Hozat: Öcalan is not a member of the Disarmament Subcommittee; he is the coordinator of the entire process

According to Kurdistan Press, Besseh Hozat, Co-Chair of the KCK Executive Council, in an interview with the Media Khabar TV channel, evaluated the latest developments in the Peace and Democratic Society Process, the implementation of the Framework Law and Abdullah Öcalan’s position in this process.

Rejecting the statements made about Öcalan’s presence in one of the subcommittees of the “Follow-up and Evaluation Board”, Hozat said: “Öcalan has no role in the subcommittee. As far as we know, this is not true and an atmosphere has been created in this regard.»

The KCK Executive Council Co-Chair added: “If the title of coordinator is to be used, Öcalan is the coordinator of the peace and democratic society process. He has been practically guiding and coordinating this process for nearly two years.”

According to Hüzat, the committees established within the framework of the law are structures belonging to the state and their members are officials and representatives of state institutions. He emphasized that Öcalan’s role should not be reduced to membership in one of these committees.

Öcalan’s role should be legally recognized

Hüzat called for the official and legal status of Öcalan to be determined, saying that the role he has played in practice in the process so far should be defined within a legal framework and announced to the public.He added that in order for the process to progress, Öcalan must be given the opportunity to meet freely with politicians, academics, journalists, intellectuals, party representatives and leaders of the Kurdish movement, and that he can directly share his views with society.

The peace process has progressed with unilateral measures

The KCK Executive Council Co-Chair also described the current process as “slow, irregular and largely unilateral” and said that contrary to the statements of the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Numan Kurtulmus, it cannot be said that everything is going smoothly.

Hozat claimed that the PKK has taken important steps, especially after Öcalan’s February 27 call; but the government has not taken any effective political, legal or democratic action so far.He stressed that limiting the process to disarmament without addressing the causes of the Kurdish issue, democratizing Turkey and strengthening local administrations will not lead to a sustainable solution.

Hüzat's remarks came after a number of party officials had previously spoken about the possibility of Öcalan playing a role in the Disarmament and Strategic Coordination Subcommittee. This is the first time that a senior KCK official has explicitly rejected this narrative.