Kurdish Insurgents Uncomfortable Disarming Without Guarantees

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Rebels of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) say they are ready to listen to a recent call by their jailed leader to give up their armed struggle against Turkey, but want guarantees before surrendering their arms.

PKK insurgents at their rebel base in the Qandil Mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan, said they are suspicious about withdrawing fighters from Turkey, despite a March 21 call by their leader, Abdullah Ocalan.

The rebels note that after his 1999 capture and imprisonment by Turkey, Ocalan had called on insurgents to withdraw, and that hundreds of rebels were killed. They say that they do not want any more unilateral moves by the PKK, and favor cooperation between the PKK and the Turkish government.

The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the PKK’s executive council based at Qandil near the Turkish-Iranian border in Iraqi Kurdistan, called for a ceasefire on March 23 March, stating that Kurdish insurgents will not use arms unless attacked by the Turkish army. But they did not clearly spell out a withdrawal.

KCK-leader Murat Karayilan told the Turkish newspaper T24 they still have suspicions about the process. “Especially mid-level command elements have some concerns; we have to persuade them. Yesterday I talked with 250 (mid-level) people. They say, ‘We came here to wage war, and we’ve been here for 10 years. We’ve come to the point of accomplishing a result, then you ask us to stop.’”

“A legal basis should be formed initially for the withdrawal process,” Karayilan told the Turkish journalist Hasan Cemal.

A young insurgent nicknamed Ronahi, who was born in Diyarbakir, the unofficial Kurdish capital of Turkey’s Kurdish southeast, told Rudaw that she does not trust the Turks.

“I don’t have faith in the Turks. We have our alternative. If now something happens, if they want to play games with us, then we will start the war in all kind of ways,” she warned.

Another insurgent, nicknamed Reza and born in the city of Suleimani in Iraqi Kurdistan, also voiced suspicions.

“Turkey is gaining time with us and doesn’t do anything. On the one hand they call for peace, on the other hand they run operations and bombard our villages and fight us,” he complained.

Zeki Sengali, a member of the PKK’s senor leadership in Qandil, told Rudaw that Ocalan’s message is important and that after years of fighting the  PKK’s struggle has reached a new stage.

 “The message our leadership gave today is for a solution. It’s for peace. It’s a very important message.”

But although he says the KCK believes in Ocalan, they don’t trust Turkey. “Our experience with the Turks does not inspire trust.  They didn’t make any changes, only uttered the words, ‘I will make peace.’ Ocalan extended his hand, and Turkey should read it carefully,” he advised.

“Turkey should act in a serious way, because we are serious,” he added.

The Turkish newspaper Hürriyet reported that Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay  said that the Turkish government is still discussing the withdrawal process, and left the option open for a possible guarantee.

But the Turkish president Abdullah Gül said during a press conference, that the insurgents should leave their arms behind when they leave Turkish borders and join their fellow fighters in the Qandil mountains.

Aliza Marcus, a journalist and an expert on the PKK, said during a conference at the Brookings Institution in Washington on 20 March, that the government needs to do more to convince the Kurds, despite the promises of Ocalan.

“They (Kurds) have zero trust in the Turkish state right now. I mean, I know this from being there, I know this from talking to people this week,” Marcus said.

She added, “The PKK is certainly not going to disarm until there's a final settlement -- that meets all the political demands,” she said.

The grey-haired Kurdish singer Najmadin Golani dressed in traditional Kurdish clothes, was waiting for his turn to perform for Kurds gathering for the Newroz in PKK’s controlled areas in Qandil mountains, where civilian Kurds had the opportunity to meet their family members in the PKK or meet with PKK insurgents.

The singer who is famous among Kurds told Rudaw that the Kurds are hopeful, but are waiting. “The Kurdish people are waiting if this lead to peace.  The Kurdish case in Turkey is going to be solved through peace and we don’t want to spill blood.”