Monday, 24 May 2010
Northern Kurdistan (Southeast Turkey): Thousands of people on Sunday took to the streets again in Yuksekova and Batman and urged the end to the military operations.
Speaking at a meeting in Yuksekova co-chair of Kurdish BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) Selahattin Demirtaş said: “We have closed the road to death; we are here to open the road to peace. We are calling out to the government for peace. Send a peace committee to Qendil Mountains, not war planes. As BDP, we are ready to go to Qendil for permanent peace.” (Qendil Mountains are where the head of Kurdistan Democratic Federation, KCK and the Kurdish freedom fighters are based)
Demirtaş added: “The government is transferring million of dollars for war while it doesn’t even provide the coal miners with gas masks which cost only 35 Turkish liras and watch them dying.”
Again the BDP co-chair addressed the government saying: “As long as there is no peace in this country, people will be dying due to lack of gas masks. I am seriously calling out to the Prime Minister and the government; send a peace committee to Qendil Mountains, not war planes.
For 11 years Mr. Öcalan has been working tirelessly towards a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue: his efforts must have already been responded to. Unless the Prime Minister stops this war and takes steps to advance peace, his party will disappear like the CHP (Republican People’s Party) before it.
The CHP which has long been saying; “There is not a Kurdish problem” in this country. Then, Erdoğan will also retire and have a holiday in Antalya, like the Ex-president of CHP, Deniz Baykal. We are calling out to Erdoğan, Barzani and Ahmadinejad, heads of three countries with share borders. Let’s stop this blood together.”
