Kurds ask international support for peace
by Roni Alasor
Brussels, 10 December 2017 - Middle East Diplomatic (MED - Following two days conference in the European Parliament (EP), the final resolution of 14th international conference on the European Union, Turkey, the Middle East and the Kurds call EU, UN, US and His Holiness Pope Francis to support the peaceful solution of the Kurdish question in the Middle East.
The participants in the conference - Members of the European Parliament, politicians, academicians, experts, journalists and civil society activists, urge the international community to put pressure on Turkey in order to resume the peace process and to liberate all the jailed Kurdish politicians, academicians and journalists.
The Conference took place on 6-7 December in Brussels under the patronage of the EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) in cooperation with the GUE/NGL Group, the Greens-European Free Alliance and the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament. Below in the text of the final declaration:
The EUTCC endorses the vision THE DEMOCRATIC CONFEDERAL MODEL for a just future for the Kurdish people and calls upon their friends and supporters to endorse the new vision.
1. The EUTCC calls upon the European institutions, the EU member states, the UN, His Holiness Pope Francis I, and the United States to urge the Turkish government to resume the peace process with the representatives of the Kurdish people. This should be preceded by the release of Abdullah Öcalan and all other political prisoners and the lifting of all restrictions on political parties and individuals.
2. The EUTCC calls upon the European Union and the US to remove the PKK from the list of terrorist organisations, thus opening the way for the PKK and Abdullah Öcalan as legitimate representatives of the Kurdish people to participate in a peaceful political settlement. The EUTCC notes that Nelson Mandela and the ANC were listed as terrorist organisations by the United States, which hampered the political settlement in South Africa.
3. The EUTCC calls upon Germany, and all other European governments to remove all restrictions on political parties and symbols associated with the Kurdish struggle and allow freedom of expression in accordance with European human rights obligations.
4. The EUTCC calls upon the European Union, the United States and UN to engage with the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (DFNS) as a crucial step in paving the way for a future democratic Syria. This would greatly aid and help to solve thehorrific Syrian civil war by giving the people of DFNS their legitimate representation within Syria.
5. The EUTCC calls upon the US, Russia, the EU and the UN to include the DemocraticFederation of Northern Syria (DFNS) in the Geneva talks as a legitimate actor in Syria.
6. The EUTCC calls upon Turkey to immediately release all democratically elected HDP MPs, mayors and politicians and end its assault against freedom of the press and academic freedom. This would allow all HDP politicians, including the party’s cochairsSelahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksedag, to resume their Responsibilities as democratic elected representatives.
7. The EUTCC commends the progress made in the Kurdish women’s struggle fordemocracy, freedom, gender equality and ecological sustainability and strongly supports its continuation.
The European Parliament 8 December 2017