Türkiye virtually stopped work on legal regulations in the terror-free Türkiye initiative as the terrorist group PKK shifted its stance for full disarmament. The initiative aims at the dissolution of the group, which consented to lay down arms last year after its jailed leader Abdullah Öcalan ordered them to do so.
The PKK initially slowed down the disarmament process over developments in Syria. The terrorist group’s Syria wing, the YPG, has countered advances by the Syrian army earlier this year after a deal with Damascus apparently collapsed. Eventually, the YPG relented to return to the negotiation table and agreed to integration into the post-Assad Syrian army. The initial “resistance” by the YPG encouraged dissidents within the terrorist group who opposed dissolution. When the YPG finally agreed to integration, the PKK resumed the disarmament process. Yet, it hit a snag again after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Rumors of the U.S. intention to employ “Kurdish groups” in the region to overthrow the Iranian administration slowed down the process again. Security sources say some in the terrorist group readjusted their priorities and had “expectations” with anticipated cooperation with the United States. Nevertheless, the United States acknowledged that this plan was abandoned.
The slowing pace of the initiative forced Öcalan to issue another order to speed up the disarmament.
Türkiye was planning to start concrete work this month for legal regulations to facilitate the process. It would be based on a report of recommendations by parliament’s National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee. However, the terrorist group’s reluctance led to a pause in discussions for legal steps.
Pro-PKK Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), which served as a messenger between Öcalan and the PKK and the general public for the initiative, often complains about the pace of the initiative, though they don’t blame the terrorist group. Party’s deputy parliamentary group chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit said at a news conference on Monday that they couldn’t accept delays in the implementation of legislation “for various reasons.” Koçyiğit claimed that the government was responsible for the implementation of the initiative. On the other hand, sources from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) say Türkiye cannot speed up legislative steps at a time of uncertainty, echoing the government’s warning that new laws would not be introduced in the initiative unless the PKK is fully disarmed and the full disarmament verified by Turkish intelligence. Sources said that Türkiye was committed to the introduction of legislative steps only after “confirmation mechanism worked,” referring to intelligence’s monitoring of the disarmament in Iraq, where the bulk of the PKK’s senior cadres hide out.
