PKK Presidential Council Statement

"History Will Acquit The Kurdish People"

     The death sentence announced on June 29, 1999 against our
President Abdullah Ocalan is a death sentence against our people.
This verdict is a declaration of Turkey's insistence on a
continuation of the conflict between the Turks and Kurds into the
dawn of the 21st century, in the same way as it has been the
throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. It is a statement of
total rejection of all the efforts to achieve peace, freedom, and
equality. On the other hand, the fact that our President and the
PKK's offer of peace has been turned down clearly marks a
decision in favor of massacring people which is in the interests
of international forces whose trade is war. The decision taken by
the court and forces behind the whole [trial] process will not
serve the Turkish nation but will only benefit forces who trade
in war. Thus the decision is totally unacceptable both by the
Turks and the Kurds, and subsequently must be quashed.
     The policies of denial and annihilation have provoked
uprisings, conflicts, and oppression between Turks and Kurds
throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The foreign powers who
exerted influence on both warring parties encouraged war instead
of peace and freedom. Throughout the past 200 years, both the
Kurdish and Turkish people have suffered immensely, even if the
latter not on quite the same scale. If policies do not change
then the scenario for the next century looks set to be the same.
The Turkish state, which does not act sensibly, refusing to
address the problem and overcome the current deadlock, creates
fertile ground for an impasse. However, our President, Abdullah
Ocalan, despite all the difficulties, is trying to open doors to
the resolution of the Kurdish Question and is supported by both
our party and our people. As the Kurds seek a path for a peaceful
solution, the Turkish side concentrates on how to implement its
annihilation policies. Turkey, as a sovereign power, is not
performing what is expected of it. The obsession with chauvinism
is also strangling any positive attitudes which are not yet
strong enough.
     The public discussions which are taking place in Turkey
since the announcement of the verdict are not serving a solution
but on the contrary creating further obstacles for the future.
Various circles who claim to be defending the interests of the
Turkish nation and Republic are not looking any further than
developing ideas of how to execute [Ocalan]. These very circles
have acted in a manner which insulted our President, people, and
party. They choose to prove the greatness of the Turkish nation
by insulting and humiliating the Kurds. Thus, once again, the
Turks have humiliated themselves.
     At this current moment the greatest challenge is not in
provoking war but is in promoting peace through a solution that
will heal relations between the peoples.
     The international community has made its protests known
against the decision of the Turkish court. Whatever the
intentions behind their protests may be, it is still important in
terms of promoting a solution instead of war. We, the PKK, wish
to stress the importance of the need for those international
forces to maintain their position and take all the necessary
efforts to put their stated intentions into action. The situation
is very serious it cannot be resolved through words alone. The
seriousness of situation demands urgent and concrete action
following on from the statements that have been issued. It is our
people's very future that is in question. It is our right and
duty to call on all concerned to be serious and act responsibly.

To The Turkish Authorities And Turkish Public Opinion!

     The struggle, the last [Kurdish uprising] of the century,
led by the Kurdistan Workers Party, has proved that policies
based on annihilation of [the Kurdish] nation are not the
solution. The 200-year-old cycle of uprisings and repression has
demonstrated what should no longer be the way for relations
between the Turks and the Kurds. Our joint history expresses the
need for the equal unity of peoples within the framework of a
Democratic Republic. We should not promote the slogan of war but
instead we should promote the motto of peace. Persistence with a
solution based on annihilation can only be a vain resistance
against the realities. As we enter the 21st century, the Turkish
state must recognize this fact. If we do not want to go through a
centuries-long conflict and really favor a peaceful solution,
then we must respond to the peace offer presented by our
President. The state must become tolerant and act in a manner
that will resolve the issues, not aggravate them. If the Turkish
people act in this way, only then will you prove to be a great
nation. As a state and as a nation only efforts for peaceful and
a democratic solution will earn [you] respect. Anything less than
this will only bring about disgrace. Peace is our preferred path,
as it has always been, and armed struggle is only a forced
option.

To The Democratic And Patriotic Circles!

     Both the PKK and our President Abdullah Ocalan are waging a
struggle not only for the freedom of the Kurdish people but also
for the democratic transformation of the Turkish Republic. Even
today we are actively engaged and committed to this struggle. At
this stage in our struggle we are, as dignified warriors, making
efforts to achieve a honorable peace. Despite the destructive
attitude of the Turkish Republic, we firmly believe that a
peaceful and democratic solution [of the Kurdish Question] will
be in the interests of all the peoples. The majority of the
democratic, patriotic, and revolutionary forces did not support
or contribute to our struggle in its early stages. These circles,
at a time when we are promoting a solution, still adopt the same
position. We find it difficult to understand this attitude.
However, our struggle has developed despite all difficulties, and
no matter how high the price is, it will continue and will
achieve its aims even without the active support of the
democratic forces [in Turkey]. But the PKK does not favor a
solution without the democratic forces. We believe that it is the
duty and responsibility of all of Turkey's progressive forces to
oppose the death sentence against our President and to actively
support our efforts for a peaceful solution. We call on all
progressive, democratic, and patriotic forces to actively oppose
the annihilation of the Kurds and contribute to the efforts for
the establishment of a Democratic Republic.

To The Courageous Kurdish People!

     President Apo and the PKK, both of whom you know well, are
still fighting to defend the interests of the Kurdish people.
President Apo has always only lived for his people and did not
accept to live through a single day when he was not working for
the interests of our people. It is due to this that the Kurdish
people and President Apo have become inseparable. President Apo,
the PKK, and the Kurdish people have become the expression of a
single reality. No force can separate them from each other. No
matter what they say or do, this reality will always remain.
     We, as the PKK, with our strong belief in our people, call
on you to step up the struggle and reject the death sentence on
Ocalan which is in effect a death warrant on all our people. We
call on you to strengthen your protests against this decision on
all fronts!

History's Verdict On Our Leader, Party, And People Will Be
Acquittal!
In The Fight For Freedom, Victory Will Be Ours!
Long Live President Apo!

PKK Presidential Council
July 6, 1999