"The Kurdish People Are Prepared To Continue The Struggle..."

Interview With Mizgin Sen, European Spokeswomen For The Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK), On The Arrest Of PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan

taz: What went through your mind when you first heard about
Ocalan's arrest?

Mizgin Sen: I was shocked. For hours, we were confused about what
we should do - should we take a position or not.

taz: But what did you personally think?

Mizgin Sen: There was a great sense of disappointment. We knew
there was that risk, even in Europe. We made this opportunity a
public one, to make the European Union (EU) address the Kurdish
issue. But when I heard the news, I thought: We have been lied to
by the EU and the international community.

taz: Were you prepared for such a situation?

Mizgin Sen: Yes and no. We always sensed the danger, but we tried
not to think about it. We never believed that the leader of the
Kurdish people could be so easily kidnapped and taken to Turkey.

taz: What does Ocalan's arrest mean for the PKK? Some people say,
Ocalan was more than just General Secretary, he was the PKK in
and of itself.

Mizgin Sen: He is the leader of a nation, not only the leader of
the PKK. He is still a very important figure. But this by no
means is the end of the struggle. The struggle will continue,
because the Kurdish question remains. It is completely impossible
that the Kurdish people will surrender. We are prepared for a
political solution. We are aiming for a political solution. But
Turkey continues to reject this. That's why the Kurds are
prepared to continue the armed struggle.

taz: What influence has Ocalan's arrest had on the Kurds? Isn't
it very disheartening?

Mizgin Sen: On the contrary. The people know that the struggle
now is more important than ever - the struggle for his freedom,
and the freedom of the Kurdish people. Everyone knows that's how
Ocalan would want it to be. Of course the Kurds are bitter about
this loss. But they also know that they must think about the
future and never give up.

taz: Is the PKK discussing about a successor?

Mizgin Sen: Yes, a party congress is being held now. I think that
Ocalan will always remain the leader of the Kurdish people. But
the party is discussing that now. The Central Committee has met
together, but we haven't yet heard whether somebody has been
named as president.

taz: Do you think anyone can takeover the position of
unchallenged leader?

Mizgin Sen: I don't think so. Personally, I think there will be a
new leader, but I don't they can be someone like President
Abdullah Ocalan. But of course, every party needs a president.
There are many people capable of taking on this job, and the
party will make the right choice.

taz: Will the PKK change after the loss of Ocalan? Up until now,
it has been a very centralized organization. Will the party open
up, perhaps even democratize?

Mizgin Sen: We are not talking about a normal, legal party here.
We are talking about an outlawed movement in a state of war. It's
unfair to compare the PKK to other parties. It is correct that
Abdullah Ocalan was a very important and strong figure in the
PKK. But things always change, even in the PKK. When Ocalan came
to Europe, he even spoke of stepping down, and of restructuring
the party and the army. That will have effects. Nothing will stay
the same as it was.

taz: The military wing of the PKK has suffered several defeats in
the past few months...

Mizgin Sen: I disagree with that statement. That's the Turkish
government's version. We still have our army, and we are still
fighting. But of course the strategy of the war will have to
change.

taz: How?

Mizgin Sen: Up until now, the war has only been waged in the
mountains of Kurdistan. In future, it must be expanded. We have
been waging a guerrilla war up to this point, not a war in the
cities.

taz: So will the war now spread to the major cities of Turkey?

Mizgin Sen: I'm afraid it will, given the present conditions. The
PKK and the Kurds have done everything possible to start a
dialogue, including a unilateral ceasefire and the presentation
of a peace plan with very moderate demands. But all of this was
rejected.

taz: So bombs are going to start exploding in Ankara, Izmir, and
Istanbul?

Mizgin Sen: I cannot say. I'm speaking of war, war like in
Kosovo, in the former Yugoslavia, between the Israelis and the
Palestinians, and so on. In our case, the Kurdish people are
fighting against the Turkish state.

(Interview published in 'die taz' - February 18, 1999; Translated
by Arm The Spirit)