DIYARBAKIR (DIHA) – 649 NGOs from 20 cities issued a joint statement following a workshop in Diyarbakir and declared that they are going to take the initiative to solve the Kurdish problem.

Their partnership, “NGOs’ Initiative for the Region,” declares that “Everyone should take their fingers off the trigger.” Specifically, operations of Turkish Military Forces (TSK) should stop and Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) should announce the start of the cease-fire.

They demanded that the victimized children from the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) should be released, a civil constitution needs to be prepared and dialogue with PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan should be developed.

Semsettin Koc, President of the Chamber of Medicine Diyarbakir Branch, read the common declaration on behalf of 649 NGOs: “There have been lots of calls made by many different NGOs since the conflicts increased. The government ignored the calls. We feel obligated to build a bigger organization which speaks from the same mouth in order to be recognized by the government.

That is why we also took the decision to develop a powerful initiative. From now on, we, in a common initiative, will try to turn the current process into one based on democracy, equality and freedom process. Our expectation is to be heard by the authorities.”

The partnership calls for both the TSK and PKK to renounce the use of violence; victimized children from TMK should be unconditionally and immediately released; steps for a pluralistic constitution should be taken; the election threshold should be abolished or at least decreased and the law for political parties shouldn’t be restricted.

They conclude that Ocalan is the key leader for the Kurds and that peace with him is possible. Presidents, academicians, intellectuals as well as journalists must take a part of this process as well as Ocalan, said Koc.

(gü/bk)