Kurtulmuş convenes party reps as peace commission nears finish

ANKARA

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş met with representatives of political parties on Dec. 17 as a commission he leads on Türkiye's latest peace initiative approaches its conclusion.

The meeting included deputy parliamentary leaders from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) — Abdulhamit Gül, Murat Emir and Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputy leader Feti Yıldız and Bülent Kaya, parliamentary head of the New Path bloc, were also present.

Political parties on the commission are submitting written assessments, with the DEM Party and MHP having already turned in their reports. The AKP and CHP are expected to submit theirs later this week. The panel is then expected to draft a final report incorporating views and recommendations from the texts.

A DEM Party delegation involved in contacts with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan as part of the peace bid continues its outreach, most recently meeting with Future Party leader Ahmet Davutoğlu on Dec. 16.

Lawmakers Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, accompanied by lawyer Faik Özgür Erol, met last week with MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli and Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA Party) leader Ali Babacan. The trio is scheduled to meet with AKP officials on Dec. 20.

A planned meeting with CHP leader Özgür Özel was postponed following the death of the main opposition party’s Şehzadeler Mayor Gülşah Durbay.

The DEM Party has maintained channels with Öcalan within the framework of the government’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, under which PKK announced a ceasefire and later declared its decision to dissolve and disarm.

In its report, the party called for Öcalan's release and said he should be allowed to meet with delegations, individuals and members of the press "in terms of the necessities of the process and the socialization of peace."

The report also requested that "no distinction be made between those who committed crimes and those who did not among PKK members who laid down their arms."

Meanwhile, the party has said the parliamentary commission's working period could be extended beyond its Dec. 31 deadline.

“Our expectation is that all political parties will submit their reports very quickly, as the prolongation of the reporting process also prolongs other processes,” DEM Party MP Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit told reporters on Dec. 15. “Therefore, it would be necessary to extend the deadline... if it cannot be completed in time."

The MHP’s report emphasized the need for amendments to the anti-terrorism law, noting that conditional release assessments cannot proceed without legal changes. That report also said PKK members must face judicial processes.

“A system should be envisioned that, depending on their position within the organization, gradually reduces, postpones or diminishes criminal responsibility under certain conditions,” it read.