In contradictory developments in Turkey, the government has appeared to signal interest in negotiations with the Kurdish political movement led by jailed figurehead Abdullah Öcalan, while simultaneously moving to depose dozens of democratically-elected Kurdish politicians from office. Medya News brought together an expert panel of politicians, ex-combatants and peace negotiators from Ireland, South Africa, the Basque Country, Colombia and Kurdistan, to further discuss developments in Kurdistan, their own experiences of challenging and protracted negotiations with state authorities, and the diverse eventual outcomes throughout the various combat zones and contested territories.
The panel discussion heard from Dáire Hughes MP, Sinn Fein, Ireland; Igor Zulaika MP, EH Bildu International Coordinator, Basque Country; Fazela Mohammed, KHRAG Co-Chair and former ANC combatant, South Africa; Tanja Nijmeijer, FARC-EP Peace Negotiator and former combatant, Colombia; and Nilüfer Koç, foreign policy spokeswoman for the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK). A full recording can be played back via the link above.
Introducing the panel discussion, Koç noted “internal and external pressures” exerted on Turkey, including a growing international solidarity campaign, as well as the broader crisis in the Middle East and economic turmoil within Turkey. “The Kurds have the capacity and capability to catch the moment in Iran and achieve a kind of autonomy,” she noted. Nonetheless, she made it clear that the Turkish authorities needed to “open the doors” of the prison island where Öcalan has been held in solitary confinement for a quarter-century, as a signal that they were genuinely open to negotiations. “It’s a process of manipulating the Kurds,” she warned.
Hughes reminded attendees of the ultimate success of negotiations in Ireland building up to the Good Friday agreement, emphasising the severe challenges faced by Irish republicans during their own protracted struggle for fundamental rights. “Every peace negotiation in Northern Ireland that excluded voices ended in failure. The Good Friday agreement was genuinely inclusive, and it was a success,” he said.
The MP further emphasised that even conflicts which appeared wholly intractable could be resolved through protracted international solidarity and determined political activity within the country, further noting that: “Sinn Fein Vice President Michelle O’Neill is now the First Minister in the north of Ireland. This in a state that was partially created to prevent someone like Michelle from ever reaching office!”
Mohamed, a former combatant with the African National Congress (ANC) during the long struggle to end apartheid in South Africa, described the ANC’s effective ‘four pillars’ strategy for tackling the government. She said: “First… through the international solidarity campaign, the ANC had successfully occupied the moral high ground in the struggle. Second, we recognised that militarily we never going to beat the apartheid state. Militarily, they were the strongest army in Africa […] So there was a concerted effort to build a mass insurrection, the United Democratic Front, which made it impossible for the apartheid regime to rule.”
Participant Zulaika, an MP with the Basque Country’s EH Bildu, was one of several speakers to highlight the need for continued communication and mutual understanding between a party’s leadership and its popular base, stating: “It’s important not to forget that even though there may be negotiations going on, even though your movement may be doing things properly, you have your own strength, and it’s important to keep it.”
Nijmeijer has first-hand experience of the peace negotiations between Colombia and the FARC-EP, the communist guerilla which laid down its weapons in 2016 following the longest armed combat in the Western hemisphere. She recalled various difficulties and challenges throughout the process, stating: “There was a lot of discontent among our troops in Colombia, they were being attacked by the government: to be in a unilateral ceasefire, that doesn’t make any sense; and it’s even more difficult with the media always on the side of the government.”
All panellists pointed to instances of international solidarity between their various movements, with Nijmeijer recalling input from Sinn Fein during the Havana negotiations, and the South African and Irish representatives speaking of the solidarity shared between the two peoples during the 20th century.
