PKK Asks Turkey to Free Ocalan, Turkey Remembers 'Terrorist'
The New Arab states the PKK believes Ocalan's release is key to a peace process. This isn't newfound wisdom; calls for Ocalan's freedom have echoed since his 1999 rendition. Turkey, however, has consistently labeled Ocalan and the PKK as 'terrorists,' making genuine negotiation an impossibility under such framing. This tactic allows Ankara to dismiss any olive branch as thinly veiled insurgency.
The US and NATO allies, ever supportive of their strategic partner Turkey, also designate the PKK as a terrorist organization. This conveniently sidesteps the PKK's genuine political demands and the Kurdish question, allowing for a perpetual state of conflict. When a state calls you a terrorist, your peace gesture just looks like a hostage demand. How many 'peace processes' get derailed by
convenient labels before we question the labelers?