Ocalan: The blocked process will make war unavoidable

Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the PKK-KADEK, has announced in his statement made via his lawyer that the ceasefire would continue until September 1, 2003. Following the capture of Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya in 1999, PKK-KADEK declared unilateral ceasefire in 1999. However, PKK-KADEK in recent months has ended the peace process and declared a so-called "War of Defence".

Pointing out that PKK-KADEK was working for peace, Ocalan said, "If the process is blocked, war can be made a current issue as a means to victory through democratic struggle." Ocalan rebuffed the repentance law and said that it ignored the needs and demands of the society. He added that the law was in fact an imposition and aimed to break the will of forces of democracy. "The law has also another aim — to suppress KADEK and liquidate it," said Ocalan.

PKK-KADEK members could not return to Turkey, said Ocalan and added that the "Repentance Law" was an attack against freedom and the freedom fight: "No PKK-KADEK warrior will lower herself/himself to enjoy the law. I do not think that a guerrilla who has participated in our rank consciously and improved her/his conscious in the last for years will submit to such a law that does not serve democratic development, societal peace, insults abounded. Nobody will esteem it. They all say, ‘Here it is. May it do you no good’." Osman Ocalan also stated that they were ready to meet with the government about the law and wanted to take mutual steps and together they could open the way to a lasting peace.