Commission goes to İmralı: CHP will not participate

Turkish Grand National Assembly "National Solidarity, Fraternity and Democracy Commission" It convened for the 18th time today under the chairmanship of Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş.

The vote for the commission to go to İmralı was accepted with 32 yes votes.

As a result of the voting, 32 votes in favor, 3 against, and 2 abstentions were given. AKP, MHP, DEM, TİP and EMEP said “yes” in the İmralı vote. Democratic Party, DSP and HUDA PAR voted “no”. 2 members from the Yeni Yol group “abstained”. CHP did not participate in the voting.

The Yeni Yol group’s proposal to connect to Öcalan via SEGBİS was rejected as a result of the vote. By tomorrow morning, all political parties must submit names for the commission members who will go to Imrali.

How did the meeting start?

Before the meeting, Numan Kurtulmuş met with the group deputy chairmen in the commission at 13.30.

While a decision was expected to be made regarding the visit of Abdullah Öcalan in İmralı, which was on the agenda of the meeting, Kurtulmuş, who made the opening speech, requested that the meeting be held in a closed session.

In his speech broadcast live on television, Kurtulmuş stated that the commission will plan the next steps to be taken at the meeting and said: "I guess there is no longer a topic on which we can gather as much."

After the speech, Kurtulmuş made a speech to the party group deputy chairmen. When CHP Group Deputy Chairman Murat Emir started to speak, the live broadcasts were cut off.

CHP criticized the closed meeting and announced that it would not send members to Imrali

following the meeting T24 According to the news of reporter Ceren Bayar, CHP Group Deputy Chairman Murat Emir said, “We have always said that we want such difficult issues to be discussed in front of the public." he said and continued as follows:

I would like to express that we do not find it appropriate to hold a meeting where going to Imrali will be discussed, in a closed manner and secret from our nation. Here, each political party should clearly state its position and the nation should follow it.

Murat Emir stated that if this visit is to be held, it should not be considered as an ordinary visit so far, and said, “If a delegation of five people is going, this should also be done by voting.”

Following his speech, Emir read the text they prepared.

Emir said that CHP defends the democratic solution of the Kurdish problem. "While some people even deny the existence of Kurds, we are a party that expresses that this problem exists. We are of the opinion that for peace and solution it is necessary to talk with transparency. From now on, we will continue to take part in the commission work as per our responsibility towards our nation." he said.

Emir "However, at this stage, trustee practices that put a mortgage on the national will continue. People have been held in prison for months. No progress has been made during the ten years of political captivity. Instead of paving the way for democratic politics, it has become even more blocked by political lawsuits. While solutions to these problems must be found, our nation does not consent to all problems being squeezed into going to Imrali. It is not right to present this as the only option." he said.

Emir noted that state officials are already meeting with İmralı and members of parliament are coming and going. "It is possible to carry out a more participatory process by using technological opportunities, instead of only five MPs going to the island without even being the chairman of the commission. The society questions what this insistence will contribute to in a process where steps such as removing trustees and paving the way for democratic politics are not taken. We do not find it right to give members to the İmralı delegation. CHP is facing a closure case. Sixteen elected mayors and presidential candidates are in prison. Our party continues to remain in this commission. “If this nation’s hopes for peace are once again tried to be wasted on personal ambitions, CHP will stand in the way of this,” he said.

Emir against the closure decision "No" He also stated that they would vote.

The name that will leave MHP has been determined

MHP Deputy Chairman Feti Yıldız made a statement before the commission meeting even started. In the star description "If we are going to İmralı, a decision will be made, we will hold a vote, but a qualified majority is not required. It’s not a bill, it’s nothing." he said.

On behalf of MHP He stated that he would go.

CHP left the meeting after the closed session decision

It was learned that CHP will not attend the closed session of the commission and will make a statement in the Parliament. CHP members left the commission meeting after the closed session decision. Then Murat Emir made a statement in the Parliament.

Emir "Three closed meetings were held before and we gave our support. We deemed this appropriate because information regarding the security of the state was shared. However, we think that today’s meeting, the meeting going to İmralı, should be held openly. When the vote was closed, we decided not to participate, thinking that it would not be right for us to remain in a closed session." he said.

Reaction from DEM Party to CHP

Following the CHP’s decision not to give representatives to the delegation that will go to Imrali, a remarkable statement came from the DEM Party. Party Spokesperson Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit said, “History will be written by those who took responsibility and those who did not.” Koçyiğit said that direct contact should be established with the actors at the center of the solution and that Öcalan is the “chief interlocutor” of the process. "History is written by the brave. And today we are on the historical threshold and making history" he said.

TİP MP Şık: We should go to İmralı, and if necessary we should also go to Kandil.

Speaking at the commission meeting, TİP Deputy Ahmet Şık said: "Yes, one should also go to İmralı, and if necessary, go to Kandil. Osman Kavala should be discussed, Selahattin Demirtaş should also be discussed. I find it wrong to move forward by pounding water with a mortar, having sterile discussions and ignoring representation." he said.

Erdoğan, one of the DEM Party co-chairs, thanks Bahçeli, EMEP and TİP, and implicitly reproaches the CHP.

DEM Party Co-Chairs Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan made a written statement regarding the decision taken by the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission to go to İmralı.

In the statement thanking AKP’s President Erdoğan, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, EMEP and TİP, "However, we must state that we regret the distant approach of some political circles to this historical step. Courage and foresight in peace processes always deserve recognition" It was said.

Closed session voting was held

After the vote, the second session of the commission was closed to the press. DEM Party, AKP and MHP voted “Yes” for the commission to be closed. CHP commission members decided not to attend the closed session. On the other hand, EMEP, TİP, DSP and DP also voted in closed session. "ret" He voted.

İmralı vote was held: 32 yes votes were given

In order for a Parliamentary delegation to meet with Öcalan, 31 members of the 51-member commission must vote “acceptance”.

In the 51-member commission, the number of seats of AKP (22), DEM Party (5) and MHP (4) constitute the qualified majority. In the commission, there are 11 members of CHP, 3 members of Yeni Yol, 1 member each of YRP, HÜDA-PAR, DSP, TİP, EMEP, DSP and DP.

As a result of the voting, 32 votes in favor, 3 against, and 2 abstentions were given. AKP, MHP, DEM, TİP and EMEP said “yes” in the İmralı vote. Democratic Party, DSP and HUDA PAR voted “no”. 2 members from the Yeni Yol group “abstained”. CHP did not participate in the voting.

https://haber.sol.org.tr/haber/komisyon-imraliya-gidiyor-chp-katilmayacak-403537