Syrian writer: leader's peace initiative offers a suitable path to resolving Syrian crisis

Many observers and analysts believe that Abdullah Ocalan's call for "peace and a democratic society" could provide a gateway to resolving many of the region's crises, including the Syrian crisis. However, this remains contingent on the stance of the ruling authorities in these countries, as it represents a true test of their desire for peace or their continued adherence to the exclusionary and authoritarian mentality that threatens to perpetuate crises and conflicts in the region.

Opening a breach in the wall of wars produced by nationalism

Syrian writer and political analyst Mohammed Issa spoke to ANHA agency about this, saying: "In reality, the peace initiative launched by leader and thinker Abdullah Ocalan last February, addressed to the people of the region, aims to open a breach in the wall of wars and animosities produced by nationalist and religious ideological values ​​over the past decades and centuries, values ​​that the central authoritarian state has long championed and operated under, making them the driving force of its actions."

He explained: “The initiative, in essence, breaks with the logic of war, violence, and fighting among the people of the region, or as a way to resolve disputes among them. It is based primarily on an APO philosophical vision that has become deeply rooted in APO culture, which despises the concept of violence and terrorism and considers it linked to or a product of the characteristics of state-centricity in the ideological central state.”

An Effective Model for Resolving the Syrian Crisis

Regarding the impact of the leader's initiative on the Syrian situation, Muhammad Issa believes it "provides an effective model for resolving the Syrian crisis through democratic dialogue among the Syrian parties and components." He explained that the initiative has begun to have tangible effects on the ground in Turkey, with PKK fighters beginning to evacuate Turkish territory after having started burning their weapons in response to the leader's call. He added that these factors of trust will inevitably influence the Syrian scene and pave the way for a democratic solution and peace through democratic negotiations. He concluded that no one will be able to stop the momentum the initiative has begun to generate in the region, among its political parties and movements, and among its intellectuals.

Regarding the impact of the initiative on the Syrian situation, Muhammad Issa believes it "provides an effective model for resolving the Syrian crisis through democratic dialogue among the Syrian parties and components."

 Adopting the Path of Democratic Dialogue

Regarding how the transitional government in Syria and the influential forces in the Syrian scene should receive the historic peace initiative launched in the region, Issa emphasized that "those who want an honorable way out of the Syrian crisis have no choice but to meet the parties to the conflict halfway and adopt the path of democratic dialogue by calling for a comprehensive national conference in which all groups and components are represented on an equal footing. This conference should lead to realistic constitutional agreements that respond to the Syrians' need to be rid of the ills of a centralized state based on a single color, ethnicity, and culture, which was the cause of the war and the root of the problem."

He added: "Regarding this point and the responsibility of national forces to understand their role in fulfilling the responsibilities of finding a solution, and within the framework of translating the messages of the philosopher-leader Ocalan, it is important to note the role played by the leadership of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) on September 15th. They organized a public dialogue meeting in the city of Hasakah entitled 'A Manifesto for Peace and a Democratic Society: A Guarantee for Resolving the Syrian Crisis.' Various Syrian activists and forces were invited, representing a broad spectrum of the Syrian political landscape, thus presenting a dialogue model akin to a general national conference."

All Turkish arguments have been refuted.

As for the Turkish authorities' obligation towards this initiative, which, according to Muhammad Issa, "is progressing daily and gaining increasing momentum among local and international public opinion, as well as achieving significant credibility with the leader and his popular base, this is what prompted Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), to acknowledge it on more than one occasion."

He added, "It goes without saying that the initiative and its rapid pace have refuted all the Turkish arguments that have consistently obstructed steps toward a solution in the Syrian arena, and promoted the idea that the SDF is an arm of the Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK and poses a threat to Turkish national security. After the initiative, the laying down of arms, and the fighters' departure from Turkish territory, it is clear that those arguments about the danger of the SDF are flimsy and unfounded, and that the Turkish position has become weak and isolated. This necessitates leaving the Syrians to manage their internal affairs and engage in dialogue among themselves, and clearing Syrian territory of any foreign forces."

Tasks and Responsibilities Falling on Intellectuals

Mohammed Issa stated, "The most important task facing intellectuals today is to review and scrutinize the causes of the crisis and the means of resolution and salvation. Reviewing and investigating the nature of the centralized state with its ideological frameworks, and its responsibility for creating divisions among different groups and instigating civil wars, is an urgent and pressing responsibility. This responsibility falls upon intellectuals and those with national consciences and ethical inclinations in various fields today."

He added, "Equally important and urgent among the tasks of intellectuals at this moment is the task of studying the philosophy of the thinker and leader Ocalan and his theories on the concepts of democratic and participatory nationhood, the political and ethical society, the ecological society, and knowledge related to Jineology."

Mohammed Issa concluded his speech by saying: “The message that must be reviewed by all circles, activities and those interested in public affairs and the fate of the state is to study the experience of the SDF at its various levels, meaning to review, scrutinize and join the political project, the peace project aimed at establishing a just and participatory democratic civil society that the SDF seeks to achieve in the Syrian reality under the name of Syria as a single federal democratic state.”

ANHA