The Road Map proposal is an articulated and complete document, analyzing and giving proposals about every sphere of the new society

The Road Map written by Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan has finally been handed over to his lawyers. First details of the 156 pages begin to be published.

The Road Map is based on ten principles detailed in this way:
1. Principle of the Democratic Nation
2. Principle of the shared homeland
3. Principle of the Democratic Republic
4. Principle of the Democratic Constitution
5. Principle of the Democratic Solution
6. Principle of the common individual and collective rights and freedom
7. Principle of the ideological and independence liberties
8. Principle of history and present
9. Principle of the moral and conscience
10. Principle of democracy self defense

Detailed the ten points as follows:
1. Principle of the Democratic Nation: The Democratic Nation is not based on language, ethnicity, class or State, but it should be multilingual, without class differences. It must be built on equal and free individuals.

2. Principle of the shared homeland: No individual and section of the society can exercise pressure on any other section. In this new homeland people should live as equals and free.

3. Principle of the Democratic Republic: It represents the democratic state open to society and individuals. The organisations of the state are different from those of the individuals but are both recognised and mutually respected.

4. Principle of the Democratic Constitution: The Constitution of the democratic State will defend the citizens and differs from the Constitution of the nation state. It is achieved by social consensus.

5. Principle of the Democratic Solution: The democratic solution needs a strong civil society and not a simple extension of the state. Instead of simply promoting formal changes it tries to promote and build new models in the society.

6. Principle of the common individual and collective rights and freedom: The society is composed of different individuals who are nevertheless on equal bases when it comes to collective and individual rights. They are the two faces of the same coin, so individual and collective rights cannot be separated.

7. Principle of the ideological and independence liberties: The democratic nation cannot exist if it does not overcome the hegemony of the modern capitalism positivist strategy built on individualism and subjected to liberalism. Its social nature must have a real conscience to be the ground for the democratic society.

8. Principle of history and present: Social realities are historical realities. Realities lived in history are living today in different ways. Without building these historical links (links with the past) the hegemony of modern capitalism, which is erasing the history of the individual, cannot be overcome. Historical memory and understanding history is crucial.

9. Principle of the moral and conscience: No social question can find a healthy solution without referring to conscience and morality. Modernity alone with law and force cannot solve the problems but rather it interprets the problems wrongly. In a democratic nation an empathy built on morality and conscience is necessary.

10. Principle of democracy self defense: Without a real self defense no being can exist. so the democratic society cannot exist without a self defense mechanism.

Ocalan identifies three phases in which the Road Map should progress.
a. The PKK should call a permanent ceasefire, and in this phase no party should accept provocation and should increase control over its forces while preparing the public to the developments taking place.

b. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission should be established by initiative of the government and parliament. In the creation of the Commission there must be equal rights. The parliament should then call a general amnesty to favour a better environment for the solution. Once the legal impediments are taken away the PKK, under control by USA, UN, EU, Kurdish Federal Government of Iraq, Turkish government, could withdrawn over the Turkish borders. At a later stage these units should enter and get involved in different areas and countries. The critical point in this phase is that while the PKK forces are withdrawing over the Turkish borders, the political prisoners in Turkey must be released. The two things must go together.

c. A real democratization is built on a new legal framework which will make void to resort to violence. Those who were members of the PKK, and then those living in exiled, those stripped of their citizenship, political refugees, should be able to return to the country. The activities of the KCK, when it would be legalized, will make the need for PKK operation needless. the work in every field would be for a democratic, social, economical, cultural policy.In the realization on the process the position of the Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan should be considered as he has clearly a role to play in the implementation of the project.

A Short Biography

As a child of poor parents Abdullah Ocalan was born in Omerli, a village in the Halfeti-District, Province of Urfa, in the Kurdish Southeast of Turkey in 1949. Leaving his village after secondary school, he studied Political Sciences at the University of Ankara. He successfully completed his studies and entered the civil service in Diyarbakir.

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