KCK Executive Council Chairman Murat Karayılan has assessed the decision of DTP Members of Parliament to withdraw from Parliament as being a principled action. He said, ''the Kurdish people have given them the right to practise politics in their name. They should know that the Kurdish public will be supporting them with all their strength following their determined stance.''

KCK Executive Council Chairman Murat Karayılan answered the questions of the Fırat News Agency.

Karayılan indicated that at this point it had become clear that the Turkish State was aiming at elimination and expressed the core of the plan as saying, ''you cannot be a representative, all we will let you be is a minion, without will and character. The High Court has not practised law but the decision of the State unanimously. All this was done to marginalise the guerrilla and set in place the foundations for a comprehensive operation to eliminate our movement. The first step of this plan is an attack on our Leader, the second is the banning of the DTP, and the third is the elimination of the guerrilla forces with a comprehensive assault. For this there have been meetings with the USA and the Southern (Kurdish) forces. Prime Minister Erdoğan had said that military methods would not be sufficient to eliminate the PKK and that psychological, diplomatic and economic aspects were needed to achieve this, these are the aspects that are being implemented now.''

Due to this elimination plan, Karayılan held the AKP government responsible for the closure of the DTP. Karayılan assessed the withdrawal of the DTP MP's from Parliament with the following words, ''the decision of the DTP MP's to turn to their public is a correct and principled decision. The Kurdish public are already supporting the decision and are behind their representatives. This is because there is an attack against the will of the Kurdish people. In this case the only thing that can be done is to not recognise this decision and fight against it. The decision of the Turkish State has no validity for the Kurdish People.''

Murat Karayılan also addressed the attacks on Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Öcalan. ''Nowhere else in the world has the Leader of a People been kept prisoner under such heavy isolation and torture. However the AKP and Turkish State are committing this crime.''

Karayılan went on to say that the Imralı torture and isolation system was ongoing and that partial improvements, made due to the public's reaction, would not be sufficient.

KCK Executive Council Chairman Murat Karayılan emphasised that it was not the Kurdish side that wanted to resolve the issue with guns, but the Turkish State: ''They want to resolve the issue by taking the Kurds prisoner. It is not us that wants to solve this issue with weapons, but the Turkish State. I would like to stress this, it is the Turkish State and AKP. Unfortunately our efforts did not suffice for this process to reach a peaceful path. The policies of the AKP has resulted in a cul-de-sac. It has brought us to the point of war.''

Indicating that the Kurdish people were strong enough to defend themselves, Karayılan summarised their approach with the following words, ''we will not pull the trigger, but our fingers will be on the trigger. More correctly we have no choice but to be vigilant due to ongoing attacks. It is evident that an elimination plan is on the agenda. Due to this we must be prepared for all possible developments. If under attack the Kurdish people also have the right to legitimate self-defence. We are approaching this phase in this manner and will conduct ourselves according to developments.''

''In case of attacks the right to retaliate will arise, and it will be those that developed this phase that are responsible, namely the AKP government,'' Karayılan concluded.