By Serdar Agid Buztamor

HAVANA, Cuba –

Hans Modrow, the last communist premier of former East Germany, said that the release of Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan from jail in Turkey would advance the Kurdish cause and the “liberation of all parts of Kurdistan.”

Modrow, in Havana to promote the Spanish edition of his new book “Perestroika, the way I see it,” called for European Union pressure on Turkey to free Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which remains banned in Turkey, Europe and the United States.

Commenting to Rudaw about the peace process that was started last year to end a decades-long war between Ankara and the PKK, Modrow said: “I believe in Ocalan’s efforts, which have been initiated for the last few years to solve the issue peacefully.”

“The peace process is very much in need of Ocalan. He is the backbone of his movement and can mobilize things to stop the process. He is accepted at an international level, not only among Kurds. The freedom of Ocalan will hugely advance the Kurdish movement and the liberation of all parts of Kurdistan.”

Modrow was the last prime minister of communist East Germany, before it reunified with West Germany during his premiership in 1990. He was a member of the European Parliament from 2000 to 2004, when many times he defended the Kurds.

Modrow said that the Ankara-PKK peace process needs international support.

“If the European Union and other countries support Kurds, the peace process will be implemented sooner. Germany’s movement and organizations should support the Kurdish nation.”

Modrow said it was fundamental that the peace process include an insistence on human rights in Turkey.

As a precondition to start talks for Turkey’s admission, the EU has required Turkey to address its human rights issues and grant minorities like the Kurds greater political and cultural rights.

Modrow believes that for Turkey to join the EU, it has to take bolder measures to relieve Kurdish political and cultural grievances, and should free Ocalan.

“Turkey can only continue the process (EU talks) by freeing Ocalan and all other political prisoners. This case has to become an issue in the European Union elections, as the union can play a role in this problem,” he said. We have to understand that the European Union has no choice but to set such a precondition on Turkey. If there is support in this regard, other steps could be discussed.”

Discussing relations that existed between East Germany and the PKK, Modrow said: “There were relations, but the public opinion did not know about it. Mr. Ocalan, the leader of PKK, had supporters in the Democratic Republic of Germany. I think we had strong friendly relations.”

Rudaw