The imprisoned chief of a Kurdish guerrilla motion that has been waging a bloody insurgency towards the Turkish state for many years referred to as on Thursday for his fighters to put down their arms.
The Kurdistan Employees’ Get together, or P.Ok.Ok., is classed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the USA and different international locations. The group’s chief, Abdullah Ocalan, made his enchantment in a written assertion that was learn aloud throughout a information convention by members of Turkey’s fundamental pro-Kurdish political social gathering who had simply visited him in jail.
Mr. Ocalan referred to as for the P.Ok.Ok. to put down its weapons, saying within the assertion that the group has accomplished its life-span and may disband.
The uncommon message from Mr. Ocalan raised the chance {that a} battle that has killed greater than 40,000 folks over 4 a long time may lastly finish. It may additionally echo throughout borders, given Mr. Ocalan’s profound affect over members of the group in Turkey and Iraq in addition to affiliated Kurdish militias in Syria and Iran.
However there was little indication of what would occur subsequent. There was scant public dialogue of who would monitor compliance with Mr. Ocalan’s name, what would occur to fighters who adjust to it or what — if something — the federal government has provided in trade for the disarmament.
Mr. Ocalan’s enchantment got here after a collection of talks that included Turkish officers; Mr. Ocalan himself; and members of Turkey’s fundamental pro-Kurdish social gathering, the Folks’s Equality and Democracy Get together, or D.E.M.
In a speech to members of his political social gathering in January, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey stated the federal government had provided Mr. Ocalan’s group no concessions however that ending the battle would profit Turks and Kurds alike.
The objective of the talks was to get “the fear group to disband itself, to give up its arms unconditionally,” he stated.
However in an interview revealed final week by the P.Ok.Ok.-linked Firat Information Company, a senior member of the group advised that many points remained unresolved.
“Nobody ought to assume that there shall be a straightforward negotiation on the desk, signatures shall be made and all the things shall be solved,” stated the senior member, Duran Kalkan. “The opposite aspect needs to eradicate the P.Ok.Ok.”
The group has been battling the Turkish state for the reason that early Eighties, attacking police stations and army posts and finishing up bombings which have killed many civilians. It started as a secessionist group that sought to create an unbiased state for Turkey’s Kurdish minority however now says it seeks higher rights for Kurds inside Turkey.
For a lot of Turks, Mr. Ocalan is the nation’s most despised terrorist. Turkish officers and information retailers usually seek advice from him as “child killer” or “chief terrorist.” Convicted in 1999 of main an armed terrorist group, Mr. Ocalan has been in jail for a quarter-century. Pictures of him since have been uncommon.
Turkey and the P.Ok.Ok. have tried through the years to resolve the battle, most not too long ago by way of peace talks that began in 2011. However negotiations broke down in 2015, ushering in a lethal new section.
Final October, a robust political ally of Mr. Erdogan made a surprising public call to Mr. Ocalan, requesting that he inform his fighters to put down their arms and finish the battle. That led to restricted visits from relations and political allies of Mr. Ocalan to discover the opportunity of a brand new peace course of.
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