MIDEAST-CRISIS/TURKEY-KURDS-AKP Peace process with PKK could continue if militants disarm - Turkish AKP

Record ID: 145978

  • Title: MIDEAST-CRISIS/TURKEY-KURDS-AKP Peace process with PKK could continue if militants disarm - Turkish AKP
  • Date: 28th July 2015
  • Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (JULY 28, 2015) (REUTERS) AK PARTY SPOKESMAN BESIR ATALAY ARRIVING AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) AK PARTY SPOKESMAN BESIR ATALAY, SAYING: "If terrorist elements leave the country and put down their weapons, the peace process will continue. The peace process requires pledges and determination. We will never give up on our efforts to improve our democracy as well as rights and freedoms of individuals." ATALAY ON PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) AK PARTY SPOKESMAN BESIR ATALAY, SAYING: "We cannot say that the peace process is de facto over. There is currently a stagnation in the mechanism but it could restart where it left off if these intentions emerge. But under current circumstances, there will be a halt untill the conditions change."
  • Embargoed: 12th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA998F4QF1EPW92MWBD88KST8GN
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Turkey's peace process with Kurdish militants could continue if "terrorist elements" put down their weapons and leave the country, Besir Atalay, spokesman for the ruling AK Party, said on Tuesday (July 28).
    "If terrorist elements leave the country and put down their weapons, the peace process will continue. The peace process requires pledges and determination. We will never give up on our efforts to improve our democracy as well as rights and freedoms of individuals," Atalay told a news conference in Ankara.
    "We cannot say that the peace process is de facto over. There is currently a stagnation in the mechanism but it could restart where it left off if these intentions emerge," he added.
    President Tayyip Erdogan said earlier it was impossible to continue the peace process and urged parliament to strip politicians with links to "terrorist groups" of immunity from prosecution.
    His comments come days after the Turkish air force bombed camps in northern Iraq belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), following a series of attacks on police officers and soldiers in Turkey blamed on the Kurdish militant group.
    The PKK said the air strikes, launched virtually in parallel with strikes against Islamic State fighters in Syria, rendered the peace process meaningless but stopped short of formally pulling out.
    Western allies have said they recognise Turkey's right to self-defence but have urged the NATO member not to allow peace efforts with the PKK to collapse. While deeming the PKK a terrorist organisation, Washington depends heavily on allied Syrian Kurdish fighters in battling Islamic State in Syria.
    An emergency NATO meeting in Brussels on Tuesday offered political support for Turkey's campaigns in Syria and Iraq, and Erdogan signalled Turkey may have a "duty" to become more involved.
    For NATO allies, the prospect of Turkey, which borders Iran, Iraq and Syria, fighting a domestic conflict against Kurdish as well as Islamist fighters is a deep concern. But for many in Turkey, Kurdish rebellion remains the primary national threat.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register