 | ||||
Menu
May 16, 2008
News
Turkey's pro-Kurdish DTP's PKK criticism, denial creates confusion
Hurriyet
Turkey's pro-Kurdish party criticized the PKK on Wednesday saying its armed struggle hurt Kurds, as Turkey set to intensify its relations with the administration in northern Iraq in its fight against the outlawed separatists. However Ahmet Turk and other DTP officials immediately denied the report. Turk later said in a written statement, his statement was misinterpreted, adding the DTP have long said the disputes harm both the Turkish and Kurdish people. (UPDATED)
Turkish MPs from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) welcomed on Thursday Turk's statements.
"I obviously and clearly say the PKK's armed struggle harms Kurdish people. It strengthens the soldiers. A peaceful step shall be taken for solution, and if necessary we oppose the PKK," the website of Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) quoted DTP parliamentary group leader Ahmet Turk as saying. Turk added the DTP would "engage in a struggle" to end the terrorist activities if "the Kurdish identity and language were recognized" in Turkey.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has rejected to hold talks with the DTP on the Kurdish issue due to the party's refusal to declare the PKK as a terrorist organization.
However Turk denied that he criticized the PKK saying he didn't even use the separatists' name in the interview. Turk said Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told him that the Kurdish issue should be solved through diplomatic and political means and he told the president that they are exerting efforts to end violence, Milliyet reported. Turk added he didn't even use the name of the PKK.
Turk later said in a written statement, his statement was misinterpreted, adding the DTP have long said the disputes harm both the Turkish and Kurdish people.
"We defend that Kurds need to reach a consensus getting together to end the violence and the clashes, and to solve the 'Kurdish question' on peaceful grounds," the statement read.
DTP Deputy Chairman Mustafa Sarikaya said those words don't reflect the party's stance. "We say that nobody is in favor of violence which will not create any solutions, but if there is a will to find a solution under these circumstances, then the necessary circumstances should be prepared. We are a party who wants an end to armed struggle," he added.
Turk's statements were "positive," Necati Cetinkaya, deputy chairman of Turkey's ruling AKP, said on Thursday. "We have been hearing such statements for quite sometime now and I think it is a very positive approach, which would hopefully help end the problem," Cetinkaya told reporters after a meeting on Thursday with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
"Members of the political movements of that region need to acknowledge the desire for a peaceful co-existence. We have yet to see any steps that we wished to see concerning terrorism," Sami Guclu, another MP from the AKP, said.
_________________________
| ||||
| ||||
Advertisements
