Kurdish militia explains ceasefire after a leader call
Kurdish militia explains ceasefire after a leader call
CNN - The military organization of the Kurdistan workers' party (PKK) explained an immediate ceasefire on Saturday, two days after its detained leader Abdullah Öcalan who asked the fighters, to resolve the weapons . If Turkey accepts this, this could mean the end of a decades of conflict, which has requested at least 40,000 human lives and has affected the limits of several neighboring countries.
agreement on Öcalans call
"We agree with the content of the call of Leader Öcalan as he is and explain that we will comply with and implement the requirements of calling from our side. We will explain a ceasefire that comes into force from today," said the PKK-Executive in a explanation that was published by the Firat news agency, which was released by the organization.
a historical turning point
The Executive Committee praised Öcalans and described him as a manifesto that "illuminates the path for all forces of freedom and democracy". In the explanation it was added that the political process can be more successful, "democratic politics and legal foundations must also be appropriate".
The conflict between the PKK and Turkey had devastating effects on Turkey and their neighbors. Öcalan's call for peace on Thursday was an important turning point and could have far -reaching effects on the Middle East.
put down the weapons
"I call on to put down the weapons and take on historical responsibility for this call," he said in a statement read by Turkish MPs on Thursday. " All groups have to lay down, and the PKK has to dissolve."
conflict history
For almost five decades, Turkey has been waging war against the PKK, which was founded by Öcalan in 1978. The majority of the fights focused on the group's desire to establish an independent Kurdish state in the southeast of the country. In recent years, however, the group has demanded more autonomy within Turkey.
ÖCALAN emphasized at the beginning of this week that mutual cooperation between Turks and Kurds was interrupted in the past 200 years, and explained: "Today it is the main task to redesign the historical relationship that has become extremely fragile."
a new signal for peace?
In the past few months, the prospects of peace between Kurds and Turks have been invited to come to parliament by an unusual push of the right -wing extremist Devlet Bahceli, an ally of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and "explain that he laid down the weapons".
Öcalan was caught in Kenya in 1999 by the Turkish authorities, Reportedly with the help of the CIA, and in Turkey, sentenced to life imprisonment for high treason, with restricted contact with the outside world.
The position of the Kurds
Kurds represent the largest minority in Turkey and make between 15% and 20% from the population, according to the information from the international minority law group. They are also strongly represented in North Syria, North Irak and Iran.
Violence began in Turkey in August 1984 when PKK fighter killed two Turkish soldiers. Over the years, the PKK has developed into a militant arm of a regional ethnic conflict to preserve Kurdish culture while the number of victims continues to increase.
Review of previous attempts at peace
About a decade ago, Öcalan appealed to his followers to put up arms. But the 2013 peace process soon collapsed when the tensions revived, which led to a bloody war to return Turkey and the PKK and ended a two -year ceasefire.
The Kurdish people have a complex relationship with Erdogan, who in previous years advertised the Kurds for support by granting them more rights and lifting restrictions on using their language. In addition, he tried for the short peace process with the PKK.
political background of the ceasefire
Erdogan has considered a constitutional change that would enable him to compete for a third term in the 2028 elections. This change requires a two -thirds majority in parliament.
The ceasefire comes, according to some experts, at a time when the president is looking for the support of the third largest party in parliament, the pro-Kurdish Deme-party. Their deputies acted as an intermediary between Öcalan and the government and read the explanation of the Kurdish leader from prison on Thursday.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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