New phase of peace talks begin: BDP

DİYARBAKIR

BDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş. DHA Photo

The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), which takes an active role in recent efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem, announced that it had the first talks of the second round of the process with the government.

The first phase was described as the withdrawal of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants from Turkish soil as the second phase was to consist of steps to be taken by the government.

“We have had the first official negotiations of the solution process,” BDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş said in Diyarbakır June 21, addressing party members. “The government says it has preparations. The issue may be made public next week,” he said.

If the process is locked, jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan might cut the talks, he said, adding that no obstacles had remained to visits to İmralı island, where Öcalan is serving a life sentence. The talks with the government failed to raise great expectations, according to Demirtaş, who has been criticizing the government for “using a bad tongue” on the issue, keeping outlawed Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case suspects in prison. He said the BDP would start protests this week.