Kurdish process, Syria and protests dominate National Security Council meeting

ANKARA - Anadolu News Agency

The National Security Council (MGK) on June 25 held its first meeting since the start of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) pullout from Turkish soil and the protests that recently spread across the country.

The ongoing demonstrations and the Kurdish peace process were on the agenda of the council, as well as the situation in Syria, Iraq, and the deadly May 11 attack in Reyhanlı, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

"[The council] debated the measures that are necessary to be adopted to ensure that the process continues in a climate of security," the statement said, with regard to the peace process, which entered a new phase in May with the withdrawal of PKK militants.

"The social events that took place in the country in recent days were also reviewed," the statement also added, in reference of the Gezi Park protests.

The council also discussed in detail future steps regarding Turkey's Syria policy. "The developments in Syria were dealt with all their dimensions. [The council] debated the stages in ending the conflict in accordance with the legitimate demands and expectations of the Syrian people, and the steps that need to be made," the statement said.

The Middle East peace process, in particular the reconciliation initiative between Fatah and Hamas necessary prior to  Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Gaza, was also among the topics discussed.
The council is presided over by President Abdullah Gül, and sees the participation of top civilian and military officials, including the prime minister and the Chief of General Staff.