Spring nears as PKK warns of new attacks

ISTANBUL - Radikal

BDP deputies Pervin Buldan (L), Sırrı Sürreyya Önder (C) and Altan Tan board the ship to visit jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. REUTERS photo

Clashes between the Turkish military and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) could soon restart if the army continues its operations, as the group needs direct contact with its jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, to obtain a clear and certain decision about the process to solve the Kurdish issue peacefully, Murat Karalıyan, the leader of the PKK in northern Iraq, has said. 

“It is already known to everyone that the Kurdish guerrilla movement will have more power than the state’s security forces to carry out operations with spring coming in two weeks. The continuation of operations means the continuation of clashes as well,” Karayılan said, according to a report published yesterday by Fırat News Agency, known for its close links to the PKK.

This two-week rtimeframe to March 21, the date of Nevruz, which is usually considered by several government members as a crucial date for ongoing talks as PKK leader Öcalan is also expected to reveal his road map for the process. 

“The policies of the Turkish state and government are obviously not aimed at forming the sub-structure of a solution and a new peaceful process. On the contrary, they deepen the lack of confidence that already exists,” Karayılan was quoted as saying.

He said recent visits from Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) members to Kandil Mountains in northern Iraq were not enough. 

Karayılan also said Turkish prisoners held captive in northern Iraq would be released within a week, according to the report. “As our leader has demanded, we have decided to release the prisoners we are holding within a week, after the solution of some technical preparations. This will be a significant step taken by our side for the progress of the ongoing talks,” he added. 

Meanwhile, the BDP has revealed its Nevruz program to its provincial branches. “As we go through a historic period, the process, kicked off by the esteemed Öcalan in İmralı, will be taken to a higher level by the symbol of freedom, Nevruz,” a BDP statement read.