US talks beneficial for Kurdish conflict: BDP
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
Co-chairs of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) Selahattin Demirtaş (L) and Gültan Kışanak are currently in the US for a week-long visit. AA photo
Talks between Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) leaders and U.S. officials in Washington will be important for efforts to achieve a peaceful and democratic settlement of the Kurdish conflict, a senior BDP lawmaker said yesterday.“There is nothing more natural than our conducting such visits to explain our stance as a political party. In fact, meetings like this are beneficial to open up democratic channels to solve the Kurdish issue,” BDP deputy group chair Hasip Kaplan told Anatolian news agency. President Abdullah Gül meanwhile rejected suggestions that the BDP delegation’s trip to the U.S. was an indication that the Kurdish problem is shifting to an international platform. “One should not see this as an illegal activity or a privilege. All parties make efforts to better explain themselves in Europe and the U.S. I myself made many such trips when I was a lawmaker,” Gül said, adding that the BDP representatives would meet also with Turkey’s ambassador to the U.S.
The BDP is “not trying to carry the issue to an international platform, but the world public is closely watching Turkey,” he said. The BDP team, led by co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Gültan Kışanak, are scheduled to meet with Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon, as well as Qubad Talabani, the Kurdistan Regional Government of northern Iraq’s representative in the U.S.
