Turkey: Kurdish calls for ceasefire raise hopes of an end to vicious circle of violence in Turkey

Commenting on the call by the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) in Turkey for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to declare a unilateral ceasefire, Green MEPs Joost Lagendijk, chair of the EP Turkey delegation, and Cem Özdemir declared:

"The call for a ceasefire by DTP Chairman Ahmet Turk is timely and raises hopes for an end to the vicious circle of violence in South-East Turkey and in the rest of the country. As he stated, laying down the arms is the only way to put an end to the suffering of the Kurdish people. By renouncing all forms of violence, Kurdish politicians greatly strengthen their case in calling on the Turkish state to be a reliable democratic partner, respecting the rule of law under all circumstances.

"The violence in Turkey only hampers the Kurds in their campaign to achieve recognition of their social and cultural rights. We therefore wholeheartedly support the DTP officials in their call for a ceasefire. Full respect for the Kurdish language and tradition and socio-economic development of the South-East are best served within the political arena, not by the unscrupulous killing of soldiers and civilians."

Source: www.greens-efa.org/cms/pressreleases/dok/147/147217.turkey@en.htm