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Turkish PM welcomes call by PKK leader for disarmament

Xinhua, March 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday welcomed the call from jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan on his followers to lay down their arms, said the Dogan news agency.

The call will pave the way for a democratic policy in Turkey, which makes the resolution process take a new shape, Davutoglu said.

Earlier in the day, Sirri Sureyya Onder, a lawmaker of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), held a meeting with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan and Interior Minister Efkan Ala in Istanbul, saying at a joint conference that Ocalan also urged his followers to attend a congress on disarmament in Spring.

This is a historic call to replace armed struggle with democratic politics, Onder said, adding that "we call on all democratic parties to support this democratic solution."

Meanwhile, Akdogan said disarmament would contribute to the democratic development, noting that we are determined to conclude this resolution process with full support of the public.

The Kurdish insurgent groups have demanded separation from Turkey to create an independent Kurdistan or to have autonomy and greater political and cultural rights for Kurds inside the Republic of Turkey.

The PKK, the main rebel group, is considered as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and NATO.

The PKK's military presence in Iraq's Kurdistan region, from which it launches attacks on Turkey, has led the Turkish military to carry out frequent ground incursions, air and artillery strikes in that region, as the Kurdistan Regional Government said it has no sufficient military forces to prevent the PKK's operation.

The conflict has particularly affected Turkey's tourism industry and has cost Turkey around 300 to 450 billion U.S. dollars, local media said. Endit