Turkey, Kurds Announce Landmark Deal for Peace

Members of the Kurdish community hold a banner depicting convicted Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan during a protest calling for Ocalan's release in Istanbul on Feb. 15, 2015. (Photo: OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

Monday, March 2, 2015

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ANKARA — Turkey and its restive Kurdish population have announced a landmark deal that may soon end 31 years violence in the country.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) announced Feb. 28 at a joint press conference with senior cabinet ministers a call by the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for a congress in spring to discuss disarmament.

Around 40,000 people have lost their lives since 1984 when the PKK launched an armed struggle for a Kurdish homeland.

"This is a historic declaration of will to replace armed struggle with democratic politics," HDP's Sırrı Sureyya Onder said. He quoted PKK's leader, Abdullah Ocalan, calling for a reinforced ceasefire.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan said that disarmament [of the PKK] would boost the process of a democratic solution.

The announcement came after several rounds of negotiations aimed at a solution to Turkey's decades long Kurdish problem, and included a 10-article joint communiqué outlining thenew road map to peace. The outline addresses a definition and the content of democratic politics; definition of the national and local dimensions of democratic solution; legal and democratic warranties of free citizenship; handling the democracy-security ties during the resolution process in a manner that will sustain both public order and freedoms; developing a pluralist democracy that looks for defining the concept of identity; and defining concepts of democratic republic, common homeland and nation with democratic criteria.

"A new constitution is key to solve many crucial problems," Akdogan said. "We are determined to conclude this [solution] process with full support of the public."

Analysts say that Ocalan's call means to say that the PKK will no longer launch armed attacks inside Turkey and will lay down arms during the process.

The Ankara government first launched peace talks with the PKK in 2012. While there have been ups and downs, negotiations silently have progressed and the parties have for the first time announced a complete disarmament and an end of violence.

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