Jailed PKK leader hints at readiness to end insurgency, disarm
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Abdullah Ocalan has shown a willingness to call for the disarmament of the PKK in light of the developments in Syria.
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Kurdish activists hold posters of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan during a protest in Paris, on January 7, 2023. (AP)
The imprisoned leader of Turkiye's banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, has reportedly signaled a willingness to call on militants to disarm, following a push from a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, urging an end to the group's decades-long insurgency.
Ocalan met with two parliamentarians from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party on Saturday at his prison on Imrali Island, marking the first of its kind in nearly a decade. The visit was requested by DEM after an Erdogan ally elaborated on a proposal to resolve the 40-year conflict between the Turkish state and the PKK.
"I am ready to take (the) necessary positive step and make the call," Ocalan was quoted as saying on Sunday. While the nature of the call was not clarified, his remarks followed suggestions from Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), that Ocalan should call on armed groups to lay down their arms.
Bahceli's expanded proposal in October suggested Ocalan might declare an end to the insurgency in exchange for potential release. Erdogan described the idea as a "historic window of opportunity" but has refrained from discussing any formal peace process.
Ocalan, who has been serving a life sentence since his capture 25 years ago, noted that recent events in Syria and Gaza have made addressing the Kurdish issue "undelayable". He also called for opposition parties and Parliament to contribute to the process, hinting at potential legal reforms.
"I am also qualified and determined to make the necessary positive contribution to the new paradigm that Mr. Bahceli and Mr. Erdogan have empowered," Ocalan further said, according to the DEM statement.
Turkiye urges US to end support for Syrian Kurdish militias
In this context, Turkiye has reiterated that there will be no role for the Kurdish YPG militia, which it considers an offshoot of the PKK, in shaping Syria's future.
Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, reiterated Ankara's opposition to the presence of Syrian Kurdish fighters supported by Washington, emphasizing that they "cannot be allowed to take shelter in Syria."
A spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that Fidan specifically referred to the People's Protection Units (YPG), the leading force in the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Ankara regards the YPG as a Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a group Turkiye has designated as a terrorist organization.
Turkiye has long criticized the US for its partnership with the SDF in northern Syria, while Washington claims that the Kurdish-led forces are essential to preventing the resurgence of ISIS. The US credits the SDF for playing a central role in allegedly defeating ISIS militants in 2019.
During the conversation, Fidan conveyed Turkiye's support for efforts by Syria's new administration to maintain "territorial integrity and security." He also stressed the importance of coordinated action, saying, "It is important to act in cooperation with the new Syrian administration to ensure stability in Syria and to complete the transition period in an orderly manner," according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
