PKK militant group says it reached 'historic' decisions, without confirming disbandment
A Kurdish militant group says it has held a key congress during which historic decisions were taken, but stops short of declaring whether it has decided to disband
A militant Kurdish group announced on Friday that it had made “historic” decisions during its long-awaited congress earlier this week. The group, however, stopped short of saying whether it had resolved to disband and disarm as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey aimed at ending the four-decade insurgency.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, held a congress in two locations in northern Iraq between May 5-7, according to a statement carried by the Firat News Agency, a media organization close to the banned group.
The PKK said the historic decisions taken during the congress would be shared with the public soon.
In February, the PKK’s jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, called on his group to convene a congress to dissolve itself and disarm to end the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.
The group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and most Western states, announced a ceasefire days later but had set conditions to disband, including the establishment of a legal mechanism for peace talks.
During the congress, statements by Ocalan outlining his “perspectives and proposals” were read, according to Firat news. Turkey's Haberturk broadcaster said the congress convened in Suleymaniyah and Duhok, cities in northern Iraq where the PKK's leadership is thought to be based.
Earlier, Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party, DEM, which is involved in the peace effort, said the PKK could declare its decision “at any moment.”
“We, too, are awaiting this historic step, this historic decision,” DEM party spokeswoman Aysegul Dogan said.
The latest peace initiative was launched in October by Devlet Bahceli, a far-right Turkish politician who suggested that Ocalan, who is imprisoned on an island off Istanbul, could be granted parole if his group renounces violence and disbands.
Previous peace efforts between Turkey and the group have ended with failure — most recently in 2015.