Google - AP, Mucahit Ceylan and Suzan Fraser, 21 March 2013
ANKARA,
Turkey (AP) — In a major step toward ending one of the world's longest,
bloodiest insurgencies, the Kurds' jailed rebel leader called Thursday for a
"new era" of peace that includes an immediate cease-fire and the
withdrawal of thousands of his fighters from Turkey.
Abdullah
Ocalan's rebel group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has been waging a
nearly 30-year battle against the Turkish government, seeking autonomy and
greater rights. The fight has killed tens of thousands of people and the group
is considered a terror organization by Turkey and its Western allies, including
the United States.
The Turkish
government reacted cautiously but Ocalan's announcement at a Kurdish spring
festival was met with joy from the hundreds of thousands who gathered to hear
it in Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast.
"We
have reached the point where the guns must be silenced and where ideas must
speak. A new era has started, where politics, not guns, are at the
forefront," Ocalan said in a call from jail relayed by pro-Kurdish
legislators in both Kurdish and Turkish.
"A
door is opening from the armed struggle toward the democratic struggle,"
Ocalan said. "This is not an end. This is a new start."
"We
have reached the stage where our armed elements need to retreat beyond the
border," his message added.
People in
the sprawling crowd sang, danced and waved rebel flags or banners with images
of Ocalan. They appeared cheered at the prospect of an end to the conflict that
has dominated the southeast for so long.
"Ocalan
has paved the way for a historic peace process," said Mesut Yegin of
Istanbul's Sehir University. "He has declared in no uncertain terms that
the era of an armed struggle is ending."
"But
the total laying down of arms will depend on steps the government will
take," Yegin added.
Turkey
announced in December that it was talking to Ocalan with the aim of persuading
the PKK to disarm.
Despite his
14-year incarceration in a prison island off Istanbul, Ocalan still wields
great power over his rebel group. PKK commanders based in northern Iraq have
declared support for the peace initiative and Kurdish fighters in Turkey were
expected to heed Ocalan's call and retreat to northern Iraq.
Earlier
this month, the rebels released eight Turkish soldiers and officials they had
been holding captive in response to a request by Ocalan.
Nevertheless,
Turkish officials sounded a note of caution Thursday.
"I see
(the call) as a positive development, but it is its implementation that is
important," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a visit to the
Netherlands. "We need to see to what extent (the rebels) respond to
it."
He added
that Turkish security forces would cease operations against the rebels after
the PKK fighters withdraw.
The Turkish
leader also lamented the fact that no Turkish flag was flown at the
festivities, calling it a "provocative act" contrary to the spirit of
Ocalan's message of unity.
Kurdish
rebels have declared cease-fires in the past, but these were ignored by the
state, which had vowed to fight the PKK until the end. Erdogan's government has
admitted to having held failed, secret talks with the PKK in past years, but
this latest attempt — held more publicly and with Ocalan's greater
participation — has raised hopes for a successful negotiated settlement.
Government
officials have warned of possible attempts to "sabotage" the talks by
groups opposed to the peace initiative. Erdogan suggested that attacks this
week on the Justice Ministry and the headquarters of his ruling party — which
wounded one person — may have been an attempt to undercut the peace process.
In a
poignant reminder of the precarious nature of the initiative, a sign posted at
the spring festivities read: "We are ready for (both) peace and
insurgency."
Kurds make
up an estimated 20 percent of Turkey's population of 75 million. The rebels
took up arms in 1984 to fight for Kurdish independence, but later revised that
goal to autonomy in southeastern Turkey. The group frequently launched attacks
on Turkey from bases in northern Iraq.
Ocalan's
message did not include a time frame for his fighters' retreat, suggesting that
the Kurds may be expecting the government to take some confidence-building
steps in the interim.
Justice
Minister Sadullah Ergin, however, suggested earlier this week that the Kurdish
withdrawal could be completed by the end of the year.
As part of
the peace efforts, the government is expected to boost the rights of Kurds
through reforms, including a more democratic new constitution that is likely to
underscore equal rights for Kurds and could increase the power of local
authorities. Kurds are also seeking the release of hundreds of Kurdish
activists jailed for alleged links to the PKK as well as improved jail
conditions for Ocalan, who is serving a life prison term.
Some Kurds
believe Ocalan should be freed as part of the peace deal.
"A
democratic solution and freedom for Ocalan," read one poster at the
festival.
"As
long as Ocalan is not free, peace would be a mistake," read another.
A key
demand by the PKK is a guarantee that its estimated 4,000 fighters will not be
attacked during any retreat. Erdogan has said he is open to the creation of an
independent committee that could oversee the withdrawal of the rebels.
Turkish
forces reportedly attacked PKK guerrillas as they retreated in 1999 while
obeying orders from Ocalan who had appealed for peace soon after his capture
that year, as well as during another unilateral decision to withdraw in 2004.
The peace
efforts follow a surge in violence last summer that killed hundreds of people.
It also comes as a Syrian Kurdish group linked to the PKK has gained control in
several areas of war-torn northern Syria, adding to Turkey's worries. Many
believe Turkey's conflict with the PKK is hampering its ambitions to become
even more of a regional leader.
A deal with
the PKK could also give Erdogan key support from Kurds for his goal to replace
Turkey's political system with one that gives more power to a popularly elected
president. Erdogan is widely believed to want to run for president next year.
Erdogan's
government has carried out a series of reforms that have increased the Kurds'
cultural rights, including broadcasts and classes in Kurdish. More recently it
changed laws to allow Kurds to defend themselves in their own language in
court.
"We
have sacrificed decades for the (Kurdish) people. We have paid a huge
price," Ocalan said in his speech. "None of it was in vain. The Kurds
gained their self-identity."
The spring
festival, or Newroz — which means "new year" — is mainly marked by
Kurds in Turkey. It is also celebrated in Iran, where it is called Nowruz, and
in some countries in Central Asia.
Kurdish
demonstrators in the past have used the celebration to assert Kurdish demands
and many events have resulted in violent clashes with Turkish security forces.
Suzan
Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.
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