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Jailed PKK Leader Ocalan Signals Readiness to End 40-Year Conflict, DEM Party MPs Visit

Dec 29, 2024, 10:37 AM

Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), has indicated his readiness to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the long-standing 40-year conflict between the PKK and the Turkish government, which has claimed over 40,000 lives. Ocalan's comments came after a visit by parliamentarians from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) to his prison on Imrali Island, where he has been held for 25 years, marking the first such visit in nearly a decade. He emphasized the importance of fostering brotherhood between Turks and Kurds as a historic responsibility and essential for a lasting resolution. Ocalan also expressed his willingness to take necessary positive steps and make a call for peace, following a proposal by Devlet Bahceli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, suggesting that Ocalan should call for the PKK militants to lay down arms in exchange for the possibility of his release. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described Bahceli's proposal as a 'historic window of opportunity.' Ocalan's statements also referenced recent developments in Syria and Gaza, underscoring the urgency of resolving the Kurdish issue and suggesting that the Turkish Parliament should play a role in the peace process.