Eurasia Press & News
The Turkish government and the Kurdish political movement have sounded a note of optimism for the future of the stalled peace process, with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu suggesting that the process could reach a settlement within the next few months if all actors involved fulfill their roles.
“Now there is a road map that we have designated. If all of the parties, particularly the segments that are involved in the resolution process, do their part, then the desired point can be reached in the shortest time, within the next few months,” Davutoğlu said in an interview aired on Al-Jazeera late on Oct. 22.
A leading deputy of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) echoed Davutoğlu’s optimism, saying five or six months could be enough to complete the process, including disarmament by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party(PKK).
“Including disarmament, five-six months would be enough for us to reach an absolute peace. That’s to say, we would leave all these things behind when March arrives,” Önder said, speaking in an interview with CNN Türk on Oct. 22.
Still, both outlined their party’s essential priorities for such striking progress in the process, which aims to end a bitter three-decade-old conflict between the PKK and Turkey’s security forces that has claimed almost 40,000 lives over more than three decades.
While Davutoğlu underlined the need for mutual steps and stressed that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) should not be expected to unilaterally advance the process, Önder, whose party is a key player in the Kurdish political movement represented in Parliament and is directly involved in the process, stressed the urgency of improving jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s living conditions.
