Kurdish Negotiators Seek To Lower Expectations
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) expects confidence-building measures and is seeking to lower expectations in its talks with Turkey, writes Kadri Gursel.
Abdullah Ocalan, the founding leader of the PKK, gave a short message to share with the public to three parliamentarians of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party [BDP], who were allowed to visit him on Feb. 23 at the Imrali Island Prison, where he is serving a life sentence.
The BDP parliamentarians were able to meet with the prisoner thanks to the progress made in what the media dubs as the five-month-old ”Imrali process” of discussions between Ocalan and intelligence officials representing the AKP government.
The short statement read out by BDP women parliamentarian Pervin Buldan to media people waiting for them at the ferry landing said:
“This meeting is a historical step. We are living through a historical process. All parties must be very careful and sensitive in this process. The state has prisoners. The PKK has prisoners. PKK must treat its prisoners well. I hope they will reunite with their families in the shortest time.’’
