Istanbul [Turkey], July 11: The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is insisting on the release of Abdullah Öcalan, its leader jailed since 1999, before a peace process with Turkey can make progress, the Kurdish Firat News Agency (ANF) reported on Thursday. The PKK also said through the Amsterdam-based ANF that both sides had to drive the process forward. It criticized inaction on the part of the Turkish government. Öcalan is being held on a prison island in the Sea of Marmara south of Istanbul.
The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States, announced its dissolution in May in response to a call from Öcalan issued in February. The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), which is represented in the Turkish parliament, has announced that the PKK will begin surrendering its arms in northern Iraq on Friday. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
