Turkey seeks democratic settlement of Kurd conflict

03/08/2009

ANKARA, Turkey -- The government on Sunday (August 2nd) promised to follow a "democratic path" and reach public consensus on ways to overcome the 25-year long conflict with the Kurdish minority. Last week, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government announced that it will give more rights to Kurds and encourage opposition parties and other groups to help to settle the conflict. On Sunday, Interior Minister Besir Atalay held a five-hour meeting with 15 prominent local journalists, asking for their opinions on ways to resolve the conflict, which has claimed 40,000 lives. Atalay proposed establishing dialogue with Kurdish intellectuals and other activities aimed at persuading the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to leave the mountains of northern Iraq, where it is based, and return to Turkey. (Reuters, Milliyet, Radikal - 02/08/09)