In Turkey, Jailed Kurdish Leader Urges Fighters to Disarm
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or P.K.K., is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and other countries. The group's leader, Abdullah Ocalan, made his appeal in a written statement that was read aloud during a news conference by members of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish political party who had just visited him in prison.
Mr. Ocalan called for the P.K.K. to lay down its weapons, saying in the statement that the group has completed its life-span and should disband.
The rare message from Mr. Ocalan raised the possibility that a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people over four decades could finally end. It could also echo across borders, given Mr. Ocalan's profound influence over members of the group in Turkey and Iraq as well as affiliated Kurdish militias in Syria and Iran.
But there was little indication of what would happen next. There has been scant public discussion of who would monitor compliance with Mr. Ocalan's call, what would happen to fighters who comply with it or what — if anything — the government has offered in exchange for the disarmament.
Mr. Ocalan's appeal came after a series of talks that included Turkish officials; Mr. Ocalan himself; and members of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party, the People's Equality and Democracy Party, or D.E.M.
In a speech to members of his political party in January, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey said the government had offered Mr. Ocalan's group no concessions but that ending the conflict would benefit Turks and Kurds alike.
The goal of the talks was to get 'the terror group to disband itself, to surrender its arms unconditionally,' he said.
But in an interview published last week by the P.K.K.-linked Firat News Agency, a senior member of the group suggested that many issues remained unresolved.
'No one should think that there will be an easy negotiation at the table, signatures will be made and everything will be solved,' said the senior member, Duran Kalkan. 'The other side wants to eliminate the P.K.K.'
The group has been battling the Turkish state since the early 1980s, attacking police stations and military posts and carrying out bombings that have killed many civilians. It began as a secessionist group that sought to create an independent state for Turkey's Kurdish minority but now says it seeks greater rights for Kurds inside Turkey.
For many Turks, Mr. Ocalan is the country's most despised terrorist. Turkish officials and news outlets often refer to him as 'baby killer' or 'chief terrorist.' Convicted in 1999 of leading an armed terrorist group, Mr. Ocalan has been in prison for a quarter-century. Photos of him since have been rare.
Turkey and the P.K.K. have tried over the years to resolve the conflict, most recently through peace talks that started in 2011. But negotiations broke down in 2015, ushering in a deadly new phase.
Last October, a powerful political ally of Mr. Erdogan made a surprising public call to Mr. Ocalan, requesting that he tell his fighters to lay down their arms and end the conflict. That led to limited visits from relatives and political allies of Mr. Ocalan to explore the possibility of a new peace process.
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