Kurdish PKK says held ‘successful' meeting on disbanding
ISTANBUL: The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) held a 'successful' meeting this week with a view to disarming and dissolving, the Kurdish agency ANF, which is close to the armed movement, announced on Friday.
The meeting resulted in 'decisions of historic importance concerning the PKK's activities, based on the call' of founder Abdullah Ocalan, who called on the movement in February to dissolve.
The congress, which was held between Monday and Wednesday, took place in the 'Media Defense Zones' — a term used by the movement to designate the Kandil mountains of northern Iraq where the PKK military command is located, the agency reported.
The PKK will share 'full and detailed information with regard to the outcome of this congress very soon,' it said.
In February, Ocalan urged his fighters to disarm and disband, ending a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
In his historic call — which took the form of a letter — Ocalan urged the PKK to hold a congress to formalize the decision.
Two days later, the PKK announced a ceasefire, saying it was ready to convene a congress but said 'for this to happen, a suitable secure environment must be created,' insisting it would only succeed if Ocalan were to 'personally direct and lead it.'
The PKK leadership is holed up in Kurdish-majority mountainous northern Iraq where Turkish forces have staged multiple air strikes in recent years, targeting the group which is also blacklisted by Washington and Brussels.
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