Kurdish Rebels Surrender in Turkey
2009-10-22 6:55
Let’s go to southeast Turkey, where Kurdish rebels have been welcomed home by thousands of supporters. Turkey has freed the militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party, as both parties try to help the peace process.
Turkey has freed a group of Kurdish rebels who had surrendered to the army after returning from neighboring Iraq. It’s a move which could help end a 25-year separatist conflict.
The rebel group had given themselves up on Monday to support the Turkish prime minister’s reform process. It includes plans to grant more political and cultural rights to minority Kurds.
The prime minister described their return as a "very positive and pleasing development" and called on all militants to return to Turkey from Iraq and Europe.
But many are still cautious.
[Taha Ozer, Political Analyst]:
"Let’s see what will happen in coming days. If the numbers are going to be hundreds of them, than I believe the public perception will support democratic initiative more than they supported when it just started."
[Orhan Dogan, Ankara Resident]:
"If they were not involved in any armed conflict it is fine, but what will happen to the blood of our soldiers that died?"
In the mainly Kurdish populated Turkish city of Diyarbakir yesterday, tens of thousands celebrated the arrival of the Kurdistan Workers Party members.
[Nihat Icli, Diyarbakir Resident]:
"This is like a wedding to me. This is what people are looking for. Our people are on the side of peace and ask for the peace."
The reforms are important to advancing Turkey's European Union membership application. It’s a response to demands that Ankara meet the bloc's human rights criteria.
The conflict in the southeast of Turkey has severely hampered economic development in the area. It lags far behind western Turkey which is relatively prosperous.
