A delegation of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party visited jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan on Thursday in his island prison, where he was expected to give them a statement that Ankara hopes will pave the way for his outlawed group to disarm.
Broadcaster CNN Turk said it had learned that Ocalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was expected to give a one-page statement saying that laying down arms was a necessity and calling for a democratic struggle on a political level.
Turkey’s Justice and Interior Ministries said they could not verify the authenticity of the statement published by CNN Turk.
The DEM Party said a seven-member delegation had completed its meeting with Ocalan and was returning from Imrali island, south of Istanbul. It was the party’s third visit to the veteran 75-year-old PKK leader since December.
The visit is seen as part of a government bid to have Ocalan call on the PKK to disarm, potentially ending the insurgency which it launched against the Turkish state in 1984 and in which more than 40,000 people have been killed.
Such a move would have major consequences for Turkey after four decades of conflict that have also caused major economic harm and fuelled social tensions. Attention would then turn to the PKK commanders’ response in the mountains of northern Iraq.
DEM is scheduled to hold a press conference in Istanbul at 1400 GMT to discuss the outcome of their talks with Ocalan and share the expected statement from him.
Ocalan has been held in near-total isolation on Imrali since 1999, with only rare communication with the outside world.
While the DEM Party hopes Ocalan’s message will be delivered in video format for greater impact, Turkish government and ruling party sources have voiced opposition to any video statement, citing sensitivities over the PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies.
Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on Wednesday that the party’s request for a video message from Ocalan was not possible, in line with previous government statements.