Ankara, Turkey (AP) – Kurdish militants will soon announce a historic decision to disband and disarm along with Turkey's new peace initiative to end a 40-year rebellion.
Aysegul Dogan, spokesman for the People’s Equality and Democratic Party, said the armed PKK or PKK leadership had called the long-awaited parliament and could make the announcement “at any time”.
Firat News Agency held its parliament on Friday at two locations in northern Iraq from May 5 to 7, according to media outlets near the group. The group said the “historic” decision made by Congress will be shared with the public soon.
The report also said that a statement by PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan outlined his reading of his “views and suggestions” during his time in Parliament.
In February, Ocalan called on his group to lay down his weapons and disband to end a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.
The Illegal Provincial and Provincial Worry (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and most Western countries, announced a ceasefire a few days later, but set conditions for disbandment, including the establishment of a legal mechanism for peaceful negotiations.
The latest peace initiative launched in October Devlet Bahceli, a far-right Turkish politician who suggested that if his group gave up violence and disbanded, he could be parole on an island near Istanbul.
Peace efforts between Türkiye and the group ended in failure, the latest in 2015.
