Kurdish Deputies Meet Ocalan on Imrali Island

Peace and Democracy Party deputy Ayla Akat Ata and Democratic Society Congress co-chair Ahmet Türk visited PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan yesterday afternoon in Imrali Prison.

Eyüp Can, editor-in-chief at Radikal newspaper, predicted the visit on his column yesterday.

Two deputies sailed off to Imrali island from an Istanbul marina early in the morning at 8 am, according to Radikal newspaper. The delegation was reported to return back to marina around 3 pm.

The visit has promptly been confirmed by Selahattin Demirtaş, Peace and Democracy Party co-chair. "The visit turned out to be positive. A detailed statement on the visit will be made on the days to come," Demirtaş told Nuçe TV.

"What Ocalan will say is very important. We will not take the government's statements into consideration until Ocalan will make his statement on the visit," Demirtaş told Firat News Agency.

According to CNNTürk, Ocalan urged officials to be vigilant and sensitive on the Kurdish issue saying that this process might be the beginning of negotiations leading to a peace resolution of the Kurdish problem.

Ocalan's lawyers unable to meet their client

On the other hand, the proposition made by Ocalan's lawyers to meet their clients in Imrali island has been rejected.

According to Firat News Agency, Ocalan's lawyers Rezan Sarıca, Cengiz Yürekli and Ayşe Acinikli submitted an official application to Bursa Chief Prosecution Office to meet their client in Imrali Island. The application was rejected due to an engine problem in the transport boat. (EKN/BM)