3 Kurdish Deputies to Visit Öcalan

Justice Ministry has announced that Kurdish deputies Selahattin Demirtaş, Pervin Buldan and Ahmet Türk will meet PKK leader Öcalan for the second row of peace talks between Turkey and PKK, according to Hürriyet newspaper.

Ahmet Türk, independent deputy, was listed along with Peace and Democracy Party deputy Ayla Akat Ata in the first row of peace talks between Turkey and PKK in January.

Milliyet newspaper also wrote that PM Erdogan approved the delegation list.

PM Erdogan longtime contested Kurdish parties' proposal to include deputy Aysel Tugluk in the delegation, saying that she was photographed while embracing PKK guerrillas during a trip to sourteastern Turkey last summer.

Peace and Democracy Party co-chairperson Selahattin Demirtaş released a statement this morning, saying that his party was not informed regarding the delegation list.

"We hope that no complications will made at this point. If the government tries to slow the process, we will think they might have a different agenda. We are set to go, we know who we want to send to the island. The government will not decide who we will send, they will just approve it. We can't work with them if they are going to impose their list on us. Otherwise, we will just support their efforts from outside the process," he said in the statement

Öcalan's brother to Imrali island

Mehmet Öcalan has boarded on a boat heading to meet his brother in solitary confinement in Imrali island, according to NTV.

Along with Mehmet Öcalan, relatives of other inmates serving in Imrali island were included in the boat.

"This is a family visit. I don't know whether we will talk about politics," Mehmet Öcalan told the press prior to his departure, promising another statement following his visit.

In November 2012, Mehmet Öcalan met his brother in his solitary confinement in Imrali island where he appealed the end of 68 day long hunger strikes in Turkey's prisons. (AS/BM)