Demirtaş Supports AKP's Dialogue With Öcalan

Yesterday, Peace and Democracy Party co-chairperson Selahattin Demirtaş attended a European Parliament session in Strasbourg, where he held a speech concerning Turkey's Kurdish problem and Imrali process - the ongoing negotiations between Turkey and PKK.

"We don't consider Turkish government's initiative to start a dialogue with

Abdullah Öcalan. On the contrary, we think it is a bold move that should be supported," Demirtaş said.

According to Yüksekova Haber, a local news website, Demirtaş underscored that a psychological barrier has been breached after his party's efforts to involve Öcalan in the negotiation process - a taboo that Demirtaş claimed to stuck Turkey for decades.

Reminding the 3 slain Kurdish women incident in Paris, Demirtaş said the second row of negoations with Öcalan has been halted due to impunity in the case.

"Turkish Army's ongoing military operations in the southeast and some politicians remarks on the negotiation process erosions the trust between the parties," Demirtaş continued. "To have success in the negotiations, we are expecting the government to make a new judicial reform, put an end to political prisoners and improve the press freedom in Turkey." (EKN/BM)