President Jalal Talabani told Reuters he perceived a "new climate" in Turkey toward the rights of its Kurds and that he supported its leaders in their efforts to end the 25-year conflict with the PKK, based in northern Iraqi mountains. "The Kurds are trying to convince the PKK to accept the peace proposals of the Turkish government, then to lay down their arms and go back home, to participate in political activities in Turkey," he said in an interview on Tuesday night. He said Turkey's increasing openness to Kurdish identity was in the interests of peace in the Middle East, Turkish unity and the Kurdish people living in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. "This is a big step forward in Turkey. The Kurds must support it, must welcome it and must do their best to see these policies succeed in the end," he said.
The government is now seeking to boost the political and cultural rights of Turkey's Kurds in an effort to address their grievances and put an end to the violent separatist campaign of the PKK, which has so far cost about 40,000 lives. Turkey long accused the Kurdish administration running northern Iraq of not doing enough to prevent PKK fighters from launching attacks from its territory. But the tone has changed since the Kurdish administration joined the concerted efforts of the Iraqi central government, Turkey and the US to combat the PKK.
Talabani, a former guerrilla fighter who battled Saddam's army, said he believed the PKK was coming around to the idea of accepting the overtures from the Turkish government. "I think the PKK will agree to this democratic solution and this problem will be solved without the need of using arms or forces," he said, offering no direct evidence for his view. "The PKK can go back home, they can participate in political activities, they can play their role as good civilians."
