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Government halts return of PKK-affiliated groups to Turkey
The PKK declared over the weekend that they will not send additional groups to surrender to authorities. Last Monday eight members of the PKK and 26 people from the Makhmur refugee camp, which is considered by Ankara to be a hotbed for the PKK, turned themselves in to Turkish security forces. After initial interrogations, they were released and received a festive welcome, leading to criticism from many segments of society, including the government and opposition parties.
The group turned themselves at the behest of terrorist PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is serving life in prison on İmralı Island in the Sea of Marmara. He urged the return of groups from the Kandil Mountains, where the PKK has a camp, from the Makhmur refugee camp and from Europe.
The group from Europe was expected to arrive on Oct. 28, just one day before the anniversary of the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923.
“Let's have a break in returns, and we will assess the process later,” Erdoğan told a group of reporters on Saturday while on his way to Pakistan.
Erdoğan recalled that they warned the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) several times not to exploit the situation or turn it into a political show.
“If the known party [DTP] tries to gain political benefits from this, we cannot accept that. We are taking steps that were not dared by any other government,” Erdoğan said.
DTP officials claim that the celebrations were peaceful and aimed to celebrate peace. Some DTP officials indicated that they were unable to resist the pressure of their supporters.
After the government made a decision to halt the arrival of the group from Europe, DTP leader Ahmet Türk said that if their party had not organized the celebrations, order would not have been preserved.
“There was a discipline in the welcome, and no one was harmed,” he said.
The DTP is planning to hold a press conference today to discuss the situation.
Prime Minister Erdoğan underlined that the uniforms worn by the surrendering PKK members were another reason for distress.
“We see it as a state project; our counterpart in this process is the nation. It is never possible for us to have talks or negotiations with any illegal persons and organizations. We talk only with legal organizations,” Erdoğan added.
The decision of the government to halt the return of the group from Europe came after Öcalan stated via his lawyers that the PKK had done its part and now it was government's turn.
He also added that he will not urge further returns and that he tested his power through the returns last week.
“While we were making our preparations for returns from Europe, the unwanted image from the first return required us to take a break. My friends will work until I return [from Pakistan]. Then we will assess the situation, and we will continue the process within the framework of the principles we will determine. We will continue to take the steps that have to be taken,” Erdoğan said.
Meanwhile a group calling itself the Europe Peace Group Preparation Committee, in a written statement, said they had decided to postpone of the arrival of the group to Turkey indefinitely due to the obstructive attitude of the government.
The committee claimed that after the prime minister made his statement, Turkish consulates in Europe refused to grant the necessary permissions for the persons who planned to be in the group.
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