Kurdish Peace Initiatives In Turkey

EDM number 384 in 2009-10, proposed by John Austin on 07/12/2009.
Categorised under the topics of Asia and International politics and government.

That this House supports the steps taken by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkey and the Kurdish Movement, to initiate a just democratic solution to the issue of the rights of the Kurdish people; recognises that the Kurdish Movement includes the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan; notes the positive steps taken by Ocalan to initiate a peace process including a unilateral PKK ceasefire and sending peace groups of PKK activists and refugees to Turkey to support peace efforts; further notes the appeal to the EU by the Society for Threatened Peoples to support the peace initiative of the PKK and the legal pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party; regrets that the AKP has prevented the peace groups entering Turkey; believes that the PKK should be recognised as a party to the dialogue in order to achieve a just and peaceful solution; further believes that the continued listing of the PKK as a terrorist organisation is an impediment to the resolution of the conflict; further regrets that the Turkish opposition parties, the Republican People's Party and the Nationalist Movement Party, have opposed the initiative for peace; urges the Government to de-list the PKK to facilitate its recognition as legitimate party to the negotiations; and also urges the Government to put the utmost diplomatic pressure on Turkey to turn away from conflict and to open negotiations with the Kurdish Movement forthwith to bring stability to the region.

This motion has been signed by a total of 29 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.