Turkey’s formerly separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered to be a terrorist group by Washington, wants to open dialogue with the United States and work towards democracy, a leading member told the Financial Times. “We said they should first give us freedom and then we would act as responsible Turkish citizens,” said Nizamettin Tas, a member of the PKK’s nine-member leadership council. “The Kurds can play a big role in favour of democracy, not only in Iraq but also in Syria, Turkey and Iran,” he said. The conflict between the PKK and the Turkish government cost the lives of over 36,000 people between 1984 and 1999, when the PKK said they would seek a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish question. “We believe the US cannot work on its own. It also needs us,” he said. The Turkish army, however, has brushed aside the PKK’s truce as a ploy and continues to pursue the rebels. Full Story
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