It is impossible to know when the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) will make good on promises to lay down its weapons, a senior Kurdish politician co-ordinating with the group’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan in Turkey said on Tuesday.
“It is time for practical steps to be taken. Mr Ocalan had already called for laying down arms. His interlocutors had said that weapons would be laid down when the requirements were fulfilled. It is impossible for us to know the date,” Tuncer Bakirhan, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy (Dem) Party, told politicians in parliament.
He did not outline what the “requirements” were, although Kurdish politicians have been calling for an end to curbs on their political activity in Turkey, and Mr Bakirhan called for Ocalan’s prison conditions to be improved.
Ocalan, whose group is designated as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the EU and the US, in February called on PKK members to lay down their arms and for the group to dissolve itself. The process of actually doing so, and the fate of the group’s fighters, who have waged a 40-year insurgency against the Turkish state, is far more complex, and will probably have ramifications across the Middle East.
Ocalan’s call came after a months-long process initiated by an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the ultranationalist politician Devlet Bahceli, for greater freedoms for Ocalan in exchange for the PKK’s dissolution.
Officials from the Dem Party will meet Turkey’s Justice Minister in the coming days to attempt to outline a legal framework for what could be a major shift in the country’s long-standing conflict with the PKK. Ocalan was captured in 1999 and is serving a life sentence in an island prison in the Sea of Marmara, south of Istanbul.
“In this critical period we are going through, two major steps must be taken: The first is to establish a solid legal basis and the second is to put forward a strong political will to realise this basis,” Mr Bakirhan said. “That is why we will meet with the Minister of Justice in the coming days.
"We will continue our contacts not only with the Minister of Justice but also with all political parties represented in the Parliament. As the Dem Party, we are ready for any responsibility for peace and a democratic solution.” There was no immediate comment from Turkey’s Justice Ministry.
The Dem party wants fairer sentencing and the release of political prisoners and prisoners who are sick as part of legal steps to continue momentum in the dialogue between Kurdish politicians and the Turkish government, Mr Bakirhan suggested. The Turkish government has not laid out any such steps.
“Weapons must be laid down, but there must also be a disarmament of the minds,” Mr Bakirhan said. “We call for the establishment of a republic where everyone feels they belong. We are ready to fulfil the requirements of this. We are for peace, we are ready to take this country to a democratic ground.”
Kurdish politicians have framed the dialogue with the Turkish government and the PKK's dissolution as an opportunity for greater democratic freedoms for the country’s Kurdish citizens, who make up just under a fifth of the country’s population of 85 million. The Turkish government has framed the process as offering a “terror-free Turkey” and ridding the country of the attacks carried out by the PKK and affiliates over the past four decades.
“We have managed the process with great patience, determination and sensitivity until today,” Mr Erdogan said last week in his latest remarks on the process. “We will maintain the same will until we get results.”
The Turkish President met with a Dem delegation earlier this month for the first time in years, indicating the potential for dialogue in future relations between Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party and politicians from pro-Kurdish parties, who have often been accused of collaborating with the PKK.
A delegation of Kurdish politicians has visited Ocalan a number of times in recent months, most recently on Monday. He passed on wishes for a quick recovery to Dem politician Sirri Sureyya Onder, who has been vital in enabling he and the Turkish government to liaise. Mr Onder suffered a heart attack last week and is in intensive care.
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
info-box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Happy Tenant
Started: January 2019
Co-founders: Joe Moufarrej and Umar Rana
Based: Dubai
Sector: Technology, real-estate
Initial investment: Dh2.5 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 4,000
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Ford Mustang GT
Price, base / as tested: Dh204,750 / Dh241,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque: 569Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.3L / 100km
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Read more about the coronavirus
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Date: Sunday, November 25
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
RESULTS
Men – semi-finals
57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27.
67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28.
60kg – Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Amir Hosein Kaviani (IRI) 30-27; Long Doan Nguyen (VIE) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 29-28
63.5kg – Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Truong Cao Phat (VIE) 30-27; Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Norapat Khundam (THA) RSC round 3.
71kg – Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ) beat Fawzi Baltagi (LBN) 30-27; Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Man Kongsib (THA) 29-28
81kg – Ilyass Hbibali (UAE) beat Alexandr Tsarikov (KAZ) 29-28; Khaled Tarraf (LBN) beat Mustafa Al Tekreeti (IRQ) 30-27
86kg – Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Mohammed Al Qahtani (KSA) RSC round 1; Emil Umayev (KAZ) beat Ahmad Bahman (UAE) TKO round
