Kurdish Group In Turkey Announces Cease-Fire
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19 August 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The political wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, announced today a one-month cease-fire with Ankara.
KONGRA-GEL, which claims to be the political wing of the banned PKK, said in a statement issued in Brussels that the truce was being called in order to open the way for negotiations. It said the cease-fire would be in force until 20 September.
The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's southeast since 1984. The conflict has claimed the lives of some 37,000 people.
The group has stepped up violence in recent months after it called off a truce in June 2004, saying that Turkey had not reciprocated the cease-fire.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayiip Erodgan last week pledged to resolve the Kurdish conflict with "more democracy."
(AP/AFP)
See also:
"Turkish Government Under Growing Pressure To Meet Kurdish Demands"