Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a strong appeal Saturday for expanding the democratic rights of the Kurdish community to erode support for separatism and finish off rebels. Erdogan stressed that Turkey had reached “a very critical stage” in its struggle against the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and that the rebels were “besieged from all sides” with international support. “The climate of freedoms is an enemy of violence and terrorism,” he said in a televised speech at a meeting of his Justice and Development Party in Kizilcahamam, near Ankara.
“So, let’s maintain pluralistic democracy and strengthen the climate of freedoms in order to secure the ultimate result in the struggle against terrorism... All experience shows that there is no other way out,” he said. “Let’s look together for ways of winning over the people instead of alienating them,” he added. Erdogan has also faced mounting calls to back the military struggle with political, social and economic measures to boost the freedoms and the prosperity of the sizeable Kurdish community. The prime minister stressed Saturday that Turkey should convince the Kurds to seek their rights through politics and not violence. |