Friday, August 19, 2005

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | PKK declares ceasefire after Erdogan offers olive branch

"PKK declares ceasefire after Erdogan offers olive branch

Helena Smith in Athens
Saturday August 20, 2005
The Guardian

Kurdish rebels in Turkey announced a one-month truce yesterday after the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, made the rare admission that Ankara had mistreated their community.

The ceasefire follows a wave of attacks on Aegean tourist resorts and military targets.

Mr Erdogan, visiting the Kurdish-dominated south-east, signalled that the government was willing to soften its stance towards the Kurds, saying that it was only with 'more democracy' - not repression - that their historic grievances could be resolved."

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