Turkish Prime Minister Holds Rare Talks with Pro-Kurdish Politician
By VOA News
05 August 2009
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met with a leading pro-Kurdish politician after the government expressed interest in granting more rights to minority Kurds.
Mr. Erdogan held talks Wednesday with Ahmet Turk, the head of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party.
The meeting is linked to an effort to end the 25-year insurgency by Kurdish rebels. Officials did not give details about topics under discussion.
Mr. Erdogan has criticized the pro-Kurdish party for not denouncing members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party as terrorists.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community.
Separatist rebels have been fighting for Kurdish rule in southeastern Turkey for a quarter-century. Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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