ISIL Kobani massacre could derail peace talks: Ocalan
Iran Press TV
Thu Oct 2, 2014 11:0AM GMT
The imprisoned leader of Turkey's outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan has warned that peace talks between his group and the Turkish government will come to an end if the ISIL Takfiri militants are allowed to carry out a massacre in the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani.
"If this massacre attempt achieves its goal it will end the [peace] process," Ocalan said in a statement released on Thursday, as ISIL militants inch closer to the Kurdish town on the Turkish border.
"I urge everyone in Turkey who does not want the process and the democracy voyage to collapse to take responsibility in Kobani," he said.
He added that the attempt would not only target Kurds but also would lead Turkey into a new era of insurgency.
"If this attempt at a massacre succeeds, it will not only end the peace process, but will also pave the way for a new and long-lasting coup," he said.
The Takfiri terrorists have had the strategic Syrian town under siege for the past several days.
According to Kobani's top administrator Anwar Muslim, nearly 30,000 people, including women and children, are still under siege, warning that a humanitarian crisis will likely occur in the area if the ISIL's advance toward the town continues.
The PKK group accuses Ankara of colluding with ISIL terrorists.
The PKK has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region in southeastern Turkey since the 1980s.
Ocalan, who is serving a life term in a prison on an island south of Istanbul, began talks with state officials a year ago with the aim of halting the conflict which has left tens of thousands of people dead.
In March 2013, Ocalan declared a historic ceasefire after months of negotiations with the Turkish government. In return, the PKK demanded amendments to the penal code and electoral laws as well as the right to education in the Kurdish language and a degree of regional autonomy.
YH/NN/KA
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