This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22293966
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Murat Karayilan announces PKK withdrawal from Turkey | Murat Karayilan announces PKK withdrawal from Turkey |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The military leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Murat Karayilan, has said fighters will begin to withdraw from Turkey in early May. | |
| "The withdrawal is planned in phases... and will be completed as soon as possible," he said at a news briefing. | |
| It follows a call by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan for a ceasefire, as part of peace negotiations with Ankara. | |
| More than 40,000 people have died in the 30-year fight for an ethnic Kurdish homeland in Turkey's south-east. | More than 40,000 people have died in the 30-year fight for an ethnic Kurdish homeland in Turkey's south-east. |
| Murat Karayilan announced the withdrawal to journalists from a PKK base in the stronghold of the Kandil mountains in northern Iraq. | |
| More than 50 journalists from Turkish and foreign media outlets were taken from the regional capital, Irbil, to the briefing and had their mobile phones confiscated. | More than 50 journalists from Turkish and foreign media outlets were taken from the regional capital, Irbil, to the briefing and had their mobile phones confiscated. |
| No television crews were given access. | No television crews were given access. |
| 'Decision-maker' | |
| Ocalan called for a truce in March, which was cautiously welcomed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. | |
| Analysts say that Ocalan is still the final decision-maker among the Kurds, despite the 14 years he has spent in Turkish custody. He is serving a life sentence for treason. | |
| In February, the PKK leader called for prisoners to be released by both sides. | |
| The PKK then freed eight Turkish soldiers and officials it had held captive in northern Iraq for up to two years. | |
| The PKK wants greater autonomy for Turkey's Kurds, who are thought to comprise up to 20% of the population. | |
| It is regarded by Turkey, the US and European Union as a terrorist organisation, because of its attacks on Turkish security forces and civilians. | |
| The organisation rolled back on its demands for an independent Kurdish state in the 1990s, calling instead for more autonomy. | |
| Reports say the PKK wish-list now includes greater constitutional and linguistic rights for Kurds, as well as an easing of pressure on Kurdish activists. | |
| The government has also not dismissed speculation that Ocalan could be moved to house arrest. |