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-24330722
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Turkey's Erdogan announces Kurdish reforms | Turkey's Erdogan announces Kurdish reforms |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Turkey's PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced major political reforms, including new Kurdish rights and a reversal of the headscarf ban. | |
| He has proposed lowering the 10% electoral threshold, which currently prevents Kurdish and other smaller parties from entering parliament. | |
| He says towns will be allowed to take Kurdish rather than Turkish names. | He says towns will be allowed to take Kurdish rather than Turkish names. |
| He also plans to end the ban on women wearing headscarves in public service - a longstanding goal of his party. | He also plans to end the ban on women wearing headscarves in public service - a longstanding goal of his party. |
| The ban has been one of the most contentious laws in Turkey - pitting supporters of Turkey's secular constitution against those who favour Islamic rights. | |
| Mr Erdogan and his governing AK Party have been accused of rolling back the secular state and trying to promote Islamic values. | |
| The headscarf ban will be removed for public servants, but remains for judges, prosecutors, police officers and members of the armed forces. | |
| "This is a historic moment, an important stage," Mr Erdogan said. | "This is a historic moment, an important stage," Mr Erdogan said. |
| Kurdish language | |
| The reforms are a long-awaited move to improve the rights of Turkey's Kurds, who are thought to make up about 20% of the population. | The reforms are a long-awaited move to improve the rights of Turkey's Kurds, who are thought to make up about 20% of the population. |
| They are seen as a vital part of efforts to end the three-decade conflict between the government and Kurdish rebels, which has cost more than 40,000 lives. | They are seen as a vital part of efforts to end the three-decade conflict between the government and Kurdish rebels, which has cost more than 40,000 lives. |
| The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) armed rebel group recently suspended its withdrawal from Turkey, which was a measure agreed with the government, because of a perceived failure by the government to make political concessions to the Kurds. | |
| Mr Erdogan said the law under which only parties which get 10% of the national vote can take up parliamentary seats could be replaced by a 5% threshold, or even abolished completely. | |
| The law has in the past prevented the main Kurdish party, Peace and Democracy (BDP), from campaigning for parliament - though its members have often run as independents and clubbed together as MPs. | |
| Mr Erdogan also said teaching in Kurdish - and other non-Turkish languages - will be allowed in non-state schools. | |
| And he said towns would be allowed officially to take their native-language names. This is thought likely to lead to the Turkish-named city of Tunceli being given its Kurdish name, Dersim. | |
| Other measures in the "democratisation package" included: | |
| Mr Erdogan also announced concessions to other minority groups, including Christians. | |
| He announced plans to return land belonging to the Syriac Christian Mor Gabriel Monastery, which had been seized by the state. | |
| The prime minister did not announce some expected measures, like concessions to the Alevi Muslim minority and the Greek Orthodox Church, but he declared: "This package is not a first and will not be the last of such reforms." |