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Ireland ready to help Turkey-Kurds peace
10.4.2013 |
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Dominic Hannigan (C), a former head of the Good
Friday Agreement committee.
Photo:
AFP •
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April 10, 2013
ANKARA,— Ireland is ready to share its
experience with Turkey on ending decades of
violence, a negotiator for the Good Friday Northern
Ireland accords said Wednesday.
Dominic Hannigan, a former head of the Good Friday
Agreement committee, told his Turkish and Kurdish
counterparts that they must "take risks" for peace
if they hope to end three decades of armed struggle.
"It's a long road. Nobody is going to sign a peace
agreement overnight," Hannigan told AFP.
Turkey is exploring outside models including the
ending of "The Troubles" between Britain and the
Irish Republican Army through the Good Friday
agreement in 1998.
A group of Irish lawmakers visited Ankara this week
for discussions with Turkey's political parties to
tell about their experience with the IRA which
fought for a united Ireland.
"It was a very painful process and it actually took
two ceasefires before we reached an agreement,"
Hannigan said.
The official said that outside help from US senator
George Mitchell was important,www.ekurd.net
suggesting that Turkey could do the same.
"I think the important thing is for people not to
lose hope, for politicians to take the risks,"
Hannigan said.
"I've no doubt that peace will be achieved. The
question is when. It will only be achieved when the
various parties decide that absolutely peace is the
best way forward and that those parties take risks
for peace."
Turkey has been carrying out fledgling peace
negotiations with jailed Kurdish rebel leader
Abdullah Ocalan since late last year to end the
three decades of hostilities.
Since it was established in 1984, the PKK has been fighting the Turkish state,
which still denies the constitutional existence of Kurds, to establish a Kurdish
state in the south east of the country. By 2012, more than 45,000 people have since been
killed.
But now its aim is the creation an autonomous region and more cultural rights
for ethnic Kurds who constitute the greatest minority in Turkey. A large
Turkey's Kurdish community, numbering to
22.5 million,
openly sympathise with PKK rebels.
The PKK wants constitutional recognition for the
Kurds, regional self-governance and Kurdish-language
education in schools.
PKK's demands included releasing PKK detainees, lifting the ban on education in
Kurdish, paving the way for an autonomous democrat Kurdish system within Turkey,
reducing pressure on the detained PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, stopping military action
against the Kurdish party and recomposing the Turkish constitution.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish
politicians say the measures fall short of their
expectations.
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