PKK leader says political framework key for peace with Turkey
His announcement came ahead of a planned PKK ceremony in northern Iraq to lay down weapons on Friday, some two months after the militant group said it was ending its decades-long armed struggle against the Turkish state in a conflict that cost more that 40,000 lives.
'The overall process of voluntary disarmament and the comprehensive commission envisioned to be established.. by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (parliament) are crucial. Care and sensitivity are essential,' Abdullah Ocalan said in a video message.
'This represents a voluntary transition from the phase of armed conflict to the phase of democratic politics and law. This should be considered a historic achievement, not a loss,' he said.
'I believe in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons. And I urge you to put this principle into practise.'
DEM, Turkey's third-biggest party, has played a key role in facilitating an emerging peace deal between the government and Ocalan, who made a historic call for his militant group to disarm in February, saying it would now seek democratic ways to fight for the rights of the Turkish Kurdish minority.
DEM has submitted a proposal to set up a parliamentary commission which the 76-year-old militant on Sunday said would play 'play a major role' in overseeing the process.
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