AKP poll: Support for the resolution process increases

Support for the "resolution process" to end Turkey’s three-decade-old conflict between the state and Kurdish militants has increased among both the Kurdish population and the rest of the population, according to a survey from the ruling party’s Research and Development Directorate. Some 90 percent of Kurds and 70 percent of the rest of Turkey’s population is now supportive of the peace process, Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman Suleyman Soylu said yesterday. In a previous survey conducted on the topic before the beginning of the Gezi Park revolt, 75 percent of Kurds lent support to the process, versus 65 percent of the rest of the population. Support for the peace bid is on the rise despite "recent winds of trouble," Soylu said, referring to the Gezi protests. "All the accumulated social problems and disputes are being brought to the agenda at this time," he added. "Taking into consideration the political power of the prime minister, our nation is convinced that from now on this problem can be resolved with this courageous political step," he said.