Barzani very hopeful and optimistic over government and PKK talks

The Turkish government's recent initiative to end the terror problem and resolve the Kurdish question received full support from Massoud Barzani, an influential regional Kurdish leader who is expected to play a role in future phases of the peace process between Ankara and the terror organization. Barzani assesses these talks as a very important step and appreciates them," Barzani's spokesperson, Umid Sabah, said Jan. 5. Barzani is both the leader of the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) and president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government. "Barzani wishes that the meeting with Ocalan will be a serious and effective beginning in ending the violence and the war; in cementing peace and in the peaceful resolution of the Kurdish question," read his statement. As the ruler of the autonomous region of northern Iraq where the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has its headquarters and training camps, Barzani's urging of PKK in ending armed conflict to focus on political means is believed to have played a crucial role in the PKK's acceptance in withdrawing all its armed elements from Turkey to northern Iraq and of potential disarmament.