Details of democratic expansion initiative to be announced by year's-end

Details of the government's democratic expansion initiative, meant to solve the so-called Kurdish issue or southeastern Anatolia issue by expanding democratic and cultural rights for citizens of Kurdish origin, will reportedly be announced by year's-end. Before further announcements on the initiative, on which Interior Minister Besir Atalay, the government coordinator for the package, is continuing to hold talks with political parties, non-governmental organizations, and various sectors of society, the Cabinet will discuss the results of Atalay's talks and a separate report on the views and suggestions of several state institutions on solving the issue. A merged report will be discussed at the National Security Council's (MGK) October meeting, and after agreement is reached there, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will announce the details of the initiative, which will include short-, mid- and long-term measures. During this period, Erdogan is expected to seek meetings with opposition figures to discuss the initiative, though they have so far rejected similar meetings with Atalay. Turkey's unitary state structure with its nation and territory is the chief non-negotiable plank of the planned measures, and the government has repeatedly declared that the initiative aims to cement the unity and solidarity of the Turkish people, dismissing opposition claims to the contrary. Under the initiative, some short-term democratic measures are expected to be put into effect before year's-end, reportedly including confidence-building measures to dispel suspicions and prejudices about the plan.