Militants will star withdrawing from Turkey on may 8, PKK says

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has announced on Thursday that the withdrawal of its armed members from Turkey will begin on May 8. The withdrawal is planned to be carried out gradually in groups and completed as soon as possible, according to the announcement. The chief of the PKK's armed wing, Murat Karayilan, and several of his deputies officially declared the withdrawal of their members from Turkey during a press conference on Thursday at the group's base in the Kandil Mountains of northern Iraq. Karayilan, however, told reporters that any military operation targeting the militants would delay the withdrawal and cause the militants to retaliate. The PKK militants will use previously traveled routes during the withdrawal in an organized and disciplined way, while avoiding any clashes. The withdrawing militants will be deployed to "southern Kurdistan," which refers to northern Iraq. Karayilan said they expected understanding from the Iraqi authorities, and particularly from the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The Turkish military should show a "similar sensitivity," while avoiding any "provocative and opportunist attitudes" in northern Iraq, he added. In the event of any military operations being conducted against the militants, the withdrawal will be halted and the militants will use the "legitimate right of defense" to retaliate, Karayilan said. The resolution process, meanwhile, will take place in three phases, according to Karayilan, who named the withdrawal as the first stage. The second stage is the efforts, mainly from the Turkish government and the state, for a permanent solution, he said. "With the reforms within the frame of a constitutional solution, the conditions for democratization in real terms and a solution to the Kurdish problem will emerge," he said, calling for the abolition of the village guard system, support for the Turkish military and other "special war bodies." He also called for the new Constitution, which is currently being drafted under government auspices, to accord a place to the democratic rights, identity, beliefs and religious sects of Kurds. The third stage, which deals with "normalization," would include freedom for Ocalan, according to Karayilan. "The disarmament of guerrillas will be brought to the agenda following the realization of this process, which will witness the liberation of everyone, including that of leader Ocalan," Karayilan said. In the meantime, the White House has hailed the announcement in a statement to BBC Turkish. "As U.S. President Barack Obama has already said, we applaud the efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to a struggle that has caused so much pain and sorrow for 30 years," the statement read.