Erdoğan says 'new phase' begins in bid for a 'terror-free' Turkey after Öcalan's call

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Turkey's President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Feb. 28 that a disarmament call from the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, started a new phase in the efforts for a "terror-free Turkey".

Thursday's call from PKK leader Öcalan for the group to disarm and disband could potentially lead to ending a 40-year-old conflict and have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region.

"The efforts for a terror-free Turkey... have entered a new phase as of yesterday," Erdoğan said in a speech in Istanbul, in his first comments after the Thursday's call.

"We have the opportunity to take a historic step on the path to the goal of tearing down the wall of terror."

Ocalan's call, prompted by a surprise proposal last October from an ultra-nationalist ally of the Turkish president, has been welcomed by the United States, European Union, and other Western allies, as well as by Turkey's neighbours Iraq and Iran.

"We will closely follow up through our relevant institutions whether the process that has started has been fulfilled by all elements," Erdoğan said.

"We will show the utmost caution against any provocation that may arise during this process and take all necessary measures," Erdoğan also said.

The PKK has not yet reacted to the call, but the Syrian Kurdish YPG, the spearhead of the key U.S. ally against Islamic State in Syria that Ankara views as an extension of the PKK, has said Ocalan's message did not apply to them.

Erdogan's ruling AK Party spokesman Omer Celik said all Kurdish militia in Iraq and Syria, including the U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), must lay down their weapons.

"Regardless of what name it uses, the terrorist organization must lay down its weapons and disarm itself, along with all its elements and extensions in Iraq and Syria," Celik told reporters.

Also on Friday, Turkey's pro-Kurdish DEM Party called on Erdoğan's administration to take immediate steps towards democratisation, stressing that his government's response is critical.

The PKK launched its insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984 and is now based in the mountains of northern Iraq. It is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and European Union. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Ankara has repeatedly called on the YPG to disarm since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last year, warning that it would face military action otherwise.

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