National Liberation Front of Kurdistan (ERNK)
Press Release 26
May 27, 1995

PKK Chair Again Declares His Willingness For Cease-Fire And Peace

     PKK Chair Abdullah Ocalan has made another call for peace.
In an interview with the Reuters news agency on May 23, 1995, he
made the following statement: "If the Turkish state stops its
operations against us and is willing to resolve this conflict
through political dialogue, we are ready to declare a cease-fire
and opt for peace." This is an unequivocally clear message. We
are the side seeking peace. It is a political solution that we
seek.
     On March 17, 1993, the Chair of our party, Mr. Abdullah
Ocalan, declared an unconditional cease-fire to pave the way for
a political solution to this question. Lest the other side did
not have enough time to respond in the affirmative, the deadline
for the cease-fire was extended. Again on March 12, 1994, an
offer for a peaceful resolution of this conflict was made at the
International Conference on North-West Kurdistan in Brussels,
Belgium. Another call for peace was made through a letter sent to
the members of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in
Europe (CSCE) on November 14, 1994.
     To our messages of peace, the Turkish state has responded
with military violence. This policy has brought no solutions,
rather it has only escalated the crisis. This was the upshot of
the Turkish military occupation of South Kurdistan. While the
world, in unison, has condemned this Turkish policy and
belligerency, the so-called message of support coming from
Washington is quite peculiar.
     As the Kurdish side, we believe and insist on a political
solution of this conflict and we assert that only this engagement
can bring peace and prosperity to both Kurds and Turks. To that
end, we keep repeating our calls for a peaceful resolution of
this conflict. Those who value peace should not support Turkey in
its policy of belligerency.
     It ought not to be forgotten that this blind faith in the
policy of violence is a denial of the principle of peoples rights
to self-determination. In this lies the source of instability and
the threat of perpetual war in the Middle East.
     The Turkish state is aiming at subduing us by way of
military force with the hope of exterminating the Kurdish people.
So long as these policies continue, we will use out right to
defend ourselves with no reservations.

ERNK European Representation