Pro-Kurdish Turkish lawmakers conveyed a message on Sunday to Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani from Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), who is expected to decide on a long-awaited peace process with Turkey.
A delegation from the main pro-Kurdish DEM party visited Ocalan twice over the past six weeks, and then held talks with Turkey’s main parliamentary factions.
Although no timing has been set for Ocalan’s statement, Kurdish politicians are confident it will be soon, and no later than Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, in March.
The Turkish delegation, which included two DEM lawmakers who met Ocalan, visited Barzani near Arbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, and conveyed a “message” to him from the jailed leader, Barzani’s office said.
The delegation also “offered their views on the political situation and the peace process in Turkey, and they shared the details and outcomes of their meetings” with Ocalan, Barzani’s office added.
According to the statement, Barzani said he is “fully prepared to assist and support the peace process in Turkey”.
