With the aim of solving the country's terrorism problem, Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AK Party) launched negotiations at the end of last year with Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK, which has been waging a bloody war in Turkey's Southeast since 1984 that has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
In the past few months, Öcalan, who despite his 14 years in prison still wields enormous clout over PKK terrorists as well as millions of nationalist Kurds in Turkey, has called on PKK terrorists to lay down their weapons and leave Turkey.
In line with Öcalan's call, the PKK leadership recently announced that it would begin withdrawing its terrorists from Turkey in early May.
Erdoğan, however, said on Tuesday after his party's parliamentary group meeting that what really matters is not the withdrawal of PKK forces but a full disarmament.
Speaking at the meeting, the prime minister also said that his party will get more support from the public once the terrorism problem in the country is resolved.
“Polls indicate that AK Party is likely to receive 52 percent of votes [in the next general election],” the prime minister further stated, adding that his party, which has already intended to stay in power until 2023 -- which will be the country's 100th anniversary -- has now raised its target to 2053, the 600th anniversary of İstanbul's conquest.
Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-314724-erdogan-pkk-disarmament-matters-not-withdrawal.html
