Turkish parliament begins debate on PKK disarmament, reintegration bill

ANKARA, Turkey — The Turkish parliament on Thursday began debating a bill on the disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the reintegration of members who leave the group into society. The proposal is to be examined by the Justice Commission before it goes to the plenary for a vote. Submitted by the ruling Justice and Development Party under the title "strengthening national solidarity and social integration," the bill envisions a phased disarmament and reintegration process. It calls for the creation of a commission chaired by the vice president and composed of the ministers of justice, interior, foreign affairs and national defense, along with the head of the intelligence agency, the secretary general of the National Security Council and the presidential secretary general. Under the draft law, PKK members wishing to benefit from its provisions would be required to submit a written application within six months of the law's publication. Any surrendered weapons, ammunition and explosives would be officially recorded through a formal process. Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said Turkey would remain united against regional conspiracies and continue raising its standards of democracy and development in a terrorism-free environment. The Turkish daily Zaman reported that the bill comes amid reports of increased US attempts to use the Kurdish file during a potential war against Iran, with Ankara seeking to counter such moves by strengthening its internal cohesion.