ISTANBUL (DIHA) - Members in the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) would disarm if the Turkish government agreed to certain conditions, President of the KCK Executive Council, Murat Karayilan, told the BBC in an interview published Wednesday.

Speaking to the BBC, Murat Karayilan said he would order PKK members to lay down their weapons, under the supervision of the United Nations, if Turkey agreed to a ceasefire and agreed to cease attacking Kurdish civilians and arresting Kurdish politicians in eastern Turkey.

"If the Kurdish issue is resolved in a democratic way through dialogue, we will lay down our weapons, yes. We will not carry arms," he said. "If the Turkish government refuses to accept that, we will have to announce independence."
BBC also reported on the PKK and casualties due to the conflict as well as more insight into Karayilan: “In a separate interview, Karayılan told the Daily Telegraph on Sunday that the PKK would begin to target major Turkish cities instead of just military patrols and bases in the group’s center of operations in southeastern Turkey.

The PKK leader said he had been left with no choice but to act following Turkish bombing raids on PKK bases in northern Iraq. The British daily also quoted Karayılan as saying the PKK would soon declare ‘democratic autonomy’ in the Kurdish regions of southeastern Anatolia. ‘If Turkey does not accept this, it is their problem,’ he said.’”

Six Turkish soldiers were killed before dawn Tuesday in a firefight between the military and alleged members of the PKK in the southeastern province of Hakkari. Another Turkish soldier was killed the same day in a suspected PKK attack in Gurpınar, a village of the southeastern province of Van, said BBC.

(gü/bk)