ISTANBUL
AA Photo
Pinning responsibility for the killings of three female Kurdish
activists in Paris is irresponsible and tactless, Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan said today during a party meeting in Parliament, daily Hürriyet
has reported.
“Accusing [the Turkish] state and government right after
the assassinations in Paris is no different than putting an opportunity on a
silver platter for the real perpetrators,” Erdoğan said.
The prime minister also slammed the Republican People’s
Party (CHP), accusing them of not being actively part of the process to end
Turkey’s long-running Kurdish issue but continuing to falter as the main
opposition.
“We asked some questions to Paris on Saturday. The
response came from the CHP leader, not Paris,” Erdoğan said. “Are you a lawyer
for France, a spokesman of Paris? Is this your job? [They] have not clarified
which country’s opposition party they are. He and his friends have to decide
whether they stand against this process or support it.”
Sakine Cansız, one of the founders of the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK), as well as Fidan Doğan and Leyla Söylemez, were gunned
down in an office in central Paris on Jan. 9. It remains unclear who the
perpetrators were.
Talks with Öcalan
Erdoğan also commented on recent talks with jailed PKK
head Abdullah Öcalan, saying government officials had long expended efforts to
begin a positive process with the group’s leader.
“The usage of the state’s branches as an instrument by
the government is making them uncomfortable,” Erdoğan said. “Our intent is
good; I hope the aftermath will be good.”
Erdoğan also asked the Turkish people to stand firm
against propaganda and ignore slander as part of the talks.
January/15/2013