Mothers of slain soldiers and militants gather for 'peace lunch'

ŞANLIURFA- Doğan News Agency

A mother holds a banner reading 'Mothers shouldn't cry anymore.' DHA photo

Twenty-five mothers of slain army officers came together with 25 mothers of slain Kurdish militants, during a special event in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa on March 20. 

At the lunch, all 50 mothers, together with representatives of civil society organizations, pleaded for the violence to end, ahead of the anticipated Nevruz festival celebrations in Diyarbakır on March 21, at which the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is expected to announce a cease-fire.

"Mothers should not cry anymore in this country. Neither the mothers of Kurds, nor the mothers of Turks, nor the mothers of Arabs should cry. Children should not be buried for no reason under the black soil. We need to close this page and open a blank new one," Şanlıurfa Governor Celalettin Güvenç told reporters. He finished his words by saying "edi bese," meaning "it's enough" in Kurdish.

Mothers carried several banners, with different messages such as "May our tears be of happiness," "Mothers shouldn't cry anymore," and "peace will prevail, humanity will win." The mothers, who also prayed together, took the floor during the lunch and asked for everyone to take responsibility during the ongoing process.