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BDP Demands the Silencing of Weapons

After its Central Executive Board meeting, the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) made a statement and called on the state and the PKK to silence weapons, on the media to use a language of peace and on all circles calling for the silencing of weapons to strengthen their efforts.

Following the meeting in Diyarbakir, co-presidents Selahattin Demirtas and Gultan Kisanak made a press statement.

Some of the sections of the statement are as follows:

Call to stop the clashes: We are calling on the state, the government and the PKK to silence the weapons, so that a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish problem may be given a chance, and the way for dialogue and negotiations may be cleared.

We will increase  efforts: As BDP, we will take initiative, adopt a more active political approach and increase our effort to find a honourable peace and solution, following a possible cease-fire.

Call on the society: We call on all sides and parties, all the NGOs that are calling for a cease-fire, and everyone, who wants the bloodshed to stop, to adopt a more active approach and to get involved in the process.

Call on the government: We call on the government to put forward a more serious approach for peace, to stop the military and political operations, to give chance a peace and to stop insisting on non-solution policies.

Call on journalists: The support of media organisations is crucial for the formation of a language of peace. We call on all media organizations, chief-editors, columnists and TV programmers to contribute to bringing the pain to an end and to finding a democratic solution.

"PKK has always responded to calls for a cease-fire," said Demirtas. "Good things may happen during Ramadan. We call on both the state and the PKK to appreciate all calls for peace. We are expecting a real cease-fire from the state."

"Our real expectation is from the state, the government, which insists on non-solution. We want to see it really bring an end to non-solution policies and operations. We expect concrete steps to be taken towards a permanent peace. " (TK/EA)