PKK Extends Ceasefire until 15 July, But...

Koma Civaken Kurdistan (KCK), or, in English, the Union of Kurdish Societies, is the umbrella organisation of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

KCK had announced a unilateral ceasefire on 13 April, which was to end on 1 June. This deadline has now been extended to 15 July.

According to the Firat News Agency (ANF), the PKK will refrain from attacks apart from "legitimate defence". The KCK claims that its armed wing, the People's Defence Forces (HPG) has kept to the ceasefire since April.

The KCK further said that if army operations against the PKK stopped and "positive steps" were taken, the ceasefire could be extended to 1 September.

In recent days, the PKK had attacked soldiers with mines in Diyarbakır and Hakkari. Ahmet Türk, co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), had said that "for a solution, all hands need to be off the triggers". 72 NGOs in Diyarbakır, a Kurdish-majority city, had signed a call for the PKK to extend its ceasefire.

On the other hand, HPG commander Nurettin Sofi said in a statement on 31 May that the attitude of the government and the army had to change, or there would be an intensification of fighting.

Following the arrest of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in 1999, the PKK had announced a ceasefire until 2004 and had said that all of its forces had left Turkey. (EÜ/AG)