Turkish Deputy PM accuses opposition of not supporting Kurdish peace process

Deputy Prime Minister Yalç?n Akdo?an has criticized the main opposition leader over remarks suggesting that the Republican People's Party (CHP) will only negotiate with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) about the Kurdish peace process if the social democratic party wins the June 7 polls.

"Who do we talk to? We talk to the HDP. We wanted to talk to the CHP as well, but they have not joined us," Akdo?an told Anadolu News Agency on April 28. 

Nobody, including the main opposition CHP and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), supported the ruling party as it was putting reforms into effect, Akdo?an said, identifying those reforms as "silent revolution."  

But, those parties are "unashamedly arguing that they would continue the peace process in this or that way," Akdo?an said, adding that opposition parties had never lent support for any attempts on peace processes for the past 13 years. 

Citing remarks by CHP leader Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu's that his party would conduct the peace process with the HDP as its sole interlocutor - because only it is the legal representative of the Kurdish movement - Akdo?an said his party was pursuing talks with the HDP as well. 

"We wanted to discuss this with you, too. Did you? We set up a commission in parliament. Did you assign any member to the parliament committee?" Akdo?an asked the CHP. "Lawmakers of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and HDP were member of the committee, not the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). But you abstained from assigning any member there." 

Intelligence services can have contacts with anyone, but only legal political actors are interlocutors of governments, Akdo?an said.

"There is already the HDP. Meet the HDP if you like. And the HDP...