AKP, CHP in squabble over 'Oslo talks' with PKK

Turkey?s interim government and the main opposition have traded barbs over a series of talks between state officials and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK), with the main opposition saying it has seen documents proving that the-then government gave concessions to the PKK.

Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesman Ömer Çelik swiftly challenged Republican People?s Party (CHP) leader Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu to make the documents in question public ?within the hour? on Oct. 22, but the latter told reporters that it would not be ?appropriate? for him to publicize the documents.

The squabble started after K?l?çdaro?lu made remarks during an interview late Oct. 21. ?They made promises in Oslo, on ?mral?. Why can?t they release the minutes? Kandil says, ?You made promise to us, make it public.? They should make public which promises they gave. There are documents which I saw. Let me say just this. There are some commitments and they are overwhelmed with them,? he said.

K?l?çdaro?lu was referring to dialogue between state officials and the PKK abroad between 2009 and 2011 in a series of meetings publicly known as the ?Oslo talks.? The talks collapsed after a PKK attack killed 13 soldiers in the southeastern province of Diyarbak?r in July 2011. ??mral?,? meanwhile, is a byword for PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is serving a life sentence on the ?mral? Island prison but who has played a central role in the government-led peace process aimed at ending the three-decade long conflict between Turkey?s security forces and PKK militants. Kandil is a byword for the leadership of the PKK, whose headquarters are in the Kandil Mountains of northern Iraq.

Since July, more than 150 Turkish security personnel have been killed in a renewed...