ANKARA
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said that, regardless of the number or pace of the groups withdrawing, the solution process was still ongoing.
Speaking on a private news channel, Arinc evaluated the solution process, noting that 8 months have passed since the start of the solution process with everybody content with the inaction of the PKK.
Arinc listed the steps to be taken during the process: "First there will be no armed action, then armed groups will leave Turkey, then they will lay down arms, and finally a space will emerge where ideas and politics will talk instead of arms."
In response to a question about stance of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan towards the rest of the process, Arinc said, "Ocalan has a strong will about armed groups' leaving the country and giving up armed actions and starting a period of ideas, politics. They only wanted one thing from us, they told us not to open fire at them as in the case of the 1993 process. Because they said that 500 members of the organization had been killed, entrapped. Nothing similar has happened so far."
Denying claims that the "solution process ended," Arinc said that, regardless of the number or pace of the groups withdrawing, the process was still ongoing.
General amnesty
Asked whether general amnesty claims were true or not, Arinc replied, "Amnesty is out of the question for us as members of the government, including our prime minister."
Arinc added that Ocalan and affiliated people also did not speak of an amnesty during the current process.
Kurdish Conference
In regards to the Kurdish Conference to be held in Irbil between September 15 and 17, Arinc said, "It is a conference in which the representatives of Kurds' factional politics, but also the organization (PKK), will participate."
Arinc explained that therefore neither the Turkish government nor the Justice and Development (AK) Party would attend the conference.
Wearing headscarf likely to be allowed in parliament
Arinc said that if a common political understanding could be achieved, wearing headscarves might be allowed in Turkish parliament before the 2015 elections.
Speaking on a national news channel, Arinc responded to the question "Will there be a headscarfed member of parliament in 2015?," by saying, "If there will be a headscarfed candidate, and if she will be accepted as a candidate, then it is possible to have a headscarfed parliamentarian, as well."
Arinc further expressed that "We need an understanding, a regulation that will allow women candidates to wear headscarves until they are elected. I do not believe that a settled unity exists on the topic yet."
"Allowing headscarves in public spaces might be possible with future regulations," Arinc added.
Adressing the opposition, particularly Republican People's Party (CHP), Arinc said, "If they also say 'why not,' there is in fact no constitutional principle forbidding it."
Arinc added, "Only there are some regulations, references in some decisions of the constitutional court, which can be changed."
"If such an understanding will be settled until 2015, there is no need to wait until the new elections and our parliamentarians who wear headscarves can start to do so within parliament as of now," stated Arinc.
