ANKARA, Turkey, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with the leader of a pro-Kurdish political party in an effort to find a political solution to Kurdish issues.
Erdogan held a meeting with Ahmet Turk, the head of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party, in an effort to end the 25-year conflict over Kurdish ambitions in the region, The Wall Street Journal reports.
"Our people want unity ... and an end to blood and killing," said Erdogan.
The Turkish government is searching for a political solution to the Kurdish issue, a move that was brought to the forefront following a victory for pro-Kurdish parties in municipal elections in March.
The lingering conflict is a black mark on Turkish ambitions to join the European Union, while countless Kurds have died since the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, declared war on Ankara in 1984.
The effort has proceeded in fits and starts, with Erdogan refusing in the past to meet with Kurdish leaders due to various positions on the PKK. Critics, meanwhile, accuse the government of collaborating with "terrorists" who are trying to divide the country.
The Journal notes the latest push for a Kurdish solution comes as Washington prepares to pull its troops out of Iraq within the next two years, making the region ripe for conflict if lingering issues are left unresolved.
Officials in Ankara are expected to offer a comprehensive package on Kurdish reconciliation in the coming days, while imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is expected to announce his own framework Aug. 15.
