Opposition leaders blast Kurdish plans

ANKARA, Turkey, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Opposition lawmakers in Turkey blasted ruling government officials for Kurdish reconciliation efforts that they say will split the country in two.

Ankara hopes for a political solution to rising Kurdish ambitions following a victory for pro-Kurdish parties in municipal elections in March. Kurdish groups, meanwhile, are considering their own set of initiatives, which may include suggestions from the leadership of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

The Republican People's Party, CHP, and the Nationalist Movement Party, MHP, blame the ruling authorities in Ankara for pushing an initiative on the Kurdish issue that could divide Turkey along ethnic lines, Turkish daily Today's Zaman reports.

Oktay Vural, a lawmaker with MHP, lashed out at statements made by President Abdullah Gul, who said that Turkey, as a nation, should not "bury our heads in the sand" on the Kurdish issue.

"He is the one who buries his head in the sand," said Vural. "He is the one who does not see the people who want to politicize the Kurdish issue."

Imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is expected to announce his own framework on the so-called Kurdish question Saturday, the anniversary of the PKK guerrilla campaign against Ankara.