Kurdish initiative will unite Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Reconciliation efforts with the Kurdish minority being debated in the Turkish Parliament will unite the country under a common banner, officials say.

Lawmakers are debating a series of political and cultural considerations meant to find a peaceful solution to lingering conflict with the Kurdish minority.

Ankara has grappled with its Kurdish issue as thousands have died in battles with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Pro-Kurdish opposition parties, meanwhile, gained ground on the ruling Justice and Development Party in elections earlier this year.

Interior Minister Besir Atalay in his address to lawmakers Friday said the government initiative would strengthen the country under the slogan of "more democracy for everyone," Turkish daily Hurriyet reports.

"The democratic opening will not harm the country but consolidate it," he added.

Atalay explained provisions under consideration would aim to combat discrimination while making certain concessions regarding the Kurdish language.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, said he would travel to all 81 provinces in Turkey in an effort to explain the Kurdish initiatives under review.

"The problems of this country are our problems," he stressed. "That's why we cannot ignore them. We cannot close our eyes to everything that happens."