Ban on Turkish party unsettling, EU says

ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- The European Union expressed concern over a decision by Turkey to outlaw the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party as protesters took to the streets of Istanbul.

Turkey's Constitutional Court on Friday announced a ban on the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party for alleged ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Washington and the Turkish government list the PKK as a terrorist organization for its violent separatist actions.

The decision sparked protests across Turkey, particularly in the south where much of the Kurdish minority is centered. Turkish media reports said riot police responded to the demonstrations with water cannons and tear gas.

The Swiss presidency of the European Union blasted the decision to close the pro-Kurdish party as Ankara looked for ways to find a political solution to its conflict with the Kurdish minority, Turkey's English-language newspaper Today's Zaman reports.

"While strongly denouncing violence and terrorism, the presidency recalls that the dissolution of political parties is an exceptional measure that should be used with utmost restraint," the EU statement read.

Ankara has pursued a series of cultural and other considerations for the Kurdish minority in an effort to end decades of simmering conflict.

The PKK, for its part, formed so-called peace groups who would surrender to Turkish authorities when they crossed the border from the camps in northern Iraq.