ANKARA, Turkey, March 29 (UPI) -- Officials with the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party withdrew support for constitutional reforms in Turkey following complaints from a militant leader.
The ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, is proposing a series of constitutional amendments that relaxes restrictions on certain political parties.
Leaders with the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, last week said they attached great significance to the move.
Ankara in 2009 pushed for a series of reforms that would ease some of the concerns of the embattled Kurdish minority in the country. A decision to ban some pro-Kurdish groups from politics in December, however, sparked controversy and unrest in the country.
The BDP, however, withdrew its support for reforms following a weekend statement from Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. Ocalan said the reforms were riddled with inconsistencies and favored the AKP, Turkey's English-language daily newspaper Today's Zaman reports.
But the smaller Rights and Freedom Party, another pro-Kurdish group, said any reform of the Turkish Constitution was a welcome gesture.
"Such a reform can make it easier to make changes in the future," said party leader Bayram Bozyel. "This is why we support it."
