ANKARA, Turkey, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- A decision by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party to extend a cease-fire must not be used as a political tool, a ruling lawmaker said.
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, released a statement that said it extended a cease-fire that ended Monday by one week. Abdurrahman Kurt, a deputy official with the ruling Justice and Development Party, told Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman that measure shouldn't be used for political purposes.
"This issue should not be used as a tool to further one's political interests," he said.
The cease-fire was declared Aug. 13. An attack last week in Hakkari province in the Kurdish south of Turkey killed nine civilians and maimed in infant as Ankara prepared for a referendum for sweeping overhauls to the constitution.
The PKK denied responsibility for the attack, though analysts blamed infighting within the separatist militant group as a possible cause for the blast.
Meanwhile, pro-Kurdish political parties in Turkey are calling for a meeting with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the so-called Kurdish question.
Ankara has grappled with its Kurdish minority for years. Observers say the passage of the constitutional referendum broke through many psychological barriers impeding progress on the issue.
