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Parties involved in the Kurdish conflict keep on making symbolic gestures so that a final settlement can be reached. Eight members of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) left the military camps in Iraqi mountains and crossed the border to surrender to the Turkish authorities, who lived up to the unspoken agreement and proceeded to release the militants arguing "they could not be held because they returned under their own free will", SETimes.com reports.

The group that crossed the Turkish border last Monday, which was known as the "peace group", was made up of 8 rebels from Qandil Mountains and 26 Kurdish refugees from the Makhmur refugee camp, south of Mosul. Ankara described the action as "surrender", a word the PKK has avoided. According to the party, they handed themselves over following a call from their imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan.

The so-called peace group was welcomed by thousands of Kurds. The Democratic Society Party (DTP) called demonstrations in their support in Amed (Diyarbakir in Turkish), Batman and Mardin, among other Kurdish towns, and also in Istanbul.

The two main Turkish parties in opposition, the National Action Party (MHP, ultranationalist) and the Republican People's Party (CHP, Kemalist), have censured the move by the Kurdish rebels and the Turkish government led by Recep Tayyp Erdogan. MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli has called the group "bloody terrorists" and said that Turkey's "red lines" were violated by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Leader of CHP Deniz Baykal also lashed out against the AKP government saying the move is the result of the implementation of Öcalan's roadmap being carried out secretly by the authorities, hence stressing Erdogan's submission to PKK's hypothetical plans for peace.

A move with a precedent
In 1999 a number of fighters crossed the border to strengthen peace process after PKK's ceasefire. However, the Turkish judiciary did not hesitate to arrest them immediately and send them to prison under terrorism charges. Some of these rebels are still imprisoned.

Further information:

• Hürriyet: Turkish court releases all members of PKK 'peace group' i Kurdish initiative crosses a border.
• Today's Zaman: Turkey's peace initiative may expand with new PKK arrival
• BBC: Turks and Kurds run risks for peace

Kurdistan/Kurdistan

General information
Population: between 30 and 40 million inhabitants
Area: 350,000 to 500,000 km²
Institutions: Only the Kurdish Autonomous Region, inside Iraq
State administration: Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syriad
Major cities: Mûsil (Mosul), Hewlêr (Arbil) and Kerkûk (Kirkuk), Amed (Diyarbakir), Bedlîs (Bitlis), Kirmaşan (Kermanshah), Sine (Sanandaj) Mehabad (Mahabad) and Qamişlo (Al Qamishli)
Territorial language: Kurdish
Official language: Turkish (Turkey), Kurdish and Arabic (Iraq), Persan (Iran) and Arabic (Syria)
National Day: 21st March (Norouz Day)
Major religion: Islam, with some Christian and Yezidi minorities

See the dossier Peoples and nations today: Kurdistan for further information.