The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has announced it is to extend the unilateral ceasefire it has been keeping since April 14. The Kurdish armed organization has said that the decision aims at “pursuing a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish problem”. The Greek on-line journal ekathimerini.com quotes Firat Kurdish news agency as saying that PKK could expand the ceasefire until September if progress is made by the Turkish government.

However, according to the same sources, PKK “reserves the right to defend itself if it comes under attack by the military”. The latter is a most likely possibility, as shown by today’s declarations by a Turkish general responding to PKK’s announcement: Turkey remains determined to “eradicate” the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, SETimes.com reports.

Further information:

• ekathimerini.com: Kurdish guerrillas extend unilateral ceasefire 6 weeks