PEACE PROCESS IN KURDISTAN

Early day motion 53, tabled 26 November 1998 by John Austin (Labour). Signed by 4 members.

That this House welcomes the decision by Italy not to extradite Abdullah Ocalan to Turkey; believes that his continued presence in Rome should be used to launch a peace initiative; deplores threats from Turkey to impose an economic boycott of Italian goods; welcomes the call by the Italian Prime Minister, Masimo D'Alema, for Turkey to begin a political dialogue and urges all EU countries to support that call; notes the recent damning report by the European Commission on Turkey's human rights record and its war against the Kurdish population, which has included widespread torture, extra-judicial executions, the destruction of more than 3,000 villages and the creation of more than two million homeless internal displaced persons; demands that the Turkish government recognise the existence of the Kurdish people as a distinct ethnic group with their own language and culture; calls for the removal of bans on the use of the Kurdish language in schools and broadcasting and other media; and calls on the government of Turkey to respond to the unilateral cease-fire declared by the PKK and to reciprocate by ceasing all military operations against the Kurdish people and to negotiate a political settlement of the current conflict.

Signatures by party: Labour 4.