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Turkey Arrests 25 Kurdish Politicians

01 October 2010 20:45 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Turkish media report police have arrested 25 members of a pro-Kurdish political party for alleged links to rebels, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.
Members of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party were arrested Friday during raids on party offices in southeastern Turkey. The local leader of the partyâ€™s branch in Sanliurfa province was among those detained.
The arrests come a day after the main Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Workerâ€™s Party, or PKK, announced it was extending a unilateral cease-fire for another month to support peace efforts.
The acting leader of the PKK, Murat Karayilan, told reporters Thursday the group is willing to indefinitely suspend attacks if the government shows a commitment to peace.
Turkish media reports say officials have started talks with the PKK leader to convince the rebels to lay down their arms.
The rebels began a cease-fire in August to pursue negotiations with Turkey. Among the PKK demands is the release of detained Kurdish political prisoners.
Kurdish rebels in southeastern Turkey have been fighting for autonomy for more than 20 years.
The PKK is labeled as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.