Turkey's Kurds say reforms do not go far enough

  
Turkey's proposed reforms aimed at addressing some Kurdish grievances do not go far enough to advance the peace process with militants, the head of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) said on Monday.                        

The package of reforms, including lowering an electoral threshold and allowing for Kudish-language education at private schools, did not meet the BDP's expectations, co-chairwoman Gultan Kisanak told a news conference.                  

Earlier, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said in a major policy speech that Turkey will end a ban that bars women from wearing the Islamic-style headscarf in state institutions, part of the government's long-awaited package of proposed human-rights reforms.                         

The new rules will not apply to the judiciary or the military. Muslim but secular Turkey has long had tough restrictions on the garb worn by women working in state offices.                     

Erdogan also announced plans to return monastery property belonging to Syriac Christians that was seized by the state.


REUTERS