Turkeys Davutoglu says Kurdish peace process at critical stage -...

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Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday the Kurdish peace process was at a critical stage and that Ankara had the right to expect a declaration from the militants that they had given up armed struggle.

He was speaking at a news conference in Pakistan, broadcast live on Turkish television, after the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) demanded concrete steps from Ankara to advance the process, accusing the ruling AK Party of stalling and warning that the negotiations could break down.

There have been high hopes in recent weeks that jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan would call an end to an armed struggle which has killed 40,000 people over three decades and stunted development in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast.

But his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) warned in a statement on its website on Tuesday that the AK Party was creating "false perceptions" and needed to show it was sincere.

"Concrete steps should be taken by the AK Party. Otherwise the peace process is at a very critical and dangerous stage, and near ending," it said.

The government launched talks with Ocalan, who is in jail on an island near Istanbul, in 2012. The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Ankara, the United States and the European Union, subsequently declared a ceasefire and began withdrawing to camps in northern Iraq where it is based.

Those involved in the talks remain tight-lipped on details, fearful of undermining the prospects of a final deal. Kurds have been pushing for Ocalan's release, an amnesty for fighters and steps towards autonomy.

Failure to strike a deal could cause problems for President Tayyip Erdogan, who needs the AK Party he founded to secure a large majority in a national election in June to push through plans for an executive presidency.

Speaking in Ankara, Erdogan - who has invested considerable political capital in the peace talks despite fierce nationalist opposition - made no reference to the PKK statement but listed examples of infrastructure development that have been brought to the southeast under the AKP.

REUTERS

Turkey's Davutoglu says Kurdish peace process at critical stage