Turkish PM cancels meeting with pro-Kurdish HDP

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has criticized the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) after statements from its leaders apparently support calls for regional autonomy.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had been due to hold meetings this week with the leaders of all three opposition parties in parliament to discuss planned constitutional reform.

“It is not appropriate to accept them (the HDP) as negotiators after their disrespectful and provocative comments”, Davutoglu said at a news conference before travelling to Serbia.

Following on from the government’s sweeping election victory in November, it is now starting negotiations toward a new constitution aimed at creating a presidential system.

“Recent statements by HDP officials reflect a politics that benefits from violence and tension”.

Last week, while on a visit to Moscow, HDP co-head Selahattin Demirtas condemned Ankara’s shooting down of a Russian warplane over Syria, comments Davutoglu described as treasonous.

Kurdish groups in southeastern Turkey have called for self-rule, separate from Ankara, as heavy fighting between them and the Turkish Army continues.

“The rightful resistance waged by our people against the policies that undermine the Kurdish problem, is essentially a demand and struggle for local self-governance and local democracy”, the 14-article declaration said.

The army said on Saturday almost 200 PKK militants were killed in the operations since the offensive began in mid-December.

A total of 180 PKK terrorists have been killed in operations in southeastern Turkey since December 15, the Turkish General Staff announced on Friday.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which is demanding the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has been continuing for over 25 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The HDP accuses the government of killing civilians, something it denies.