AKP seeks extension to cross-border operations

ANF – Ankara 04.10.2013 – The ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party) has presented a motion in parliament demanding the one-year extension of its authorization to launch cross-border operations targeting the guerrilla-controlled Media Defense Areas in South Kurdistan.

The government has presented the motion despite the ongoing democratic resolution process initiated by Kurdish people’s leader Abdullah Öcalan and the unilateral ceasefire called by the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK).

The parliament is expected to discuss the motion before 17 September, when the former motion will not be valid anymore.

On Thursday, the Turkish parliament  passed a government motion for the one-year extension of the mandate to send troops into Syria if deemed necessary. The BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) and CHP (Republican People’s Party) voted against the mandate which was however approved by majority of votes by the AKP (Justice and Development Party) and the MHP (Nationalist Movement Party). The renewed mandate -signed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and conveyed to the Parliament on 1 October- extends the ruling AKP government’s authorization to stage cross-border operations in foreign countries with Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and to make necessary arrangements to enable these actions.