Kurdish Peace Process Pits Turkish President Against Government – Reports

After Turkish Deputy Prime Minister vowed to defend the government's moves on Kurdish peace process, a rift between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Cabinet reportedly deepened.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A rift between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Cabinet deepened Sunday after the country's Deputy Prime Minister vowed to defend the government's moves on Kurdish peace process, Today's Zaman newspaper said.

This came after President Erdogan said on Friday he was not happy about the government's decision to set up a special committee to monitor secret talks with jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan. He argued that the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) was more than enough.

But Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, who is also the Cabinet spokesperson, stressed the peace process was in the government's hands, in a remark that upset the president. Erdogan was prime minister for 11 years, before he was elected president in August 2014.

Arinc assured Erdogan that the government and the people loved him, according to Today's Zaman, but said the government hoped to emerge even stronger from the upcoming parliamentary elections on June 7.

Peace talks between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a political group listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara, still have a bumpy road ahead. Despite continued Kurdish independence struggle, the president has been in denial saying it was not an issue.

On Saturday, PKK leader Ocalan called for an end of 30-year-long conflict between Turkish Kurdistan and Turkey. Ocalan also supported the idea of a monitoring committee.