ANKARA
The Turkish government submitted a new draft law on Turkey's "solution process" regarding the Kurdish issue to the parliament speaker's office Thursday -- a bill that Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said would lay the groundwork for further work on the issue.
But the deputy group chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party, Engin Altay, called the bill a "ploy" to gain Kurdish votes in presidential elections scheduled for August.
The government acknowledged the bill was vague.
"This regulation is a general one and it will present a general perspective for next regulations," Atalay said. "A roadmap and action plan that would include more concrete steps regarding the process will be based on this framework law."
The bill drew support from the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party. Deputy Hasip Kaplan said it was important for Turkey.
Kaplan said the party hoped the new draft law would improve Turkey's peace and democracy.
Atalay said that the law proved the determination of the Turkish government to complete the solution process.
According to the draft law, the Turkish government will define the necessary steps at political, judicial, social-economic, psychological, cultural, human rights, security and disarmament levels to end terrorism and strengthen social integration.
The government has pledged democratic reforms to empower minorities, particularly the Kurdish people -- by far Turkey's largest minority, representing 18 percent of the population.
Turkey's "solution process" began early last year with a ceasefire between the Turkish government and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by several international organizations.
The Turkish National Intelligence Organization held a series of meetings with the PKK in the Swedish capital, Oslo, in 2009.
If appropriate, Turkish government will decide to contact and hold meetings with both domestic and foreign persons, agencies and institutes within the solution process, and the government will assign people to hold these meetings, according to the draft.
However, the Nationalist Movement Party called for Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek to return the draft law to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Holding a press conference at the parliament, the Nationalist Movement Party's deputy group chairman, Oktay Vural, described the draft law as a "rag."
"The draft law has been penned by PM Erdogan and Abdullah Ocalan," said Vural, referring to the imprisoned head of the PKK.
Ocalan was arrested by Turkish forces in 1999 and sentenced to death for forming an armed gang. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after the death penalty was abolished in 2004 in line with European Union reforms.
Vural also said the ruling AK Party intended to divide Turkey in the name of "solution process."
"The AK Party cooperates with the PKK, continues to make laws that divide Turkey and dynamite our brotherhood," said Vural, speaking of the relationship between Kurds and Turks.
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