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World

Germany: PKK apology for 1990s violence not a reason to reconsider ban on Kurdish group

Associated Press
Published | Updated

BERLIN – The German government says a senior Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, figure's apology for violence in Germany in the 1990s isn't a reason to reconsider its ban on the group.

The PKK took up arms in 1984 to fight for Kurdish autonomy in southeastern Turkey. It was banned in Germany in 1993 following attacks by supporters on Turkish facilities and a German magazine.

In an interview with NDR and WDR television broadcast Thursday night, top PKK commander Cemil Bayik said: "I would like to apologize to the German people in the name of the PKK ... Nothing like this will happen again."

Interior Ministry spokesman Tobias Plate said Friday that Bayik's statement alone doesn't provide grounds for Germany to reassess the PKK, which has been holding peace talks with Ankara.