Erdogan tacitly supports ally’s proposal for leniency toward imprisoned Kurdish militant leader

ANKARA (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seemed to give his implicit support on Tuesday for an unprecedented proposal by his nationalist ally that could lead to leniency for Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. At a ceremony in Ankara, Erdogan called for an open-minded approach to recent comments by Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli who suggested that Ocalan could be granted parole if he renounces violence and disbands the PKK. Ocalan has been serving a life term on a prison island off Istanbul since 1999. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.