Senior EP member to visit protesting mothers in Turkey

By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - A senior member of the European Parliament will visit the mothers protesting in southeastern Turkey seeking the return of their children abducted by the PKK terror group, a Turkish official said Thursday.

Tomas Zdechovsky, a Czech politician, will visit the protest site in Diyarbakir province today at 2 p.m. local time (1100GMT), said the official of the Parliament who asked not to be named.

The protest outside the office of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), long accused by the government of having close ties with the PKK, has entered its 66th day.

Zdechovsky is expected to hold a news conference after his meeting.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.