The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) waged a guerilla war against Turkey since 1984. Their demands initially included independence for a Kurdistan to be created out of the Kurdish areas in Turkey,[2] but later transformed into a demand for more political and cultural freedom. In 1991, the Government of Turgut Özal ended the denial of the Kurdish identity by the Turkish government, a policy majorly implemented by the Turkish government since its first constitution in 1924.[3] Following, Öcalan gave interviews to several newspapers based in Turkey and spoke of his willingness to reach a political solution in the conflict with Turkey.[4]