Former MP Leyla Zana said that “Soldiers and guerrilla will dance for peace together. And this will happen soon”. Zana remarks were pronounced during the speech she gave at the opening of the Culture and Art Festival in Cizre. Zana also added that "Turkish people voices for peace might not yet be strong enough, but they soon will be."

Zana then said the “Turks are going to raise their voice for peace. The Spring is different in Cizre. - she said - I believe Cizre’s shining stars are not going to lose their brightness. And this will make peace possible, and very soon. I believe the Turkish soldiers and the guerrilla are going to dance for peace together.“

Mehmet Saci, mayor of Cizre also addressed the crowd at the festival. He said: “The Kurdish language was forbidden for years. In the 1950s those who spoke in Kurdish were fined. But now, thousands of Kurds are singing in Kurdish and having fun. You cannot suppress one's native tongue with violence and repression.”

Translation: Berna Ozgencil