PKK to hold France responsible if killers not found

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said Friday it would hold France responsible if it does not quickly shed light on the slaying of three female Kurdish activists in Paris.

"The fact that the attack was carried out in France is a clear demonstration of France's responsibility," the People's Defence Forces (HPG), the military wing of the rebels, said in a statement published on its website.

"France has a responsibility to immediately shed light on the massacre," it said. "Or it will be held responsible for the murder of our comrades."

The warning came a day after three Kurdish women, one of them a founding member of the PKK, were found shot dead at a Kurdish cultural centre in Paris.

Turkish authorities blamed the killings on hawkish factions within the PKK which they said may have wanted to derail recent peace talks between Turkey and jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

The PKK accused Ankara of trying to shift the blame on Kurds for what it called a "well-organised and professional political murder."

The killings came days after Turkish media reported that Turkey and the PKK leadership had agreed a roadmap to end a three-decade old insurgency that has claimed more than 45,000 lives. Neither side has confirmed the reports.