(DIYARBAKIR, Turkey) — Turkey’s state-run television says jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has called for a cease-fire, a major step toward ending one of the world’s bloodiest insurgencies. TRT says that in a message read by a Kurdish legislator in the Kurdish language, Ocalan also called for the withdrawal of Kurdish militants from Turkish territory. Turkey has embarked on talks with Ocalan to end the nearly 30-year conflict that has cost tens of thousands of lives. His group has been fighting for self-rule for Kurds in southeastern Turkey. Kurdish legislators are to read a message from Abdullah Ocalan during a spring festival celebrated by Kurds in the largest city in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast. Tens of thousands of people, waving flags emblazoned with Ocalan’s picture, packed a square in Diyarbakir early Thursday. Organizers said more than a million people are expected to attend the festivity to hear Ocalan’s statement. Ocalan is expected to declare a truce with immediate effect, as well as the gradual withdrawal of fighters from Turkish territory — offering hope of ending the nearly 30-year conflict that has cost tens of thousands of lives in Turkey. Turkey announced in December that it is talking to Ocalan with the aim of persuading his Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, to disarm. The group, which has been fighting for self-rule for Kurds in southeastern Turkey and greater rights for the minority group, is considered a terror organization by Turkey and its Western allies. (MORE: Kurdish Rebels Fighting Turkey Release 8 Captives) Kurdish rebels have declared cease-fires in the past but these were ignored by the state, which vowed to fight the PKK until the end. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has also admitted to having held failed, secret talks with the PKK in the past years, but this latest attempt — being held more publicly and with Ocalan’s greater participation — has raised hopes for the successful negotiated settlement. As part of the peace efforts, the government is expected to boost the rights of Kurds through a series![]()
