3Novices:Kurdish rebels call disarmament move historic, want Turkey to step up reforms

Kurdish militants on Sunday described as "historic" a call by their jailed leader to hold a disarmament congress and said Turkey must now take concrete steps to keep the peace process on track. Abdullah Ocalan, who still exerts influence over the armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) from his prison cell, on Saturday called on followers to meet in the spring and agree to lay down their arms. Ocalan's call has been lauded by both sides as a crucial step in Turkey's efforts to negotiate an end to a 30-year insurgency that has killed 40,000 people, mostly Kurds. "Such a goodwill statement presents a very important foundation and opportunity to democratise the state and government and resolve the Kurdish issue and Turkey's basic problems," the PKK said in a statement.

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