Possible ceasefire and peace in Turkey?

"August 11 (AFP) , Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has said he may call on his militants to declare a ceasefire if Ankara displays "a sincere approach" for the resolution of the ethnic conflict, a pro-Kurdish news agency reported Friday.

"It is possible to stop the bloodshed... If the government displays a sincere approach we will do what is up to us. I will make a call for a ceasefire and the clashes will stop," the Germany-based Firat news agency quoted Ocalan as saying.

"A democratic dialogue is required for a permanent solution," Ocalan said. "You cannot finish off the PKK by pleading with the United States and cooperating with Iran and Syria."

"Our demands are very clear... Our children should be educated in their mother tongue, should listen to radio, watch television and read newspapers" in Kurdish, Ocalan said.

Ocalan said that if Ankara takes "some practical steps and gives certain guarantees" following an eventual PKK ceasefire the rebels would retreat to Iraq or another country.

"At the final stage, the arms would be laid down for good, provided a legal guarantee is given," he said, in an apparent reference for an amnesty for PKK members."
FHTK