Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan calls for Turkey peace

The jailed leader of Turkey's main Kurdish rebel group has urged followers to end a 30-year armed struggle.

In a statement read out on TV by a Kurdish MP, Abdullah Ocalan said he was seeking a "historical decision" to reach "a democratic solution".

He called for a special congress in the spring intended to make a declaration ending the armed conflict.

More than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have died in fighting for an Kurdish homeland in Turkey's south-east.

Mr Ocalan leads the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, but has been in prison since 1999 serving a life sentence for treason.

Announcing his latest view, Kurdish politician Sirri Sureyya Onder read a message on Turkish TV.

"We are in the process of bringing an end to the 30-year of conflict, in the form of a perpetual peace, and our main goal is to reach a democratic solution," Ocalan's message said.

"I am calling on the PKK to convene an extraordinary congress in the spring months, to make the strategic and historical decision about ending the armed struggle based on mutually agreed principles.

"This call is a historical declaration of intent on replacing the armed struggle with democratic politics."

Abdullah Ocalan retains influence over PKK commanders and soldiers, though, and analysts say his messages from prison are often heeded.

He declared a ceasefire in 2013 that holds despite ongoing mistrust between the two sides.