Turkey Mulls 'Wise People' Group for Kurd Peace Process

Turkey's government is planning to establish a consultative body to oversee the ongoing peace negotiations with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the prime minister said on Tuesday.

"If we decide on forming a group of wise people... it will be our consultative committee," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his lawmakers in a parliamentary meeting.

"We might need a group of wise people. We wish to see every segment of (society) being represented there," he added.

The composition and functions of such a grouping were not immediately clear but Erdogan said Saturday that it might comprise academics, businessmen, NGOs and journalists.

The government initiative follows a ceasefire call from jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan last week for PKK fighters to put down their arms and withdraw from Turkish territory.

The renewed push for peace is seeking to end the PKK's 29-year armed campaign for self-rule that has killed some 45,000 people, mostly Kurds.