DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AP) - Turkey's state-run television says jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has called for a ceasefire, 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 south-eastern Turkey.