ANKARA/BAGHDAD July 1 (Reuters) - The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) could start handing over its weapons within days, a spokesman for Turkey's ruling AK Party said on Tuesday, the clearest sign yet that efforts to secure the outlawed group's disarmament may be nearing a breakthrough.
Asked by reporters whether there was a timeline for the PKK militants to lay down their arms, spokesman Omer Celik said:
"I don't want to give a definite timeline at this stage. (...) Now we've reached a stage where it could happen in a matter of days."
Celik added that the coming days would be "extremely important for a Turkey free of terrorism". The PKK, which has been locked in a bloody conflict with the Turkish state for more than four decades, decided in May to disband and end its armed struggle.
Two PKK sources based in northern Iraq confirmed that a small group of fighters was expected to hand over their weapons at a location in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya in the "coming days".
"Preparations for the handover are underway in coordination with Kurdish security authorities in Sulaimaniya," one of the PKK sources told Reuters.
A Kurdish security official in Sulaimaniya, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the handover event would be overseen by security officials from the central government in Baghdad.
"If everything goes according to plan, the PKK weapons handover will take place next week," said the Kurdish security official.
The second PKK source said: "The disarmament ceremony will serve as a goodwill gesture aimed at building confidence and paving the way for the Turkish government to take further steps and fulfil its obligations toward lasting peace."
Separately, Turkey's Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin visited Iraq's Erbil on Tuesday to discuss steps to be taken to end terrorism in the region, according to a statement by the intelligence agency.
Kalin met with Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Iraqi Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani and the leader of KDP Masoud Barzani and other high level leaders during his visit.
Since the PKK launched its insurgency against Turkey in 1984 - originally with the aim of creating an independent Kurdish state - the conflict has killed more than 40,000 people, imposed a huge economic burden and fuelled social tensions.
The PKK's decision to disarm could boost NATO member Turkey's political and economic stability and encourage moves to ease tensions in neighbouring Iraq and Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with U.S. forces.