Following clashes yesterday in Sivas, three bodies have been taken to Sivas hospital. It is believed the bodies belong to three HPG (People Defense's Forces) Kurdish guerrillas, although no confirmation has come from the HPG itself. The hospital will perform an autopsy on the bodies.

Yesterday several hundred troops, backed by helicopters, launched an operation against a group of what is believed to have been PKK members early on Tuesday in the province of Sivas, officials said.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan, whose Justice and Development Party (AK Party) claimed a decisive victory in Sunday's elections, has said that although some state officials have held talks with Öcalan, his government would not hold talks with what Turkey, the EU and the United States designate a terrorist organization. Today is the day Öcalan himself has set as a deadline to assess whether the government has been taking any positive steps towards peace.

In statements issued through lawyers who pay weekly visits to his prison cell on Ýmralý Island, Öcalan has said previous agreements had been broken.